[ I® ] 
they are not yet properly aranged, the Public is 
not gratified with the Sight of them. 
I cannot take a better Opportunity of informing 
the unlearned Reader, that Medals and Coins are 
generally fmall round Pieces of fome of the more 
valuable kind of Metals: On one Side is, for the 
rooft part, the Head of fome Emperor, King, or 
other great Man, whofe Memory is meant to be 
perpetuated ; round the Rim is a Legend giving 
the Name of the Hero, and fometimes on the fame 
Side is a Motto (exergum) added: On the Reverfe 
is generally the Representation or a Symbol of fome 
remarkable Fa£t or Quality, or elfe it has other In- 
fcriptions on it. 
A Medal to be valuable fhould be fcarce; fnould 
point out fome extraordinary Event; or have a great 
Singularity in the Reverfe; but above all, it muft 
be an Original, which very often is not the Cafe 
with fome that are in high Eftimation. Medals and 
Coins are of two Kinds, ancient and modern: The 
ancient Medals are again fubdivided, into thofe of 
the higher and thofe of the lower Antiquity : The 
ancient of the higher Antiquity comprehend all 
thofe that were ftruck before the Beginning of the 
fourth Century; thofe of the lower Antiquity are 
what were ftruck from that Period of Time to the 
Beginning of the tenth Century. All that have 
been ftruck fince are efteemed modern. 
Every Colleftor of Medals is ambitious to get 
thofe that are moft valuable, fcarce, and rareft to 
be met with ; confequently the Panic , Hebrew, Go¬ 
thic and Arabic are univerfally fought, very few 
of them being preferved. 
The Greek Medals are the moft ancient, as well 
as the moft beautiful, the Figures of them being 
remarkably neat, and conftantly admired, far ex¬ 
ceeding 
