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 Subject in a perpetual Dependence, making him always Vigilant and Active, and in every thing conformable to the Will of his Sovereign.

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 such a Reward much less valuable than it was among the Romans. There is generally but one Coin ftampt upon the Occafion, which is made a Present 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 fee the Monument of an Exploit, which the Publick in a little time is a Stranger to. The Romans took a quite different Method in this Particular. Their Medals were their current Money. When an Action deferved to be recorded on a Coin, it was ftampt perhaps upon an hundred thousand Pieces of Money like our Shillings, 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 spread 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 first struck.

A Friend of mine drew up a Project of this kind during the late Miniftry, which would then have been put in 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

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the Propofal which was then made, and that we shall have feveral Farthings and Half-pence charged on the Reverse with many of the glorious Particulars of her Majesty's Reign. This is one of those Arts of Peace which may very well deserve to be cultivated, and which may be of great ufe to Pofterity.

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 well pleased to fee fo much Matter, and so many useful Hints upon this Subject, laid together in so clear and concise a manner.

THE Englife have not been fo careful as other

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lite Nations to preserve the Memory of their greatActions and Events on Medals. Their Subjects are few, their Motto's and Devices mean, and the Coins themfelves not numerous enough to spread among the People, or defcend to Pofterity..

THE French have outdone us in these Particulars, and, by the Establishment of a Society for the Invention of proper Infcriptions and Defigns, have the whole Hiftory of their prefent King in a regular Series of Medals.

THEY have failed, as well as the English, in coining fo fmall a Number of each Kind, and those of such cottly 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 difperfe and preferve their Medals, by making them their current Money.

EVERY thing glorious or useful, as well in Peace as War, gave Occafion to a different Coin. Not only an Expedition, Victory, or Triumph, but the Exercise of a folemn Devotion, the Remiffion of a Duty or Tax, a new Temple, Sea-Port, or Highway, were tranfmitted to Poferity after this manner.

THE greatest Variety of Devices are on their Copper Money, which have most of the Defigns that are to be met with on the Gold and Silver, and feveral peculiar to that Metal only. By this Means they were dispersed

into the remoteft 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 Senate. IT is therefore proposed,

I. THAT the English Farthings and Half-pence be Recoined upon the Union of the two Nations.

11. THAT they bear Devices and Infcriptions alluding to all the most remarkable Parts of her Majefty's Reign.

III. THAT there be a Society established for the finding out of proper Subjects, Infcriptions, and Devices.

IV. That no Subject, Infcription, or Device be ftamped without the Approbation of this Society, nor, if it: be thought proper, without the Authority of Privy Council.

BY this Means, Medals that are at prefent only a dead Treafure, or mere Curiofities, will be of Ufe in the ordinary Commerce of Life, and at the fame time, perpetuate the Glories of her Majefty's Reign, reward: the Labours of her greatest Subjects, keep alive in the People a Gratitude for publick Services, and excite the Emulation of Pofterity. To thefe generous Purposes nothing can so much contribute as Medals of this Kind, which are of undoubted Authority, of neceffary Ufe and Obfer. vation, not perishable by Time, nor confined to any certain Place; Properties not to be found in Books, Statues, Pictures, Buildings, or any other Monuments of Illuftrious Actions.

Thursday,

N° 97. Thursday, July 2.

SIR,

I

Miferum eft poft omnia perdere Naulum. Juv.

Was left a Thoufand Pounds by an Uncle, and being 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 Hufband about a Week before. By the help of fome of •her She Friends, who were my Relations, I got into her Company when the would fee no Man befides my ⚫ felf and her Lawyer, who is a little, riveil'd, fpindle⚫fhanked Gentleman, and married to boot, fo that I had ⚫ no reason to fear him. Upon my firft feeing her, the 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 Encouragement, fo that to mend the matter I bought a fine Flaxen long Wig that coft me thirty Guineas, and found an Oppor⚫tunity of feeing her in it the next Day. She then let drop fome Expreffions about an Agate Snuff Box. I immediately took the Hint and bought one, being unwilling to omit any thing that might make me defire⚫able in her Eyes. I was betrayed after the fame manner into a Brocade Waftecoat, a Sword-Knot, a pair of Silver-fringed Gloves, and a Diamond Ring. But • whether out of Fickleness or a Defign upon me, I can't tell; but I found by her Discourse, that what she liked one Day fhe difliked another: So that in fix • Months space I was forced to equip my self above a dozen times. As I told you before, I took her Hints at a distance, for I could never find an Opportunity of talking with her directly to the Point. All this time, however, I was allowed the utmost Familarities with

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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 Promife. If fhe chanced to drop • her Fan, she received it from my hands with great Civility. If the 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, do you judge if after fuch Encouragements she was not obliged to marry me. I forgot to tell you that I kept a Chair by the Week, on pur. pofe to carry me thither and back again. Not to trou• ble you with a Long Letter, in the fpace 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 • Suit of Clothes, in which I was resolved to receive her final Answer, which amounted to this, That she was engaged to another; That she never dreamt I had any 'fuch thing in my head as Marriage; and that the thought I had frequented her Houfe only because I loved to be in Company with my Relations. This, • you know, Sir, is using 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 moft bumble Admirer,
Simon Softly.

BEFORE I anfwer Mr. Softly's Request, I find my felf under a Neceffity of difcuffing two nice Points: First of all, What it is, in Cafes of this Nature, that amounts to an Encouragement; and Secondly, What it is that amounts to a Promise. Each of which Subjects requires more time to examine than I am at present Mafter of. Befides I would have my Friend Simon confider, whether he has any Council that would undertake his Caufe in Forma Pauperis, he having unluckily difabled himself,