[Footnote 3.1: The first silver ducat is believed to have been struckin 1140 by Roger II., Norman king of Sicily; and ducats have beenstruck constantly since the twelfth century, especially at Venice (see_Merchant of Venice_). They have varied considerably both in weight andfineness, and consequently in value, at different times and places.Ducats have been struck in both gold and silver. The early Venetiansilver ducat was worth about five shillings. The name is said,according to one account, to have been derived from the last word ofthe Latin legend found on the earliest Venetian gold coins:--_Sit tibi,Christe, datus, quem tu regis, ducatus_ (duchy); according to anotheraccount it is taken from "_il ducato_," the name generally applied tothe duchy of Apulia.]