The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 20, No. 569, October 6, 1832

Oliver Cromwell.—The coins of Oliver were the production of the inimitable Simon, whose works are to this day admired and prized. Some have doubted whether they ever were in circulation, but it is now pretty generally allowed that they were.

Charles II.—The milled money of this king is of a very different style, and has the head laureated. All the pieces of this coinage are common. To the eternal disgrace of Charles, he encouraged an artist whom he had brought over from Antwerp, and gave the preference to his works before those of Simon, who produced in the year 1663, a pattern crown of most extraordinary workmanship, on the edge of which was the following petition in two lines:

"THOMAS SIMON most humbly prays your MAJESTY to compare this his tryal-piece with the Dutch, and if more truly drawn and embossed, more gracefully ordered, and more accurately engraven, to relieve him."

To any one but the heartless profligate whose portrait occupied the obverse of the medal, this appeal would have been irresistible, but it does not appear that the unfortunate artist was relieved. He probably died of grief and disappointment at the unjust preference shown to his rival.

James II.—The base money struck by James the Second, in Ireland, in 1689 and 1690, is common, except the crown of white metal, with the figure of James on horseback. Some of his half-crowns and shillings were struck of metal, the produce of old cannon, which were melted down for the purpose, and are in consequence termed "gun money."

Anne's Farthing.—The common current farthing of Anne is scarce, but scarcer with the broad rim. The patterns of 1713 and 1714 are rare, but those with the reverse of Britannia under a kind of arch, or with Peace in a car drawn by two horses, and the legend PAX MISSA PER ORBEM, are the scarcest of all.

At a public sale of the coins of the late Mr. Dimsdale, the banker, the Oxford crown with the city under the horse, was knocked down at sixty-nine pounds. At the same time the rial of Mary brought sixty-three pounds, and the rial of Elizabeth twenty-one pounds ten shillings.

A friend of the author is of opinion, that the coins of Henry VII., with the head in profile, are the first English money bearing a likeness of the sovereign.

[The work is illustrated with, several lithographic fac similia of coins; and the vignette is from a very beautiful gold coin of Hiero II. of Syracuse, in the possession of Mr. Till, of Great Russell-street, Covent-garden. This morsel of antiquity, not larger than one's little finger nail, must be upwards of two thousand years old!]

THE GATHERER

The Red Sea.—The water of the Red Sea is so very clear, that Mr. Buckingham read on the wooden stock of an anchor the name of the ship at the depth of 25 fathoms (150 feet).

T. GILL.

Curious Appeal.—Philip, Alexander's father, gave sentence against a prisoner at a time he was drowsy, and seemed to give small attention. The prisoner, after sentence was pronounced, said, I appeal: the king; somewhat stirred, said, To whom do you appeal? The prisoner answered, From Philip, when he gave no ear, to Philip, when he shall give ear.

—Bacon.

An Emperor's Crown kicked off his head by the Pope.—Pope Celestine III. kicked the Emperor Henry IV.'s crown off his head, while kneeling, to show his prerogative of making and unmaking kings.

T. GILL.

THE LATE SIR. WALTER SCOTT, BART

Instead of the "Brief Memoir," announced in our last, we intend to publish with our next number, a Supplementary Sheet, containing

AN ILLUSTRATED MEMOIR OFTHE LATE SIR WALTER SCOTT, BART

With Anecdotes of his Life and Works, Characteristics, Tributes to his Memory, from accredited sources, and interspersed with Original Observations: with

FIVE ENGRAVINGS,Price Twopence

1

Published by Messrs. Moon, Boys and Graves Booksellers, Pall Mall.

2

Mr. McCreery left Liverpool to reside in London, he died a short time since of cholera, at Paris.

3

Milner's Winchester, vol. ii. p. 141.

4

Life of Wykeham. By Allan Cunningham—in the Family Library. The reference to the "four masters" is evidently an error.

5

Beauties of England and Wales, vol. vi. p. 108, Hants. Mr. Cunningham states these additions to have been made by Wykeham. We shall presently come to the details of Beaufort's additions to the building.

6

A zealous Correspondent, P.Q., whose contribution appears in the next page, describes this gateway as resembling St. John's Gate, Clerkenwell, which Mr. Malcom thinks "one of the most perfect remains of monastic buildings in London." It consists of one capacious arch, with an arched mullioned window in the centre above it; and is flanked by two square towers. From this place issued the early numbers of the Gentleman's Magazine; and a wood-cut of the building appears to this day on the wrapper of that valuable work, which, for knowledge and utility, is as superior to the Magazine frippery of the present day as Michael Angelo to John Nash.

7

Milner's Winchester, vol. ii. p. 146.

8

The present Earl succeeded to the title on the death of his cousin, Francis, the learned Chancellor of the University of the Ionian Islands, founded by himself, and which he richly endowed with a noble bequest and a splendid library. His Lordship is Rector of St. Mary's, Southampton, Old and New Abresford and Medstead, in Hampshire, a Prebendary of Winchester, and Master of St. Cross, Hospital.

Among many famous men who have presided over the Hospital, was Colonel John Lisle, of Moyles Court, Regicide, and M.P. for the City of Winchester.

9

From a paper in The Crypt, an antiquarian journal, printed at Ringwood, Hants, in the year 1827. The writer observes that Dr. Milner has uniformly applied the term Saxon to the circular arches in this structure, as well as to similar specimens; but subsequent topographers have arrived at the more probable conclusion, that very slight remains, if any, now exist of ecclesiastical edifices by the Saxons.

10

The groat of Edward I. sold for five and a half guineas, at a public sale in London, in March, 1827. It is quite evident that the effigies of the English monarchs on their coins are not likenesses, until the time of Henry VIII. whatever the Ingenious may say to the contrary. Some have supposed that the rude figures on the Saxon coins use likenesses, but the idea is ridiculous. Folkes, in his "Table of English Silver Coins," remarks that the Kings of England are represented bearded on their great seals, but always smooth-faced on their coins.