^ix The ^amral Hijldry 
ancienter days, is plain out of Tacim : Fert Britannia (fays he) 
Aurum isr Argentum^ isr alia metalla^ pretium vi^ori<e And 
Prince Galgacus chief Captain of the Britans^ now beat Back as 
far as Mount Grampus in Scotland^ in his fpeech (before the fight 
with the Proprietor Agricola') exciting them to indignation againft 
the Romans ; amongft other things tells them, that thefe were the 
/Tzew that had taken from them their fertile vSoi/, their Afiwe^, and 
trading Towns : Neque enim Arva nobis^ aut metalla^ aut Portm 
funt^ quibm exercend^ refervemur ^ . Now all gold whatever con-^ 
taining fome filver more or lefs, and the Britans not being able to 
refine it then, as in after Ages, were neceffitated to coin EkUrum 
after this manner. 
13. That they had and coined y//z/^r in thefe early times, is 
alfo plain from }Ar^ Camden^ lAr. Speedy (src. who have given us 
draughts of ftlver Coins of Cunohelin, Venutiu^ King of the Sri- 
gantes, ^nd Car a SI a cu6 King of the Silures^ both which make not 
a little for the reputation of my conjecture § § ^2 and 63 of the 
fixth Chapter of this E fay ^ the i^iwe^ there mention'd, in all pro- 
bability, being fome of thofe fpoken of by Tacitu6^ and perhaps 
firft belonging to the aboriginal Britans^ and after to the Ro^ 
mans. 
14. To this if it be objected out of C<£fars Commentaries^ that 
l\itBritanst\itnxifQAon\y Copper (and that imported) and Iron 
m^^inftead of mony ^ ; and that this gold might either be alfo 
imported, or the Mines difcover'd after the conquefts of the 
Romans. It may rationally be anfwer'd, that ^'cf/dfry account of 
the State of Br ban (as has been fliewn alfo before in another cafe, 
Chap. 3.§. 2. of this Effay') is as imperfeftas his Vi^ories or Tra- 
vels in it were. For we find in Mr. Speed a gold coin of King 
CaJJivellaun^ who was King here in Britan at Cdefars arrival ; befide 
the Romans came then not to enrich, but to fpoil Britan^ how un- 
likely it is therefore they ftiould fupply them with gold^ or find 
them Mines fo early, let the Reader ]\xdge. 
1 5 . Whereunto it may be added (as Tacitus informs us) that 
Cdefar rather difcovered then conquered Britan ; that he rather 
frightened the Inhabitants on the (lioars, than got footing there : 
Quanquamprofperapugna terruerit Incolas^ aclittortpotitmfit^ pot eft 
«! Tadmhivitajiilii AgrkoU. cap, ' Uidefn cap. 31. f "^uhi C^far. Cmment. de Bella Galli- 
COy lib. J. 
in 
