Tutorials

Follow one real Archos run from a research question to an exported Evidence Report: how it was framed, planned, gathered, checked and written.

Below is a working mock-up of the Archos app, filled in with the figures from a single run: The Prosecution of William Chaloner, 1692–1700, drawn from the Royal Mint papers and presented at the Digital Humanities at Oxford Summer School in 2026. Use it as you would the app: the tabs switch screens, and the buttons play out what Archos did, at speed and with the run’s own figures. The guide beside it explains each step. Nothing is sent anywhere; to use Archos itself, open the demo.

Sections: 5
Subsections: 27
Primary sources: 261
Citations: 1,688
Words: 85,789
Total cost: $12.70

Step 1 of 6

Frame the question

The run began with a plain-language question about the prosecution of William Chaloner: how Newton and the Mint built the case against him, and what the depositions, petitions, letters and printed accounts reveal about how contested it was. The timeline shows what the Royal Mint papers hold, year by year; the highlighted window is this page’s evidence period, 1692 to 1700.

Planning costs cents: two probe retrievals of 50 passages each and one planner call. For this run the planner came to $0.06.

Try it: edit the question, drag the evidence period, then press Generate plan.

Step 2 of 6

Review and edit the plan

The planner proposed five overlapping sections: Newton’s evidence-gathering campaign, the network of informants and witnesses, Chaloner’s own counter-strategy, the trial and execution, and the contradictions and limits of the surviving record. Each card holds a planned overview, a writing goal and a retrieval prompt, with its own time window.

Nothing has been retrieved at scale yet, so this is the cheap moment to reshape the page.

Try it: open a card, edit it, move it or remove it, then press Run.

Step 3 of 6

Watch the sweep and the gate

Each section sweeps the corpus with a saturation-driven binary search over time windows: 723 searches across the five sections, all finished within two minutes. A relevance gate then reads every candidate passage and decides whether it bears on the section. It runs as a batch job that can take many minutes, and the run card says so rather than looking stuck.

The sweep surfaced 5,051 candidate passages and the gate kept 1,092 of them; the 3,959 it dropped are kept in an audit file with the gate’s reason. The replay takes about eleven seconds, while the clock shows the real run’s time.

Step 4 of 6

Approve synthesis at the checkpoint

A section parks after its gate because that is the first moment the cost of writing it is knowable: its evidence is fixed. Each row shows how many passages were kept, how they were bundled by date into subsections, and an estimate of what writing them will cost.

The estimate is an expectation, not a quote. Here Archos’s formula put all five sections at about $1.71; the cost audit later recorded $7.16 for synthesis, the largest line on the bill.

Try it: press Synthesise on one section, or Synthesise all ready, then View results.

Step 5 of 6

Open the finished run

Every finished run lands on the Results page. This Evidence Report cost $12.70 in total, and the cost audit itemises every stage: synthesis $7.16, the relevance gate $3.45, the temporal sweep $1.81 across 723 searches, and the planner $0.06.

Each run compiles to HTML with footnote popovers, an A4 PDF in both the scholarly and the epistemic view, and a Word document with real Word footnotes.

Try it: press Open Evidence Report.

Step 6 of 6

Read the Evidence Report

The report is scholarly prose with sentence-level footnotes: 1,688 of them across 27 subsections, drawn from 261 distinct primary sources. This excerpt is subsection 3.1, on Chaloner’s printed proposals to Parliament of February 1695.

The Epistemic view colours each sentence by its part in the argument: the point, the evidence, the explanation, and the link that carries it on. Where the record is thin, or two documents disagree, the report says so rather than resolving it quietly. By the time the report was compiled, the section titles had been rewritten to fit the evidence found.

Try it: hover over or tap a footnote, then switch to Epistemic.

Archos OxARCA

Project

Run limit $15

0 tokens·$0.0000

Plan a page

This is where an Evidence Report begins: frame a research question against the selected corpus, and the planner drafts an editable section structure. Nothing expensive happens here — planning costs cents, and the pipeline only runs when you press Run on the next step.

Frame your research question

Paste your research abstract, question, or proposal below — or drag and drop a text file. The system will generate a structured plan from your input.

Evidence period for this page

The page draws its evidence from this period. The planner defines sections within it; each section’s evidence sweep is limited to its own sub-range.

Mint records & papers Correspondence

Year range 1692 — 1700

15751732

Material types

Mint records & papers(1784) Correspondence(184)

Number of sections

Min Max Planner will produce 2–5 sections.

Planner context (advanced) — where the planner looks for orientation evidence · currently 1575–1732

Before planning, two probe retrievals gather sample evidence so the planner knows what the corpus holds. Keep the full range for maximum context; narrow only if you already know the exact scope.

