N° 96. nours are to the publick, the more ftill do they turn to its advantage. The Romans abounded with thefe little honorary rewards, that without conferring wealth or riches, gave only place and diftinction to the perfon who received them. An oaken garland to be worn on festivals and publick ceremonies, was the glorious recompence of one who had covered a citizen in battle. foldier would not only venture his life for a mural crown, but think the most hazardous enterprize fufficiently repaid by fo nobie a donation. A But among all honorary rewards which are neither dangerous nor detrimental to the donor, I remember none fo remarkable as the titles which are bestowed by the emperor of China. Thefe are never given to any fubject, fays Monfieur le Conte, till the fubject is dead. If he has pleafed his emperor to the laft, he is called in all publick memorials by the title which the emperor confers on him after his death, and his children`take their ranks accordingly. This keeps the ambitious fubject in a perpetual dependence, making him always vigilant and active, and in every thing conformable to the will of his fovereign. There are no honorary rewards among us, which are more esteemed by the perfon who receives them, and are cheaper to the prince, than the giving of medals. But there is fomething in the modern manner of celebrating a great action in medals, which makes fuch a reward much lefs valuable than it was among the Romans. There is generally but one coin ftamped on the occafion, which is made a prefent to the person who is celebrated on it: By this means his whole fame is in his own cuftody. The applaufe that is bestowed upon him is too much limited and confined. He is in poffeffion of an honour which the world perhaps knows nothing of. He may be a great man in his own family; his wife and children may see the monument of an exploit, which the publick in a little time is a ftranger to. The Romans took a quite different method in this particular. Their medals were their current money. When an action deferved to be recorded in coin, it was ftamped perhaps `upon an hundred thousand pieces of money like our fhil lings, or halfpence, which were iffued out of the mint, and became current. This method published every noble action to advantage, and in a fhort space of time fpread through the whole Roman empire. The Romans were fo careful to preferve the memory of great events upon their coins, that when any particular piece of money grew very fcarce, it was often re-coined by a fucceeding emperor, many years after the death of the emperor to whofe honour it was firft ftruck. A friend of mine drew up a project of this kind during the late ministry, which would then have been put m execution had it not been too bufy a time for thoughts of that nature. As this project has been very much talked of by the gentleman above-mentioned to men of the greatest genius, as well as quality, I am informed there is now a defign on foot for executing the propofal which was then made, and that we fhall have feveral farthings and half-pence charged on the reverfe with many of the glorious particulars of her majefty's reign. This is one of thofe arts of peace which may very well deferve to be cultivated, and which may be of great ufe to posterity. As I have in my poffeffion the copy of the paper above-mentioned, which was delivered to the late lord treasurer, I fhall here give the publick a fight of it. For I do not queftion, but that the curious part of my readers will be very much pleased to fee fo much matter * and fo many useful hints upon this fubject laid together in fo clear and concife a manner. ΤΗ HE English have not been so careful as other polite nations to preserve the memory of their great actions and events on medals. Their fubjects are few, their mottos and devices mean, and the coins themselves not numerous enough to spread among the people, or defcend to pofterity. The French have outdone us in thefe particulars, and, by the establishment of a fociety for the invention of proper infcriptions and defigns, have the whole history of their prefent king in a regular feries of medals. They have failed, as well as the English, in coining fo fmall a number of each kind, and those of such coftly N° 96. coftly metals, that each species may be loft in a few ages, and is at prefent no where to be met with but in the cabinets of the curious. The ancient Romans took the only effectual method to disperse and preferve their medals, by making them. their current money. Every thing glorious or ufeful, as well in peace as war, gave occafion to a different coin. Not only an expedition, victory, or triumph, but the exercife of a folemn devotion, the remiffion of a duty or tax, a new temple, fea-port, or high-way, were tranfmitted to pofterity after this manner. The greatest variety of devices are on their copper money, which have moft of the defigns that