forty
“pence, no,”
HENRY VIII., ii. 3. 89.
I will bet forty pence that it does not.
“Forty-pence was,
in those days, the proverbial expression of a small wager, or a small sum. Money was then
reckoned by pounds, marks, and nobles. Forty-pence is half a noble, or the sixth part of a pound. Forty pence, or
three and four pence, still remains, in many offices, the legal and established fee”
(STEEVENS)
.
A General Glossary to Shakespeare's Works. Alexander Dyce. Boston. Dana Estes and Company. 1904.
This text was converted to electronic form by professional data entry and has been proofread to a high level of accuracy.
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