The Master's answer concerning the rating of the potte

Diuerse cases that the warden is not to ouerse masterers meltinge

[Editorial Note 1]Myni matters

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The masters answer concerninge the ratinge of the potte /
Whereas the master is challenged for ratinge the potte as semeth best to him self
He anwereth

In nll endenture & afore forms ramt if put pro rate.That neither his indenture nor any former Indenture hathe Lymitted any forme or maner howe the potte sholde be rated but the master hathe alwaies been at fre libertie to rate his potte at his pleasure because he made the moneyes at his oune will and when the moneyes were made tryed & founde to be in the master ferra bn a son will./suche suete as thyndenture lymitted the master was no furder charged nor challenged

Wherfore the nowe master findeth him self muche inired and greiued by the sclanderous sketches of his aduersaries whose reposte is that the master by putting copy to the bullion at his plesure maketh the moneyes coueste thew he ought to doe a thinge verry odious in the eares of the unskilfull people wherfore he hathe thought good to shewe howe of necessitie there must be copper put to the bullion wherby the ratinge of the potte is required and used & howe that in puttinge copper to the bullion the master dothe no wronge neither to the majestie nor to the Subriette

First the bullion brought into the Tower is in diuerse greate Ingotts of diuerse quallities and of diUse finesses some of xioz ij ch weight fine some xj oz iiij ch weight fine some more some less / and when a masse of these bullions is layed to gether to be molten in one pott and that the warden according to his office hathe entred the weight and finesse of the same / First in his ledger booke and after in his meltinge booke The master of necessitie must make his computacon and put to the bullion suche quantitie of copy as is nedeful to be put into the potte with the same masse to reduce if by meltinge to suche state of finesse as that he maye make moneyes therof accordinge to his Indenture for otherwise it is not possible to make moneyes in order

This is the ratinge of the potte wherein no man ought to deale but by the masters appointtemente bicause the moneyes are made at his onely will/

the maner dassaye Howe when the same masse is thus by the master com̄ized and molten before it be caste oute the warden and saie master firste take assaie thereof to se whether it be sufficiente to make moneyes or no / And then being caste oute of the potte in smale ingotts the warden and saie master taketh one of the same Ingotts and maketh a nother assaie and tryall of the finesse thereof which done the whole masse is rated and accompted to be of suche finesse as that ingott beareth / As if the Ingott be founde to be of xjoz jch weight fine the whole masse is likewise accompted to be of xjoz jch weight fyne This tryall is called by thindenture the pott assaie Artcile / 20 / And hereby the wardens curious desire to see the ratinge of the pott and meltinge of the bullion maye appere verry vaine For he hauinge entred the weight and If the leger gaue dee weight & finesse {illeg} melting & if tassay apb pt been w rong quantity de ropp & an larg. finesse of the masse into his Ledger and meltinge booke as before is saide and nowe seinge what finesse it bereth at the potte assaie maye easelie finde what copy is in the masse molten & howe muche is due to her majestie for the finesse thereof for accordinge to that finesse which is founde of euery masse by the potte assaie her majestie is to be answered her eī remedie in finesse and not otherwise And albe it the master as laufull it is for hum to doe dothe rate euery potte put to meltinge at xjoz fine pr under yett ys the masse molten in the same pott be founde by the pott assaie to be of xjoz ich weight fine it is no reason to recon that masse to be but of xjoz fine as the warden pretendeth For if that be reason then if by the potte assaie the masse were founde to be xjoz ijd weight fine or iid weight fine it sholde also be reported but at xjoz fine and so the master sholde alwaies answer her majestie oute of his purse the vallue of her eī remedie in finesse when notwithstanding there is a grete deale more finesse in her moneyes then sholde be and so the master sholde susteine A doble or treble charge which were conrarye to all reason and equitie/

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Moreouer when the potte is rated but at xjoz fine to the fier the bullion nuerthelesse dothe continuallie rise at xjoz jd weight fine from the fier/

Yf it be rated at xjoz jd weight fine to the fier the bullion wolde com̄onlie rise at xjoz ijs weight fine from the fier/

