JB/070/106/001

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By the 15th. G.2.c.2g. 1. Amongst other Offences to "file or
any ways alter, wash or colour any of the Brass Monies called
Halfpennies + +so Ruffhead. or Farthings, or add to or alter the impression
or any part of the impression of either side of an Halfpenny
or Farthing, with an intent to make an Halfpenny resemble
or look like or pass for a lawful Shilling or with
intent to make a Farthing resemble or look like or pass
for a lawful Sixpence" is made High Treason: & by 8
a person guilty of any such Offence, who being out of —
Prison, shall discover 2 or more such Offenders so as —
they be convicted shall be entitled to a Pardon.

This Statute is abridged: in Sr. J. Fielding's Extracts
from the Penal laws p. 318, & it is there said - "If any
"person being out of Prison shall file or any wise alter
"wash or colour any of the Brass Monies called Halfpennies"
"or Farthings or add to or alter the impression or any part
---page break---
"of the impression with intent to make them look like or pass
"for a lawful Shilling or a Sixpence". . . .. "and shall
"afterwards discover two or more persons who shall have committed
"any of the said offences, so as such two or more shall
"be thereof convicted; such discoverer shall have his Majesty's
"most gracious Pardon for such his or her Offence."
Now this abridgment is a representation of what the Law
ought to be, not of what it is; for the sense it will convey to
an ordinary apprehension is that the Penalty is to attach
whether the Halfpenny be turned into a Shilling or a Sixpence
whereas for any thing contained in the Text, he who is dispos'd
to turn a Halfpenny into a Sixpence, or, what is as feasible
an operation as any that are mentioned, a Farthing into a —
Shilling may do it with impunity.

The Passage here instanced would have been yet better as an
original, & yet more in danger of being useful as a copy, if the

words "Brass Monies" (together with those others which serve
to connect them with the rest of the sentince) had been omitted,
for the truth of the matter is, that their neither are now in
being, nor were then such things as Brass Monies called
Halfpennies & Farthings; the Monies so called are & were
Copper & not Brass: Copper being the Metal pure — Brass a
mixed Metal, composed of Copper with an additament. + +The Simi-metal called Zinc obtainted commonly from Ore called Lapis— calaminaris

COMPOSIT. Abridgments inadequate [BR| | ] Succedanea.

Identifier: | JB/070/106/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 70.
Date_1		Marginal Summary Numbering
Box	070	Main Headings	of laws in general
Folio number	106	Info in main headings field	composit. abridgments inadequate succedanea
Image	001	Titles
Category	copy/fair copy sheet	Number of Pages	1
Recto/Verso	recto	Page Numbering
Penner		Watermarks	[[watermarks::gr [crown motif] [britannia with shield motif]]]
Marginals		Paper Producer
Corrections		Paper Produced in Year
Notes public		ID Number	23221
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