MEDAL. 



state in which he lived an essential ser- 

 vice. 



We are indebted to the very ancient in- 

 habitants of the world for this method of 

 j-rrirriortalifcing their most important acts 

 and most exulted characters ; a method, 

 the discovery or invention of'which, would 

 do honour to an age enlightened by arts 

 and literature, then unknown. Had the 

 same inclination to preserve those indeli- 

 ble mementos prevailed throughout the 

 countries which prompted the making of 

 them, we should have possessed a series 

 of valuable information now for ever inter- 

 rupted, to the constant regret of the his- 

 torian, who is compelled to wander in a 

 maze of conjecture, caused by allusions in 

 the works of ancient writers, that were 

 well known to the public at the time when 

 they were made, but all clue to which is 

 entirely lost. The satisfaction demon- 

 strated by the learned of every nation on 

 the accidental discovery of an unknown 

 medal, sufficiently evinces their import- 

 ance; if the relief is tolerably perfect, or 

 the inscription nearly or quite legible, 

 every individual becomes an enthusiast in 

 research, and it has frequently happened 

 that an important blank in chronology, 

 history, or geography, has been unexpect- 

 edly and satisfactorily filled by this 

 means. One very material circumstance 

 contributes to render ancient medals va- 

 luable, which is their undoubted authen- 

 ticity ; in short, they are the historical acts 

 of kings and states, the durable gazettes 

 of antiquity ; they inform the world, that 

 at such a period a monarch ascended a 

 throne, a victory was achieved, the foun- 

 dations of a city were laid, or a temple 

 erected, and they sometimes introduce to 

 our notice persons, towns, and buildings, 

 which have not been mentioned by any of 

 the ancient writers extant. 



Viewing medals in this light, it is a mat- 

 ter of some surprise that collections have 

 not been formed in every age and country ; 

 that they have not, may be inferred from 

 the extreme rarity of some particular de- 

 scriptions ; had collections been univer- 

 sal, surely a much greater number of me- 

 dals must have reached us, making due 

 allowance for decay, violence, melting, and 

 losses during foreign and civil wars. Mr. 

 Pinkerton inclines to think the world en- 

 tertained but little regard for the medals 

 made by the numerous small states using 

 the Greek characters and language, sup- 

 posing that their numbers rendered them 

 of little value ; this idea is extremely pro- 

 bable, if extt:nded to the mass of mankind ; 

 but as there ever has been individuals of 



superior taste and acquirements scattered 

 in every soil, we might have imagined the 

 aggregate of those persons sufficiently 

 great to preserve a larger number than is 

 now to be found. 



Many ingenious speculations might be 

 formed as to the origin of medals ; it is 

 not, however, safe or pleasant to wander 

 in the shades of antiquity without guides, 

 or a ray of light ; we must therefore be 

 contented with the few facts which have 

 been gleaned by writers on this subject. 

 From those it appears, that we are prin- 

 cipally indebted to the Romans for the 

 preservation of the most valuable Greek 

 medals ; indeed, that ambitious people 

 did themselves more honour by their suc- 

 cessful study of the arts of Greece, than 

 by the conquests they achieved in every 

 part of the globe then known; with minds 

 elevated beyond the paltry consideration 

 of envy, they not only collected the medals 

 of that country, but directed their artists 

 to imitate the beauty of their reliefs, and 

 the gracefulness of their outlines. The 

 encouragement thus afforded by the vari- 

 ous governments of Rome, created a spirit 

 of emulation amongst the higher orders 

 of the public, and collections were form- 

 ed, to which every subsequent cabinet 

 has been more or less indebted. Whether 

 the medals possessed by the curious at 

 that period were methodically arranged, 

 so as to preserve the chronology of facts, 

 cannot now be ascertained; but we are 

 very certain that numbers of great value 

 and importance must have been irreco- 

 verably lost since the time alluded to, and 

 that the series, in many cases, has been 

 interrupted by the havock committed at 

 each conquest of the mistress of the world. 

 The philosopher and the historian will 

 ever dwell with regret on that long men- 

 tal night which enveloped those happy 

 regions, where science and the arts had 

 flourished, and whence their influence had 

 diverged to surrounding nations ; but they 

 must exult in the recollection of the gra- 

 dual return of day, which at length reach- 

 ed its meridian, and exhibited a grand 

 picture of learning and the liberal arts. 

 Upon their revival the study of medals 

 became an object of primary importance, 

 and Petrarch appears at the head of those 

 who justly appreciated their value; sen- 

 sible of the spirit of emulation they were 

 calculated to inspire, he sent the Emperor 

 Charles IV. several, made in honour of 

 great and good men, with an invitation to 

 imitate their conduct. 



Alphonso, King of Arragon, acted upon 

 the principle recommended by Petrarch, 