But if the potte sholde be rated donne as the wardens wolde have it at xjoz ijs weight fine to the fier then it wolde com̄onlie rise at xjoz iijd weight fine from the fier And so the whole remedies which jd weight ouerplus in finesse beinge in the moneyes the master sholde not onlye lacke his half remedie in finesse but also shold lose the saide jd weight ouerplusse in finesse which if xxxC £ weight be yerely coyned wolde amounte to	}	iiijCvj.£ vs a yere/
Beside tis foresaide surplussage of thaiye which is also		d cxv.£ xvj.s. viij a yere
And so by this reconinge the master sholde lose yerelye oute of his purse onelye aboute thassaies of the mynte	}	xj.C xij£ xxch a yere/

Beside all other his charge not yet spoken of/

And so it is to be noted that when the masters heretofore were bounde to make theire moneyes full standerd vix at xjoz ijd weight fine yet they were neuer bounde to rathe there potte at xjoz ijd weight fine neither was it of necesssitie or colde theye so doe excepte they wolde haue undone them selves biceause that by suche ratinge of the potte they sholde haue ben continuall losers by the ouerplusse in finesse as is afore saide foe that by the forme of there Indentures they were not to be allowed for any ouerpluasse in finesse excepte so muche lacke of finesse sholde happen at a nother tyme which in suche ratinge wolde new haue ben/

Comeinge the odde greiues The master saithe

That if it be dulie proued that by makinge of thassaies the master hathe gained suche he caim to his office onely by the odde greiues in the Subiecte bullion deliuered at the mynte xx£ a yere for euery shillinge he will yelde her majestie

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that

Neither dothe the master knowe when any odde greiues is in the Ingotte & therefore he new ratess his potte better or worse in respecte of the odde greiues but accordinge to thassaies reporte of the Ingott which reporte is awaies made withoute any odde greiues

Againe the Subiecte Ingotts are often tymes verry deceiptefullye molten and are formde to be finer at the one eande then at thother & yett neuerthelesse moste tymes thassaiers reporteth the whole Ingott accordinge to the fynesse of the better eande & so the master loseth not onelye the odde greiues but often tymes a whole / 0£ weight oz jd weight in euery pounde weight of the same Ingott /

It is further to be noted that if no odde greuies at all fall oute to be in the subiecte bullion at thassaie of their Ingott yett if by the potte assaie there rise v. odde greiues in the whole masse as often tymes there fothe those v. odde greiues the master loseth for meltinge bicause they are now reported for the master but doe ronne into the moneyes to the prince benefitt onelie / By the losse of which v. odde greiues in the whole masse at the potte assaie the master loseth more at one meltinge then he geineth in tenne meltinge by thodde greiues in the Subiecte bullion/

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againe yf the saie master reporte thassaie of some of the subiecte Ingotts C £ weight jd. ijd. iijd oz iiijd weight in eury pounde weight better then it is as diurese tymes he hathe don then bothe the moneyes & the master loseth more by the missereporte of one suche Ingott then they get by the odde greives in xl. Ingotts /

Here it maye be obiected that as the saie master maye some tymes reporte the Subiecte bullion better then it is wherby the master maye be a loser so maye he some tymes reporte it worse then it is wherby the master maye be a gainer and then the one beinge sett againste thother the master can be no Loser /

The master Answereth

That it is nothinge so for the Subiecte com̄onlie knoweth the finesse of his bullion before he bringeth it into the mynte So that if thassaier make the assaie thereof better then it is to the Subiecte gaine the subiecte taketh it with silence but of thassaier make the same assaie worse then indede it is the subiecte knowinge the finesse of his siluer before hande will have his saye made againe till it rise as good as he thinketh it to be / And if it will not rise so good then he will saye his siluer is not well molten and therfore will haue it home againe to melte it better / So that the subiecte is sire neuer to lose but many tymes to gaine by the missereporte of the finesse of his Ingotts and thus bothe the moneyes and the master is many tymes gretelye dampenefied /

Item the master hathe diuerse tymes founde half an ounce or iij.  fes of an ounce of water in an Ingott which if he had not founde he sholde haue answered so muche weight in siluer for it /

And many other defaults and deceiptes have ben and maye be founde in the Subiecte Ingotte to the masters grete hindraunce /

So that the odde greiues supposed to be gotten by the Subiecte bullion beinge well considered and counternailed with the masters losse that hapeneth by the seuerall meanes aforesaide they will not mounte to one score of all the thousande outrewlie reported by the Auditers and warden to be gotten by the master /