northern coast of Devonshire and Somersetshire, and possibly might be traced through Wales and towards Scotland."*

BRITISH COINS.-The labours of the antiquary are seldom more judiciously directed than to the investigation of COINS, which at once act as the genuine links of history, and exhibit the state of several arts, in the specific nature and the preparation of the material, and in the character of the device, and degree of skill with which the die is cut and the impress made.

It would appear, from the testimony of Cæsar, and the absence of any direct and tangible proof to the contrary, that both the aboriginal and Belgic Britons were destitute of minted money, at the period of that great commander's invasion of the island.† It is believed that pieces of brass and iron bullion, unstamped, and rated by their weight, were then used as the medium of traffic.

• Commentary on the Itinerary of Richard of Cirencester, Edit. 1809. p.

111-117.

+ The passage of Cæsar, on this subject, is so worded as to admit of a doubt, in the opinion of some persons, as to whether the brass money of the Britons was minted, or was mere bullion, valued by weight. Those who adopt a reading to the former effect, cannot adduce any corroborative circumstance founded on fact; and it certainly would appear unlikely that the people who were so rude as to use unstamped iron for money, should at the same time be so refined as to submit their brass to the process of the mintmaster. Dr. Plot, in his natural History of Oxfordshire; Dr. Borlase, in his Antiquities of Cornwall; and Mr. Polwhele, in his History of Devon; argue for the probability of the Britons possessing coins, both of gold and silver, before the Roman invasion, although in parts of the island with which Cæsar had no opportunity of becoming acquainted. But it is obvious that a circulating monied medium of traffic is seldom confined to the bounds of one particular state, and is the most difficult of all circumstances to hide from the knowledge of an interested investigator. It may be remarked that the use of unstamped iron for money among the Britons, is not noticed, as an existing custom, by any writer subsequent to Cæsar. So rude a practice must be supposed likely to discontinue shortly after the superior convenience of small minted money was ascertained; and such appears to have been the fact, if we allow the first British coinage to have taken place between the dates of the two Roman invasions.

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traffic. Large quantities of the latter, approaching to a square shape, and having a hole in the centre, as if for the purpose of stringing them for the convenience of the trader, have been found in Cornwall, and are supposed to be the iron money of the Britons.*

But the era of Cæsar's invasion was, in every respect, memorable to Britain. His expedition led to a more extended correspondence between the islanders and the inhabitants of the continent; and the increase of trade, and expansion of views, derived from that communication, are evident in the circumstance of several mints being speedily erected by the former people; the active and commercial Belge setting the laudable example.

The chief British coins which have been discovered, and may be considered as genuine, were struck during the years which intervened between the first invasion under Cæsar, and the second and more decisive by direction of Claudius. The earliest authenticated coins, which have been found, are those of Cunobeline,† who lived from the reign of Augustus to that of Caligula. It appears that shortly after the art was introduced by the Belgæ, it was eagerly adopted by the principal Celtic sovereigns; and several public depositaries, and numerous private antiquarian cabinets, contain coins bearing impresses ascribed to various British states.

British coins are usually of gold, silver, and brass. In some, the gold is minted without any alloy; but, in most, both the gold and silver are much debased. Some coins attributed to the Britons, are devoid of any inscription, and are merely stamped with the figures of animals, together with unintelligible devices. These were, probably, of the earliest Celtic mintage. But in general

Specimens of the perforated iron plates discovered in Cornwall, are engraved in Dr. Borlase's Antiquities of that county, and again in Gough's edition of the Britannia.

✦ See an “ Essay on the coins of Cunobeline,” &c. by Samuel Pegge A. M. iu which work thirty nine of those coins are engraved.

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general they bear on the face a regal bust, with an inscription; and on the reverse an emblematical device, accompanied also by a legend. In shape they are round, and sometimes flat, but often disked, or concave on one side and convex on the other.

The costume of the ancient British kings, as to their diadem; a portion of attire; and instruments of war and command d; is curiously exhibited by their coins. The reverse of those which are of the rudest mintage, often presents an indistinét mass of small implements, or ornaments, unknown as to real name and use. But in the more refined, a mixture of allusions to Roman manners is frequently perceptible. On the reverse of such, are often seen the Janus, the Sphinx, (the favourite device of Augustus,) the Centaur, and the Pegasus. From the occurrence of these figures, it is satisfactorily argued, that the art of minting was introduced to Britain by practitioners from the Roman continent. In confirmation of this opinion it may be observed, that some of the inscriptions are latinized; and the Roman alphabet is used in the legends of all.

