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...and so it was ordered that there should be a levy of 1200 [pounds] raised. The proportion for the rate agreed upon is for...Boston 179...Salem 115...Neweberry 65...Hampton 10. [The committee appointed to value goods] for Hampton both Goodman Moulton & Goodman Crosse. MGC
Money was not the only medium of exchange acceptable to the Massachusetts Bay tax collectors. The Court decreed that payment in silver plate should "pass at 5 shillings the ounce" and it valued "good ould Indian corn at 5 shillings the bushel, summer wheat at 7 shillings the bushel, rye at 6 shillings the bushel." Also acceptable were horses, oxen, goats, and hogs. It was the job of Goodman Moulton and Goodman Crosse to place a value on items "under their worth rather than above their worth." Wampum (seashells) was also accepted. Items not allowed were "fruits of the earth," since they would rapidly spoil.
