ascendent. The first allusion to Britain on a Roman coin, occurs in those issued under that emperor-followed by those issued under Britannicus, the son of Claudius; Septimus Severus, who died in York, Eng., A. D. 211; Caracalla, Geta, Postumus, Victorinius, Marius; British coins of the usurper Carausius, under the reign of Maximianus; Allectus, his treacherous successor, Constantine the Great, Crispus, and Constantius. Roman coin thus circulated in Britain till the final abandonment of the country, about A. D. 414.

The Saxons now succeeded the Romans in Britain, and as their money is totally different from that of the Romans, it must have been brought into the island with them, along with a new set of weights, values and measures. Their coins were called Skeattæ Latinized Scatta a term which Ruding derives from a Saxon word meaning a portion; and which he illustrates, by supposing that these coins were a portion of some merely nominal sum, by which large amounts were calculated. They were mentioned after the adoption of the Saxon silver penny, in the laws of Æthelstan, where it is stated that 30,000 skeattæ are equal to £120, which would make them about one twenty-fifth part less in value than a penny sterling. Of the origin of the word penny, Ruding says: "It is variously spelled as peneg, peninc, &c., and some derive it from the Latin word pendo, to weigh, while others consider pecunia as the parent word." The penny, with occasional half-pennies, constituted the only money of the country up to the reign of Edward III. It was intended that a pound Tower should make 240 pennies, giving 24 grains to each; but this weight was gradually decreased by successive princes, 22 grains being afterwards deemed full weight, and 20 grains being about the average weight down to Henry III. Their standard purity seems to have been 11 oz. 2 dwt. fine, and 11 dwt. alloy. The name of the moneyer or mint-master of the district in which the piece was coined, was now-about 700 A. D. - generally placed on the reverse of the coin with some ornament, and afterwards the name of the place of mintage.

Next followed the coins of the Saxon Heptarchy-those of the kings of Kent, from the accession of Ethelbert in A. D. 568, to the end of the reign of Baldred, A. D. 823, under whom the first silver penny was coined; of the kings of Mercia, from the penny of Eadwald or Ethelwald to that of Burgred in A. D. 874, the last of the Mercian princes; of the kings of the East Angles, the earliest emission of coins by whom, were by Beruna in A. D. 750; they were of the form and size of skeattæ. Guthram, a Dane, succeeded to the throne, who, being converted to Christianity, was baptized by the name of Ethelstan in A. D. 878. His name is found on his coins with Re or Rex, and Rex Ang.-Angliæ- the first time the title of "King of England" appears on coin.

any

THE COINS OF THE KINGS OF NORTHUMBERLAND.

The distinctive feature in the

Northumbrian coins is their metal, a composition containing in a hundred parts, 60 to 70 of copper, about 20 of zinc, 5 to 11 of silver, with minute portions of gold, lead and tin. These coins were termed stycas, two being equal to a farthing. There were also skeattæ of the usual purity of silver. The first styca was by Egfrith, from A. D. 671 to 685. Eric, the son of Harold of Norway, slain A. D. 951, was the last king. His coins were silver pennies. Coins of saints also were issued under his reign; those of St. Peter having been called "Peter Pence," and erroneously supposed to have been coined for the purpose of paying to Rome the tribute known by that name; they were silver pennies, coined at York. There were others bearing the name of St. Martin, St. Edmund, &c.

The dignitaries of the Church, soon after the firm establishment of Christianity in the island, had authority to strike money, and enjoy the profits of mintage. Archbishops alone, however, had the privilege of stamping these coins with portraits and names. This privilege was withdrawn by Æthelstan in A. D. 924. Subsequently, the prelatical coinage was distinguished from the royal by peculiar mint-marks, and these terminated in the reign of Henry VIII. The coins of the Archbishops of York were stycas, till they became, by the edict of Athelstan, assimilated to the coins of the realm. Ulphere or Vulphere, who held this See from A. D. 854 to 892, is the last prelate whose name occurs on coins of the Episcopal mint.

