The coins of Balbinus are rare, and have generally on the obverse the inscription IMP. CAES. D. CAEL. BALBINVS AVG. (Imperator Cæsar Decimus Cælius Balbinus Augustus), and on some reverses VICTORIA AVGG. (Victoria Augustorum). A large brass coin of Balbinus bears on the obverse his laurelled profile, it exhibits a deep double chin, with the inscription IMP(erator) CAES (ar) D(ecimus) CAEL (ius) BALBINVS. AVG(ustus). The type of the obverse is, three togated figures on curule chairs on a suggestum, superintending a donation to the people. In this ceremony they are assisted by a military officer. Before them is a statue of Liberality, with the legend, LIBERALITAS. AVGVSTORVM: "the liberality of the Cæsars." These three figures represent Balbinus, Pupienus, and the young Gordian between the two, whom the people already wished to see emperor, regretting the untimely fate of his grandfather.

The coins of Pupienus are more rare than those of Balbinus, and the name and titles generally stand IMP. CAES. M. CLOD. PVPIENVS AVG. (Imperator Marcus Clodius Pupienus Augustus), and the reverses have sometimes Providentia Deorum, intimating that the senate were directed by the gods in the happy selection of the two emperors whose reigns unfortunately terminated suddenly.

Marcus Antonius Gordianus, surnamed Pius, was a grandson of Gordianus Africanus, Senior, whose death, with that of his son, was deeply regretted both by senate and people, and an emperor of the same family being clamoured for by all parties this prince was elected on the death of Balbinus and Pupienus, though only sixteen years of age at the time. He prosecuted with vigour the war against Sapor, King of Persia, who had overrun the Roman dominions in the East; but was assassinated in the midst of his career on the frontier of Persia by the intrigues of Philip, the Arabian, in the year 244 A.D. There are coins of this emperor in all metals and sizes except small brass. There are also coins of his wife Tranquillina; but those of Roman mintage are of excessive rarity. Those of the Greek Imperial mints are also rare; the small base metal or potin coins of Alexandria being the most easily procured. A Greek Imperial coin of large brass, struck at the important

town of Singara, in Mesopotamia, has the portraits of Tranquillina and Gordianus facing each other, with the inscription, ΑΥΤΟΚ. Κ. Μ. ΑΝΤ. ΓΟΡΔΙΑΝΟΣ. CAB. ΤΡΑΝΚΥΛΛΕΙΝΑ. CEB. (the Emperor Cæsar Marcus Antonius Gordianus, Sabina Tranquillina Augusta). The reverse has symbols relating to the town of Singara, which was a Roman colony.

Philip, the Arabian, originally a predatory chieftain, eventually obtained high rank in the Roman armies, and, by the murder of his patron, the youthful Gordianus Pius was enabled to declare himself emperor. He was defeated by Decius in 249, after which he and his son were both put to death by the partisans of the conqueror.

His coins are numerous in all metals, and of all classes, except small bronze; and those relating to the secular games are peculiar, in having the numerals from I to VI. accompanying various animals, apparently to show the order in which the animals were exhibited. The secular games performed in this reign celebrated the millennium of the foundation of the city, and the coin, more minutely described below, of the first bronze series, is a monument of that event, and consequently a remarkable historical record. It bears a portrait of his wife Octavia on the obverse, with MARCIA OCTAVIA · AVG(usta).

The reverse bears a good representation of a hippopotamus, with SAECVLARES AVGG, "the secular games of the Augusti." On the exergue is S. S. This reverse is stamped with the numerals IIII., signifying that it was the fourth curious animal brought to Rome for the grand secular games celebrated by the emperor, in the year that Rome attained to the age of 1000 years.

Some of the coins relating to this event have the inscription MILLIARIVM SAECVLVM.

The animals exhibited at these games, which lasted three days and nights without interruption, were those collected by Gordianus for his Persian triumph. There were thirtytwo elephants, ten tigers, ten elks, sixty lions, thirty leopards, ten hyænas, one hippopotamus, one rhinoceros, forty wild horses, ten camelopards, &c., besides 2000 gladiators engaged in mortal combat.

The son of Philip, known as Philip Junior, was associated by his father in the empire, in 247, and consequently coins

were struck bearing his portrait, &c. They are very plentiful in every metal and size, and only valuable when of rare reverses. Those with Princeps Juventutis are among the most prized, and some have exactly the same types and inscriptions as those of his father, from which they are only distinguished by the youthful portrait.

MARINUS JOTAPIANUS, PACATIANUS, AND SPONSIANUS, PRETENDERS (BETWEEN 248 AND 250 A.D.).

No coins of Roman mintage exist of these pretenders; but in mixed cabinets, when it is desired above all things to complete the series of names and portraits, coins struck by them in remote provinces are sought to fill the gap, though some of such are of doubtful genuineness.

