ROMAN AND OTHER COINS FOUND AT LITTLE CHESTER. 25 



cornucopia ; legend TEMPORVM . FELICITAS . A., and a 

 star on each side. (Fig. 8, Plate 11.) 



Tacitus succeeded Aurelian, who bad been assassinated in 

 March, a.d. 275; he was seventy-four years of age when raised 

 to the purple, and he made his age a plea for declining the 

 honour ; this, however, was overruled by the Senate, and much 

 against his will he accepted the offer. His reign was distinguished 

 by moderation and simplicity ; the only indulgence he permitted 

 himself was reading and conversing with literary men. He took 

 great pains to prevent the writings of his ancestor, Tacitus, the 

 historian of Rome, from being lost to posterity, and gave orders 

 that ten copies of them should be transcribed every year, for 

 distribution to the libraries. He reigned about two hundred days, 

 and died at Tyana, in Cappadocia ; but whether by the hand of 

 an assassin or from the fatigue of a campaign in which he was 

 engaged is not clear. 



CONSTANTINOPILIS. Two more coins of this city have 

 come to hand, they are not good specimens, and are of small 

 brass. These coins have been described and illustrated in 

 Vol. Xni., Plate HI., No. 12. 



This brings to an end all we have been able to gather towards 

 a complete list of authentic Roman coins found at Little Chester • 

 doubtless the list might have been extended very much had we 

 been able to ascertain into whose hands the coins, found in such 

 numbers, have fallen. We are free to confess that very little 

 interest has been excited by our endeavours ; this is perhaps not 

 cause for surprise, since probably no town in England cares less 

 for objects of antiquity than Derby, though a host of writers 

 have of late years been fiddling on this string until it is worn 

 quite through ; still the fact remains, Derby cares nothing for 

 antiquities, but prefers the newest jangle that the craze of the 

 hour presents, " Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay ! " 