Next in order are the coins of the Saxon and Danish sole, monarchs of England; the coins of Egbert do not differ in general from those of the kings of the Heptarchy. Some bear the king's profile with his name, as "Ecgbeorht Rex," with a cross and the moneyer's name; the style the same under Ethelwfl, Æthelbearht, Ethelred, Ælfred the Great, Edward the Elder, Æthelstan, Edmund, Eadred, Eading, Eadgar, Edward the Martyr, Æthelred, the son of Elfrida, Edmund Ironside; Cnut, whose coins were very numerous, and distinguished by 340 variations of moneyer's names, and more places of mintage than any other. Harold I., whose coins resemble those of the preceding reign; Harthacnut, of whose coins, both English and Danish are found; Edward the Confessor, whose pennies were various in design, but differing only from those of his predecessors by being larger, though of the same nominal value; half-pence and farthings being produced by cutting the penny into two or four pieces. Harold II., who issued coins, but with nothing new in regard to them.

At the period of the Roman conquest of England, the old Celtic ring-money was still used in many parts of Ireland, though the Danish invaders, who had subdued the southern part of the island, had introduced a coinage of silver pennies, similar to that of England. The Irish had no other money than ring-money, till the Danish invasion,

as no other coins have been discovered, except the series of Hiberno-Danish coins, which extend from that period down to its subjection by the Norman-Anglo princes of England, in the reign of Henry II., A. D. 1154 to 1189. After the subjection of Ireland to the Anglo-Norman princes, the first coins-pennies, half-pennies, and farthings were those issued by John, who was created Lord of Ireland.

ANGLO-NORMAN KINGS. - Great changes in the coinage might have been expected from this succession to the throne of England; but in that we are disappointed. No improvement took place, and the Saxon types were still adhered to, as well as the standard and weight. The emissions were all silver pennies; and half-pennies and farthings were obtained by cutting them into two and four pieces. William Rufus, Henry I., Stephen, Henry II., and Richard I., so far as the coinage is concerned, did not deviate, except for the worse, from the precedent of their illustrious predecessor. Henry III. is said to have issued a coinage of half-pennies and farthings, which were afterwards recalled. He also issued what were called gold pennies, which circulated but for a short time. Ruding describes this gold coin as one called gold pennies, and weighing two sterlings, and coined to pass for twenty pennies of silver; but that it afterwards passed for twenty-four, or two shillings of 12 pence. He says, this piece, properly a royal, was the first of the sort coined in modern Europe.

Henry III. also issued an Irish coinage similar to the English coinage the long double cross on the reverse, and the legend, on the obverse, HERICUS REX III. The coins of Edward I. exhibit the head of the king, designed, for the first time, in a manner that was to continue without alteration for eight successive reigns, including that of Henry VIII. It was, in fact, a new conventional king's head-a kind of head which, in colonial times in America, answered for George III., Washington, Pitt, or any other distinguished person for whom an effigy was wanted. Edward I. had the credit of coining the first groats, or fourteen-penny pieces. EDWARD III., 1327 to 1377.-The silver coinage of this reign was groats, half-groats, pennies, halfpennies, and farthings. The words "Dei Gratia" were adopted for the first time, on English coins, during this reign; first on the gold coins, and afterwards on the groats; though it had appeared on the great seal since William I., and on the coins of France since the time of Charlemagne, who seems to have adopted Christianity as his watchword. The great feature, however, of this reign, was the coinage of gold; and the attempt of Henry III. being too partial, it may be considered England's first gold coinage. Three denominations of gold were coined, to be current at 6s., 3s., and 1s. 6d., being called florins, half-florins, and quarter-florins-derived from the celebrated gold coin of Florence. It was the name only that was adopted, the devices and values being original and national. The noble being rated too high, this gold coinage

was recalled. The gold nobles were then determined on; these were nobles, halfnobles, and quarter-nobles; the first denomination passing at 6s. 8d. RICHARD II., 1377 to 1399, issued, without change, groats, half-groats, pennies, halfpence, farthings, and gold nobles. Henry IV. reduced the pennies from 18 to 15 grains. Nothing new under Henry V., except some further improvement in the style of coinage. Henry VI. ordered a groat of 45 grains to be struck; also, two coins of base metal, an Irelande d'argent, to pass for a penny, and a Patrick, to pass for one-eighth of a penny, for Ireland. EDWARD IV. His silver coins were exactly like those of preceding reigns. The gold nobles were increased in value to 8s. 4d., the value of the precious metals being enhanced. It was this king who encouraged and invoked the aid of the Alchymists, announcing, with confidence, that he should soon be able to pay his debts with gold and silver produced by "the stone." Notwithstanding this, however, gold rose; the additional price procured gold faster than "the stone," and a new issue of nobles took place — fifty to the pound weight. Shortly this proportion was changed, and then forty-five were issued to the pound. The angels and half-angels, a new coin, having the archangel Michael piercing a dragon with a spear, on the reverse a ship with a large cross for a mast, made their appearance. There is no record of Edward V. having done anything in the way of coinage. Richard III. issued a considerable coinage, similar to that of his predecessors.

