the seas in 1359, fifteen years subsequent to the issue of these coins, and yet the old poet sings:*

But king Edward made a siege royall,
And wonne the town, and in speciall
The sea was kept, and thereof he was lord;
Thus made he nobles coins of record.

The legend is, "Edward Dei Gra. Rex Anglo. et Franc. D. Hyb.;" the reverse a rich cross fleurie,t with lions under crowns in the angles; and the legend, "Ihc autem transiens P: medium illorum iba." (Jesus autem transiens per medium illorum ibat). These words had been used as a talisman of preservation in battle, and also as a spell against thieves, says the learned editor of the Canterbury Tales; "it was the most serviceable, if not the most elegant inscription that could be put upon gold coins." There are varieties of the noble, having the title of Duke of Aquitaine, after Ireland, and others with a flag at the stern of the ship, bearing St. George's cross; others, struck at the treaty of Bretigny, in 1360, when Edward renounced his claim to France, omitting "France" in the titles.

The half nobles have the king, ship, &c. like the nobles; but the reverse in some has the motto, "Domine ne in furore tuo arguas me;" on one of which, in the British Museum, the sense of the motto from the sixth Psalm is entirely changed by the accidental omission of the word ne:" reading "Domine in furore tuo arguas me." Others have "Exaltabitur in gloria." §

kr

The first grand coinage of nobles proved so valuable, that they were secretly exported for profit, and a lighter coinage was made, causing, however, some unreasonable discontent. The Commons afterwards petitioned for gold coins of the value of 10 or 12 pennies, but there is no record of such an issue.

* Selden, reign of Henry VI.

+Copied from the "ecus d'or," or "royal" of his rival, Philip of Valois, whose several gold coins were finely executed, especially the florin George, where the figure is much finer than even that on the George Noble of Henry VIII., executed nearly 200 years later. Luke, ch. iv. ver. 30.

§ Which some have supposed to be an allusion to his claim to the crown o France.

To Edward the Black Prince his father granted the prin cipality of Aquitaine and Gascony, to hold during his life, and that prince coined money there, which, however, does not strictly belong to the English coinage, but is classed as Anglo-Gallic money: one of the coins, the device of which is the prince on a throne, is interesting, on account of the detached feathers on the field, so placed in commemoration of his having deplumed the helmet of the King of Bohemia. The Anglo-Gallic coins from this period to the reign of Henry VI. form a very interesting series in themselves, and are better executed than the coins minted in England during the same period.

RICHARD II., 1377 to 1399.

The silver coins of Richard (groats, half-groats, pennies, halfpence, and farthings) are precisely similar to those of his grandfather, Edward III.: the motto is "Ricard. Di. Gra. Rex Angl. z. Francia." The reverse has the same legend as the preceding reign. His gold coins are also precisely similar to those of his predecessor.

HENRY IV., 1399 to 1413.

The coins of the four Henries, who now succeeded each other, are very difficult to distinguish. These princes issued coins of precisely the same type, without any numerals after the name, till Henry VII., in the eighteenth year of his reign, added the "VII." in the legend. There is, however, a tolerably secure guide for determining the pennies of Henry IV. In the early part of his reign they were of the weight of those of his two predecessors; namely 18 grs.; but in the thirteenth year of his reign they were reduced to 15, and the other silver coins in proportion: any penny of 18 grains, therefore, of the proper type, is pretty certainly of Henry IV. The groats may also be tested by a proportionate rule. Halfpence and farthings were also coined in this reign; but as their weight was never very carefully adjusted, it is difficult to separate those belonging to the first thirteen years of this king. On specimens of

his heavy money the legend is, " Henric Di. Gra. Rex Ang D. H."-the reverse remains as preceding reign. Hi gold coins are nobles, half nobles, and quarter nobles, which do not differ from those of his predecessors, but may be distinguished from those of his successors, by the arms of France, semé of fleurs-de-lis, instead of being charged with three only, as was afterwards the custom.

HENRY V., 1413 TO 1422, AND HENRY VI., 1422 тo 1461.

