part of a knight's fee and the yearly rent of 3s. 4d. From these grantees, the property came into the possession of Sir Walter Mildmay, knt., who, in 1584, built Emmanuel College upon the site of the priory. This college was the stronghold of the Puritans during the Caroline troubles; but is now one of the most stately and important foundations in the university of Cambridge.

66

In the erection of Emmanuel College, some remains of the ancient convent were preserved, and are particularly noticed by Dyer in his History of the University and Colleges of Cambridge, published in 1814. This author says, The college was built on the site, and partly of the materials, of an old monastery, which had been occupied by a society of preaching, or Black Friars, professing the order of the famous St. Dominic, called, in the Saxon Chronicle. the father of all monks, and said to have ascended to heaven, A. 509." The historian's italics may well be retorted on himself, for the Chronicle merely says, "In this year St. Benedict the abbot, father of all monks, went to heaven." However, afterwards he continues, it is to be hoped more accurately, "We have already seen that some materials of the old monastery form a part of the present buildings: these are-yon hall on the north, altered, indeed, and much decorated-the library on the east-and kitchens, raised of church-stone. Where that hall now stands, the chapel of the Black Friars once stood; and the high altar was towards the screens.' It is very probable that the buildings of the college rest in great part on the foundations of the priory.

RIMMER'S "STONEYHURST ILLUSTRATED.”*

THIS fine, and in every way worthy monograph, of folio size, and got up in the best of style, cannot fail but commend itself, not only to all who have been students at Stoneyhurst, or who have listened to the ministrations of the many Fathers whom it has produced, but to all lovers of the picturesque, of architecture, or of elegant books. The matter is written in Alfred Rimmer's best vein, whose characteristics are generalisation and popular style, and will be read with pleasure and profit. The plates, upwards of thirty in number, are, in all cases where architecture is their subject, free, touchy, and artistic in the extreme; and where general scenery is portrayed, well chosen as to point, and pleasingly effective in execution. The portraits, however, are poor, and not worthy of the book, which but for them would be faultless. We are glad the history, description, and illustration of Stoneyhurst has fallen into such good hands as those of Mr. Rimmer, and trust his work may see many editions. Stoneyhurst Illustrated. By Alfred Kimmer. London: Burns and Oates, Granville Mansions, Oxford Street. 1 vol., folio. 1884. Plates.

*

A highly-interesting pamphlet on the " Antiquity of Man as deduced from the discovery of a Human Skeleton during the Excavations of the East and West India Dock-Extensions at Tilbury, on the North Bank of the Thames," from the pen of Sir Richard Owen, F.R.S., has just been issued by Mr. Van Voorst, of Paternoster Row, and is eminently worth careful perusal. It is illustrated by admirable lithographic plates, which in scrupulous fidelity and finish are comparable to those in Davis and Thurnam's "Crania Britannica." The discovery of portions of the Human Skeleton 34 feet below the surface, in a bed of sand, above which were successive beds of sand and decayed wood, mud and peat about 3 feet, mud again, peat 3 feet, mud again 4 feet, peat again 1 foot, mud and peat 2 feet, mud 11 feet, and clay 6 feet, was made in October, 1883, and the circumstances, with the deductions derived from it and from comparison with other discoveries, are clearly and learnedly here set forth by Sir Robert, than whom but few men are so capable of forming an opinion. It is an interesting contribution to the literature of ethnology, and will be welcomed by all antiquaries.

NOTES ON SOME FINDS OF ROMAN COINS IN

SOUTH YORKSHIRE AND

DERBYSHIRE.

BY J. D. LEADER, F.S.A.

(Concluded from page 176).

IN A.D. 260 the Emperor Valerian was defeated and taken prisoner by Sapor, King of Persia, and Gallienus reigned alone. Gibbon says, "It is difficult to paint the light, the various, the inconstant character of Gallienus, which he displayed without constraint as soon as he became sole possessor of the empire. In every art that he attempted his lively genius enabled him to succeed; aud as his genius was destitute of judgment he attempted every art, except the important ones of war and government. He was master of several curious but useless sciences, a ready orator, an elegant poet, a skilful gardener, an excellent cook, and most contemptible prince."

Under such an emperor it is not surprising that a crowd of usurpers should start up in every province of the empire. Those in the West were Posthumus, Lollianus, Victorinus, and his mother, Victoria; Marius, and Tetricus. To quote from a paper by Mr. Clayton read before the Newcastle Society of Antiquaries, 28th Dec., 1879, "Gallienus was content to see the empire dismembered, stripped of her provinces, and confined to the limits of Italy, while he spent his life in Rome in indolence, luxury, and vice. In his reign the fine bronze coin (first brass) of the earlier empire ceased to be issued from the Roman mint, and the mperial coinage was shamefully debased. There was poured into the world an inundation of small copper coins which were washed with silver, and of the base metal styled 'biilon,' all of which were passed as denarii. During his repose at Rome we find him issuing coins with legends of' Felicitas Aug,'' Pax Aug,' 'Laetitia Aug,' and Pax Æterna,' not the Peace with Honour' of our modern politician, but Peace in disgrace.'"

