of justice, and rigidly economical of the public purse. He purged the city from the superstition and profligacy which his predecessor had introduced, by sending home the foreign gods, dismissing the infamous partizans of Elagabalus, and appointing men of integrity and ability to places of trust. Besides restoring the Senate to its ancient dignity, he, with the consent of that body, chose a standing Council of State, consisting of sixteen of the wisest Senators; moreover, he never issued any enactment without the approval of at least twenty of the most learned in the law, nor discussed any military business but in the presence of the ablest officers. He founded schools for the dissemination of learning among all classes of his subjects ; allotted pensions to the most distinguished men in the arts and sciences; secured to the soldiers a decent and comfortable retreat in old age; and established a bank where the poor could obtain money at a moderate interest. And he was the first Emperor who positively favoured the Christians, whose moral precepts he seems to have been acquainted with; for he caused to be inscribed over the palace gate, that golden rule of the Gospel: "Do AS YOU WOULD BE DONE BY. In attending to the hackneyed "Audi alteram partem," there is little to counterbalance such material benefits as Alexander bestowed. One of the principal blemishes imputed to him was, the implicit obedience he paid to his mother-" etiam contra animum suum;" but a woman who had at so great a risk preserved his life, and had instilled such wise and virtuous principles into his mind, certainly deserved the utmost deference and affection. He is accused of banishing his first wife, on account of Mamæa's dislike to her; but Dexippus contradicts this, by ascribing it to the treason of her father.† His vanity in imitating Alexander the Great is arraigned, and he is charged with being suspicious and inquisitive: but it is difficult now to estimate how far this might have resulted from policy and caution, for he who frequently exclaimed, "Imperium in virtute esse, non in decore," could not have been dangerously vain. Both he and his mother are accused of avarice: but that frugality which contributed so largely to the relief of the public, could hardly be considered as a vice. His being unable to suppress a mutiny among the Prætorians, which terminated in the shameful massacre of his friend, the excellent Ulpian, as well as his advising Dio to spend his consulship in retirement in order to avoid the insolent soldiery, have been branded as acts of timid imbecility: but it may be imagined that so youthful a sovereign had no easy task in curbing the turbulent and depraved empire to which he had succeeded. His mind, however, acquired vigour with "Quod tibi fieri non vis, alteri ne feceris." + There is some little confusion as to the question whether Alexander had three wives. Of Sulpicia Memmia, said to have been the second, the name only is mentioned; but even of her no coins appear to have been struck; that cited by Goltzius being a gross forgery. Nor does history relate whether Alexander left any children.-See Orbiana. the ripening of his age; and the question respecting his personal courage is settled by his conduct at Antioch. The punishment of some soldiers for their debaucheries with the abandoned wretches of Daphne, was followed by the mutiny of a whole legion. The Emperor intrepidly exposed himself to their rage, and in dignified and spirited language commanded obedience. Their clamours, and menaces with brandished swords, became more violent and furious. "Your bravery," said he, "would be more nobly exerted against the enemy; me you may destroy, but you cannot intimidate; and the just vengeance of the Republic will punish your crime?" Yet the men became still more insolent and outrageous; when Alexander in a loud voice exclaimed-" CITIZENS! lay down your arms, and begone!" This decisive sentence, which at once deprived them of their military honours, acted like a charm. The sedition was instantly allayed; the soldiers acknowledged their guilt, and supplicated pardon; nor were they restored to their rank till the ringleaders were punished. This legion atoned for their misconduct by fidelity and bravery: gratefully serving the Emperor while living, and avenging him when dead. The prejudice of Herodian against Mamaa and her son, would have been easily discernible, even if Capitolinus had not warned us of it. Herodian's colours are hoisted by Zonaras and Cedrenus; but he is abandoned in this particular by Aurelius Victor, Eutropius, and Syncellus. In this dilemma it is the more to be regretted that Dio-a friend, counsellor, and colleague of Alexander-should have closed his useful history so soon in this reign. It has been suggested that the hatred which Herodian bore towards Mamæa, was on account of her being a Christian; and a similar reason may be assigned for the contemptible appearance of Alexander in Julian's "Cæsars," where he is placed below the company, bewailing his assassination. Assuming these motives as postulates, it will not be difficult to guess why "the luminous" Gibbon followed in their wake. There are Latin medals of this Prince of all sizes, and in each of the metals; of which the large and middle brass are generally common. Alexander occupied himself closely in reforming the affairs of the mint, which accounts for the legend, "Moneta restituta," on some of his coins; he being the only Emperor who styled himself, ou medals, a restorer of money. He also used that beautiful amalgam called electrum, as we learn from Lampridius,—“ Alexandri habitu nummos plurimos figuravit; et quidem electreos aliquantos, sed plurimos tamen aureos.” About this time the sestertii diminish in magnitude; public events are given in less detail on the reverses,-and the Deities and moral Virtues appear more frequently; the coins are, however, mostly