The pontiff sitting before the altar, the archbishop kneeling before him, others standing around. Venuti then adds, There are four types of this medal, two of which Beatrix Hamerani struck, the daughter of John, and two Hermengildas, brother of Beatrix. On those Tournon is represented as ambassador from the Pope to the kingdom of the Chinese. A controversy had arisen among the ministers of the Gospel concerning the religious ceremonies of the Chinese, about the worship of Confucius, and the magi: some contending, as it were, that these religious principles were repugnant to the Christian doctrines; others, that, as matters purely civil, they were to be tolerated in countries lately embracing Christianity. Clement XI., fearing lest this schism should burst into an open controversy, dispatched Tournon, the Patriarch of Antioch, to the kingdom of the Chinese, as legate a latere, who was to investigate the circumstances, and then decide what was meet and just to be done.

It remains that we should say a few words of Otho, the brother of Hermengildas. Otho first applied himself to that art which he had inherited from his ancestors, having learned to draw and design under Luti; then he modelled in wax, and finally gave himself up entirely to engraving medals. At the beginning of the pontificate of Innocent XIII. he first joined his brother Hermengildas, as a fellow labourer in numismatics, and he going from Rome, Otho during the time of his absence struck many medals, and some coins of Clement XII. Otho married Theresia Velli, of a distinguished family, and rejoices to number two sons and five daughters, "and he has so educated them, that of their future progress in their father's profession they hold out to us no mean hope." From Venuti we may therefore infer that Hermengildas and Otho Hamerani were both living A.D. 1744. Venuti and Mazzio, in their respective lists of the medals of Paul III. mention the two medals I have dwelt upon, the Ganymede, and Interior View of Rome. Venuti describes the obverse of the latter as having on it the name of the engraver, "Fe. De. Parm." (Federicus Parmensis), which my medal has not. But at the Roman mint of medals they were very careless as to whether obverse and reverse were correctly matched. One of my medals of Innocent X., by Cormani, has the Pope's bust anno 1. A.D. 1644, and on the reverse pilgrims passing through the Porta Santa at the Jubilee A.D. 1650. I have a medal of Innocent XI.

an. 1. Reverse, the Pope delivering the standard of the Church to a kneeling warrior-" Dextera Domini faciat virtutem. 1591." I have this same reverse with the obverse of Sixtus V., who died "6 kal. September, 1590." Venuti gives the same reverse to Urban VII., who also died in 1590, and likewise to Gregory XIV. who died in the ides of October, 1591, and under whose pontificate it may have been engraved.

It will be understood that the extracts from Venuti are merely "done into English." If a numismatic scholar would take up the whole preface of Venuti he might produce an article highly interesting to the medallic readers of the Numismatic Chronicle.

John Andrew Hameranus Hermanskerker Margaret Corradini.

came to Rome A.D. 1605—1620; died |

17 August, 1644.

Albert Hameranus Hermanskerker, born 10 Mary Aguccia.

Oct. 1620; died 20 June, 1677.

Otho Hameranus, born (possibly) 1687, Theresia Hermengildas, Beatrix, born 1675;

John Albert Hameranus, born 30 October,

1649; died 25 June, 1705.

MR. LINDSAY'S "VIEW OF THE HISTORY AND

COINAGE OF THE PARTHIANS."

[From The Constitution; or, Cork Advertiser, June 14, 1853.]

A View of the History and Coinage of the Parthians, with descriptive Catalogues and Tables, illustrated with a complete Set of Engravings of Coins, a large number of them unpublished. By JOHN LINDSAY, Esq., Barrister-at-law, &c. &c., and author of "Views of the Coinage of Ireland, the Heptarchy, and Scotland," &c.

