Miscellaneous works, in verse and prose Volume 3 - Softcover

Inhaltsangabe

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1753 Excerpt: ... Eugwius, but they found out the Smell too of an ancient Medal. They would then be able to judge of it by all the fenfes. The Touch, 1 have heard, gives alrnoft as good evidence as the Sight, and the Ringing of a Medal is, I know, a very common experiment. But I fuppofe this laft proof you mention relates only to fuch Coins as are made of your bafer forts of metal. And here, fays Philander, we may ob.. yea, III. G ferve ferve the prudence of the Ancients above that of the Modems, in the care they took to perpetuate the memory of great actions. They knew very well that filler and gold might fall into the hands of the covetous or ignorant, who would not refpect: them for the Device they bore, but for the Metal they were made of. Nor were their apprchenfions ill-founded; for it is not eafily imagined how many of thefe noble monuments of liiftory have perifhe& in the goldfmiths hands, before they came to be collected together by the learned men of thefe two or three laft Centuries. Infcriptions, Vidtories, Buildings, and a thoufand other pieces of antiquity were melted down in thofe barbarous Ages, that thought figures and letters only ferved to fpoil the gold that was charged with them. Your Medallifts look oh this deftruQidn of Coins, as On the burning of the Alexandrian Library, and would be content to compound for them, with almoft the lofs of a Vatican. To prevent this in fome meafure, the ancients placed the greateft variety of their devices on their brafs and copper Coins, which ate in no fear of falling into the clippers hands, nor in any danger of melting till the general eonfla gration. On the contrary, our modern Medals are moil in filver and gold, and often in a very fmall number of each. I have feen a golden one at Vienna, of Philip the fecond,...

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