only of a face. We have here the pleasure to examine their looks and dreffes, and to furvey at leifure those beauties that have sometimes been the happiness or mifery of whole kingdoms: Nor do you only meet the faces of fuch as are famous in history, but of feveral whofe names are not to be found any where except on medals. Some of the Emperors, for example, have had wives, and fome of them children, that no authors have mentioned. We are therefore obliged to the study of coins for having made new discoveries to the learned, and given them information of fuch perfons as are to be met with on no other kind of records. You must give me leave, fays Cynthio, to reject this last use of medals. I do not think it worth while to trouble. myself with a perfon's name or face that receives all his reputation from the mint, and would never have been known in the world had there not been fuch things as medals. A man's memory finds fufficient employment on fuch as have really signalized themselves by their great actions, without charging itself with the names of an infignificant people whose whole history is written on the edges of an old coin.

If you are only for fuch perfons as have made a noise in the world, fays Philander, you have on medals a long lift of heathen deities, diftinguished from each other by

B 4

their

their proper titles and ornaments. You fee the copies of feveral ftatues that have had the politeft nations of the world fall down before them. You have here too feveral perfons of a more thin and shadowy nature, as hope, conftancy, fidelity, abundance, honour, virtue, eternity, juftice, moderation, happiness, and in short a whole creation of the like imaginary fubftances. To these you may add the genies of nations, provinces, cities, high-ways, and the like allegorical beings. In devices of this nature one fees a pretty poetical invention, and may often find as much thought on the reverse of a medal as in a canto of Spenfer. Not to interrupt you, fays Eugenius, I fancy it is this ufe of medals that has recom→ mended them to feveral hiftory-painters, who perhaps without this affiftance would have found it very difficult to have invented fuch an airy fpecies of beings, when they are obliged to put a moral virtue into colours, or to find out a proper dress for a paffion. It is doubtless for this reafon, fays Philander, that painters have not a little contributed to bring the study of medals in vogue. For not to mention feveral others, Caraccio is faid to have affifted Aretine by defigns that he took from the Spintria of Tiberius. Raphael had thoroughly studied the figures on old coins. Patin tells us that Le Brun had done the fame. And it is well known that

Rubens

Rubens had a noble collection of medals in his own poffeffion. But I must not quit this head before I tell you, that you fee on medals not only the names and perfons of Emperors, Kings, Confuls, Pro-confuls, Prætors, and the like characters of importance, but of fome of the poets, and of feveral who had won the prizes at the Olympic games. It was a noble time, fays Cynthio, when trips and Cornish hugs could make a man immortal. How many heroes would Moorfields have furnished out in the days of old? A fellow that can now only win a hat or a belt, had he lived among the Greeks, might have had his face ftampt upon their coins. But thefe were the wife ancients, who had more efteem for a Milo than a Homer, and heapt up greater honours on Pindar's jockies, than on the poet himfelf. But by this time I fuppofe you have drawn

up all your medallic people, and indeed they make a much more formidable body than I could have imagined. You have fhewn us all conditions, fexes and ages, emperors and empreffes, men and children, gods and wreftlers. Nay you have conjured up perfons that exift no where elfe but on old coins, and have made our paffions and virtues and vices vifible. I could never have thought that a cabinet of medals had been fo well peopled. But in the next place, fays Philander, as we fee on coins the different faces

of

of perfons, we fee on them too their different habits and dreffes, according to the mode that prevailed in the feveral ages when the medals were ftampt. This is another use, fays Cynthio, that in my opinion contributes rather to make a man learned than wife, and is neither capable of pleafing the underftanding or imagination. I know there are feveral fupercilious critics that will treat an author with the greatest contempt imaginable, if he fancies the old Romans wore a girdle, and are amazed at a man's ignorance, who believes the Toga had any fleeves to it till the declenfion of the Roman empire. Now I would fain know the great importance of this kind of learning, and why it fhould not be as noble a tak to write upon a bib and hanging-fleeves, as on the Bulla and Prætexta. The reafon is, that we are familiar with the names of the one, and meet with the other no where but in learned authors. An antiquary will fcorn to mention a pinner or a night-rail, a petticoat or a manteau; but will talk as gravely as a father of the church on the Vitta and Peplus, the Stola and Inftita. How would an old Roman laugh, were it poffible for him to fee the folemn differtations that have been made on these weighty fubjects! To fet them in their natural light, let us fancy, if you please, that about a thousand years hence, fome profound author fhall

write a learned treatife on the habits of the prefent age, diftinguished into the following titles and chapters.

"Of the old British trowser."

"Of the ruff and collar-band."

66

"The opinion of feveral learned men concerning the use of the fhoulder-knot." "Such a one mistaken in his account of the "furtout, &c.".

I must confefs, fays Eugenius, interrupting him, the knowledge of thefe affairs is in itself very little improving, but as it is impoffible without it to understand several

parts of your ancient authors, it certainly

hath its use. It is pity indeed there is not a nearer way of coming at it. I have fometimes fancied it would not be an impertinent defign to make a kind of an old Roman wardrobe, where you should see Toga's and Tunica's the Chlamys and Trabea, and in fhort all the different vefts and ornaments that are so often mentioned in the Greek and Roman authors. By this means a man would comprehend better and remember much longer the shape of an ancient garment, than he poffibly can from the help of tedious quotations and defcriptions. The defign, fays Philander, might be very useful, but after what models would you work? Sigonius, for example, will tell you that the