sian; Optimus et Clemens, decreed to Trajan by the senate; Maximus, assumed by Constantine; and Invictus by Victorinus. In the lower empire, Stauracius first, and then Michael Ducas, and others, assumed the proud addition of BAZIAEYE, or king; which was followed by that of AЕПOTHE, or despot. Other titles are the names of offices, as cos. for consul, with a number annexed to it, signifying how many times the person had been thus elected: Tribunitia potestas, with the year of the tribuneship commonly expressed after the title, as TRIB. POT. X. or XVI., &c. The office of pontifex maximus, expressed by P. M., was assumed by the emperors, and generally expressed among their titles, from Augustus to Constantine, by whom it was refused: it was re-assumed by Julian, and laid aside by Gratian. Julius assumed the title of dictator perpetuus; Claudius that of censor; and Domitian made himself censor perpetuus. The large early copper coins only bear ROMA in the reverse. Afterwards we find the names and titles of the quæstor or director of the public treasury, the triumviri monetæ, who directed the mint; the prætor, the curule ædile, the ædile of the people; the præfect of the city, augur, flamen martialis and quirinalis; and latterly, triumvir reipublicæ constituendæ, and ad frumentum emundum. Of the great magistrates out of Rome, who had moneyers with them, in order, from bullion and the spoil of the enemies, to coin money for paying the troops engaged in foreign service, we have the names and titles of imperator, proconsul, proprætor, legatus, legatus pro prætore, quæstor, proquæstor, legatus classis, triumvir coloniæ deducendæ, or reficiendis sacris ædibus. All these titles appear on the reverses of what are called consular coins; while the obverse bears the head of a deity, generally without a legend. In time the magistrates put the head of some illustrious ancestor on the coins, with his name, as Numa, Ancus Martius, Quirinus, or Romulus; Brutus, Ahala, and the like. This led the way to Cæsar, who first put his own head on his coins, when made perpetual dictator; with the legend of names and titles on the obverse, and not on the reverse as before. The inscription VOT. V. MVLT. X. VOT. X. MVLTIS xx. occurs on many reverses of Roman medals, and most commonly marked on a shield, or within a crown of laurel. This Du Cange interprets to refer to the artifice of Augustus, who pretended to lay down his power, and resume it for ten years longer as at the request of the senate. This term, he says, was by succeeding emperors shortened to five; and solemn vows were entered into by their subjects for their safety to the end of that period; nay, that the double of that period might be allotted to their reign, again to be prolonged, on the wishes of their people, to a future date. This inscription is also found upon coins of Crispus, and other heirs of the empire; and it hence appears that the honor of such solemnities was also conferred on them, when created Cæsars. The 'vota decennalia,' as on coins of Pertinax and of Papianus, were only vows to perform the decennalia, if the emperor should reign ten years; while 'primi decennales,' or 'secundi decennales,' imply these games to have been actually performed, and the emperor to have reigned ten or twenty years. On coins of Lucilla, Hadrian, Severus, Caracalla, and others, we find VOTA PVBLICA, with a sacrifice; showing that the vows were undertaken with that rite, as they were afterwards performed with solemn games and rejoicings. Coins of Constantine II. and of Constans often bear SIC. X. SIC. XX., to express the wishes of the people, that, as the emperors had happily reigned ten years, so they might reign twenty. The following is a table which will greatly assist the student in deciding the country and æra of coins: I. ANCIENT GREEK COINS.-1. With one or more hollow indented marks on one side, and an impression in relief on the other, are those of Calcedon on the Hellespont, Lesbos, Abdera in Thrace, Acauchus in Macedon, and Evina, or Ægium, in Achaia. This class continues from about 900 to 700 B. C. 2. With an indented square divided into segments, having a small figure in one of them; the rest blank, with a figure in relief on the obverse, are those of Syracuse, and other places adjacent. Continue from 700 to 600 B. C. 3. Coins hollow on the reverse, with figures in relief on the obverse, belong to Caulonia, Crotona, Metapontum, &c.; supposed by some to be a local coinage of Magna Græcia; but probably of equal antiquity with the former. 4. Coins in which a square die is used on one or both sides are those of Athens, Cyrene, Argos, &c.—Of Alexander I. and Archelaus I. of Macedon. Disused in the reign of the latter, about A. A. C. 420. 5. Complete coins, both in obverse and reverse, occur first in Sicily in the time of Gelo, about A. A. C. 491. 6. Coins of Alexander the Great and his successors. About the time of this hero the Greek coins began to attain perfection and beauty. It is remarkable that on the coins of this monarch his own portrait seldom occurs. After his death many coins bear his portrait. Trebellius Pollio informs us that some coins, particularly those of Alexander, used to be worn as amulets; and many of his medals are met with in cabinets bored seemingly with that intention. 