the year of the reign in numerals, as Anno Regni XVIII.”; others written, as "Tricesimo sexto" (36): by which num. bers it will be seen that the reign was calculated from the death of Charles I., leaving out the Commonwealth. The character of the new designs was evidently suggested by the designs of Simon, who had previously introduced it in the busts of the Protector. This conventional Roman style was introduced in France about the reign of Louis XIII., and in matters of taste France began very sensibly, though slowly, to influence the taste in England.

The disposition of the four shields, on the reverse, in the form of a cross, is that extremely pleasing device which continued to George III., and was also, I have no doubt, an idea of Simon's, as even in early patterns of his it is imperfectly shadowed out, while on the petition crown it is perfect, fine copies of which sell for from 150 to 2007. (See plate 9). The smaller coins also of this issue were milled, but they retained the old types. Soon after, however, the small coins were assimilated in style to the large silver, the groat being distinguished by four linked C's, the threepenny piece by three, the twopenny piece by two, and the penny by a single C, while silver half-pennies were no longer coined.

The coins below sixpence, after this introduction of the mill, were only struck for Maundy money, in order to conform to the old custom of distributing the royal bounty on Holy or Maundy Thursday, on which day a white bag was given to a certain number of poor persons containing as many coins as the king numbered years.,

The gold coins of this reign were not various; the first had the head laureated in the Roman style, and on the reverse the old shield. The next had a similar head, but the oval shield on the reverse. The reverses of both had the motto "Florent concordia regna.” There were pieces of twenty shillings, ten, and five. In 1664, a gold coinage by the new process was issued, having the bust undraped, as in the Cromwell gold pieces, and on the reverse, four crowned shields, bearing the arms of England, &c., with sceptres in the angles: this coinage consisted of five pound pieces, forty shilling pieces, and twenty shilling pieces, the latter being for the first time called guineas, from being made from the gold brought from Guinea by the African Company: there

were also half-guineas. The coins made of the gold imported by the African Company had, in their honour, a small elephant under the bust of the king; done, as it is said, to encourage the importation of gold. The term guinea, for a twenty shilling piece, afterwards continued to the reign of George III., without reference to the source of the gold.

It was determined at the beginning of this reign, the English gold coins being still above the value of those of other nations, to increase their nominal value, and the old unit of 20 shillings was therefore raised to 22 shillings, and other coins in proportion, the new coinage being made to correspond; that is to say, the pound weight of gold was coined into as many more pieces of 20 shillings and 10 shillings respectively as should make them of the same relative value as the raised units, &c. In 1670 the weight of the gold coins was again reduced, the pound of gold (22 carats fine) being coined into 447. 10s. At the end of this reign an act was passed, with the view of encouraging the bringing of bullion to the mint, by removing all charges upon coinage, for private individuals; the state undertaking to be at the whole expense, and the full weight of bullion was to be returned in coin without any reduction. But to defray the expenses incurred, a duty on foreign wines, vinegar, &c., was levied.

The money of our colonies and dependencies now became interesting; but as it does not come within the bounds of this work, I confine myself upon the subject to the relation of an anecdote.

It is said that Charles II. was much displeased with the colonists in Massachusetts on account of their coining money, which he considered a breach of his prerogative, and threatened to Sir Thomas Temple that they should be punished. Upon which Sir Thomas took some of the pieces from his pocket to show the king, on the reverse of one of which was a pine tree, one of that species of pine common in the colony, that grows flat and bushy at the top, like the Italian pine. The king asked what tree it was? upon which Sir Thomas Temple told him that of course it was the Royal Oak, which had preserved his Majesty's life: upon which the king said no more of punishment, but laughing, called them "honest dogs."

THE COPPER COINAGE.-Copper being first used in bulk in this reign, this appears the proper place to give a sketch of the events which led to its adoption. As early as the reign of Henrys VII. and VIII., we learn from an incidental passage in Erasmus, that leaden tokens of low value were in use, though whether sanctioned by the government or not is unknown. Similar tokens were, however, in use without the sanction of government in the reign of Elizabeth. They were called pledges or tokens, passing as halfpennies and farthings, being issued for convenience, by grocers, vintners, &c. who felt the great want of small change. It appears singular that some sort of copper coinage was not attempted at that time, as it had long existed, and been found advantageous, not only on the continent but even in Scotland.

