MEDAL. 
S<24 
The firft is properly French, having been iflTued at her co¬ 
ronation as queen of France, along with her bufband 
Francis II. On the obverfe of this piece there are por¬ 
traits of Francis and Mary, face to face, with three le¬ 
gends around them, the outermoft containing their titles ; 
the middle one the following fentence : hora nona do- 
Minus j. H. s. expiravit helli clamans ; the inner- 
moft the name of the city (Paris). On the reverfe are 
the arms of France and Scotland. Fine teftoons werealfo 
coined upon the fame plan ; and are now fo rare, that Dr. 
Hunter gave ten guineas for one which is in his collection. 
The fame portraits appear on the fine crown of Mary and 
Henry (lord Darnley), in 1565, which is fo rare as to be 
efteemed a medal of thehigheft value; and Mr. Pinkerton 
imagines, that if offered to fale it would bring forty or 
fifty guineas. Another remarkable medal of Mary repre- 
fents her full-faced, and weeping, with the infcription, 
O GOD GRANT PATIENCE IN THAT I SUFFER VRANG. 
The reverfe has in the centre, ouho can compare with 
ME IN GRIEF, I DIE AND DAR NOCHT SEEK RELIEF j with 
this legend around, hourt not the (figure of a heart) 
quhais joy thou art. There are alfo many counters 
of this unfortunate princefs, being thin filver pieces of the 
fize of a fhilling. “ They all appear (fays Mr. Pinkerton) 
to have been done in France by the direction of Mary, who 
was fond of devices. Her cruel captivity could not debar 
her from intercourfe with her friends in France, who muft 
with pleafure have executed her orders, as affording her a 
little confolation.” The coronation-medal of Charles I. 
ftruck at Edinburgh for his inauguration, June 18, 1663, 
is remarkable as being the only one ever coined of Scottifh 
gold, and the firft in Britain ftruck with a legend on the 
edge. It was executed by Briot, an eminent French ar- 
tift. On the front is the king’s buff, crowned and robed, 
with his titles. The reverfe bears a thiftle growing, hinc 
nostrte crevere ros/e. Around the edge is ex avro 
VT IN SCOTIA REPERITVR ERIOT FECIT EDINBVRGI, 1633. 
Few of thefe were ftruck on the Scottifh gold, three only 
being known to exift, of which one is in the Mufeum. 
The piece is not uncommon in filver, in which metal it 
wants the legend on the edge, which conftitutes its chief 
curiofity and merit. It was in rivalfhip to this that Simon 
gave his fine medal of Oliver, the reverfe of which is an 
olive-tree, non deficient oliv^e. 
Italian medals appear in the fifteenth century, and from 
that time fucceffively in moft European countries. Vit¬ 
tore Pifano, a painter of Verona, is celebrated as the re- 
llorer of the art; but Mr. Pinkerton confiders this artift 
rather as an inventor than a reltorer, his medals having no 
refemblance to the ancient coins, as being large, and all 
caff. They were firft modelled in wax, then a mould 
taken from the model in fine land and other ingredients. 
After a good caff was procured, it was touched up, and 
made a model for the reft. Thefe medals of Pifano are 
almoft always infcribed Opus Pifani PiSoris. The portraits 
of a great number of illuftrious men were done by him in 
this manner; and in the Britifh Mufeum is a large bra fs 
medal of Pifano by himfelf. Other artifts were Boldu, 
Marefcotto, Matthasus de Paftus, Sperandes,Mifaldone, See. 
Towards the end of the century, however, the medals 
began to affume a more elegant appearance ; and the papal 
ones are not only the moft elegant, but the moft ancient 
feries of all the modern medals. The improvement began 
in the reign of Alexander VI. fo famous for his own 
crimes, and thofe of his nephew Caefar Borgia. His fuc- 
cefTors, Julius II. Leo X. Hadrian VI. and Clement VII. 
had many of their medals defigned by Raphael, Julio Ro¬ 
mano, and other eminent painters, and the engraving exe¬ 
cuted by artifts of equal merit. In 164.4, Cormanni, a 
medallic artift, was imprifoned on account of a piece 
which rep re fen ted the pope upon one fide, and Olympia 
Maidalchina, the relation of his holinefs, on the other: 
tiie unfortunate Cormanni poifone'd himfelf. About this 
time the family of the Karnerani, originally from Ger¬ 
many, began to engrave the papal medals; which they did 
with furprifing merit for feveral generations. Each of the 
daughters did a fine medal, as we are informed by Venuti. 
