210 NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE 



inquirers expected to find ; but their discoveries consisted 

 solely of many hundreds of Roman copper-coins, and some 

 medallions, all of the lower empire. There was not much 

 virtti stirring at that time in this neighbourhood ; however, 

 some of the gentry and clergy around bought what pleased 

 them best, and some dozens fell to the share of^he author. 

 The owners at first held their commodity at an high 

 price ; but, finding that they were not likely to meet with 

 dealers at such a rate, they soon lowered their terms, and 

 sold the fairest as they could. The coins that were rejected 

 became current, and passed for farthings at the petty shops. 

 Of those that we saw, the greater part were of Marcus 

 Aurelius, and the Empress Faustina, his wife, the father 

 and mother of Commodus. Some of Faustina were in high 

 relief, and exhibited a very agreeable set of features, which 

 probably resembled that lady, who was more celebrated 

 for her beauty than for her virtues. The medallions in 

 general were of a paler colour than the coins. To pretend 

 to account for the means of their coming to this place 

 would be spending time in conjecture. The spot, I think, 

 could not be a Roman camp, because it is commanded by 

 hills on two sides ; nor does it show the least traces of 

 entrenchments ; nor can I suppose that it was a Roman 

 town, because I have too good an opinion of the taste and 

 judgment of those polished conquerors to imagine that 

 they would settle on so barren and dreary a waste. 1 



1 See also Lord Selborne's appendix to Bell's volume ii. (pp. 378-394), " On 

 the Roman-British Antiquities of Selborne." See also Mr. Seirell's letter to 

 Gilbert White published in Bell's edition (vol. ii. pp. 393, 394. [R. B. S.] 



