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An Account of a Silver Coin of the Emperor Charles V. 

 found at Kelso. By James Haedy. 



Mr John Thomson affords nie the opportunity of noticing an 

 interesting Spanish silver coin, which was found by a labourer 

 at Kelso, in April, 1879. It is of the size of the interior ring of 

 a two shilling piece, and the weight is that of a modern shilling. 

 It is marked M.I., which may signify the coin termed media 

 pecata, or half a pecata, which was valued at two reals ; and this 

 seems to be pointed out by two elevated pellets in the centre of 

 the piece. On the obverse is an oblong shield, beneath an open 

 crown, bearing the arms of Castille (a castle) and Leon (a lion 

 passant) quarterly. According to Camden, when these two 

 kingdoms were joined, this was the first time that ever arms were 

 borne quartered. On the reverse are two crowned pillars stand- 

 ing amid the waves of the sea ; and the legend in separate por- 

 tions between and across the pillars : PIY SYI TE, which may 

 be a contracted Latin sentence, meaning that " The godly per- 

 son regulates his life ;" but this is uncertain. The obverse in- 

 scription round the margin reads : CAEOLYS ET 10 ANA 

 EEGES ; which is completed on the reverse : HISPANIAEVM 

 ET INDIABVM, i.e., Charles and Joanna, rulers of the Spains 

 and the Indies. Charles, grandson of Ferdinand and Isabella, 

 became king of Castille and Arragon in 1516, as Charles I., in 

 right of his mother Joanna, who being fatuous was unable to 

 exercise the functions of royalty. The scrupulous Spaniards 

 would only permit Charles to reign conjointly with his parent. 

 He was declared king by the Cortes in 1518, and was elected 

 Emperor as Charles V. in 1519. Joanna died 4th April, 1555. 

 The viceroy alty of New Spain was established in 1530 ; conse- 

 quently the coin was struck between these two periods. Judging 

 from its date, it was probably brought to Kelso by the Spaniards 

 in the invading army of the Earl of Hertford, who, in Septem- 

 ber, 1545, led the attack on Kelso Abbey, and expelled the Scots. 

 In this affair three or four Spaniards were killed by the " Scottes 

 hacbutiers." Besides these there were two other companies of 

 Spaniards attached to this army. (Innes's Sketches of Early 

 Scotch History, p. 199 ; Contemporary Account of Hertford's Ex- 

 pedition). This coin, therefore, while it commemorates a local 

 incident, has a tale to tell of the eventful age when Charles 



