scroll, were called the exurgat money, the principal legend being, as stated, "Exurgat Deus, dissipentur inimici."

The coinage of copper farthings was again attempted in this reign, and new proclamations were issued against private farthing tokens of copper or lead, but no good remedy was applied to the inconvenience which called them into existence, while the privilege of making the authorised farthings was granted to the Duchess of Richmond and others for different periods, for their own profit. The farthings under these patents, being of course below their intrinsic value, caused endless discontent and disturbance.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

THE COMMONWEALTH TO CHARLES II.

THE COMMONWEALTH, 1648 TO 1660. The Commonwealth, with the energetic Cromwell as its directing genius, proceeded at once to effect great changes in the coinage. The royal arms and Latin mottoes were thrown aside, and the simple cross of St. George, as the suitable badge of Puritanical England, was adopted, which was placed within a palm and an olive branch, and had for legend, in good plain English, "The Commonwealth of England." On the reverse were two joined shields, one bearing the cross of St. George, the other the harp of Ireland, and the motto, also in English, "God with us," and the date; that of the first being 1649. Sir Robert Harley who had formerly been master of the mint for the late king, though he had accepted a re-appointment from the parlia ment, yet refused to carry into effect this innovation in the types of the coins, and Aaron Guerdain, doctor of physic, was appointed in his place, under whose direction the change was effected.

The issue consisted of crowns, half-crowns, shillings, and half-shillings, and pieces of two-pence, a penny, and a half

the

penny. The larger pieces all bore the same devices, with the exception of being marked with Roman numerals, to indicate their value. The smaller pieces had no mottoes, and the halfpenny had simply the cross on one side, and the harp on the other.

On the perfect restoration of tranquillity, and the cooling down of the national mind from the turmoil and excitement of the civil war, towards 1651, Cromwell resolved to avail himself of all the most recent improvements in coining, already adopted by several continental nations. It was determined that in beauty of mechanical execution the coins of this nation should not be behind any in the world, and a celebrated artist, Pierre Blondeau, a Frenchman, who had carried to perfection the most approved modes of stamping coin by the mill and screw, was invited to England.

On his arrival, he produced patterns of half-crowns, shillings, and half-shillings, coined by the new mill and screw, by which means a legend was impressed for the first time upon the edge.

One half-crown bore on the edge "Truth and peace, 1651, Petrus Blondeus ;" another, "In the third yeare of freedome by God's blessing restored." The shillings and sixpences were beautifully grained on the edges, and the pieces were brought to their true weight with the utmost exactness An engagement was entered into with Blondeau to work these pieces, which bore the usual device of the Commor. wealth. But no issue was ever made of them; they can therefore only be considered as patterns, and are very rare. The established workers of the mint also sent in fresh rival patterns, one of which had the double shield, supported by winged figures, with motto, "Guarded by angels." In the end the opposition of the existing functionaries in the mint frustrated the schemes of Blondeau, who was prevented from carrying into effect his projected reforms. An interesting paper on this subject will be found in the Transactions of the Numismatic Society, vol. vi., p. 261. The screw process was, however, eventually adopted, though without the immediate aid of Blondeau, who appears to have been ill-used.

In the latter part of his protectorate, after his second solemn investiture, Cromwell caused coins to be executed

bearing his own bust, but it is supposed that few, if any, were issued, as coins of the old type of the same date are much more numerous; they must therefore possibly be regarded as patterns. They are exceedingly well-executed, by the mill process, and have the laureated bust of the Protector, with " Olivar. D. G. R. P. Ang. Sto. et Hib. &c. Pro." assuming the title of Protector of the Republic of England, Scotland, and Ireland, but substituting "&c." for France. The bust is the work of the celebrated Simon, and most beautifully executed, in a manner far superior in point of art to anything that had ever been seen upon an English coin before. The crowns and half-crowns are indeed most remarkable medals, as regards both the engraver's and the coiner's art. The reverse of these pieces has a crowned shield, with the republican arms of England (the cross of St. George); and those of Ireland and Scotland with the legend "Pax quæritur bello."

The crowns and half-crowns of the Commonwealth have letters beautifully impressed on the edge, the shillings and sixpences being very neatly grained. They were the best executed coins that had up to that period issued from the English, or perhaps any other mint. The silver standard adopted by the Commonwealth was 11 oz. 2 dwts. fine, and 18 dwts. alloy.