7. Coins of the successors of Alexander.-Those of the Syrian monarchs almost equal the coins of Alexander himself in beauty. Those of Antiochus VI. are supposed to be the most perfect patterns of manly beauty any where to be met with. The Egyptian Ptolemies are somewhat inferior. 8. The coins of the Arsacidæ of Parthia, executed by Grecian artists, are worth notice. 9. The Greek imperial coins being such as have the head of an emperor or empress; such as have not these impressions being classed with the civic coins, though struck under the Roman power. None of the imperial coins occur in gold. Of silver there are those of Antioch, Tyre, Sidon, Tarsus, Berytus, Cæsarea. Egyptian silver coins of base metal. Syrian silver coins, which sometimes bear on the reverse the club of Hercules, or the Tyrian shell-fish. Those of Sidon bear the image of the goddess Astarte, or her chariot. Those of Cæsarea in Cappadocia, are better work than the Syrian. Lycian coins of good workmanship: on the reverse two harps, and an owl sitting upon them. Silver coins of Gelon in Sarmatia, resembling the Syrian. The situation of this town is very much unknown. It seems to have been situated on the north of the Euxine Sea, where some Sarmatic or Sclavonic tribes were mingled with the Scythians or Goths. The Greek imperial brass coins are very numerous. A series of almost all the emperors may be had from those of Antioch, with a Latin legend on the obverse, and Greek on the reverse. Those of Bithynia and Phrygia are remarkable for good workmanship. The coins of Tarsus, remarkable for their curious views of objects, are almost in perspective. The Egyptian coins, from Augustus to Nero, are worse executed than afterwards. From Nero to Commodus they are often of admirable workmanship, and in a peculiar style, distinct both from the Greek and Roman. From the time of Commodus the Egyptian brass coins of the Roman period are likewise of excellent workmanship, especially in the time of Antoninus Pius. II. ANCIENT ROMAN COINS.-1. The consular coins, called also the coins of families, and arranged alphabetically in cabinets, according to the names of the families which appear on them. They are, Brass Coins.-These consist chiefly of large pieces, of rude workmanship, without any interesting imagery. They are generally kept in boxes apart by themselves. The As bears the head of Janus; the semis, of Jupiter, with S; the triens, of Minerva, with four cyphers; the quadrans, of Hercules, with three cyphers; the sextans, of Mercury, with two cyphers; and the uncia bears the head of Rome, with one cypher. In all these pieces the prow of a ship is constantly the figure on the reverse, with very few exceptions. Sometimes, indeed, they have a shell, two heads of barley, a frog, an anchor, or a dog, on the reverse. About the time of Julius Cæsar both the obverses and the reverses of the coins began to be altered. Silver. Of this the denarius was the first and principal coin. It was stamped originally with X, denoting that the value was ten asses. On the reverse were Castor and Pollux, or a chariot of Victory. Afterwards the busts of various deities appear; and in the seventh century of Rome the portraits of illustrious persons deceased are met with: but till the time of Julius Casar no portrait of any living person is to be met with, Julius himself being the first who assumed that honor. The workmanship on the best and worst silver is much the same. The reverses are very curious, and point out many remarkable events in Roman history; but none of these occur till about a century before the Christian æra. The large denarii, with ROMA, are the most ancient; and some of these bear the Pelasgic A, not the Roman. The silver sestertii have a head of Mercury, with a caduceus The quinarii have always a head of Jupiter, with a Victory on the reverse. Gold.-Most of these are of great value. Their number does not exceed 100; those of brass 200; on the reverse. and of silver 2000. The aureus is the general gold coin; but two or three gold semisses of families likewise occur. 2. Roman imperial coins. Brass.-Th's is of three sizes; large, middle, and small. The first forms a most beautiful series, but very expensive. The various colors of the patina have the finest effect. It is the most important of all the Roman coins, and exceeds even the gold in value. The middle brass is next in value to the former; and in it are many rare and curious coins, particularly interesting to Britons, as elucidating the history of the island. 