This is, from the glance we have been able to give it, a very interesting and valuable volume. Let no one be repelled by the title. Let no one suppose that he has a dry disquisition on coins to wade through. There is a mass of history-of individual and national history, into which the disquisition on coins is very pleasantly incorporated, and which will both engage and reward attention. Various sources have been searched for details, and are made to contribute copiously but concisely to the information of the reader, and the illustration of the object. An immense amount of erudition has been employed in the prosecution of the author's taska task which none but a genuine numismatist-one who loved the science for its own sake, who felt its labours to be light, and derived his compensation from the discoveries it afforded-could have accomplished. We wish we had leisure to present a specimen; but in such a work selection is difficult, and condensation almost impossible. It is embellished with impressions (admirably lithographed by Mr. Wheeler) of the Parthian coins, and contains a chrono

348

MR. LINDSAY'S HISTORY, ETC. OF THE PARTHIANS. logical table of the reigns of the Parthian kings, to which is added an excellent index to the Parthian history. It is well and clearly printed by Mr. Crowe, of the South Mall, and is altogether an exceedingly creditable specimen of Cork industry, ability, and art.

EDITOR.

[From the same Paper, June 16, 1853.]

A friend, much more competent to pronounce on the merits of this work than we are, has sent us the following notice, which he had penned before he read what appeared in Tuesday's Constitution :

"the

Cork has great reason to be proud of her numismatist, Barrister-at-Law," for he has successfully and successively grappled with difficulties that have frightened less trained and powerful minds from venturing even to approach them; and in each has reduced confusion to a system, the general correctness of which has been acknowledged; and, where doubt may still exist, he has taught the way, and future discoveries and inquiries will probably confirm where he has at present only conjectured.

The Hiberno-Danish coinage was apparently such a hopeless chaos that, beyond a specimen or two, many collectors declined the acquisition of the coins. The Saxon coinage from Ecgbeorht may be considered to be at present well understood, but the Heptarchy presents much to task the learned; while the difficulties of the coinage of Scotland had baffled the powers of Cardonnel, a native born writer, to unravel. Still these were "tasks" which British numismatists had attempted with more or less success, and, though the labour was evident, what stout heart but may flatter himself with success? But no English writer that I am aware of ever attempted to encounter the Parthian coinage, so formidably discouraging was its aspect. All the records of that portion of the world were religiously and systematically destroyed as the Mussulman Arabs subjected its kingdoms to the sword of the Caliphs. When the Caliph Omar was appealed to as to the

MR. LINDSAY'S HISTORY, ETC. OF THE PARTHIANS.

349

disposal of the Alexandrian Library, his memorable reply was, "That which is in these books and is not in the Koran is heresy and against the Prophet; let it be destroyed: and what is in these books and is also in the Koran is useless, and need not be preserved." And, the dogma of the Commander of the Faithful being zealously and practically carried out wherever the Arab power did establish itself, all previous history became a blank. The inscriptions on the Parthian coinage were originally in the Greek language, which gradually deteriorated into barbarism, where most light was required; and, to add to these otherwise sufficient bewilderments, the dates on the coinage were supposed to be those of the establishment of the Parthian sovereignty, before Christ 255 years, whereas it is now ascertained that they are those of the era of Seleucus, commencing 311 years before Christ. We can therefore feel no surprise in the failures of foreign writers under so many and such complicated difficulties. The gradual accumulation of one of the largest collections of Parthian coins known, and their patient and persevering study, with a yet more laborious collection of every fragment of Parthian history that lay scattered amid writers of Greece, Rome, and Judea, comparing, collating, sifting, and deciding all thus brought together, has enabled Mr. Lindsay, after the consideration of perhaps half a life, to present a history of the Parthian kings, and an arrangement of the Parthian coinage, that will give him a wide-spread European celebrity; and which affords to us the anomaly of a perfect novelty in a subject two thousand years old; for who has not heard of the Parthian empire? But beyond the historic fact, and that all the sovereigns bore the name of Arsaces, how many are there who hitherto could know anything more? That ignorance we see dispelled; and, having brought the powerful aid of the now established dates on the coinage to bear on the fragments of Parthian history, we may walk confidently in the light which Mr. Lindsay has concentrated on this hitherto dark and obscure period; and we may also trust that where some uncertainty yet remains the much that has been effected will excite further exertion fully to complete this great work.

R. S.