The gold coins bore the same devices and mottoes as the silver ones, and were simply twenty-shilling, ten-shillling, and five-shilling pieces: the twenty-shilling pieces contain 3 dwts. 20 grs. of 22 carats gold. The later twentyshilling pieces have the bust of the Protector, which is not near so good a likeness or so well executed as on the silver pieces. On the gold coin the bust is represented without drapery, a distinction subsequently adopted in succeeding coinages up to George III., with the exception of those of Queen Anne, who somewhat fastidiously objected on the score of delicacy. Some few of her gold coins nevertheless exist without the drapery, but they are probably only suppressed patterns. The twenty-shilling piece of the Protector, with the portrait, appears much smaller than the previous pieces, but it is much thicker, the milled pieces becoming generally smaller and thicker than the previous hammered ones.

Trials of copper farthings, similar to those which had been attempted in James I. and Charles I., were again repeated during the Commonwealth, but it is supposed never issued. The patterns for this issue of farthings exhibit several very interesting reverses. The legend round the head was, like all the Commonwealth coins, in English it reads, " Oliver Pro. Ing. 3co. et Ire.," and the reverses had "Convenient change.' One, with the type of a ship, has "And God direct our course." Another, with three columns, bearing the badges of England, Scotland, and Ireland, united by a twisted band, has the motto, "Thus united invincible"; another has "Charity and change." The only mint during the Commonwealth and Protectorate was that of the Tower of London.

CHARLES II., 1660 TO 1684.

(See Plate IX.)

On his accession, in the year 1660, there were issued silver coins, from half-crowns downwards, with the exception of groats and quarter-shillings, which were soon after added. They were, with a view perhaps of returning to the extreme of orthodoxy, much like the earliest of his father's coins, with the old shield traversed by the cross fleurie, and the same mottoes. The new improvements of the mill and screw were also abandoned, and the coins were again produced by the old hammering process.

The first issue was without numerals indicating the value, and without the line and beading within the legend; a second issue had the numerals, but still no inner circle of line and beading. In 1661 the respective values were ordered to be stamped on each, and these new coins had also the inner circle, or line and beading, within the legend, absent in the first. These first silver coins of Charles II. may be said to be the last of our series which represent the sovereign in the costume of the day. Some have the lace collar over armour, and others over an ermine robe, and all are crowned also for the last time, as no subsequent English coin bears a crowned portrait.

In 1662 the previously mentioned Peter Blondeau was formally re-engaged to direct the mint, upon the new prin.

ciple of mill and screw, and a competition for engraving the dies was entered into between the celebrated Simon, who had engraved the dies for the Protector's last coins, and John Roeter of Antwerp, which was unfairly decided in favour of Roeter. Simon aftewards produced a pattern crown, most exquisitely engraved, which is considered quite a model of the art of that or even any period, and very superior to any cotemporary work of the class, if we except his own previous works, the busts of Cromwell on the crowns and half-crowns. On the edge of this famous coin is inscribed his petition to the king against the previous unjust decision, which was of course unheeded. The petition runs, "Thomas Simon most humbly prays your Majesty to compare this his tryal piece with the Dutch, and if more truly drawn and embossed, more gracefully ordered, and more accurately engraven, to relieve him."*'

In 1663 the first issue of the improved milled coinage took place, consisting of crowns, half-crowns, and half-shillings, very handsomely aud well executed, having the king's head laureated, and the shoulders mantled in the conventional Roman style, looking to the left, contrary to the preceding coins,† with the legend "Carolus II. Dei Gratia." On the reverse are four shields, forming a cross, having the arms of England, Scotland, and Ireland; there are linked C's in the angles, the Star of the Garter in the centre, and around, the king's titles, and the date. The crowns and half-crowns have "Decus et tutamen" on the edge-an inscription on the edge having been adopted like the milled notching or graining, to prevent clipping: this motto, Evelyn says, was suggested by himself to the maker, to intimate that it was at once an ornament and a protection to the coin.‡ The shillings and sixpences were milled at the edge, at first by an upright notching, and afterwards by an oblique one. Some of the larger pieces have on the edge

* Simon had been several years one of the chief engravers of the Mint, and prepared some of the first money, but it is conjectured that he was discharged after this trial.

Now began the custom of placing the king's head on his coin in a direction contrary to that of his predecessor, suggested perhaps, in the firs instance, by a feeling of aversion to the memory of Cromwell, on who effigy the king probably wished that his own should turn its back.

Hawkins.