Output language for this run: global default — change in Settings

≈ $0.05–0.20 · probe retrievals + planner call

re-plans with fresh probes · sections may differ

exact sections from a finished plan · free

The Prosecution of William Chaloner

Edit sections below, then click Run to start the pipeline.

English

no completed mint runs to estimate from · cost scales with sections × search budget pauses after evidence gating for your approval — synthesis only starts when you say so

This page is organized around five overlapping topical lenses needed to reconstruct the Chaloner prosecution: Newton's investigative machinery, the witness network, Chaloner's own defensive political strategy, the formal trial and execution, and the contradictions within the surviving archive. The retrieval probes point to especially dense source clusters in Newton's memoranda and petition-answer papers from 1697-1698, witness depositions from late 1698, and printed trial material from 1699, while Chaloner's reform proposals from 1694-1695 provide an earlier strand of self-fashioning. The section windows therefore overlap substantially and extend back before the trial itself so that antecedents, failed lines of prosecution, and immediate aftermath can all be captured within distinct analytical frames.

Mint records & papers Correspondence

kept omitted

1 1692–1699:

Planned overview Writing goal Retrieval prompt

Best results come from letting the model write and refine this — edit only if you know what you’re changing.

Mint records & papers Correspondence

Year range 1692 — 1699

15751732

Material types

All types (no filter)

Subsections are generated automatically by the temporal sweep — they are not manually editable.

2 1692–1699:

Planned overview Writing goal Retrieval prompt

Best results come from letting the model write and refine this — edit only if you know what you’re changing.

Mint records & papers Correspondence

Year range 1692 — 1699

15751732

Material types

All types (no filter)

Subsections are generated automatically by the temporal sweep — they are not manually editable.

3 1694–1699:

Planned overview Writing goal Retrieval prompt

Best results come from letting the model write and refine this — edit only if you know what you’re changing.

Mint records & papers Correspondence

Year range 1694 — 1699

15751732

Material types

All types (no filter)

Subsections are generated automatically by the temporal sweep — they are not manually editable.

4 1698–1700:

Planned overview Writing goal Retrieval prompt

Best results come from letting the model write and refine this — edit only if you know what you’re changing.

Mint records & papers Correspondence

Year range 1698 — 1700

15751732

Material types

All types (no filter)

Subsections are generated automatically by the temporal sweep — they are not manually editable.

5 1692–1700:

Planned overview Writing goal Retrieval prompt

Best results come from letting the model write and refine this — edit only if you know what you’re changing.

Mint records & papers Correspondence

Year range 1692 — 1700

15751732

Material types

All types (no filter)

Subsections are generated automatically by the temporal sweep — they are not manually editable.

Runs

The Prosecution of William Chalonerrunning

The Prosecution of William Chaloner

mint · 20260627_033917

API calls running

$15

kept omitted

Running

0/5 45:23

Sweep & Gate

Synthesis

Assembly

Done

5,472,884 tokens·$5.3244·733 calls

5 sections awaiting synthesis approval — evidence is gated and counted; nothing spends until you approve. Est. all: $1.71.

Newton's evidence-gathering campaign

awaiting approval

Sweep

Gate

Synthesis

Framing

synthesis: awaiting your approval — 407 chunks ready in 10 subsections

The informant and witness network

awaiting approval

Sweep

Gate

Synthesis

Framing

synthesis: awaiting your approval — 106 chunks ready in 3 subsections

Chaloner's counter-strategy: petitions, proposals, and parliamentary appeal

awaiting approval

Sweep

Gate

Synthesis

Framing

synthesis: awaiting your approval — 243 chunks ready in 6 subsections

The trial, verdict, and execution

awaiting approval

Sweep

Gate

Synthesis

Framing

synthesis: awaiting your approval — 125 chunks ready in 3 subsections

The evidentiary record: contradictions and limits

awaiting approval

Sweep

Gate

Synthesis

Framing

synthesis: awaiting your approval — 211 chunks ready in 5 subsections

Results

mint

The Prosecution of William Chaloner, 1692–1700

1692–1700

2026-06-27 03:39●$12.70

The Prosecution of William Chaloner, 1692–1700

done

2026-06-27 03:39 · $12.6972 · 7,913,470 tokens

Documents

Cost audit

Stage	Model	Calls	Input	Output	Cached	Total	Cost
Subsection synthesis	gpt-5.4	27	1,521,502	783,348	550,400	2,304,850	$7.1578
Relevance gate	gpt-5.4-mini	5	4,705,161	749,855	0	5,455,016	$3.4516
Temporal sweep	(retrieval)	723	0	0	0	0	$1.8075
Section overviews	gpt-5.4	5	122,779	7,775	0	130,554	$0.2118
Page planner	gpt-5.4	1	8,129	6,604	0	14,733	$0.0597
Subsection retrieval	(retrieval)	2	0	0	0	0	$0.0050
Page overview	gpt-5.4-mini	1	4,502	680	0	5,182	$0.0032
Query refinement	gpt-5.4-nano	2	2,574	561	0	3,135	$0.0006
TOTAL		766	6,364,647	1,548,823	550,400	7,913,470	$12.6972