6 The small brass series abounds also with curious coins. They are scarce till the time of Valerian and Gallienus, but very common afterwards. Mr. Pinkerton recommends, therefore, to form a series in silver as well as brass, as the cheapest of all the Roman coins. In this series,' says he, it is a common fault to arrange many coins which have been plated with gold or silver, the forgeries of ancient times, but which time has worn off, either wholly or in part. All real brass coins have the S. C. till the time of Gallienus; as the senate alone had the power of striking brass, while the emperor himself had that of gold and silver. When the S. C. therefore is wanting, the coin was certainly once plated; as, in general, the different type and fabric, being those of gold and silver, sufficiently show themselves. With Pertinax, A.D. 192, there is a temporary cessation of small brass; nor after him do any princes occur in that series till Valerian, A. D. 254, excepting Trajanus Decius, A. D. 250 only. After Valerian the series is continuous and common. The brass coinage gradually declined in size from the time of Severus; so that parts of the as could not be struck, or at least it was held unnecessary to strike them. Trajanus Decius attempted in vain to restore the coinage; and Valerian and Gallienus were forced to issue denarii ærei and small assaria. The series of large and of middle brass are of two fixed and known sizes; the former about that of our crown, the latter of the half crown : though after Severus they gradually lessen. But the small brass takes in all parts of the as; and every brass coin not larger than our shilling belongs to this series. The minimi, indeed, or very smallest, it is proper to keep apart. The coins of Julius Cæsar in this size are of peculiarly fine workmanship. They bear his portrait reverse of Augustus, or the reverse has a crocodile, EGYPTO CAPTA. There are several with Marc Antony, and some with Cleopatra; but the more common pieces are those with only numerals on the obverse, which go to the length of XIII.; probably tickets for the baths. From the time of Nero to that of Vespasian no small brass occurs; but there are many of the latter, and of his son Titus; while Domitian has as many as Nero, and Domitia his wife almost as many. Succeeding emperors to Pertinax have also many brass coins; but from his time to that of Valerian there are no real small brass, excepting those of Trajanus Decius. After Gallienus there are many coins of this kind; and Mr. Pinkerton mentions oue in Dr. Hunter's cabinet of an unknown person named Nigrianus. The coin seems to have been struck at Carthage; and our author concludes that he was an African usurper, father to Nigrinianus. Silver. This series is very complete, and the cheapest of any, especially as the small brass becomes a fine supplement to it; the latter being had in plenty when the silver becomes scarce, and the silver being plentiful when the brass is scarce. Gold. The Roman imperial gold coins form a series of great beauty and perfection; but, on account of their great price, are beyond the purchase of private persons. The colonial coins (speaking generally) occur only in brass; the colony of Nemausus being the only one allowed to coin silver. They begin in Spain with Julius Cæsar and Antony, and cease with Caligula, who took away the privilege of coinage from the Spanish colonies. The most beautiful are those of Corinth. The other remarkable colonial coins are those of Emerita, Ilice, Terraco, Cassandria, Babba, Berytus, Cæsarea, Petræ, Emisa, Heliopolis or Balbec, Ptolemais, Sidon, Tyre, Deulton, Diom, Troas, Rhesania, and Neapolis of Samaria, which bears a representation of Mount Gerizzim with the temple on it. On some of these coins we meet with fine representations of temples, triumphal arches, gods, goddesses, and illustrious persons. But coins with those representations are by no means common; the colonial coins till the time of Trajan bearing only a plough, or some other simple badge of a colony. Camelodunum is the only colony in Britain of which we have any coins. The minimi.-This includes the smallest coins of all denominations; most of them do not exceed the size of a silver penny. No series of them was ever formed by any person, except the abbé Rothelin, whose collection passed to the queen of Spain. The reason of the scarcity of these small coins is probably their diminutive size. Numbers of Roman coins are found in all countries once subject to that powerful people. Some have been met with in the Orkneys, and many in the most remote parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, known to the ancients. No Indian or Chinese coins are to be met with till a very late period; and then so rude as scarcely to be worth notice. Voltaire mentions a collection of ancient Chinese and Indian coins made by the emperor of China in 1700; but Pinkerton supposes it to have consisted only of the Greek and Roman money which had been introduced into these countries. The Hebrew shekels, originally didrachms, but after the time of the Maccabees tetradrachms, are almost all forgeries of modern Jews, as well as the brass coins with Samaritan characters upon them. They have all a sprig upon one side and a vase on the other. The admission of one of them into a cabinet would almost be a disgrace to it. Phanician and Punic coins are very interesting on account of the great power and wealth of these nations: The alphabets have been cleared by their relation to the Ilebrew and Syriac lan guages. The coins of Palmyra come under the same denomination with the former, Palmyra being a Syrian city. The Etruscan coins have the characters of that nation, which have been explained by their affinity to the Pelasgic, or oldest Greek and Latin. The Spanish coins are inscribed with two or three alphabets allied to the old Greek or Punic; but the inscriptions have not been sufficiently explained. Gaulish coins.