[ 606 ] 
reign of Monnefes, never hitherto publifhed, with 
fuch a legend, and a correfpondent Greek one, 
upon it. Nay this is fufhciently manifeft from the 
Parthian coin now in the Bodleian cabinet, of which 
I herewith fend you a draught, that may be intirely 
depended upon ; though the elements it originally 
bore have been fo effaced by time, that the powers of 
them will probably, even by the mod: fagacious in- 
quirer, never be difeovered. Nor fhould I be fur- 
prized to meet hereafter with medals coined in the 
principal cities of the Parthian empire, and particu- 
larly at Vologefia, with Greek and Palmyrene let- 
ters, as well as Greek and the other fort of ele- 
ments, upon them; fince all fuch different kinds of 
alphabetic characters may naturally enough be fup- 
pofed to have been ufed in thofe cities. For that a 
fimilar practice prevailed at Tyre and Sidon, where 
coins were not feldom ftruck, that exhibited both 
Greek (yy) and Phoenician legends, is a point too 
well known to be controverted amongflthe learned. 
And that an interccurfe was kept up, and an exten- 
five commerce carried on, between the citizens of 
Tadmor, whether Greeks, Syrians, or Romans, and 
the inhabitants of Vologefia, and therefore probably 
thofe of all the mod eminent Parthian towns, is indi- 
fputably clear from one of the Greek Palmyrene in- 
feriptions (56), which aderts this in very drong terms. 
Other arguments of great weight might be offered, in 
( 55 ) J- f°Y Vaill. in Seleucidar. Imper. pafT. Vid. etiam 
Erafm. FrcHich, in Annal. Compendia r. Reg. iff Rer. Syr. p.i if 
Vienna Auftriae, 1744. 
(j$) Pbiicfoph. Tranfafl. Vol. xlviii. Tab.xxvii. Infcript.x. 
5 jfupport 
