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probably, it was a greater honour to appear in gold than in copper, and that a Medal receives all its value from the rarity of the metal. I think the next fubject you propofed to speak of, were the different Occafions that have given birth to ancient and modern Medals.

Before we enter on this particular, fays Philander, I must tell you, by way of preliminary, that formerly there was no difference between Money and Medals. An old Roman had his purfe full of the fame pieces that we now preferve in Cabinets. As foon as an Emperor had done any thing remarkable, it was immediately ftamped on a Coin, and became current through his whole Dominions. It was a pretty contrivance, fays Cynthio, to fpread abroad the virtues of an Emperor, and make his actions circulate. A fresh Coin was a kind of a Gazette, that published the latest news of the Empire. I fhould fancy your Roman Bankers were very good Hiftorians. It is certain, fays Eugenius, they might find their profit and inftruction mixed together. I have often wondered that no nation among the moderns has imitated the ancient Romans in this particular. I know no other way of fecuring thefe kinds of monuments, and making them numerous enough to be handed down to future ages. But where Statesmen are ruled by a spirit of faction and intereft, they can have no paffion for the glory of their country, nor any concern for the figure it will make among pofterity. A man that talks of his nation's honour a thoufand years hence, is in very great danger of being lauged at. We fhall think, fays Cynthio, you have a mind to fall out with the Government, because it does not encourage Medals. But G 2

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were all your ancient Coins that are now in Cabinets once current money? It is the most probable opinion, fays Philander, that they were all of them fuch, excepting those we call Medallions. These in refpect to the other Coins were the same as modern Medals, in refpect of modern money. They were exempted from all commerce, and had no other value but what was fet upon them by the fancy of the owner. They are supposed to have been ftruck by Emperors for prefents to their Friends, foreign Princes, or Ambaffadors. However, that the fmallness of their number might not endanger the lofs of the devices they bore, the Roman's took care generally to ftamp the subject of their Medallions on their ordinary Coins that were the running cafh of the nation. As if in England we fhould fee on our half-penny and farthing pieces, the feveral defigns that fhow themfelves in their perfection on our Medals.

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If we now confider, continued Philander, the different Occafions or Subjects of ancient and modern Medals, we fhall find they both agree in recording the great actions and fucceffes in war, allowing ftill for the different ways of making it, and the circumstances that attended. it in paft ages, and in the prefent. I fhall inftance one. I do not remember in any old Coin to have feen the taking of a town mentioned: as indeed there were few conquerors could fignalize themselves that way before the invention. of powder and fortifications, a fingle battle often deciding the fate of whole kingdoms. Our modern Medals give us feveral fieges and plans of fortified towns, that fhow themselves in all

their parts to a great advantage on the reverfe of a Coin. It is indeed a kind of Justice, fays Eugenius, that a Prince owes to pofterity, after he has ruined or defaced a strong place, to deliver down to them a model of it as it ftood whole and entire. The Coin repairs in fome measure the mifchiefs of his Bombs and Cannons. In the next place, fays Philander, we fee both on the ancient and modern Medals the feveral noble pieces of Architecture that were finished at the time when the Medals were ftamped. I muft obferve however, to the honour of the latter, that they have reprefented their buildings according to the rules of perspective. This I remember to have feen but in very few of the plans on ancient Coins, which makes them appear much lefs beautiful than the modern, especially to a mathematical eye. Thus far our two fets of Medals agree as to their Subject. But old Coins go farther in their compliments to their Emperor, as they take occafion to celebrate his diftinguishing Virtues; not as they fhowed themfelves in any particular Action, but as they fhone out in the general view of his character. This humour went fo far, that we fee Nero's fidling, and Commodus's íkill in fencing, on feveral of their Medals. At prefent, you never meet with the King of France's generofity, nor the Emperor's devotion recorded after this manner. Again, the Romans used to regifter the great actions of Peace that turned to the good of the people, as well as thofe of War. The remiffion of a Debt, the taking off a Duty, the giving up a Tax, the mending a Port, or the making a Highway, were not looked upon as improper fubjects

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fubjects for a Coin. They were glad of any opportunity to encourage their Emperors in the humour of doing good, and knew very well, that many of thefe acts of beneficence had a wider and more lafting influence on the happiness and welfare of a people, than the gaining a Victory, or the Conqueft of a nation. In England perhaps it would have looked a little odd to have stamped a Medal on the abolishing of Chimney-money in the last Reign, or on the giving a hundred thousand pounds a year towards the carrying on a war, in this. I find, fays Eugenius, had we ftruck in with the practice of the ancient Romans, we fhould have had Medals on the fitting up our several Docks, on the making of our Rivers navigable, on the building our men of War, and the like fubjects, that have certainly very well deferved them. The reason why it has been neglected, fays Philander, may poffibly be this. Our Princes have the coining of their own Medals, and perhaps may think it would look like vanity to erect fo many Trophies and Monuments of praife to their own merit; whereas among the ancient Romans, the Senate had ftill a watchful eye on their Emperor, and if they found any thing in his life and actions that might furnish out a Medal, they did not fail of making him fo acceptable an offering. 'Tis true, their flatteries betray often fuch a basenefs of fpirit, as one would little expect to find among fuch an order of men. by the way we may obferve, that you never find any thing like Satire or Rallery on old Coins.

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Whatever Victories were got on foreign enemies, or the several pretenders to the Empire obtained over one another, they are recorded on Coins without the least bitterness or reflexion. The Emperors often jefted on their rivals or predeceffors, but their Mints still maintained their gravity. They might publish invectives against one another in their difcourfes or writings, but never on their Coins. Had we no other hiftories of the Roman Emperors, but thofe we find on their money, we should take them for the most virtuous race of Princes that mankind were ever bleffed with: whereas, if we look into their lives, they appear many of them fuch monsters of luft and cruelty, as are almost a reproach to human nature. Medals are therefore fo many compliments to an Emperor, that afcribe to him all the Virtues and Victories hehimself pretended to. Were you to take from bence all your informations, you would fancy Claudius as great a Conqueror as Julius Cæfar, and Domitian a wifer Prince than his brother Titus. Tiberius on his Coins is all Mercy and Moderation, Caligula and Nero are Fathers of their Country, Galba the patron of public Liberty, and Vitellius the reftorer of the city of Rome. In fhort, if you have a mind to fee the religious Commodus, the pious Caracalla, and the devout Heliogabalus, you may find them either in the infcription or device of their Medals. On the contrary, thofe of a modern make are often charged with Irony and Satire. Our Kings no fooner fall out, but their mints make war upon one another, and their malice appears on their Medals. One meets fometimes with very nice touches of Rallery, but as we have no instance

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