The coins of Cunobeline, who is supposed to be the first British sovereign that established a miut, are the most curious, as well as the most numerous, that have been discovered; and have consequently attracted the greatest share of antiquarian notice.-These coins are of gold, silver, and brass or copper; with an alloy of lead or tin. They are all circular, and most have a slight convexity of form.

The style of execution, though far from elegant, is still respectable. On the obverse of many is seen the head of the king, under whose auspices the coins were issued. Others have, on the face or obverse, various emblematical devices, as a horse (the animal most valued by the Britons, from its useful qualities in war, and likewise a symbol of the sun, a British Deity;) the two faced Janus, supposed to allude to the increasing civilization of the country; a griffin; and an ear of corn. On the reverse part of the same coins is presented a great variety of symbolical designs, as a winged female figure, supposed to be Victory; a

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pegasus; horses in various modes of action, and with many allusive accompaniments (that of a haud sustaining a truncheon being one;) Apollo playing on the harp; a hog and a tree; a workman coining money, several pieces of which appear on the ground. 25

The legend, or inscription, presents the name of the king, Cunobeline, variously spelt and in dissimilar modes of abbreviation, together with the Roman letters CAMV. CAM. (the place at which the coin was minted, Camulodunum) VER. (Verulamium;) and NOVANIT. or NO. NOVANE, and NOVA. (supposed to signify the capital of the Trinovantes.)

In addition to the above abbreviated words, the British coins, and especially those of Cunobeline, often present an inscription which has given rise to much antiquarian discussion. This is the word TASC, or TASCIO, sometimes written with a variation in the last syllable, but uniformly similar in the first, except in one instance, where it is thus spelt, TACIO.

It is not desirable to enter on an investigation of the respective opinions of the different writers, who have deemed the probable meaning of this word deserving of laborious enquiry. The conjectures of two may suffice; the first a professed numismatic essayist, and the latter an antiquarian critic of no ordinary attainments. Mr. Pegge * supposes that the word is the nominal designation, either personal or national, of the Roman-gallic mint master under whose direction the coins were produced: but Mr. Whitaker + observes "that the word occurs too frequently to be that of a mere mint master, however honoured ;" and he considers it "to be nothing more than the British and official appellation of the king whose coins exhibit the inscription, and to signify only the Leader." In pursuit of this idea, he examines into the presumed source of the word, and remarks that “ Tus, Tuis, Tos, and Toschich mean the beginning, or head, of any thing,

* Essay on the coins of Cunobeline, &e.

+ Hist. of Manchester, 2nd. edit. Vol. II. p. 7—32.

thing, in the Irish language; and that T'uiseach, and Taoiseach, are the Irish appellatives for a commander, to this day." From the latter word he imagines the Tasc of the British coins to proceed. If this mode of explanation be accepted, the Tasc of the British answers to the Rex of the Latin inscriptions.

It is quite impossible to form, at this period, a satisfactory estimate of the quantity of money in circulation, while the privilege of coining was possessed by the native princes; but, from the numerous pieces, of a dissimilar mintage, issued by Cunobeline alone, it is probable that the amount was far from inconsiderable. The comparatively small quantity discoverable in subsequent remote ages, is no proof of an original deficiency, as the circulation of money issued by British princes was severely prohibited by the Romans, after they gained an ascendant in the island.

The subject of British coins has been treated with some contempt, by an able numismatic writer;* and, assuredly, the study of them is less captivating than that of the medals of nations more brilliant in exploit, and favoured more largely with the notice of historians. Still, it is capable of affording rational satis faction to the investigator of statistics, and to the antiquary,—The authenticity of the greater number of the coins ascribed to the Britons is unquestionable. Many have been found among monuments decidedly British; and, in legend and symbolical embellishment, they plainly evince their original.† As evidences of the progressive data of the arts among the ancient inhabitauts of Britain, they are truly valuable; and they are curious, from the sircumstance of exhibiting, in unequivocal outlines, many partiF 2 culars

• Mr. Clarke, in a letter to Mr. Bowyer, quoted by Gough, in a note to Conjectures on British coins, in the Britannia.

+ Specimens of British coins, exhibiting a great variety of impressions, are engraved in Speed; in Camden's Britannia (a corrected plate being intro duced in Mr. Gough's edition ;) in Borlase's Antiq. of Cornwall; in Mr. (afterwards Dr) Pegge's Essay on the "coins of Cunobeline," &c.