We again quote Gibbon, who says, "Of the nineteen tyrants who started up under the reign of Gallienus, there was not one enjoyed a life of peace or a natural death. As soon as they were invested with the bloody purple, they inspired their adherents with the same fears and ambition which had occasioned their own revolt. Encompassed with domestic conspiracy, military seditions, and civil war, they trembled on the edge of precipices in which, after a longer or shorter term of anxiety, they were invariably lost. These precarious monarchs received, however, such honours as the flattery of their respective armies and provinces could bestow; but their claims, founded on rebellion, could never obtain the sanction of law or history. Italy, Rome, and the senate, constantly adhered to the course of Gallienus, and he alone was considered as the sovereign of the empire." At length Gallienus met the fate common to the wearers of the purple, and Claudius, surnamed Gothicus, succeeded. It was the one ambition of Claudius to restore the empire to its ancient splendour,

but after a reign of two years, "short but glorious," he died at Sirmium, of a fever, having first recommended Aurelian as his successor. Quintillus, the brother of Claudius, was indisposed to acquiesce in this arrangement, and assumed the purple, but after a reign of seventeen days, 'as Gibbon says, "he sunk under the fame and merit of his rival; and, ordering his veins to be opened, prudently withdrew himself from the unequal contest. The reign of Aurelian lasted only four years and about nine months, but every instant of that short period was filled by some memorable achievement. He put an end to the Gothic war, chastised the Germans who invaded Italy, recovered Gaul, Spain, and Britain, out of the hands of Tetricus, and destroyed the proud monarchy which Zenobia had erected in the East on the ruins of the afflicted empire."

While the reins of the empire had been passing from Gallienus to Claudius, and from Claudius to Aurelian, usurpers had been reigning in Gaul and Britain. Posthumus, a general and friend of the emperor Valerian, was in command of an army on the Rhenish portion of Gaul, when Valerian fell captive into the hands of Sapor. He ruled with vigour, while Gallienus was sunk in indolent luxury at Rome, and the legions imposed on him the title of emperor. After a reign of seven years, he was slain, with his son, in a rebellion headed by Laelianus, and Laelianus was quickly slain by Victorinus, and Victorinus and his son were slain at Cologne, it is said by a conspiracy of jealous husbands. Marius, a blacksmith, or armourer, reigned three days, and was slain by a sword of his own manufacture, when Tetricus, a man of senatorial rank, was erected emperor by the instigation of Victoria, the mother of Victorinus. Tetricus reigned four or five years over Gaul, Spain, and Britain, "the slave and sovereign of a licentious army, whom he dreaded, and by whom he was despised." At length Aurelian entered on his career of conquest. Tetricus led his forces to meet the emperor, and a sanguinary battle was fought near Châlons, in Champagne. The army of Tetricus is said to have been cut to pieces almost to a man; hence, probably, the numerous examples of hoards of coins buried about this time, and never reclaimed by their original owners. Tetricus himself, not without suspicion of treachery, fell alive into the hands of the emperor, and afterwards graced the triumph of Aurelian at Rome.

It may be worth our while, before dismissing this subject, to enquire what traces of Roman occupation remain in the neighbourhood where these coins were found. The Throapham find lay about a mile from the line of Roman road that entered Yorkshire at Street-houses, near Thorpe Salvin, and joined the great Ermine Street, near Doncaster. That by Langwith Wood was within a district where both roads and castra of Roman origin are common. In 1786 the remains of two Roman villas were discovered by Major Rooke, about one mile from Mansfield Woodhouse, in a place called the North Fields. In a paper read before the Society of Antiquaries, and reported in the Archæologia, vol. 8, p. 363, Major Rooke describes the pavements of stone cubes, called by the rustics "fairy pavements." These were remains of a hypocaust, and among the ruins were found fifteen small copper

coins; three of Constantine, very perfect, and examples of Claudius, Gothicus, Salonina, and others not specified.