trite and common, and are retained only according to their perfection, or individual interest. These virtues, as may have been noticed in the preceding part of this catalogue, are inscribed sometimes in the Nominative, and at others in the Dative Case in the latter instances it is inferred that the merit is ascribed to the deity represented, and in the former to the prince in whose honour the device is struck. Among the numerous coins of the Colonies, Greece, and Egypt, in his honour, the noble medallion stamped by the Perinthians deserves especial notice. In an orb, encircled by the twelve signs of the zodiac, is seated Jupiter, with his eagle and mystical wand; above them are the sun and moon in opposition, pursuing their courses; and below, are a man and a woman, as the representatives of the human race. Vaillant has, rather hastily, called the last figures rivers; but they are without urns or reeds, and have no similitude to such imper. sonations but in their recumbency; besides which, only one river, the Eridanus, has its representative in the heavens. CCCXCIV. Obverse. IMP. CAES. M. AVR. SEV. ALEXANDER AVG. (Imperator Cæsar Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander, Augustus.) The laurelled head of Alexander, with comely features, and his bust covered with the pallium over a cuirass. This medal, though without patina, and partly rubbed by a file, is in excellent condition; it was found near Oxoï, in Ithaca, in 1820.* Reverse. LIBERALITAS AVGVSTI. On the exergum S. C. The Emperor seated on a curule chair, upon a suggestum, is inspecting a donative; before him stands a female with a cornucopia and frumentarian tessera; and behind him a Prætorian officer. It was struck A. D. 222, to commemorate the first congiary of Alexander, given, as usual, on taking the empire. This, with four other liberalities seen on his medals, disproves Herodian's charge of covetousness against Alexander: of these the first and second are the least rare in cabinets, the third and fourth are rarer, and the fifth the rarest. This good Emperor not only practised a custom which had long prevailed, but also at a vast charge, replenished the public granaries, and made weekly distributions of oil and corn among the indigent citizens. To some he gave lands, slaves, cattle, and implements of industry, as more beneficial and less degrading than gifts in money. He also made an extraordinary reduction in the market-price of meat: "ut quum fuisset octominutalis libra, ad duos, unumque, utriusque carnis libra redigeretur." CCCXCV. Obverse. IMP. CAES. M. AVR. SEV. ALEXANDER AVG. (Imperator Cæsar Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander, Augustus.) A youthful laureated head of the Emperor, with pleasing features, and the bust covered with a sagum. This medal is of pale yellow brass, scarcely patinated, and in very fine preservation. Reverse. MARTI PACIFERO. In the field S. C. The common representations of Mars are as Victor, Ultor, or Propugnator; but here, instead of a fighter or avenger, he stands in an easy, composed *My series of Alexander's reign was headed with a medal purchased at Mr. Trattle's sale; it has the bare head of the Prince as Cæsar, with Pietas and the pontifical instruments as the reverse. I had some misgivings about its purity, yet it might have retained its station, but that, of the hundreds of Alexander's which have passed through my hands, I never yet met with one bearing that device; neither Eckhel, Pedrusi, Havercamp, Visconti, nor Mionnet, describe it; nor is there one in the British Museum, or the Bodleian collection. + Medals record only five of these acts-but Lampridius expressly says—“ Congiarium populo TER dedit, donativum militibus TER, carnem populo addidit.” attitude, as a "peace-maker,"-for though he is in armour and galeated, his spear is pointed downwards, and he holds an olive-brauch in his right hand. See No. CCCXXIII. In the early part of Alexander's reign, the Romans were at peace with all the world, and the olivebranch is probably placed in the hands of a warrior, to denote that the best way to preserve peace, is to be always ready for war. Ovid seems to allude to Mars Pacifer in the Fasti, where he asks why the matrons kept the festival of so manly a deity? "Sic ego. Sic positâ dixit mihi casside Mavors; The incident by which I procured this medal is curious. In the summer of 1819, a labourer at work near Casal Zurika, in the island of Malta, struck his spade into an amphora which proved to be full of large-brass Roman medals. Further search being made several other jars were discovered, laden in a similar manner. I was, unfortunately, absent on a cruize at the time, or most probably should have obtained them. As it was, the finder offered them to three individuals in succession, for 100 dollars, which for 14 or 15,000 medals in the highest preservation, was surely no great risk for any one, however "dunder-headed." His proffers being refused, the peasant deeming his prize almost worthless, sold it for four dollars the cantar of 175lbs. English, to a brass-founder in Valetta, who was actually melting them down, when a friend accidentally saw him, and thus rescued 12 or 13 hundred coins-all that were left-from destruction. Some of them were dispersed, but the greater part fell into the hands of Mr. St. John, the present Consul-General at Algiers, and myself. They comprised a series of about 40 years, from the time of Alexander to that of Gallienus; and had generally the device of Deities or Virtues, and therefore not rare; but their singularly high preservation rendered them very valuable, and the numerous duplicates were exchanged to great advantage. It is curious that this hoard, probably hidden in troublous times, remained so many ages undiscovered― for the amphora were but a few inches below the surface of the ground. What was lost in the copper-smith's furnace, can unfortunately