MEDALS and COINS. 251 



them. But, as we have faid in the firft fection, 

 the coins ot the ancients are become our medals, 

 and efpecialiy the Hebraic, which are alib cal- 

 led Samaritan, becaufe their legend is uiually 

 in the Samaritan language, and there is realbn 

 to believe that there was a mint in that city. 

 Th'^re are twenty paflages in the Bible which 

 prove that the Jews knew the ufe of money in 

 the time of Solomon. In the cabinets of the 

 curious there are to be found fhekels of copper 

 or filver, and we are aflured that there is a gold 

 Hebraic medal in the cabinet of the king of 

 Penmark: but this is the only one that is 

 known. Father Soucier has wrote a difiertation 

 on Hebraic or Samaritan medals, where he ac- 

 curately dillinguilhes the true Irom the falfc; 

 defcribcs all the kinds of thofe that are true, 

 and (hows that they were real Hebrew coins 

 (truck by the Jews, after the models of the an- 

 cient monies, and that they were current before 

 the captivity of Babylon. All thofe medals how- 

 , that we fee with the head of Mofes and 

 Jefus Chrift, are manifeflly falfe. It has been 

 a pious or fuperflitious fraud, but fbill more 

 commonly a third of gain that has fabricated 

 thefe. Laflly, it is neceflary to obferve, that 

 the Jews counted by talents, fhekels, bekas, 

 zuzas or dracmons, and by geras. The gera 

 was equal to fix fols of France, or three Englifh 

 pence. There were fhekels of gold and of filver-, 

 the filvcr fhekel is that which is commonly taken 

 for a penny, and of which the Jews gave thirty 



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