-These are numerous; but the most ancient have no legends; and even after the Greek letters were introduced into Gaul, by a colony at Marseilles, the legends are very difficult to be explained. British coins. From a passage in Cæsar's Commentaries it has been inferred, that the Britons used some sort of coins even in his time. Rude coins of copper very much mingled with tin are frequently found in England; which may probably be some of the ancient British money. They are of the size of a didrachm, the common form of the nummus aureus among the ancients. After the time of Cæsar coinage increased among the Britons; and there are many found of Cunobelinus, mentioned in the Roman History. Most of these have on one side CUNO, with an ear of wheat, a horse, a kind of head of Janus, or other symbol; and have frequently also the letters CAMU; supposed to mean Camelodunum. Sometimes the word TASCIA occurs; the meaning of which has never yet been explained. The coins of Japan are thin plates of gold and silver, large and oval, stamped with little ornaments and characters. The only known ones of China are copper, about the size of a farthing, with a square hole through the middle, in order to their being strung for the convenience of enumeration or of carriage. They bear an inscription in Chinese, expressing the year of the prince's reign, without his name. It is said that Canghi, the emperor, who died in 1722, after a reign of sixty-one years, formed a complete cabinet of Chinese coins, and appointed a Mandarin to keep it. The coins of Tartary, posterior to Jenghis Khan, are rude, and generally present only inscriptions. In Thibet, Pegu, and Siam, the coins are various; but evidently of late origin, and generally bearing inscriptions on both sides. Such also are those of many smaller states in Eastern Asia. In the ancient India, where the Mahometan faith is predominant, the precept of Mahomet, which forbids the representation of any living creature has had a pernicious effect on the arts; and it is doubtful whether any Indian coins exist before the time of the Moguls. But some old coins have been found near Calcutta, of gold, silver, copper, and tin, all mingled in one base mixed metal. On one side they bear a warrior with a sword, and on the other a female idol. The later coins of India are well known, such as the pagoda, rupee, and cash (the most common copper), whence our word. All these are very thick, like the old Egyptian. On one remarkable set of rupees are represented the twelve signs, a lion on one of them, a bull on another, &c. &c. The Portuguese, English, French, and Dutch, sometimes struck coins in their settlements with Persian inscriptions on one side and Latin on the other. Rupees and cash are known of Elizabeth, of Charles II., of the year 1730, and of other periods. The coins of Persia have continued on the Arabian model, even after the Arabian caliphs lost their dominion in that country, and bear on both sides pious inscriptions from the Koran. The Persian copper, however, has the sun and lion, the arms of Persia, on one side. Of Mannus, and some other petty kings in Arabia, we have coin during the imperial period of Rome. The brass coins of Haroun Al Raschid, the Charlemagne of Asia, and his contemporary, and of other powerful princes who resided at Bagdad, have, on the reverse, an Arabic inscription; the obverse is a transcript of any old Greek or Roman coin that fell in the way of the moneyer. This is often very perplexing to a tyro. The gold and silver coins have many inscriptions. The later Arabian coins, which are silver, bear the name and titles of the prince on one side, and some sentence from the Koran, &c. on the other. The more modern are in the shape of a fish-hook, with Arabic inscriptions. The coins of Turkey resemble those of Persia and Arabia, having merely inscriptions on both sides. The coins of Morocco, Fez, Tripoli, Algiers, &c., are upon the Mahometan plan of mere inscriptions. Passing over Abyssinia, and the interior of Africa, as little known, and the civilised empires of America, Mexico on the north, and Peru on the south, where coinage was not practised, we proceed to the coins of Europe. In Italy, when the Roman empire in the west ceased with Romulus A. D. 476, the Gothic kings struck coins till Teias, the last of them, was conquered in 552 by Narses, the general of Justinian. Then the exarchs of Ravenna, viceroys for the Byzantine emperors, issued copper with FELIX RAVENNA, &c.; but the gold and silver of the Greek emperors sufficed for Italy. After Charlemagne, about the year 780, made a great revolution in Italy, there are coins of him struck in Rome and Milan. In the next century the modern coins of Italy begin with the silver pennies of different states. The papal coins originate with Hadrian I. 772-795, to whom Charlemagne gave leave to coin money. The silver pennies continued till a late period, with the name of the pope on the one side, and SCUS PETRUS on the other. On these coins there are rude portraits of some of the popes. Afterwards, when the pope ceased to have power in Rome, from Paschal II. till Benedict XI. in 1303, there are pennies of the Roman senate and people, bearing on one side Peter, ROMAN PRINCIPE, on the other Paul, SENAT. POPUL. 