Also 7–8 liver. [F.:—L. lībra the Roman pound.] An old French money of account, divided into 20 sols (or sous), and approximately equivalent to the present franc.
Besides this livre, called livre tournois, there was also at one time a livre parisis = 11/4 livres tournois.
1553. J. Locke, in Hakluyt’s Voy. (1599), II. 102. Euery Sechino is of venetian money eight liuers and two soldes.
1604. E. Grimstone, Hist. Siege Ostend, 168. A barrell of … Beere was worth twenty foure Liures which is eleuen Germaine Dollers.
1611. Coryat, Crudities, 250. The Liver is Nine pence, the Sol an halfe penny. Ibid., 286. That thou maiest be paide all thy money in the exchange coyne, which is this brasse peece called the Liuer.
1679. G. R., trans. Boaystuau’s Theatre World, 195. Eighteen Livers tornoys.
1702. W. J., trans. Bruyn’s Voy. Levant, xxix. 110. This Amounts every Year to Four Piasters, which make about Ten French Livers.
1746. Acc. French Settlem. N. Amer., 13. A Captain here has one hundred and twenty livres a month.
1797. Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3), XII. 259/2. They had the conscience to charge an English sea officer … 300 livres (12 guineas and a half) for eight days lodging.
1886. Athenæum, 24 April, 549/1. Her son, the Duke of Richmond, had left France, and had thereby forfeited the pension of 20,000 livres allowed him.
