thoughts the face of a great Man with the cha racter that authors have given us of him, and to try if we can find out in his looks and features ei ther the haughty, cruel, or merciful temper that discovers itself in the hiftory of his actions. We find too on Medals the reprefentations of Ladies. that have given occafion to whole volumes on the account only of a face. We have here the pleasure to examine their looks and dreffes, and to furvey at leifure those beauties that have sometimes been the happiness or mifery of whole kingdoms: Nor do you only meet the faces of fuch as are famous in hiftory, but of feveral whofe names are not to be found any where except on Medals. Some of the Emperors, for example, have had Wives, and fome of them Children, that no authors have mentioned. We are therefore obliged to the Audy of coins for having made new difcoveries to the learned, and given them information of fuch perfons as are to be met with on no other kind of records. You must give me leave, fays Cynthia, to reject this laft ufe of Medals. I do not think it worth while to trouble myself with a perfon's name or face that receives all his reputation from the mint, and would never have been known in the world had there not been fuch

things as Medals. A man's memory finds fufficient employment on fuch as have really fignalized themselves by their great actions, without charging itself with the names of an infignificant people whofe whole hiftory is written on the edges of an old coin.

If you are only for fuch perfons as have made a noife in the world, fays Philander, you have on Medals a long lift of heathen Deities, diftinguished

from

from each other by their proper titles and ornaments. You fee the copies of several statues that have had the politeft nations of the world fall down before them. You have here too feveral perfons of a more thin and fhadowy nature, as Hope, Conftancy, Fidelity, Abundance, Ho nour, Virtue, Eternity, Juftice, Moderation, Happinefs, and in fhort a whole creation of the like imaginary fubftances. To these you may add the Genies of nations, provinces, cities, high-ways, and the like Allegorical Beings. In devices of this nature one fees a pretty poetical invention, and may often find as much thought on the reverfe of a Medal as in a Canto of Spenfer. Not to interrupt you, fays Eugenius, I fancy it is this ufe of Medals that has recommended them to feveral history-painters, who perhaps without this affiftance would have found it very difficult to have invented fuch an airy fpecies of beings, when they are obliged to put a moral virtue into colours, or to find out a proper dress for a paffion. It is doubtlefs for this reafon, fays Philander, that Painters have not a little contributed to bring the ftudy of Medals in vogue. For not to mention feveral others, Caraccio is faid to have affifted Aretine by defigns that he took from the Spintria of Tiberius. Raphael had thoroughly ftudied the figures on old Coins. Patin tells us that Le Brun had done the fame. And it is well known that Rubens had a noble collection of Medals in his own poffeffion. But I muft not quit this head before I tell you, that you fee on Medals not only the names and perfons of Emperors, Kings, Confuls, Pro-confuls, Prætors, and the like characters of importance, but of fome of the Poets,

and

and of feveral who had won the prizes at the Olympic games. It was a noble time, fays Cynthio, when Trips and Cornish hugs could make a Man immortal. How many Heroes would Moorfields have furnished out in the days of old? A fellow that can now only win a hat or a belt, had he lived among the Greeks, might have had his face ftampt upon their Coins. But thefe were the wife ancients, who had more efteem for a Milo than a Homer, and heapt up greater Honours on Pindar's Jockies, than on the Poet him-· felf. But by this time I fuppofe you have drawn up all your medallic people, and indeed they make a much more formidable body than I could have imagined. You have fhewn us all conditions, fexes and ages, emperors and empreffes, men and children, gods and wrestlers. Nay you have conjured up perfons that exift no where elfe but on old coins, and have made our Paffions and Virtues and Vices vifible. I could never have thought that a cabinet of Medals had been fo well peopled. But in the next place, fays Philander, as we fee on coins the different Faces of perfons, we fee on them too their different Ha. bits and Dreffes, according to the mode that prevailed in the feveral ages when the Medals were ftampt. This is another ufe, fays Cynthio, that in my opinion contributes rather to make a man learned than wife, and is neither capable of pleafing the understanding or imagination. I know there are feveral fupercilious Critics that will treat an author with the greateft contempt imaginable, if he fancies the old Romans wore a girdle, and are amazed at a man's ignorance, who believes the Toga had any Sleeves to it till the de- '

clenfion

lenfion of the Roman Empire. Now I would
fain know the great importance of this kind of
learning, and why it fhould not be as noble a task
to write upon a Bib and hanging-fleeves, as on
the Bulla and Prætexta. The reafon is, that we
are familiar with the names of the one, and meet
with the other no where but in learned authors.
An Antiquary will fcorn to mention a pinner or
a night-rail, a petticoat or a manteau; but will
talk as gravely as a father of the church on the
Vitta and Peplus, the Stola and Inftita. How
would an old Roman laugh, were it poffible for him
to fee the folemn differtations that have been made
on these weighty fubjects! To fet them in their
natural light, let us fancy, if you please, that about
a thousand years hence, fome profound author fhall
write a learned treatise on the Habits of the prefent
age, diftinguished into the following Titles and
Chapters.

Of the old British Trowser.
Of the Ruff and Collar-band.

The opinion of feveral learned men concerning the ufe of the Shoulder-knot.

Such a one mistaken in his account of the Surtout, &c.

I must confefs, fays Eugenius, interrupting him, the knowledge of thefe affairs is in itself very little improving, but as it is impoffible without it to understand several parts of your ancient authors, it certainly hath its use. It is pity indeed there is not a nearer way of coming at it. I have fometimes fancied it would not be an impertinent defign to make a kind of an old Roman.

wardrobe

wardrobe, where you fhould fee Toga's and Tunica's, the Chlamys and Trabea, and in fhort all the different vefts and ornaments that are so often mentioned in the Greek and Roman authors. By this means a man would comprehend better and remember much longer the fhape of an ancient garment, than he poffibly can from the help of tedious quotations and defcriptions. The defign, fays Philander, might be very useful, but after what models would you work? Sigonius, for example, will tell you that the Veftis Trabeata was of fuch a particular fafhion, Scaliger is for another, and Dacier thinks them both in the wrong. Thefe are, fays Cynthio, I fuppofe the names of three Roman taylors: for is it poffible men of learning can have any difputes of this nature? May not we as well believe that hereafter the whole learned world will be divided upon the make of a modern pair of breeches? And yet, fays Eugenius, the Critics have fallen as foul upon each other for matters of the fame moment. But as to this point, where the Make of the garment is controverted, let them, if they can find cloth enough, work after all the moft probable fafhions. To enlarge the defign, I would have another room for the old Roman inftruments of war, where you might fee the Pilum and the fhield, the eagles, enfigns, helmets, battering rams and trophies, in a word, all the ancient military furniture in the fame manner as it might have been in an Arfenal of old Rome. A third apartment fhould be a kind of Sacrifty for altars, idols, facrificing inftruments, and other religious utenfils. Not to be tedious, one might make a magazine for all forts of antiquities, that would

fhow

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