The coins of these reigns, both of gold and silver, are tolerably plentiful, but most of them must be attributed to the very extensive coinage at the beginning of the reign of Henry VI. It appears extraordinary that the regent Bedford, whose taste for the fine arts is exhibited in the magnificently illuminated books executed for him, and of which several are in existence and in beautiful preservation, should not have attempted some further improvement in the style of the coinage. He did not, however, turn his taste for the arts in that direction, but followed exactly the old types. This appears the more extraordinary, as the coins struck in France during this reign, after the king's coronation as sovereign of both countries, are quite equal to those of the previous and immediately succeeding French kings; especially the "Franc d'or," having the king on horseback, beautifully executed on the obverse. The silver pieces, too, struck in France, where the silver coinage had not been latterly much in advance of our own, was now much improved; and on the "grand blanc" two shields appeared, the one bearing the arms of France, the other those of France and England; being nearly a century earlier than the epoch of which the royal arms appeared on English silver coins.

The English coins of Henry V. and VI. are quite indistinguishable, notwithstanding certain very ingenious suggestions for their separation. Some groats, however, have a "V" after "Rex," which cause them to be assigned to Henry V. There were half groats, pennies, halfpennies, and farthings of these two reigns. The gold coins are, as before, nobles, half nobles, and gold farthings (or quarter

nobles). They are scarcely distinguishable from those of their predecessors and successors. Their Anglo-Gallic coins of the respective reigns are better ascertained. Henry VI. did not coin angels till during his short restoration, and they were in close imitation of those of Edward IV.

In the reign of Henry VI. the restrictions on the freedom of commerce, with the view of keeping the bullion in the country, were rendered very stringent; the foreign merchant was compelled to reside during his stay with a person appointed, who took notes of all his bargains, causing him to outlay all monies received in British products, and receiving by way of salary a tax of twopence in the pound upon all bargains so made.

EDWARD IV., 1461 to 1483.

The silver coins of this king are much like those of the several preceding reigns, with the exception, in some cases, of some marks or letters in the field, or on the breast of the portrait. The groat has a quatre-foil on each side of the neck, a crescent on the breast, and an annulet preceding, and a rose terminating the legend, "Edward Di. Gra. Rex. Angl. z. Franc." The reverse has, as in the previous reigns, "Posui," &c. Edward IV. reduced the weight of the penny, after his fourteenth year, to 12 grains. A great variety of his coins of different mints exist, but all of one type, only varying in mint-marks and names of places of mintage.

On account of several changes that took place in the gold coinage of this reign, it is more interesting than any since Edward III. In the first gold coinage it was established that the nobles should pass at 8s. 4d.; by which it will be easily perceived that the value of the precious metals was now rapidly rising; less gold and silver was put into coins, the nominal of which remained the same; or, as in the case of the nobles above mentioned, the nominal value of the coin was increased in accordance with the raised price of the metal.

In another coinage a better price was given for bullion at the Mint, to ensure a supply, for it had become scarce and the weak king had recourse. about 1455, to the assistance

of the alchymists, and announced with confidence, that he soon should be able to pay his debts with gold and silver produced by "the stone." The additional price offered at the Mint, however, produced gold faster than "the stone," and a new issue of nobles took place, fifty being made out of the pound weight. Shortly afterwards this proportion was changed, and only forty-five were coined out of the pound, but they were to pass for 10s., and to be called rials, to distinguish them from the old nobles-a name borrowed from the French, who had coins called rials (royals), in consequence of their bearing the effigy of the king in his royal robes. In the case of the English coins the name was less applicable, as they bore the same device, or nearly so, as the old nobles.

The angels and half angels of this reign were new gold coins, and were called angels from their type-the archangel Michael piercing a dragon with a spear. The reverse is a ship, with a large cross for the mast; the letter E on the right side, and a rose on the left; against the ship is a shield with the usual arms. The motto on the reverse of the half angel was, O crux ave spes unica. This coin was probably intended to replace the old noble, superseded by the rial. The nobles and rials differ but slightly from the nobles of previous reigns, with the exception of having the central portion of the cross-fleurie of the reverse replaced by a sun, the badge of the king. Great encroachments were perpetrated in this reign against the liberty of both the foreign and British merchant, principally with a view to prevent the exportation of coin.

EDWARD V. (no coins known).

RICHARD III., 1483 to 1485.

In the two years of his brief but energetic reign. this prince contrived to issue a considerable coinage; but his coins are, nevertheless, more or less rare. Their types are precisely similar to those of his predecessors, and the proportion of 12 grains to the silver penny was the standard of weight. The obverse of the groat has "Ricard. Di. Gra. Rex. Angl. z. Franc." with his crest (the boar's head) for the London mint mark. The reverse as before,