9. R. In the middle ages the chief bishops of Italy, France, and England, struck coins, as well as the pope. The first gold coin is of John XXII. 1316. The coins of Alexander VI., Julius II., and Leo X., are remarkably elegant. Milan. The coinage began with Charlemagne. The first coin of the family of Visconti occurs in 1330, under Azo. The set finishes with Louis XII. Naples.-Coinage begins in 840 and 880, with duke Sergius and bishop Athanasius. The next coins are of Roger of Sicily, and Roger II. in 1130, William I. II. and Tancred. Naples and of Sicily were subdued in 1194 by the emperor Germany; in 1255 Manfred appears; in 1266 Charles of Provence; and others till Joan in 1414: after which follow the house of Arragon, and later kings. Venice begins in the tenth century. The first coins are silver pennies marked Veneci. Then follow the coins of Henrico Dandulo in 1192, of Ziani in 1205, &c. Gold was first coined at Venice in 1280, and copper in 1471; but the silver groats are as old as 1192. Florence-Silver was coined here in the twelffu century or before; but in 1252 the first gold coins struck in Europe after the eighth century made their appearance, and were named florins from the flower of the lily upon them. They were imitated by the popes, by France, and England. They have on one side St. John the Baptist standing, on the other a large fleurs de lis, and it is not doubted that the French fleur de lis took their origin from these coins. They weigh a drachm, and are no less than twenty-four carats fine, according to Italian writers, and are worth about twelve shillings. Geneva first began to coin money in 1129, under the government of Conrad. Those of the dukes of Savoy began in the same century. Aquileia.-Coins were issued from this city by the patriarchs from 1204 to 1440. Ferrara.-Coins of the marquises from 1340. French coins.-During the race of Clovis, from 490 till 751, the coins are chiefly gold trientes, with some solidi and semisses. The former are of good workmanship, with the heads of kings. The reverse has a cross with the name of the town where they were struck. The coinage did not begin to improve till 1226 under St. Louis, when the groat appears. Its name in Italian is grossa, in French grosse, in English groat, or great coin; so called from its size in comparison with the penny; and it passed from Italy to France, to Germany, and to England. After the conquest of France by the English, base coins of many kinds were introduced; and in the year 1574, in the time of Henry III., copper was first introduced into the French coinage. Besides these, the other remarkable coins of France are, the blancs or billon groats, first issued in 1348; the ecus à la couronne, or crowns of gold, so called from the crown on one side, and begun by Charles VI. in 1384; those of Ann of Bretagne in 1498: the teston, or piece with the king's head, of Louis XII.; the Henri of Henry II., with Gaul sitting in armour, and a victory in her hand. And in 1642 Louis XIV. takes the title of Catalonia princeps. The first louis d'or made its appearance in 1640. Spanish coins.-The most early series of these consist almost entirely of trientes finely done. On one side they have the head of the king with his name; and on the other a cross, with the name of the town, commonly in Botica, or the south port of Spain, where there were very many Roman colonies, and which was fertile to a proverb. The Moresque coins of Spain, like those of the rest of the Mahometan states, 'present us only with inscriptions on both sides. Indeed the Mahometan religion, by its absolute refusal to allow the representation of any living creature, has prevented the progress of coinage in any degree throughout those regions which it has overspread. The inscriptions on the ancient Spanish coins are in the Cusic or old Arabic cha racters. Germany. The emperors and many of the cities, particularly those called Hanse Towns, issued money; and many of the coins issued by the cities were superior in elegance éven to those issued by the emperors. Denmark. Here the coinage begins with Canute the Great in 1014. The pieces are at first extremely rude, ornamented only with rings and Runic characters. These are succeeded by copper pieces, some of which have a cross, others a pastoral staff on one side, with the letter A on the other. Later coins have strokes 111, &c., all round them; but those of Harold, Hardicanute, and Magnus Bonus, in 1041, are of neat workmanship, and have the portraits of the princes at half-length. The coins of Nicholas or Neil, as he is called by the Danes, are rude, as well as those of Waldemar I. and