Befides the papal medals, many have been iffued by the 
various Hates of Italy. There are medals of Frederic II, 
of Sicily in 1501, of feveral Venetian generals in 1509, of 
Alfonfo duke of Ferrara in 1511, and of the celebrated 
Andrew Doria in 1528. 
Next to Italy, France is the moft remarkable country 
for medals. But the French medals are neither fine nor 
numerous, till the reign of Louis XIV. who has exceeded 
all modern princes in this way.—In Denmark, there are 
medals of Chriftian II. 1516, and of Frederic and Sophia, 
1552. Of Frederic II. and Chriftian IV. there are many 
medals. The elephant of the houfe of Oldenburg is very 
frequent on Danifh medals.—In Sweden there are many 
fine medals of Guftaf Wafe, or Guftavus Vafa. Chriftina 
appears on feveral, ftruck chiefly at Rome after her abdi¬ 
cation. Of Charles XII. there are feveral curious medals. 
The medallic hiftory of Holland begins in the year 1566. 
In the Spectator, a Dutch medal is quoted as Englilh ; 
namely, that on the defeat of the Spanifh armada ; a fleet, 
flavit et dissipati sunt, 1588. Many Dutch medals 
are remarkable for maps and plans, which muft be very 
interefting to pofterity : “ Had the Greeks and Romans 
(fays Mr. Pinkerton) given us maps and plans, what a fine 
lyftem of ancient geography and topography a cabinet of 
medals muft have been !” 
The Spanifh medals begin with Gonfalvo, the great cap¬ 
tain, in 1503 ; and many of them are curious and intereft¬ 
ing. Germany and Spain were as one empire under 
Charles V. of whom there are many medals. But the 
German ones begin with Frederic III. of whom there is 
one ftruck at Rome 1453 ; next is Maximilian 1504, who 
appears in the bonnet, worn before hats were invented about 
1560, and a wheel on the reverfe, per tot discrimina. 
There is a curious medal upon the death of Louis king of 
Hungary, at Mohatz, 1526, when he fell fighting againft 
the Turks ; obverfe his head, and that of his queen, face 
to face ; reverfe a battle. The medals of John of Leyden, 
leader of the Anabaptifts, 1534, 1535, are Angular monu¬ 
ments of folly and fanaticifm : they bear his buft, with 
German inferiptionsand legends. Amongft other curious 
medals, there is one of Sebaftian king of Portugal, famous 
for his unfortunate expedition in Africa, 1578, with his 
buft, full face, and three-quarters length, sebastianus 
D. G. REX PORTUGALLI7E, ARABI7E, INDIjB, et africte, 
anno tetatis xvi. reverfe a <hell-fi(h in the fea,the moon 
and feven ftars, serena celsa favent. There is an¬ 
other Angular medal of Catharine of Medici, queen of 
France, notorioufly addicted to aftrology. It reprefents 
her naked, between Aries and Taurus, with the name 
EBULLA asmodtea over her head : (he holds a dart in 
one hand, and a heart in the other; in the exergue is 
OXIEL. 
The firft Engli/h medal is in the duke of Devonfliire’s 
cabinet. It is in brafs, of a large fize, upon the plan of 
the early Italian medals ; and bears on one fide a buft, 
10. kendal rhodi tvrcvpellerivs ; reverfe the arms of 
Kendal, tempore obsidionis tvrcorum. mcccclxxx. 
It was found laft century in Knarefborough foreft; but 
Mr. Pinkerton has no doubt of its having been done in 
Italy. The next Englilh medal is that of Henry VIII. 
in 1545 ; it is of gold, larger than the crown-piece, with 
the king’s head upon the obverfe, and three legends within 
each other, including his titles. See. The reverfe contains 
two inferiptions, declaring him to be the head of the 
church ; the one in Hebrew, the other in Greek. It was 
imitated exactly by Edward VI. whofe coronation-medal 
is the firft we have. There are two medals of Philip and 
Mary, whofe execution is tolerably good ; but thofe of 
Elizabeth are very poor. There are good medals of James I. 
and his queen ; with a fine one of Charles I. and Henrietta, 
though the workmanfhip is much inferior to the antique. 
There are many good medals of Charles, with various de¬ 
vices upon their reverfes. Under the commonwealth, the 
celebrated 
