[ 66 ] 



by the Romans and the Etrufcans, will (15) not ad- 

 mit of a doubt. The Romans feem to have ufed the 

 words SORS and FORTUNA for one deity, on fome 

 occafions ; and, on others, the term SORTES, as 

 applicable to more divinities, and FORTVNAE, or 

 FORTUNAE ANTI AT, as relative to two, to whom 

 they affigned the( 1 6) epithets FORTIS, and FELIX. 

 One or both of thofe epithets may poffibly be point- 

 ed out to us by the letter F, which precedes the 

 words SOR ANT, on the bafis below the buft of the 

 goddefs SORS, on the reverfe of the coin in queftion. 

 But that this is the true import of the word to which 

 that letter belongs, I muft by no means take upon me 

 pofitively to affirm. 



VI. 



The medals of the Plastorian family fimilar to that 

 I have been confidering Havercamp (17) takes to 

 have been {truck in the time of the civil war, that 

 fucceeded Julius Caefar's death j in which, perhaps, 

 he may not be very remote from truth, though this 

 he has not irrefragably proved. If it fhould, how- 

 ever, be allowed probable by the learned, the coin 

 before me, which mutt be nearly of the fame date 

 with that war, will feem to have preceded about 

 forty years the birth of Christ. 



(15) Vid. Anton. Francifc. Gor. ubi fup. p. 214, 215- Sam. 

 Pitifc. in Lex. Antiquitat. Romanar. paiT. aliofque author, quam 

 plurim. 



(16) Fabrett. Infcript. Ant'tqu. cap. ix..p. 632. Sig. Haverc. 

 ubi fup. p. 324, 369. Amftelsedami, 1734. Vid. etiam Vulp. 

 Vet. Lat. Pro/an. torn. III. cap. v. p. 98, & feqq. 



{1.7) Sig. Haverc. ubi fup. p. 325. 



