An Essay on Medals: Or, An Introduction to the Knowledge of Ancient and Modern Coins and Medals; Especially Those of Greece, Rome, and Britain

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T. Cadell and W. Davies, 1808 - 448 sider
 

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Side 45 - The medal, faithful to its charge of fame, Through climes and ages bears each form and name : In one short view, subjected to our eye, Gods, emperors, heroes, sages, beauties, lie.
Side 271 - Medallions were presented by the emperor to his friends, and by the matt-masters to the emperor, as specimens of fine workmanship. They were struck upon the commencement of the reign of a new emperor, and other solemn occasions; and frequently the Greek in particular, as monuments of gratitude or of flattery.
Side 16 - The very basis of history is truth, without which the causes of human action, nay the actions themselves, are disguised, and the instruction arising from the narration totally lost, or converted into an empty chimera. Now the sole evidence ,we can have of the veracity of a historian consists in such collateral documents as are palpable to all, and can admit of no falsification.
Side 349 - Roman coins, to remark how much they are spread through all parts of the empire, even to the most remote corners. The number found in all the countries where the Roman arms penetrated is amazing. It' was, no doubt, a custom with that people, in every instance ardently desirous of fame, to bury parcels of their coin, as a monument of their having, as it were, taken possession of the ground.
Side 147 - Hence in the imperial times, it did not mean a coin of double the weight of the as, but of double the value.
Side 332 - Only one country vyes with Britain ; and that is Dacia on the extreme north-east of the empire, as Britain on the extreme north-west. No doubt this circumstance of remoteness in these two countries recommended them to this particular attention, as more expressive of the extent of Roman power f.
Side 321 - These have also been denominated " coins of families," and are arranged according to the names inscribed on them. The brass consular coins are rather uninteresting, consisting chiefly of large, unwieldy pieces, with types of insipid similarity. Few of them have any imagery or symbol.
Side 201 - This fine rust, which is, indeed, a natural varnish not imitablc by any effort of human art, is sometimes a delicate blue, like that of a turquoise ; sometimes of a bronze brown, equal to that observable in ancient statues of bronze, and so highly prized ; and sometimes of an exquisite green, a little on the azure hue, which last is the most beautiful of all. It is also found of a fine purple, of olive, and of a cream colour, or pale yellow ; which last is exquisite, and...
Side 12 - In Notis ad Clem. Ep. ad Cor. And this from Patin's which, in the civil commotions, was dissipated and lost. Oliver Cromwell had also a small collection ; and that of Charles II. is mentioned by Vaillant, in the preface to his Nummi in Coloniis cusi. Our later monarchs have little attended to this branch of magnificence; though his present majesty possesses a tolerable collection of ancient gold coins. But many noble cabinets have been formed in this country since Mr. Evelyn wrote. Haym, about 1720,...
Side 176 - Caesar, yet it is reasonable to infer, that the brass sestertius was first coined by Augustus. Not one silver sestertius appears during the whole imperial period, yet we know that the sestertius was the most common of all silver coins. The consular sestertii of silver, marked HS are not uncommon, nor the quinarii ; but the latter are very scarce of all the emperors, if we except one in.

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