MEDAL. 
Ter, which are commonly of the value of a 
Greek tetradrachm : they, I have little 
doubt, went in currency for four denarii.” 
The brass medallions have the greatest va- 
riety of devices on their surfaces, and are 
executed in a style of superior excellence. 
Greek pieces of the above description, 
made before the Roman empire, are ex- 
tremely rare ; but Greek medallions of Ro- 
man emperors are far more numerous than 
the Roman. After the reign of Hadrian, 
the medallions of that country are sel- 
dom found to be of tine workmanship, yet 
they are invaluable for their rarity, variety, 
and the. intelligence of their devices ; these 
circumstances render them very high- 
priced. 
Besides the superior class of medallions, 
there are others, particularly of a size be- 
tween the first and second brass, which the 
Italians call medaglioncini, and Mr. Pinker- 
ton, medalets, and tokens, and counters, 
each proceeding from a variety of causes 
occurring in the Roman dominions. The 
contorniatii, another kind, are so termed 
from the hollow circle round them ; those 
are large as medallions, thin, and of inferior 
execution, and have afforded much latitude 
for conjecture as to the purpose for which 
they were intended. 
We were under the necessity of dw'elling 
on the foreign coins and medals of antiquity 
to a considerable extent, that the subject 
might be fully understood, as we are wholly 
indebted to tlie ancients for the invention 
of money, and even for our designs in many 
instances. It appears from the account of 
Britain, written by Ciesar, that the inhabi- 
tants at tliat period had brass and iron mo- 
ney, the use and coinage of which was pro- 
bably derived from our Gallic neighbours. 
Cunobelin, to whom many ancient coins 
found in England have been ascribed, was 
educated in tlie court of Augustus, and 
King of the Trinobantes : those are supposed 
to be the only extant, purely English, of 
which tliere is an admirable collection in 
our national museum ; the legends of them 
are generally cvno, and tascia, and camv • 
the first seems to apply to Cunobelin, the 
second has never been explained, and the 
third m.ay be Camudolanum ; tiie devices 
are a horse, an ear of wheat, and a bust, ac- 
companied by the abbreviation Cvno, on 
one side, wdth a variety of emblems on the 
other, and Camu. 
English medals, intended entirely as such, 
were never struck in the ancient periods of 
cur history, and the first known to have been 
made by order of an Englishman, and stamp- 
ed on brass, most probably in Italy, was one 
found in Knaresborotigli forest, in tlie seven- 
teenth century, which bears a bust with 
the legend lo. keivdal rhodi tvrcvpel- 
LERivs. MCcccLxxx. ou tlic obversc, and Oil 
the reverse his family anus, and tempore 
OBSIDIONIS TVRCORVM. MCCCCLXXX. It Is 
singular, that the. vast variety of important 
events which have occurred in England, 
should have passed away without suggesting 
this method of perpetuating their remem- 
branee, and that an example should have 
been set to onr monarchs by a knight of 
Rhodes, who was more affected by the rais- 
ing of the siege of that island by the Turks, 
than Edward III. was by his deeds in 
France. Henry VIII., one of the least 
worthy of the kings of England, caused a 
modal to be struck in 1.545, which is of con- 
siderable diameter, and of gold ; the le- 
gends of this second British medal are three 
in number, and are inserted one witliin the 
other on the obverse, inclosing his head and 
face in front ; the reverse .has two inscrip- 
tions, in the Hebrew and Greek languages, 
which signify his being the defender of the 
faith, head of the church, &c. The first 
coronation-medal was that made by order 
of Edward VI., the son and successor of 
Henry, whose medal just described served 
in every respect for a model. Very little 
can be said in commendation of the execu- 
tion of these pieces; neither are those of 
Elizabeth much better, witli the exception 
ot one or two. Tliongh earlier in point of 
time, Philip and Mary were more fortu- 
nate in the selection of their artists, parti- 
cularly Trozzo, who did two in silver for 
those monarchs, of high relief. Richard 
Shelly, Prior of the order of St. John of Je- 
rusalem, in England, one of the last who 
presided at Clerkenwell, caused one to be 
struck in the reign last mentioned, which 
deserves praise. 
Cliarles I. a good judge of the arts, ex- 
ceeded his father, James I. in the excel- 
lence of his medals ; that dated 1636, repre- 
senting the King and Henrietta Maria, is 
finely executed, particularly the heads. 
“ The reverse,” observes Mr. Pinkerton, 
“ represents Justice and Peace ki.ssing, awk- 
wardly enough.” “ The tout ensemble of 
the piece however is bad, and quite unlike 
the antique ; the standard of perfection in 
this way, owing to the field of the medal 
not being above a line tliick, while the 
relievos are a full half inch in tliickness : 
whereas, in the best and boldest ancient 
I 
