5-1/2 yards = 1 rod 22 „ or 4 rods, or 100 links = 1 chain 220 „ „ 40 „ „ 10 chains = 1 furlong (rood) 1760 „ „ 320 „ „ 80 „ or 8 furlongs = 1 mile The Scots mile and the Irish mile were equally 8 furlongs of 40 rods, but Scots and Irish rods (see Chap. XIV). Scots mile 320 rods of 6 ells (6·1766 yards) = 1976 yards Irish „ „ „ 7 yards = 2240 „ The term Yard has been used for certain large land-measures. These, with the evolution of the Rod, will be given in the next chapter. _The League_ It has been seen that the Persian Parasang was three meridian miles, or 3000 Olympic fathoms. France retains this as the _lieue marine_ of 20 to the degree, and Southern France long retained a league of 3 miles each of 1000 toises or cannes. But in Roman times the Leuca or Leuga of Gaul was 1-1/2 Roman miles. It passed to medieval England at about the same length, being defined as _duodecim quaranteinis_, 12 furlongs or roods of 40 rods. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CHAPTER VI LAND-MEASURES 1. INTRODUCTION The first measures of land were seed-measures. They are found in every country; they become fixed in course of time as the idea of geometric measurement arises; they survive in name giving the peasant a concrete idea of the extent of his fields. Then came the estimation of land by the amount of ploughing, or sometimes of hand-digging, that could be done in a day, and by the extent that could be cultivated with a pair of oxen. Then came a system of geometric measurement, fixing the former seed-units or labour-units by measures of length and breadth, and finally the abstract idea of superficial area. These different systems have succeeded one another everywhere and in all time. 1. Seed-units.—The land that could be sown with a certain measure of seed-corn, wheat being the usual standard: Fr. _seterée_, _estrée_, _boisselée_, &c.; It. _moggio_; Sp. _fanega_; G. _scheffel_; Nor. _tunn-land_. These names correspond to corn-measures. 2. Day’s hand-labour units.—The land that could be tilled with spade or hoe in a day: the ‘Daieswork,’ about 10 square rods; Fr. _hommée_, _ouvrée_—20 square rods of vineyard. 3. Day’s ploughing units.—L. _jugerum_; It. _giornata_; Fr. _journal_, _arpent_; G. _morgen_, _joch_, _acker_; Du. _bouw_; Hind. _bigha_; Ar. _feddan_; Ir. _ardagh_. All about an English acre more or less. 4. Oxgang units.—The land that a boor with a yoke of oxen could keep in husbandry; about 7 acres of arable, about 30 acres including wood and pasture: Yard-land; Du. _hoeve_. A group of oxgangs, generally of four yoke, made a Ploughland; Prov. _un mas de quatre couble_, a four-yoke farm.