314 
others’ cabinets, and fo'I hoped to give 
a quite new turn to the ftudy of medals. 
The following are the means which have 
been employed for that purpofe. It is 
known that, in the colleétions of medals 
the coins of a place or 4 province are con- 
fiderably augmented by a quantity of 
{mall diverfities found either in the legend, 
jor inthe attributes, or in the different mo- 
nograms. I have been fatisfied with mould- 
ing thofe coins, which really differed from 
one another in the infcription, or in the fi- 
gure ; ana I have only paid attention to the 
differences of fingle fymbols or monograms, 
when they could give an important ex- 
planation. In this manner, will be had 
all the known infcriptions and figures 
without a troublefome repetition. The 
autonomes will be fo arranged for every 
place, that refpeét fhall be had as much as 
» poffible to the ancient or modern ftamp. 
‘The autonomes are followed for every 
town by the coins ftamped under the em- 
perors ; and, at the end of every province, 
follow thofe coined by the kings; all ac- 
cording to Eckhel. ‘The firft catalogue 
will contain about 1400 of the choiceft 
medals of towns and provinces. But I 
hope to bring this colleétion to 12,000 
pieces. and to publifh, from time to-time, 
a fupplement for this catalogue. The 
coins of the Roman families and emperors 
follow at the end. Each hundred of 
paltes cofts, if bought from me, thirty- 
eight livres; and each dileitanti may 
pick out from the catalogue how and as 
much as he chufes. Thofe who take the 
whole collection will of courfe receive a 
confiderable benefit.”” 
Thus far the account of Citizen Mi- 
onet himfelf.- The hard fituation of 
all the confervators and emmployés of all 
the mufeums and national colle&tion, who 
have for feveral months got not a fingle far- 
thing of their falary, has alone retarded the 
impreflion of the catalogue, which, how- 
ever, now has probably left the prefs. 
But I can how already fay every thing in 
praife of its arrangement. At the head, 
the town is marked in capital letters, to- 
eether with a fhort indication of the in- 
icription and the ftamp. Pellerin, Eckhel, 
Florez, Neumann, Zoega, Hunter, Combe, 
&c. are quoted whenever it is neceflary. 
A particular refpeét is held to thofe coins 
which have not yet been made known, 
and they are marked out in the catalogue 
as Inediti. I have at. this moment fix- 
teen paltes before me, which, according 
to the fentence of all connoiffcurs, leave no 
room for cenfure with refpeét to the ‘truth 
and tharpnefs ef the delineation in the 
Fewifh Feaft of Purim. 
[May 1, 
figures as well as in the letters. A friend 
of mine has taken them indifcriminately 
out of the whole collection, and no mer- 
cantile deceit can of courfe be fufpetted. 
They are illufive even in their metallic 
varnifh, very light, but however durable. 
How much is then to be expected from 
the whole collection, if we may judge by 
this effay! How much inftruétion may be 
afforded by it, as the richeft colle&tion of 
medals known in Europe is the bafis 
“of it! 
Thope, Sir, that this piece of intelligence 
will prove very agreeable to all Englifh- 
men of true tafte and literature. Ihave 
feen feveral attempts in cafting and mould- 
ing ancient coins, made by Taffie, Mar- 
chant, and other artifts of great reputation 
amongft your countrymen, and I am far 
from under-rating their value; but, I ean 
affure you, that thofe medals fent trom 
Paris ftand quite unparalleled, and are far 
fuperior to all that have been tried un a. 
fimilar way. Encouragement therefore 
fhould be given to that difcovery, without 
any prejudice againft the country in whichit 
has been made: for the fine arts, and ufe- 
ful difcoveries for the inaprovement of 
knowledge and literature, are of no coun- 
try, and fhould not fuffer ,by the clafhing 
paffions of a cruel and implacable warfare. 
J fhali net fail to inform you, Sir, about 
the fuccefs of thefe paites in Germany, 
a complete fet of which thall be viewed 
next Eafter Fair, at Leipfic. 
Weimar, ia Saxeny, 1 am, Sir, 
Feb. 18, 1800. Your’s, &c. 
AvuGusTus BoTtiGEr. 
=e 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
On the HISTORICAL ORIGIN of the 
FEAST of PURIM. 
HE Jewith Feaft of Purim was fo 
_ named (we are toldy Either ix. 26), 
from the word pur, a lot, and fignifies the 
feaft of lots; a derivation net very fatis- 
faStory. It was celebrated yearly on the 
14th and rsth Adar (ix. 21), that is, in 
the beginning of March. ‘Fhe book of 
Efther was then read aloud in the fyna- 
gogues; and, at the mention of Haman’s 
name, the audience* ufually expreffed their 
abhorrence, by ftriking with their hands 
on the benches and boards. After this 
act of worfhip, the viands of hofpitality 
were diftributed. From the whole ritual, 
it may be inferred, that the later Jews de- 
rived their notions of this fettival merely 
from the book of Etther. 


* Godwin's Motes and Aaron, p. 338. 
From 