COINS OF THE ENGLISH SOVEREIGNS.

HENRY VII., 1485 to 1509.-The eighteenth year of this reign was marked by an entirely new coinage; for the first time, some attention was directed to the artistic execution of silver coins. The shield for the royal arms was now first adopted for the reverse. This was the most florid and decorative period of mediæval art, and it is not surprising that the coinage should partake of it; hence the rich device of the great seals was transferred to the "sovereign," the principal gold coin of this reign. The shilling, also, made its appearance, and, in the new coinage, groats, half-groats, and pennies, were minted; but the great feature was the issue of the gold royal, or royal, twenty-two and a half such pieces to be coined out of the pound weight, Tower.

HENRY VIII., 1509 to 1547.- In this reign, the penny was reduced to ten grains, and other silver coins in proportion. The gold coinage was debased to make it accord in value with the coins of the continent-the old sovereigns to pass for 228., and afterwards for 22s. 6d. St. George and the Dragon formed the type of the obverse of the noble issued and called the George noble-a device not repeated till adopted by George III., as the reverse of the sovereigns and the silver five-shilling pieces. The angel was still coined, and crowns and half-crowns of gold were now added for the first time. In this reign, the pound Troy superseded the pound Tower, in the mint, and

the standard of gold was settled, which has ever since been termed crown gold. It was debased in the latter years of the reign; but the standard, termed crown gold, was 22 carats fine to 2 carats alloy. In the thirty-sixth year of this reign, pieces of the denomination of sixpence, threepence, and three-half-pence, were first struck in Ireland, similar to the English coinage.

EDWARD VI., 1547 to 1553.-Under this king, no change worth noticing.

MARY, 1553 to 1558, declared her intention of restoring the old standard in the silver coinage, 11 oz. 2 dwt. fine, and 18 dwt. alloy; but, instead of that, the coinage fell 1 dwt. lower than the last of Edward VI. Sovereigns were issued, to be current at 30s.; half-sovereigns, to be called ryals of gold, at 158.; the angel to be current at 108., and the half-angel at 5s. Shillings, groats, half-groats, and pennies were struck for Ireland.

ELIZABETH, 1558 to 1602.-The complete restoration of the integrity of the currency is due to her. She ascertained the amount of silver in the base money, and caused it to be stamped and to pass for its true value-a loss to the nation and a gain to the government, which received back at 24d. what was issued for 12d. She afterwards produced a coinage scrupulously corresponding in weight and purity with its nominal value, excepting the just rate of profit or seignorage. The great event of the coinage of this period, was the temporary introduction of the mill and screw, instead of the hammer and punch, by which coins, in their mechanical production, were much improved. The regularity of the process, combined with placing the date on the coins, resulted in the discontinuance of the mint-marks. It is said, the originator and maker of milled money was one Philip Mastrelle, a Frenchman, who finally got to counterfeiting, was convicted and executed at Tyburn on the 27th of January, 1569. In 1601 and 1602, very handsome half-crowns were issued. During this reign, there were coined of silver, including the base money of Ireland, £4,718,579 28. 81d.; of gold, £440,552 88. 91d. Copper pence and half-pence, the first struck by a British sovereign, were issued in Ireland in 1601.

COINAGE OF SCOTLAND BEFORE THE UNION.-The earliest coins attributed to Scotland were those of William the Lion, A. D. 1165. A few coins have been attributed to princes of the Hebrides, which are not of earlier date than the eleventh century; to Donald VIII. A. D. 1093, to Alexander I. 1107, and to Alexander II. and III.—all of very rude execution. Those of Baliol and Bruce are in some respects inferior to the English contemporary coinage. Coins were issued by Robert II. of a national character -the arms of Scotland on the obverse, and St. Andrew and the Cross on the reverse; by David II., in whose reign the first gold coinage was issued-A. D. 1371—in imitation of the nobles of Edward III., differing only in the substitution of the arms of