Report

Source document

MINT01535

Title: To the Honourable, the knights, citizens, and burgesses, in Parliament assembled proposals humbly offered, for passing an act to prevent clipping and counterfeiting of mony [sic]
Author: William Chaloner
Date: 11 Feb 1694/5
Place: England
Type: Mint records & papers

[f. 1]

To the Honourable, the Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses, in PARLIAMENT Assembled. PROPOSALS Humbly offered, for Passing an Act to prevent Clipping and Counterfeiting of Mony.

WHEREAS Mony is the Principal Supporter, both in times of Peace and War and the only Riches, on which depends all Commerce and Trade. It hath therefore been the care of all Countries to keep their Coyn as free from defects as possible. Now England hath been more grieved with Clip'd and Counterfeit Mony than any other Country, for want of proper Laws to prevent the same, and by the abuse of the Minters of our Mony, who have made the Coyn with so little Art and Ingenuity, that any may Clip or Counterfeit Mony without much difficulty.

That it may be presumed, the old Mony in this Kingdom is now worth two thirds of the Intrinsick value; taking the large and small together. But if there be not a stop put to Clipping of Mony, it will in a few Years be so Diminished and Counterfeited, that it will not be worth half the value it was Coyn'd for.

Therefore, to prevent Clipping and false Coyning for the future,

It is Humbly Proposed,

That since it may be presumed, the old Mony is worth two thirds of the Intrinsick, it should be all called in, and Melted down, and new Coyn'd into Mill'd Mony of the same value it is now of, one with another, viz. Every piece so to be new Coyn'd, to be only two thirds of the Intrinsick worth.

If it be Objected, That to call in the Money and new Coyn it, will be so great a trouble and charge to the King and Subjects, that it must not be done at this time.

It is Humbly Answered.

That there shall be a moveable Mint that shall be placed in the middle of a County, &c. and shall give notice to all the Parishes in the said County, to bring their Mony by such a day, to be changed for new Coyn'd Mony; so having done in that County, the Mint shall move into the middle of the next, to change and Coyn their Mony as aforesaid, and so through the Kingdom, until all the old Mony shall be Coyn'd into Mill'd Mony.

That the Mint shall first go into Cornwall, Devonshire, &c. or where the largest Mony is to be found, by which means the Mint will have a Stock to change the Mony as fast as it is brought to them.

That by this Method, the Poor and Rich may change their Mony with very little trouble or charge, or fear of being Robb'd, for it may be presumed that many will go together to the Mint, and will take the Poor's Mony with them. And further, That many will make it their Imployment to fetch Mony from the Mint, and carry it to the adjacent Towns to change their Mony, and will do it for small profit; so that the Mony in the Country will be changed with very little trouble and charge, and in London with much less, for all the old Mony may be thus Recoyned for 10000l. Extraordinary Charge to the Mint, which is no great Expence in regard it will remove the greatest Grievances this Kingdom is afflicted with.

If it be further Objected, That to Coyn our Mony less than the Intrinsick value will be a great Abuse to the Subject and a Dishonour to the Kingdom.

It is Humbly Answered.

That it shall not be any abuse to the Subject, for as soon as the Mony is Recoyned, by which it will be known how much the Mony wants of the Intrinsick (and Silver Cheap, which now is very dear) the Mony shall be called in and Coyned up to the Intrinsick: This Recoyning being done, only at present to stop the Currant of Clipping and false Coyning, which is now so much Practised, that it is probable they Clip and Coyn 500000l. per ann. So that if an Act should be made to call in the Mony, and Coyn it up to the Intrinsick worth, it would be so long about, that the Kingdom would lose at least two Million of Mony by Clipping and false Coyning of mony before it could be done; Whereas, what is here Proposed, may be done in one Year, and then there <2> may be a small Tax afterwards laid for calling the Mony in, to Coyn it up to the Intrinsick, which may be done by degrees; so that it will be no trouble to the Subject at all, after this first calling in of the Mony.

