r 2 s+ 1 
former papers ; and confine myfelf at prefent to the 
confideration of the infcription on the reverfe, which 
ieems to merit the attention of the curious, and has 
not hitherto been communicated to the learned world. 
An attempt therefore to interpret this will not, I 
would flatter myfelf, prove unacceptable to the 
Royal Society ; efpecially, as fome light may pofii- 
bly be thereby thrown on feveral other fimilar coins. 
The infcription now in view confided originally, 
as I apprehend, of either five or fix letters. If m. be 
taken for the prenomen here, the number of them 
amounted only to five*; but if ni. be fuppofed to 
precede the name on this piece, fix undoubtedly at 
fir ft appeared. I was for l'ome time difpofed to clofe 
with the former of thefe notions, as M. is a preno- 
men that fometimes occurs on the confulat coins ; 
as the .three perpendiculars forming fo confiderable a 
part of the Samnite-Etrufcan M are not always equi- 
diftant from one another, on fuch medals as that be- 
fore me ; and as one of the tranfverfe lines of the 
Samnite-Etrufcan character reprefenting that element, 
on thefe coins, might have been eafily effaced by the 
injuries of time. But examining the letters with grea- 
ter attention, I afterwards found mylelf rather in- 
clined to pronounce that part of the infcription ter- 
minated by a point ni. though fuch a prenomen has, 
perhaps, been fcarce ever hitherto difeovered on any 
antient monument. However, I will not prefume 
to determine abfolutely in favour of either of thefe 
points, though one of them mud certainly be true. 
The former receives fome countenance from two 
coins of Papius Mutilus, in my little collection, 
which exhibit the middle perpendicular of the Sam- 
nite- 