Major Rooke also reports that in 1774 an urn filled with denarii was found on a hill not more than half-a-mile from the villa, and of these he had seen two perfect ones, of Antoninus and Faustina. The brook called Pleasley water, which divides the counties of Derby and Notts., runs in a little valley at the bottom of the field about 300 yards from the villa. The antiquaries of the 18th century were not quite as precise in their descriptions as we could wish; still we are thankful for such notes as Major Rooke, and old Dr. Pegge, of Whittington, have left us. In the Archæologia, vol. 9, p. 193, appears a paper by Major Rooke, entitled, "Observations on the Roman roads and camps in the neighbourhood of Mansfield Woodhouse, Notts." In this he says, no doubt the Romans were well acquainted with that part of Notts., and suggests that Mansfield may have been a Roman station, and that a camp was situated in Pleasley Wood, the embankment of which he describes. This camp was not above seven miles from Chesterfield, in a straight line. He proceeds to say, "I think it will appear from the situations of the Roman Camp I have lately discovered, that from Southwell the Romans had a chain of posts to Mansfield (which probably was a station), to the camp in Pleasley Park, and so to Chesterfield, by which judicious disposition they would have a communication between two great Roman roads— the Foss way, which is not far from Southwell, and the Iknield street," which ran through Chesterfield. He further says, "Several Roman coins have been found at Mansfield, of which I have four now in my possession,❞—namely, one each of Vespasian, Constantinus, Antoninus, and Marcus Aurelius (161-180).

In 1842, in a stone quarry at South Anston, where the workmen were quarrying stone for the new Houses of Parliament, a hoard of silver coins was found; a few of them came into the possession of the late Mr. John Durham, of Worksop. Among these were a coin of Otho (68-69), and a coin of Domitian (81-96), of the date 88 A.D; one of Trajan (98-117) in his second Consulship, of Antoninus Pius (138-161), and of the elder Faustina (141).

From these evidences it is clear that the Roman occupation of this part of Britain extended over a long period, and that a considerable population, both military and civil, was located on the fertile lands of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, and Yorkshire. I have not made any reference to the discoveries at Templeboro', or to the famous find of manumission tablets in the valley of the Rivelin. Nor have I spoken of the coins found some years ago at Hall Car, and near the Cricket road, Sheffield, because all these belong to dates earlier than that which attaches to the concealment of the hoards at Throapham and Langwith. What the state of the Roman Empire was in the middle of the third century of our own era, I have endeavoured to show from the pages of history; and the coins bring us, as it were, into touch with the events, and, through the skill of the die sinker, we have presented to us speaking likenesses of the great men and the little men who wore the purple, and adorned or disgraced the human form.

Mr. Ruskin, in one of his recent lectures at Oxford, remarked : "The character of a coinage is quite conclusive evidence in national history, and there is no great empire in progress but tells its story in beautiful coins." I wonder if this can be said of the modern coinage of the world.

Akermann, in his work on "The Coins of the Romans relating to Britain," says: "With a foresight which has seldom been evinced by modern nations, the Romans celebrated those deeds which have been the admiration of succeeding ages in a manner peculiarly their own. Time and accident might destroy temples and statues upon which the genius and skill of the architect and the sculptor had been lavished, but their coins were calculated to perpetuate their fame to the remotest times. The triumphal arch, defaced and overthrown, exhibits but disjointed portions of its once high-sounding inscription; but numerous coins remain uninjured, bearing sententious legendsJudea Capta,' Victoria Brittanniæ,' Aegypto Capta,' and a multitude of others of almost equal interest. If all our historians were lost to us,' says Gibbon, medals and inscriptions would alone record the travels of Hadrian.' The coins of Romans were in fact their gazettes, which were published in the most distant provinces ; and they are at this day discovered in remote regions where our own records have in all probability never reached. Did they obtain a victory, or reduce a province, coins were issued in vast numbers, upon which the vanquished were depicted with their characteristic arms and costume. Did the Emperor visit the province as pacificator, coins appeared upon which he was represented in a civic habit raising up the prostrate female who represents the country which had won imperial favour. The remission of taxes, the raising of temples to the deities, and public buildings for the people, the forming of public ways, the celebration of games and sacrifices, and the records of traditions when Rome herself was young, are all found in infinite variety on the coins of that once mighty empire."

We

How much more interesting would our modern coinage be if it epitomised the national history. It is not specially exciting to read the legend "Sixpence," "One Shilling," on all the sixpences and shillings, or "One Penny," "Halfpenny," on our copper coins. are always glad to see the superscription of Her Most Gracious Majesty, but it would detract nothing from her dignity if some better attempt were made at a likeness than in depicting a girl of eighteen on the coins of 1885. There have been events in abundance during the present reign that might have been chronicled on the coins, as Her Majesty's escapes from the hand of the assassin, the admission of free corn, the Great Exhibition, the death of the Prince Consort, the illness and recovery of the Prince of Wales, the Assumption of the Imperial title in India, Peace with Honour, Egypt, Ulundi, the Penny and the Parcels Post. These and many more might have been symbolized on the reverses of coins to the advantage of contemporaries, and to the interest and instruction of coming generations. Our coins would thus be changed from soulless counters into a living and speaking history, a chronicle of our country in eternal brass.