… the pamphlet continues

The Prosecution of William Chaloner, 1692–1700

Generated: 2026-06-27 03:40 · Run: 20260627_033917

Statistics

Sections	5
Subsections	27
Primary sources	261
Citations	1,688
Words	85,789

Contents

3. Chaloner's Reformer Persona and Its Contestation

…

3. Chaloner's Reformer Persona and Its Contestation

3.1 Chaloner's Printed Reformer Claims · 11.02.1695 – 01.01.1696

This subsection begins with the earliest surviving strand of William Chaloner's self-presentation: a printed address to Parliament on coin reform, read alongside other 1695 reform schemes and early 1696 Mint papers. The paragraphs move from Chaloner's February 1695 proposals, to their technical and policing detail, to his claim of prior official notice, then to William Lowndes's and Thomas Neale's contemporaneous plans, and finally to the Mint's formal powers and privileges at the opening of 1696. Taken together, these documents show Chaloner presenting himself in print as a parliamentary proposer with technical knowledge of coinage and detection, while the surrounding papers place that claim within a wider reform discussion and an enforcement structure controlled by the Mint and Treasury.

■ context · ■ structure · ■ position

Epistemic view

Point — the interpretive claim · Evidence — source sentences, each footnoted · Explanation — what the sources show · Link — carries the argument on

Main: Evidence Output

The first issue is how Chaloner opened his case to Parliament. At the outset of the February 1695 pamphlet, he cast the coin problem as a national grievance and offered a kingdom-wide scheme of recall and recoining. On 11 February 1694/5, William Chaloner's printed address to Parliament called money the "Principal Supporter" of peace and war and said England had been "more grieved with Clip'd and Counterfeit Mony than any other Country" because of "the abuse of the Minters of our Mony".^[1] The same paper stated that the old money in the kingdom was "now worth two thirds of the Intrinsick value".^[2] Chaloner proposed that the old money should be "all called in, and Melted down, and new Coyn'd into Mill'd Mony," with each new piece "only two thirds of the Intrinsick worth".^[3] He further proposed "a moveable Mint" to be placed "in the middle of a County" and then moved from county to county "until all the old Mony shall be Coyn'd into Mill'd Mony".^[4] The printed scheme directed that the Mint should begin in "Cornwall, Devonshire, &c. or where the largest Mony is to be found".^[5] It said that "the Poor and Rich may change their Mony with very little trouble or charge" and estimated that all the old money might be recoined in London for "10000l. Extraordinary Charge to the Mint".^[6] Chaloner defended temporary coin below intrinsic value "only at present to stop the Currant of Clipping and false Coyning," which he said was practised at "500000l. per ann.".^[7] He added that recoining to full intrinsic worth at once would expose the kingdom to the loss of "at least two Million of Mony," whereas his own plan "may be done in one Year".^[8] Chaloner's first move was to speak in the register of national repair. He defines the monetary crisis, names defects in current coin, and offers Parliament a practical programme of recall, movement, and recoining. After that general diagnosis, the pamphlet turns to technical description and to Chaloner's own claims of competence in coin design.

…

Sources (81) · the 8 cited above

MINT01535assertion✔︎

Mint record · William Chaloner · England · 1695-02-11

Mony is the Principal Supporter, both in times of Peace and War [...] England hath been more grieved with Clip'd and Counterfeit Mony than any other Country [...] by the abuse of the Minters of our Mony
↩
MINT01535assertion✔︎

Mint record · William Chaloner · England · 1695-02-11

the old Mony in this Kingdom is now worth two thirds of the Intrinsick value
↩
MINT01535assertion✔︎

Mint record · William Chaloner · England · 1695-02-11

it should be all called in, and Melted down, and new Coyn'd into Mill'd Mony [...] Every piece so to be new Coyn'd, to be only two thirds of the Intrinsick worth
↩
MINT01535assertion✔︎

Mint record · William Chaloner · England · 1695-02-11

there shall be a moveable Mint that shall be placed in the middle of a County [...] and so through the Kingdom, until all the old Mony shall be Coyn'd into Mill'd Mony
↩
MINT01535assertion✔︎

Mint record · William Chaloner · England · 1695-02-11

That the Mint shall first go into Cornwall, Devonshire, &c. or where the largest Mony is to be found
↩
MINT01535assertion✔︎

Mint record · William Chaloner · England · 1695-02-11

the Poor and Rich may change their Mony with very little trouble or charge [...] all the old Mony may be thus Recoyned for 10000l. Extraordinary Charge to the Mint
↩
MINT01535assertion✔︎

Mint record · William Chaloner · England · 1695-02-11

This Recoyning being done, only at present to stop the Currant of Clipping and false Coyning, which is now so much Practised, that it is probable they Clip and Coyn 500000l. per ann.
↩
MINT01535assertion✔︎

Mint record · William Chaloner · England · 1695-02-11

the Kingdom would lose at least two Million of Mony [...] Whereas, what is here Proposed, may be done in one Year
↩

A mock-up of the Archos app, filled in with the Chaloner run. Buttons that would upload, download or stop something show a note instead.

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