the celebrated MargaIn 1376 Olaf caused money to be struck with a grinning full face, with a crowned O upon the other side. Silver was first coined in Denmark by Philippa queen of Eric, and daughter to Henry IV. of England. ret. Sweden. The coinage of this kingdom began in 818 under Biorno, on the plan of Charlemagne. These coins are marked with a cross. Next follow those of Olaf, in 1019, which were struck on the English model. During the time that Sweden was subject to Denmark, or miserably harassed by the Danes, the coins of both kingdoms were the same; but after the time of Gustavus Vasa many elegant pieces appear. In 1634 dollars were coined, with the portrait of Gustavus Adolphus, who was killed two years before: on the reverse they have the arms of Sweden, with the chemical marks of mercury and sulphur. In 1716, 1717, and 1718, Charles XII., being in extreme want of money, issued small copper coins with Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, &c., upon them to go for dollars; and on account of this scheme, baron Goertz, the suggester of it, was brought to the block. Norway. The coins of this country begin with Olaf in 1006; after which time there are various coins of other princes; but copper was not coined till the year 1343. Besides the coins already mentioned, there are ecclesiastic coins of France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, &c. Those of Denmark and Sweden are numerous; but the Norwegian coins of this denomination are rare. Mr. Pinkerton describes a silver one in his possession as having arms and a mitre, with the inscription on one side SANCTUS OLAWS REX NORVEY; on the reverse OLAWS DEI GRA. ARCEP. NID'SEN, meaning NIDROSIENSIS, or archbishop of Nidros, now Drontheim. Bohemia. The coinage of this kingdom appears at a very early date, viz. in the year 909, under duke Boleslaus I. These coins are followed by others of Boleslaus II. and Emma his wife in 970; of Boleslaus III. in 1002; Jaromir in 1020; Udalrich in 1030, and other princes. The bracteate money of Ottocar I. was coined in 1197. Poland. The coinage of this country is nearly as ancient as that of Bohemia. The coins are on the German model, but no particular account of them has been published. Russia. None of the Russian money appears to be more ancient than the thirteenth century; the first are the kopecks or silver pennies, which have upon them rude figures of animals on one side, and a man standing with a bow or spear on the other. There are likewise coins of Moscow, struck by Aristoteles the architect in 1482, the roubles or dollars and their halves. There are some of the impostor Demetrius in 1605, which are very scarce. Prussia. The first Prussian coins were struck at Culm by the Teutonic knights in 1230. They were silver pennies, and upon the German plan. In the next century were struck shillings, groats, and schots; the last were the largest, and are extremely rare. They have the Prussian shield, an eagle surmounting a cross, with a rose-shaped border, MONETA DOMINORUM PRUSSIE: on the reverse is a cross fleurie, within a border of a similar kind, having the inscription HONOR MAGISTRI JUSTITIAM DILIGIT.-Gold coins were struck in the same century. In the time of Copernicus the money was so debased that twelve or thirteen marks were worth but one of pure silver. ENGLAND. The English coins are of various kinds. Heptarchic coin are only of two sorts, viz. the skeatta or penny of silver, and the styca of copper. Few of the pennies appear till after the year 700; though some are met with which bear the name of Ethelbert I. king of Kent, as old as 560. At first they had only rude figures of serpents; but in later times legends were likewise added. Most of these pennies have pagan symbols upon them. The styca was only coined in Northumberland, and was a very small piece about the value of half a farthing. Most Coins of the chief monarchs of England.-The coins of the chief monarchs form almost a complete series from the time of Egbert to Edgar. The only chief monarch of whom there are no coins is Ethelbald, who reigned in 857. of these coins bear rude portraits: but the reverses are sometimes curious and interesting. Some have views of cathedrals and other buildings; particularly one of Edward the Elder in 900, which has the cathedral of York with three rows of windows, round arched, as the other Saxon and Norman buildings; the Gothic arch being quite unknown till after the twelfth century. Some coins of Anlaf king of Northumberland have the famous raven, the Danish ensign; and those of other princes have frequently very curious reverses. Ecclesiastic coins appear of the archbishops of Canterbury, Wulfrud, in 804, Ceolnoth in 830, and Plegmund in 889. Coins of the kings.-The silver penny, which had begun during the heptarchy, continued to be the general coin after the kingdom had been united under one head; and extends in a continued series from Egbert almost to the present reign. The only kings wanting are Edmund Ironside, Richard I., and John. At first the penny weighed twenty-two grains and a half; but towards the close of the reign of Edward III. it |