never be ascertained. Much astonishment has been expressed at the number of ancient coins which have been found. D'Hancarville suggests Charon's fare as a leading cause, observing that from Phidon of Argos to Constantine, there are thirty-six generations; and from Magna Græcia to the Euphrates, and from Cyrene to the Euxine, the inhabitants amounted to about 30,000,000, making a total who died in that time and region, of no fewer than ten thousand millions of people who were all buried with money. This, however, is not all. As coins are found in prodigious numbers wherever the Roman arms extended, it is not unlikely that some were hidden for future resources, as there were no banks; others were scattered among the missilia, and a large portion may have been deposited as records for fame. They abound in every part of Europe and Asia, and even in the remote regions of Africa. Busbequius mentions the quantity of medals, especially of the later emperors, which he met with in his travels; in the neighbourhood of Ancyra he found them used as weights,* under the name of giaur mangúri, or infidel's money; and he arrived too late to redeem a valuable quantity, just melted down by the brazier into pots and kettles. In the same century, 60,000 Roman coins were found at Modena, supposed to have been a military treasure, hidden after the battle of Bedriacum, when Otho was defeated. In 1760, 30,000 were found in earthen vessels near Brest, in Bretagne; in 1764, in digging a foundation at Lisbon, 300 gold coins of Titus were discovered; and in 1765, at Brindisi, 100 rotoli, each 30 English ounces, of denarii were dug up, embracing the period from Severus to Philip. In 1775 nearly a hundred weight of silver coins were found at Morton Banks, near Bingley, in Yorkshire, in a copper chest; and in the following year a great number of Greek medals were found at Terranova, in Sicily, by the falling of a cliff. In 1800, a vase containing * I saw the same thing at Dernah, near Cyrene, where I purchased some fine bronze medallions of Carthage, in the shops of the bazaar. about 2000 Roman coins was discovered near Beauvais, in France, consisting chiefly of the emperors from Galba to Geta; they were dispersed principally in the neighbourhood, where they were long concealed from the fear of their being claimed by the lord of the manor. In the same year a peasant of Stiria found in an urn 298 fine gold coins, from Nero to Marcus Aurelius, of which 274 were secured for the imperial cabinet. Even now we hear of numerous coins being dug up at Colchester, Sandy, Shefford, Kempston, and many other parts of England. A curious circumstance occurred at Hexham, in 1831. In digging a grave rather deeper than usual the sexton struck a sort of large kettle, when out flew a shower of stycas, of which nearly 20,000 were collected and of those chronologically arranged in the cabinet of my friend George Musgrave, Esq. it is to be hoped that an account will ere long be printed. CCCXCVI. Obverse. IMP. CAES, M. AVR. SEV. ALEXANDER AVG. (Imperator Cæsar Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander, Augustus.) An expressive profile of Alexander, with the laurel crown. This medal, struck A. D. 223, is in high preservation and covered with chocolatecoloured patina, and was procured, by exchange, from Admiral Sir C. V. Penrose, in 1819. Reverse. PONTIF. MAX. TR. P. II. COS. P. P. (Pontifex Maximus, Tribunitia potestate iterum, Consul, Pater Patriæ.) On the exergum S. C. The Flavian Amphitheatre, between the Meta Sudans and the Domus Aurea, as described under No. LXXXVIII; but with the addition of two figures, one a togated civilian, and the other apparently military, standing by the meta. Though History affords no positive clue for the application of this device to Alexander, we may infer, that it either marks his transferring the tax upon harlots, from the treasury to the use of the theatres; or, that it commemorates his undertaking an extensive repair of that vast edifice for we are informed of the spirit with which he improved the city : "Opera veterum Principum instauravit, ipse nova multa constituit." CCCXCVII. Obverse. IMP. CAES. M. AVR. SEV. ALEXANDER AVG. (Imperator Cæsar Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander, Augustus.) The laurelled head of the Emperor, with a mild expression, and a pallium fibulated upon his right shoulder. This medal was procured at Frejus, in 1823, having been formerly in the cabinet of M. Cary, of Marseilles, who died in 1754. Some of his medals were dispersed, and the French governinent purchased the remainder for about £700. sterling; but such was the state of the treasury, that the minister could only pay the sum by instalments. Barthélemy ascribed his taste for medals to the attentions of M. Cary. Reverse. P. M. TR. P. V. COS. II. P. P. (Pontifex Maximus, Tribunitia potestate quintum, Consul iterum, Pater Patriæ.) In the field S. C. An elegant structure adorned with statues and surrounded by a portico, probably representing the celebrated therma which bore the Emperor's name. This coin was struck A. D. 226, and either commemorates the erection of the baths, or the lighting them up by night, at Alexander's expense: "addidit et oleum luminibus thermarum, quum ante non antea Auroram paterent, et ante solis occasum clauderentur." The temples of idleness, called Therma, were imitations of the Greek Gymnasia, and consisted of vast buildings replete with splendid and fascinating luxuries, calculated to relax the mind, and afford voluptuous exercise for the body. But it may be questioned whether the health of the citizens was not substantially better, when they only bathed in the Tiber, than when hot baths became necessary to the very fœx civitatis. атото, "Furnos et balnea laudat Ut fortunatam plenè præstantia vitam." The hardy warriors of the republic lost but little time at their toilet, despised the "matutino |