DECIUS, FROM 249 TO 251 a.d.

Caius Messius Quintus Trajanus Decius was born of illustrious parents at Babalia, near Sirmium, in Pannonia. Being chosen by Philip the last emperor to quell a revolt in Moesia and his native province, Pannonia, he no sooner arrived on the scene of rebellion than he was chosen emperor by the troops, defeated his rival in a pitched battle, and ascended the throne in the year 249 A.D. After a reign of two years and a half, he was slain, with his two sons and greater part of his army, in a morass during a sanguinary engagement with the Goths, 251 a.d.

The coinage of Decius is plentiful in all metals and sizes, but the size of the sestertius had fallen so much below its original weight in his reign, that he caused double sestertii to be coined, which are not larger, and not much heavier than the single sestertii of the earlier periods. The art displayed on these coins is of that severe but poor character which now characterises all the works of the Koman mint till the Byzantine feeling begins to predominate.

The types of the first bronze series described below appear to relate to the Illyrian legions, by whom he was elected emperor.

The obverse bears a laureated profile of Decius, with old

features, and the inscription IMP (erator) C(aius) M(essius) Q(uintius) TRAIANVS. DECIVS AVG(ustus).

The type of the reverse is the standing figure of a man with a cornucopia, and the sacred patera. It has the legend GEN (ius) ILLYRICI. "The Genius of Illyria.' Decius struck this coin in honour of the Illyrian soldiers, to whom he thus declared that he owed his crown, as it was by them that he was unanimously elected when he went into Mosia.

There are coins also of Etruscilla, who is believed to have been the wife of Decius, though not mentioned in history, and of Herennius, one of his sons; but they are scarce, especially the gold, as are those of his brother, Hostilianus.

TREBONIANUS GALLUS, FROM 252 TO 254 A.D.

This emperor's life, reign, and death, form a reflex of those of his predecessors. He led a soldier's life till middle age, was then chosen Emperor by his legions, and eventually murdered by them after a reign of two years, in A.D. 254, when advancing against the rebel Emilianus. There was a large coinage in this reign in Rome, Greece, Egypt, and the colonies; of the Latin, or Roman mintage, the silver and large brass are common.

The example of the first bronze of this reign described below was apparently struck on the occasion of a great plague, said to have travelled from Ethiopia, and which raged for fifteen years, when the altars of Apollo, in the character of the god of health and disease, were besieged with votive offerings for the staying of the pestilence, as alluded to by the figure and inscription on the reverse. The obverse bears a laurelled profile of the emperor, with the inscription IMP(erator) CAES(ar) C(aius) VIBIVSTREBONIANVS · GALLVS AVG(ustus). On the reverse is a toleraby well executed figure of Apollo, with a lyre in his left hand, and a branch of laurel in the other, with the inscription APOLL(ini) SALVTARI: "to the Apollo the guardian of health." Pestilence or famine were ascribed by the Romans to Apollo, and more especially sudden death, especially that caused by what is termed a sun-stroke.

There are coins of Volusianus, the son of Gallus, which

much resemble those of his father, and are of about the same degree of rarity; of the latter, those of silver, and the large and middle bronze, are the most common.

EMILIANUS.

(DECLARED EMPEROR A.D. 254, AND ASSASSINATED THE SAME YEAR.)

A Roman mintage took place in honour of this ephemeral emperor, in each of the metals and all the sizes; for there are even assaria with the S. C. But they are, together with the Greek Imperial and colonial, of great rarity.

Those of his wife Caia, or Cnea Cornelia Supera, are still more rare and of Roman mintage, and restricted to silver and small bronze.

VALERIANUS, FROM 254 TO 263 A.D. Publius Licinius Valerianus was born in 190. He was unanimously appointed censor in 251, and was chosen Emperor by his soldiers when marching against Emilianus. Having overcome that leader, he established himself firmly on the throne. In 258 A.D., while repelling one of the repeated invasions of the Persians under Sapor, he was unfortunately taken prisoner by that barbarian, by whom he was put to cruel torments, and eventually to death about the year 263. He was much regretted for his many fine qualities by all but his infamous son, Gallienus.

The coins of Valerian are found in every form and metal, the most common being middle bronze and silver. The sestertii, or large bronze, have generally common reverses of the usual style of the period, such as Apollo, Salus, Fides, Concordia, &c.; one of the most sought by the curious in mere rarities is that with DEO VOLKANO, "to the lame god." The large bronze coin described below was probably minted early in 254 A.D., and refers to the attachment of the army to the emperor, a most important circumstance at this critical period of the empire, when the barbarians began to press the Roman armies closely on all sides, and the formidable Franks made their first appearance on the scene of history. As usual, the obverse bears a head of the sovereign, with his name and title. The type of the reverse is a figure