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48 HISTORY OF FALMOUTH.
under his own vine with none to molest or make afraid." Small portions of the township in various parts of the town are yet held in common and reference to them will be made as we proceed in our history. We will now take up again the "Town's Book." At a town meeting Dec. 16, 1718 Hannah Sargent was chosen for the town's school mistress, and the selectmen were instructed to make application to her in the town's behalf. At the same meeting it was left to the selectmen to agree with some one person to sweep our meeting house the year ensuing not exceeding fifteen shillings; the meaning of which probably is, that they being neat in their habits would have their place of meeting, i.e., the Town House swept 15 shillings' worth during the year. It seems that the selectmen were not successful in bargaining with Miss Hannah Sargent, for at the next meeting Isaac Greene and Timothy Robinson were chosen agents to procure a school master or mistress not exceeding 12 pounds and diet per year. Thus it seems that the wages of a teacher in these days were one pound per month and board. I have taken considerable pains to ascertain the value of a pound old tenor in our present currency. It seems that a crown piece in those days had a nominal value of 50 shillings. This piece, now valued at $1.10 would then pass for 2½ pounds, making a pound only 44 cents. Reckoned thus a teacher's wages in 1718 would be only 44 cents per month and board. But I am convinced it is impossible for us to fix the precise value of the currency in those days. It was constantly fluctuating; so much so, that in contracts providing for future payments it was necessary to insert a provision that if the price of money in-
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