The matter was taken into consideration by Elizabeth, who decreed that copper or leaden tokens should henceforward only be made at the royal mint, and only of pure copper, and that the halfpenny should weigh 14 grs. and the farthing 7 grs. Neither, however, were issued, though patterns exist. It was probably on the failure of this scheme that the queen granted to the city of Bristol the privilege to coin tokens to circulate in that city and ten miles round.

James again abolished (nominally) all leaden tokens of private traders, and issued a small quantity of copper farthings, of his own mint; but there was no second issue, and the private tokens again prevailed; and in the troubled reign of his son they doubtless increased, as they were a source of large profit to the small and greedy trader.

During the time of the Commonwealth, Cromwell endeavoured to put down this fraudulent money, by an efficient coinage of copper; he died, however, before carrying out his purpose, so that the excellent devices for his projected coinage of farthings remain as mere patterns, and it was not till long after the Restoration that copper was first issued in bulk. At first a patent was granted to Sir Thomas Armstrong, to coin farthings of copper for twenty-one years. For this privilege he was to pay the sum of 167. 13s. 4d. per annum. He was to issue twenty-one shillings of farthings, being only of the value of twenty shillings of silver, and take them back at the same rate.

In 1665, halfpence of the royal mint were issued in small quantities; some say only patterns were done. They have the king's head, and "Carolus a Carolo;" the reverse being Britannia, with Quatuor maria vindico, alluding to the empire of the sea, so often claimed by our sovereigns. The figure of Britannia is very graceful, is beautifully executed, and is said to be a portrait of the beautiful Frances Stuart. The general character of the device was, however, suggested by the figure called Britannia on some of the Roman coins relating to Britain, but it has a character of its own, and all the details of face, figure, and drapery, are quite original, and in a modern feeling. The figure on the farthing is not quite so elegant as that on the halfpenny, and has one leg bare. These farthings were called Lord Lucas's farthings, from the circumstance of his making a speech against the state of the currency in the presence of the king, in which he alluded to the total disappearance of the Commonwealth coins, which, from the form of the two joining shields, were called Breeches; 'a fit name," he says, "for the coins of the Rump.' He then proceeded to state, that he saw no probability of their being replaced, "unless it be by copper farthings, and this is the metal, according to the inscription on it," he says, "which is to vindicate the dominion of the four seas." The halfpence and farthings positively issued in 1665, the first real copper coinage, were the same as the patterns above alluded to, with the exception of having the simple motto "Britannia on the reverse, instead of the one ridiculed by Lord Lucas; and these coins being of the intrinsic value for which they were issued, at once nearly superseded the private tokens, which no law had been able to put down. But so great was their convenience and the profit upon their issue, that they were still continued for some time, notwithstanding stringent enactments against them. Tin farthings, with a stud of copper in them, to render their imitation difficult, were also issued at the end of this reign, having on the edge Nummorum famu.us.

66

CHAPTER XXXV.

FROM JAMES II. TO GEORGE III.

JAMES II., 1684 to 1688. On the coinage of this reign the head of the king is turned to the left, the reverse of that of his predecessor, a custom that we shall now find constantly adhered to. The coins were in other respects similar to the last of Charles II., having the bust and name on one side, and the arms and titles on the other, with no other motto. The arms are formed of four shields, arranged as a cross, but without linked letters in the angles: the inscriptions on the edges are "Anno regni secundo," &c. The shillings and sixpences are milled with oblique lines, and the lesser pieces, or Maundy money, are marked IIII to I, with a crown above. The five shilling pieces, in fine condition, of this king, are rare; that of 1688, very perfect, sold at Edmonds's sale for 17. 11s. 6d., and would fetch more now.

The gold coinage of this reign differs only in types from the last, in having the head turned the other way. The guineas and half-guineas-names now established for all twenty-shilling and ten-shilling pieces-have the same devices. as the larger pieces.

Of copper money, very little appeared in the reign of James II., the halfpennies and farthings being of tin, with a copper plug. The reverses are the same as those of his predecessor, but they are not quite so well executed; both halfpennies and farthings have "Famulus nummorum on the edge. The tin half-pennies have the legend "Jacobus secundus."

WILLIAM AND MARY, AND WILLIAM III., 1688 TO 1702.

The same style of coinage in its general appearance, fineness, and weight, was continued at the commencement of these reigns. The profiles of the king and queen are shown