MEDAL. 



but, in order to facilitate the study of me- 

 dals, it may be proper to mention some 

 of the symbols which are not commonly 

 known ; branches of plants issuing 1 from 

 vases, for instance, imply a reference to re- 

 ligious games ; the serpent springing 1 from 

 a coffer denotes tiie mystic rites of JJac- 

 chus ; the anchor on medals infers that 

 they are Seleuciun, and struck at An- 

 tioch ; the tripod was placed, by the Sy- 

 rian princes, covered and uncovered, un- 

 der the fig-tires of their deities ; to which 

 may be added others, in the words of Mr. 

 Pinkerton : " the flowers of pomegra- 

 nates, for Rhodes ; owl, for Athens ; pe- 

 gasus, for Corinth ; wolf's head, for Ar- 

 gos ; bull's head, for Bceotia ; minotaur's 

 head, and the labyrinth, for Crete," &c. 

 c. Were we to pursue this part of the 

 subject, it would lead to an incredible 

 length of investigation, and it may be 

 doubted whether many mistakes might 

 not be created through the obvious ob- 

 scurity involving it. 



The legends on coins and medals are 

 of too much importance to require a re- 

 commendation of their study ; the ear- 

 liest coins of Grecian cities have either 

 the initials, or their names at length ; and 

 those of the princes of that country, their 

 names, initials, or monograms. The im- 

 perial medals of Greece and Rome are 

 distinguished by methods far more ex- 

 planatory, as they have words round the 

 face, the reverse, and even in the centre 

 of the latter in some cases. Medallists 

 have divided the inscriptions into three 

 terms, suited to the place of the words ; 

 when they encircle the margin they are 

 called the legend; when they occupy the 

 centre of the medal they are called the 

 inscription : and when they are separat- 

 ed from the figure by a line near the bot- 

 tom, they are on the exergue. The va- 

 rieties and abundance of legends, &c. 

 precludes a possibility of entering into 

 their merits and peculiarities ; some, be- 

 ing merely explanatory, cannot be sub- 

 ject either to censure or criticism ; others 

 impute virtues, and convey compliments 

 well deserved ; but it may justly be 

 doubted, whether the majority do not 

 speak every language except that of 

 truth. One specimen may serve to con- 

 vince the most incredulous on this head : 

 Julia, the consort of Severus, was termed 



MAT. AVGG. MAT. SEXAT. MAT. PAT., Or, the 



parent of Augustus, the senate, and of 

 her country ; but Tiberius became blas- 

 phemous, as far as blasphemy could be 

 said to exist in the heathen mythology, 

 by calling himself the divi fiius. How- 

 ever wanting these legends and inscrip- 



tions might be in verity, they must be al- 

 lowed the merit of beautiful simplicity in 

 their construction, and the most elegant 

 compression. 



We have hitherto treated the subject 

 of coins and medals conjointly, which 

 was in a great degree unavoidable, 

 through the similarity of each to the 

 other ; for though a coin may be said to 

 be merely intended as a circulating me- 

 dium, calculated to prevent the difficul- 

 ties attending the bartering of commodi- 

 ties, yet it has been customary from time 

 immemorial to impress figures on the pie- 

 ces of metal used for this purpose, of 

 equal import with those stamped on me- 

 dals intended solely as historical records, 

 01- as adulatory offerings to supreme 

 power. 



Medallions were made of dimensions far 

 too large for circulation as money, which 

 was necessary in order to give due effect 

 to the design, and to render it intelligible 

 at first view ; some were struck as pat- 

 terns of proposed coins ; others were is- 

 sued at the commencement of a new 

 reign, and on remarkable occasions ; and 

 in some instances they may have been the 

 effects of caprice of men in high authority; 

 and, in a few cases, of gratitude. It is usual 

 to consider as medals, all those Roman 

 pieces which exceed the denarius aureus 

 in size ; those of silver larger than the 

 denarius ; and those of brass, which are 

 of greater diameter than the sestertius ; 

 but Mr. Pinkerton is of opinion, " that 

 the go Id medallions, weighing two, three, 

 or four aurei only, passed in currency, as 

 the Greek gold didrachms, tridrachms, 

 or tetradrachms, according to their size. 

 The like may be said of the silver, which 

 are commonly of the value of a Greek 

 tetradrachm : they, I have little doubt, 

 went in currency for four denarii." The 

 brass medallions have the greatest varie- 

 ty of devices on their surfaces, and are 

 executed in a style of superior excel- 

 lence. Greek pieces of the above de- 

 scription, made before the Roman em- 

 pire, are extremely rare ; but Greek me- 

 dallions of Roman emperors are far more 

 numerous than the Roman. After the 

 reign of Hadrian, the medallions of that 

 country are seldom found to. be of fine 

 workmanship, yet they are invaluable for 

 their rarity, variety, and the intelligence 

 of their devices ; these circumstances ren- 

 der them very high priced. 



Besides the superior class of medal- 

 lions, there are others, particularly of a 

 size between the first and second brass, 

 which the Italians call medaglioncini, and 

 Mr. Pinkerton, medulets, and tokens, and 



