knit together in a kind of dance? It is thus they always appear in ancient fculpture, whether on Medals or in Marble, as I doubt not but Horace alludes to defigns of this nature, when he describes them after the fame manner, Gratia, Segnefque nodum folvere Gratia. The Sifter-Graces hand in hand Several of your Medallifts will be here again aftonished at the wisdom of the ancients, that knew how to couch fuch excellent Precepts of morality under vifible objects. The nature of Gratitude, they will tell you, is better illuftrated by this fingle device, than by Seneca's whole book de Beneficiis. The three Graces teach us three things. I. To remark the doing of a courtefy. II. The return of it from the receiver. III. The obligation of the receiver to acknowledge it. The three Graces are always hand in hand, to fhow us that these three duties fhould be never separated. They are naked, to admonish us that Gratitude fhould be returned with a free and open heart; and dancing, to fhew us that no virtue is more active than Gratitude. May not we here fay with Lucretius? Qua bene & eximie quanquam difpofta ferantur, It is an eafy thing, fays Eugenius, to find out defigns that never entered into the thoughts of the fculptor or the coiner. I dare fay, the fame B 3 Gentle Gentlemen who have fixed this piece of morality on the three naked Sifters dancing hand in hand, would have found out as good a one for them, had there been four of them fitting at a diftance from each other, and covered from head to foot. It is here therefore, fays Philander, that the old Poets ftep in to the affiftance of the Medallift, when they give us the fame thought in words as the mafters of the Roman mint have done in figures. A man may fee a metaphor or an allegory in picture, as well as read them in a defcription. When therefore I confront a Medal with a Verse, I only fhew you the fame defign executed by different hands, and appeal from one mafter to another of the fame age and tafte. This is certainly a much furer way than to build on the interpretations of an author who does not confider how the ancients used to think, but will be ftill inventing myfteries and applications out of his own fancy. To make myself more intelligible, I find a fhield on the reverse of an Emperor's Coin, defigned as a compliment to him from the fenate of Rome. I meet with the fame metaphor in ancient poets to exprefs protection or defence. I conclude therefore that this Medal compliments the Emperor in the fame fenfe as the old Romans did their Dictator Fabius when they called him the Buckler of Rome. Put this reverfe now if you please into the hands of a myftical antiquary: He fhall tell you that the ufe of the fhield being to defend the body from the weapons of an enemy, it very aptly fhadows out to us the refolution or continence of the Emperor, which made him proof to all the attacks of fortune or of pleasure. In the next place, the figure of the shield being round round it is an emblem of perfection, for Ariftotle has faid the round figure is the most perfect. It may likewife fignify the immortal reputation that the Emperor has acquired by his great actions, rotundity being an emblem of eternity that has neither beginning nor end. After this I dare not anfwer for the fhield's convexity that it does not cover a mystery, nay there fhall not be the leaft wrinkle or flourish upon it which will not turn to fome account. In this case therefore * Poetry being in fome refpects an art of defigning as well as Painting or Sculpture, they may ferve as Comments on each other. I am very well fatisfied, fays Eugenius, by what you have faid on this fubject, that the Poets may contribute to the explication of fuch reverses as are purely emblematical, or when the perfons are of that fhadowy allegorical nature you have before mentioned, but I fuppofe there are many other re verfes that reprefent things and perfons of a more real existence. In this cafe too, fays Philander, a Poet lets you into the knowledge of a device better than a Profe-writer, as his defcriptions are often more diffuse, his ftory more naturally circumftanced, and his language enriched with a greater variety of epithets: So that you often meet with little hints and fuggeftions in a Poet that give a great illuftration to the cuftoms, actions, ornaments, and all kinds of Antiquities that are to be met with on ancient Coins. I fancy, fays Cynthio, there is nothing more ridi culous than an Antiquary's reading the Greek or Poema eft pictura loquax. B 4 Latin Latin Poets. He never thinks of the beauty of the thought or language, but is for fearching into what he calls the Erudition of the Author. He will turn you over all Virgil to find out the figure of an old Roftrum, and has the greatest efteem imaginable for Homer, because he has given us the fashion of a Greek fcepter. It is indeed odd enough to confider how all kinds of Readers find their account in the old Poets. Not only your men of the more refined or folid parts of Learning, but even your Alchymift and Fortuneteller will difcover the fecrets of their art in Homer and Virgil. This, fays Eugenius, is a prejudice of a very ancient ftanding. Read but Plutarch's Difcourfe on Homer, and you will fee that the Iliad contains the whole circle of arts, and that Thales and Pythagoras ftole all their philofophy out of this Poet's works. One would be amazed to fee what pains he takes to prove that Homer underftood all the figures in Rhetoric, before they were invented. I do not queftion, fays Philander, were it poffible for Homer to read his phrafes in this Author, but he would be as much furprised as ever Monfieur Jordain was when he had found he had talked Prose all his life-time without ever knowing what it was. But to finish the task you have fet me, we may obferve that not only the virtues, and the like imaginary perfons, but all the heathen Divinities appear generally in the fame Drefs among the Poets that they wear in Medals. I must confefs, I believe both the one and the other took the Mode from the ancient Greek Statuaries. It will not perhaps be an improper tranfition to pafs from the heathen gods to the feveral monsters of antiquity, as Chimeras, Gorgons, Sphinxes, and many others that make the fame figure in verfe as on coins. It often happens too, that the Poet and the Senate of Rome have both chofen the fame Topic to flatter their Emperor upon, an have fometimes fallen upon the fame thought. It is certain, they both of them lay upon the catch for a great action: It is no wonder therefore, that they were often engaged on one fubject, the Medal and the Poem being nothing elfe but occafional compliments to the Emperor Nay, I question not but you may fometimes find certain paffages among the Poets that relate to the particular device of a Medal. I wonder, fays Eugenius, that your Medallifis have not been as diligent in fearching the Poets as the Hiftorians, fince I find they are fo capable of enlightning their art. I would have fome body put the Mufes under a kind of contribution to furnish out whatever they have in them that bears any relation to Coins. Though they taught us but the fame things that might be learnt in other writings, they would at leaft teach us more agreeably, and draw feveral over to the ftudy of Medals that would rather be inftructed in verfe than in profe. I am glad, fays Philander, to hear you of this opinion, for to tell you truly, when I was at Rome, I took occafion to buy up many Imperial Medals that have any affinity with paffages of the ancient Poets. So that I have by me a fort of poetical Cafh, which I fancy I could count over to you in Latin and Greek verle. If will drink a difh of Tea with me to-moryou row morning, I will lay my whole coll Etion before you. I cannot tell, fays Cynthio, how the B 5 Poets |