are to be met with on the gold and filver, and several peculiar to that metal only. By this means they were dispersed into the remotest corners of the empire, came into the poffeffion of the poor as well as rich, and were in no danger of perishing in the hands of thofe that might have melted down coins of a more valuable metal. Add to all this, that the defigns were invented by men of genius, and executed by a decree of fenate. It is therefore propofed, I. That the English farthings and half-pence be recoined upon the union of the two nations. II. That they bear devices and infcriptions alluding to all the most remarkable parts of her majesty's reign. III. That there be a society established for the finding out of proper fubjects, infcriptions, and devices. IV. That no fubject, infcription, or device be stamped without the approbation of this fociety, nor, if it be thought proper, without the authority of privy-council. By this means, medals that are at prefent only a dead treasure, or mere curiofities, will be of use in the ordinary commerce of life, and at the fame time, perpetuate the glories of her majefty's reign, reward the labours of her greateft fubjects, keep alive in the people a gratitude for publick fervices, and excite the emulation of pofterity. To thefe generous purposes nothing can fo much contribute as medals of this kind, which which are of undoubted authority, of neceffary use and observation, not perishable by time, nor confined to any certain place; properties not to be found in books, ftatues, pictures, buildings, or any other monuments of illuftrious actions. N° 97. THURSDAY, July 2. --Furor eft poft omnia perdere naulum. Juv. Sat. 8. v. 97. 'Tis mad to lavish what their rapine left. SIR, I STEPNEY Was left a thousand pounds by an uncle; and be ing a man to my thinking very likely to get a rich widow, I laid afide all thoughts of making my fortune any other way, and without lofs of time made my application to one who had buried her • husband about a week before. By the help of some ⚫ of her fhe-friends, who were my relations, I got into ⚫ her company when she would fee no man befides my⚫ felf and her lawyer, who is a little, rivelled, fpindle'fhanked gentleman, and married to boot, so that I had no reason to fear him. Upon my first seeing her, she faid in converfation within my hearing, that the thought a pale complexion the most agreeable either in man or woman: Now you must know, Sir, my 'face is as white as chalk. This gave me fome en་ couragement; fo that to mend the matter I bought à 'fine flaxen long wig that coft me thirty guineas, and found an opportunity of feeing her in it the next day. She then let drop fome expreffions about an agaté fnuff-box. I immediately took the hint, and bought one, being unwilling to omit any thing that might 'make me defirable in her eyes. I was betrayed after the fame manner into a brocade waftecoat, a fwordknot, a pair of filver-fring'd gloves, and a diamond ་ ring. 6 ring. But whether out of fickleness or a defign upon me, I can't tell; but I found by her difcourfe, that what he liked one day, she disliked another: So that in fix months fpace I was forced to equip myself above a dozen times. As I told you before, I took her hints at a diftance, for I could never find an opportunity of talking with her directly to the point. All this time, however, I was allowed the utmost ⚫ familiarities with her lap-dog, and have played with it above an hour together, without receiving the leaft reprimand, and had many other marks of favour 'fhown me, which I thought amounted to a promise. If fhe chanced to drop her fan, fhe received it from my hands with great civility. If he wanted any thing, I reached it for her. I have filled her tea-pot above an hundred times, and have afterwards received a difh of it from her own hands. Now, Sir, dọ you judge, if after fuch encouragements fhe was not obliged to marry me. I forgot to tell you that I kept a chair by the week, on purpose to carry me thither and back again. Not to trouble you with a long letter, in the space of about a twelve-month I have run out of my whole thousand pound upon her, having laid out the last fifty in a new fuit of clothes, in which I was • resolved to receive her final answer, which amounted to this, that he was engaged to another; that she never dreamt I had any fuch thing in my head as marriage; and that fhe thought I had frequented her houfe only because I loved to be in company with my relations. This, you know, Sir, is ufing a man like a fool, and fo I told her; but the worst of it is, that I have spent my fortune to no purpose. All therefore that I defire of you is, to tell me whether upon exhibiting the feveral particulars which I have here related to you, I may not fue her for damages in a court of justice. Your advice in this particular will very much oblige Your most humble admirer, SIMON SOFTLY. Before |