MEDAL. 
Another remarkable event occtirred in 
this reign relating to the subject under 
notice, which was a proclamation com- 
manding the currency of the French silver 
coin called cardecue, at its original value : 
to render this measure acceptable, Charles 
accounts for it by saying he had received a 
large sum in the coin mentioned, as the 
queen’s portion, which he had intended to 
have recoined, but the plague intervening 
he conceived the measure necessary : this 
order was soon after revoked for obvious 
reasons. The year 1631 produced “A spe- 
cial commission for making trial of the ex- 
perience, skill, and industry, of Nicholas 
Bryatt, (a native of Lorrain) in tlie coinage 
of money at the mint,” who proposed, by 
means of his instruments, mills, and presses, 
to make far better impressions from well 
engraved figures, and with less expense 
than had been the case by the usual way of 
hammering ; and in the next year a patent 
passed the privy seat, granting to Sir 
'Tliomas Aylesbury the making of all the 
weights, and licensing all the balances for 
the gold coin of F.ngland ; at which period, 
according to Rushworth, there was so great 
a glut of gold, and so great a scarcity of 
silver in the kingdom, that the drovers and 
farmers who attended the market in bmith- 
field were under the necessity of stipulating 
that their payments for sales should be 
made in the latter metal ; two pence, and 
often much more, was at the same time 
allowed in procuring change for twenty shil- 
lings. In consequence of tlie patent just 
mentioned, the public were generally pro- 
vided, individually, with the gold scales 
issued by Sir Thomas Aylesbury. 
One of the last acts of the unfortunate 
Charles was a prohibition of converting 
coin, plate, or bullion, into gold and silver 
thread. 
The Commonwealth made ten and five 
shilling pieces of gold, and Oliver Cromwell 
issued a few forty and twenty shilling 
pieces. Charles II. ordered the coinage of 
the guinea, which was so named from the 
gold of which they were made being im- 
ported from Guit.ea; these were published 
originally for twenty shillings, but they 
were ever received at iwenty-oue, and are 
SZ carats fine and 2 alloy, the present stand- 
ard. Besides the guinea, Charles issued five 
guinea pieces, double guineas, and half 
guineas, an example followed by the suc- 
ceeding raonarchs, of whom George I. and 
the present monarch, published quarter 
guineas; the latter seven Shilling piece#f 
which are convenient. 
It now only remains to notice the copper 
coins of the realm. The first on record ate 
the Saxon stycas, of which Mr. Pinkerton 
remarks they are rather billon than copper; 
tlie idea and form of this money was evi- 
dently derived from the Roman denarius, 
and the cutting of them into four parts, 
through the division of a cross stamped 
on tliem, produced fartliings. 
Pr evious to the time of Queen Elizabeth 
the public was reduced to the necessity of 
issuing tokens in order to obtain the means 
of carrying on the necessary trading inter- 
course ; and, however strange it may ap- 
pear, that so enlightened a princess should 
commit so great an error of judgment, she 
never could be prevailed upon to issue a 
copper coinage ; an attempt, indeed, oc- 
curred, and a pattern piece appeared with 
the queen’s monogram on one side and a 
rose on the other', with a running legend 
adapted to each — of “ tire pledge of— a half- 
penny,” but the scheme died away. The 
royal farthings of James I. were afterwards 
issued, though with little success, as he did 
not make them legal teirder. 
Charles I. published a proclamalion in 
1623, for the contimrance of farthing tokens 
of copper, prohibitirrg all persons from 
counterfeiting them, or the use of airy 
others; and the patent for this coinage was- 
granted to Sir Francis Crane, and Frances, 
Puchess Dowager of Lenox, wlio by a sub- 
sequent instrrrment wer e to have tire exclu- 
sive power and profit for seventeen years, 
on p-aying 100 marks per annum, into tire 
royal treasury ; they further promised to 
return 21s. iit farthiugs for every 20s. ster- 
ling, and to deliver 20s. sterling for every 
21s. worth of farthings, to those who were 
overstocked witli them. The obverse of 
tliis coitt was to have an impression of two 
sceptres crossed under a diadem, and the 
reverse a harp crowned, and the legend 
fiarolus Dei Gratia Magna Britannia;, 
Francia, If Hibernia;, Rex. 
In the year 1636, the crown granted to 
Henry, Lord Maltravers, and Sir Francis 
Crane, a patent for the coinage of farthings, 
but this coin was not made a legal tender 
to the poor. 'I'he civil war, which occurred 
soon after, reduced the generality of trades- 
men to the necessity of again having recour.se 
to tokens, and those vt^ere issued to a degree 
beyond precedent ; the existing govern- 
ment appears, however, to have been sensi* 
