Silver and Gold have long since been made the common standard of Exchange, and measure of Commerce, by the generall consent of mankind; for which purpose those valuable Metalls are much better suited, than any other Medium yet discovered by human witt or Industry; being more dxx The Chymists have a saying That it is harder to destroy Gold than to make it.urable, portable, beautifull, and usefull than any other species of Mineralls, and a small quantity of either being equall in value to a much greater quantity of most other Commoditys.

Mankind began very soon See Marquardus Freherus of Romn.Roman & German coins in yethe ll To of Gravius his Romn.Roman antiquities & Ludovic? Sava ibid. to discover their conveniency in Exchange; and the most ancient Hebrew, Greek, and Roman Historys that are extantBædeus de asse make mention of the early use of these Metalls in Exchange; There are divers instances for the proof of this, in the five books of Moses, the most ancient and the most authentick history in the world: and thôough Abraham's2. Abrahams purchas of the field of Machpelah for 400 pieces of silver be the first account we have of bargaine and sale for currant mony, yet ther's good ground to conjecture that the antediluvian world was not destitute of so beneficiall a Medium in their Commerce.

Seignior Danvanzati in his discours of Coin translatd by I.T. Some are of Opinion and not without good reason that in the first Exchange of commoditys for one another ye.the difference in value came at length to be adjusted by small pieces of Brass or copper, which might serve instead of Gold and Silver not yet discovered, and those base Metalls are still used in Denmark Sweden and Poland as mony, where the nobler Metalls are not to be had in a quantity sufficient for generall use.

All these Metalls were first Exchanged at the Scale, and the pieces which were us'd in barter having no figure, size, or weight ascertained by yethe publick, were all estimated by the Balance and that all payements were originally made amongst the Iews, Greeks, and Romans by weight and not by tale is apparent from a variety of instances, as have been observed by learned men, fromin the names afterwards given to their severall Coins stamped by publick authority; which which in all the 3 languages denote3.4 denote a certain weight. So that Mr. Gouldman is of opinion, there was hardly any kind of weight amongst the Romans or Grecians, but what were the denominations of brass, gold, or silver coins, or sum̄mms of mony: which indeed is capable of a particular proof, were it necessary; & the demonimations of pounds and pence still in use amongst us make it evident, that our AncestoursCæsar.s Com̄mment Lib. 5. Tyrrell's Generl.General Hist.History vol. 1. p. 37 Speeds Chron. (who had noe other medium of Commerce, 'til the reign of Kynobelin, a British King contemporary with Augustus Cæsar,Cambden's– Britannia but rings of Iron and plates of brass) they made all their payments at the Scale.

Yet in all Countrys, where traffick and commerce have made any considerable advancement, it has been found very expedient, to ascertain the weight and finenesse of the Metall, which became the Standard and common measure of Exchange, to prevent the frauds of a ffalse ballance, & the knavery of debasement.

And this introduced the invention of coyning mony;,Definition of mony Which is nothing else, but Certain pieces of Gold, silver, or any other mettall stampt by publick authority, at a certain known weight and fineness and made & made ye.the generall measure of trade and commerce in ye.the respective Countrys where4. where 'tis current.

If these pieces contain not the weight or fineness their severall names import, the Receiver is cheated, the publick faith violated, the Government dishonoured and the Counterfeiters in all places severely punished; & in many places Capitally.

Wee are told by xx in ThaliaHerodotus that mony was first coined in Lydia, and by others at Naxos an IlandIsland of the Archipelago; by Strabo, in Ægina; by Lucan in Thessaly; and divers writers ascribe this usefull Invention to different times and countrys in Greece. In Itally Servius Tullius is thought to be the first who began to coin brass with the figure of a sheep, anno U. C. 383. whence it received the name of Pecunia. But no silver was coined there till the year 463, nor gold till about 62 years after,. vizt

Our Ancestours, as has been said, had no stampt mony current amongst 'em 'till after Iulius Cæsar had invaded this Countrey, and brought over with his Forces the Roman Coins, which passed among the Inhabitants of this IlandIsland for 4 or 500 years following. After that severall Brittish Princes began to coin moneys, of which our Historians just made mentioned without taking any notice of the species, figure, standard or inscription 'till5 'till after the reign of Edward the Confessour; from whose time the Industrious Mr. Speed presents his Reader w.thwith the Effigies of every King, and the figures stampt on thr.their Coins.

The Right of Coynage has been an ancient Prerogative of the Crown of England,Tyrrells Genll.General Hist.History Introductn.Introduction pag. 67. sometimes granted by Charter to the Arch Bishops of Canterbury and York,Monast. Anglia and to diverse Abbots, and other Subjects within the Realm.

But the Author of the Mirour of Iustice recitesCambden's Britt. ad initm. an old Law in the time of the Saxon Governments, That no King should change, embase or inhaunce his mony, or make other Coin than Silver, sans l'assent de tous ses Counties i.e (as SrSir Edward Coke in the 2d. of hisSr.Sir Robt. Attkins Power of Parlt p. 17. Institutes Cap. 20 expounds it,) without the consent of Parliament.

Bodinus a very Learned Civilian declares it as his Opinion, That Princes cannot alter the standardBut althôough Princes cannot de Iure alter ye.the value of their Coins (as is asterh yet the Kings of France often doe it. Boizard Traitté des monnoyes of their Monys to the prejudices of their Subjects, without falling under the reproach and character of Faux-Monneyeurs. And Philip the Fair, one of the Kings of France was so stiled for such a practise. For as Theodoric, a Gothic Prince with very good reason and equity affirms, Omninò Monetæ integritas debet Sr.Sir Robt. Cottons Posthum. works pag. 289. quæri6 quæri, ubi vultus noster imprimitur, and if it were otherwise he demands of the Master of his Mint. Quidnam erit tutum si in nostrâ peccetur effigie?

Yet notwithstanding the dishonnour of such a practice, either the necessity of publick affaires, or the private Interest of some Sovereign Princes have occasion'd frequent alterations in the coins of most Countrys, particularly in England and France.Monsieur Boizard, Traitté des monnoyes à Paris 1692

Darius a King of the Medes and Persians, ancienter than Hystaspis, coined pure gold without any allay.Suidas et Harpocration But the Athenian State, and Philip and Alexander the great Kings of Macedon added $\frac{1}{50}$.th part of allay to their gold monys.