same having been struck de auro purissimo (from the most purified gold), and not distinguished at its proclamation by any particular name or title, the term Denarius belonging exclusively to the silver coinage. What tends as much as any thing to strengthen my opinion, and to identify the Jaku with the Denarius, is, that very little gold was in circulation prior, or indeed for many years subsequent, to the date of the bond.Silver money answered almost all the purposes of traffick; and for heavier payments, the English made use of Bezants, or Byzantines of gold (coins struck at Byzantium) and no other, until this piece of King Henry appeared, and then both were current. This is proved by a record preserved in the Tower, which contains an order from the King to his Treasurer, directing the payment of gold in sheet (in folio) of the weight of eighteen marks, two deniers, of seventy-two bezants of gold, and of seventy-two denarii of the new gold money, to the keepers of his wardrobe, &c. The Florin and Sequin, both mentioned by Da Costa, are entirely out of the question. The Florin, or Florence of gold, so named from the city of Florence, or the legend Florentia (applying to the lily or flowerde-luce on the reverse), Davenzati informs us, was first coined in 1252; and though a few of these might have found their way into England in the course of five years, yet, considering the little intercourse that existed between countries in those days, it is impossible that the coin could have been generally current, or its weight and intrinsic value sufliciently known, so as to pass for a reckoning in any money transaction. Indeed, with the exception of Le Blanc, who describes the florin as current in France several centuries auterior to the date 1252 (I verily believe through vanity, and a wish to attribute to the French nation the earliest coinage of gold money in Europe), I should say that the name does not occur in any historical account, nor in any respect able writer, till towards the reign of Edward III. Another coin, the Chequin, was never current on this side the Adriatic; and the Zecchin, or Sequin, the first Venetian gold, was struck, according to Muratori, Bellini, and Argelati, Italian authors of deserved celebrity in the year1295, during the administration of the Doge Joanne Dandolo ; and not, as Pinkerton informs us, in 1980. The inference, therefore, to be drawn from the preceding observations is simply this: that, no other gold coin being current in England, I had almost said in Europe, at the date of the bond, but the Bezant and the Denarius, the Jaku must be the Jewish name for the one or the other. Now the Bezant, or its Latin appellation, Bisancia, is mentioned in history from the tenth to the fourteenth century, from the reign of Edgar to that of Edward III. inclusive, and never circulated under any other name. The Denarius was at that time a very recent coin, and proclaimed current without any specific name or title. Your Readers, therefore, must determine whether there are not good grounds for asserting that the Jewish Jaku of gold was the golden Denarius of King Henry III. Probably very few of these pieces were coined, and consequently being but little known out of the Metropolis, they have escaped the notice of all our antient Chroniclers. Three only, after a lapse of five centuries, have hitherto been discovered; two of which were lately added, by purchase, to the collection of English coins in the British Museum; and the other, in the most perfect state of preservation, enriches iny cabinet. Yours, &c. J. W. M. Mr. CUMBERLAND'S Account of the first publication of Dr. GOLDSMITH'S "Vicar of Wakefield." Extracted from his " Memoirs, &c. p. 273. 4to. 1806. "I HAVE heard Dr. Johnson relate, with infinite humour, the circumstance of his rescuing Goldsmith from a ridiculous dilemma by the purchasemoney of his Vicar of Wakefield, which he sold, on his behalf, to Dodsley, and, as I think, for the sum of ten pounds only. He had run up a debt with his landlady of some few pounds, and was at his wits' end how to wipe off the score, and keep a roof over his head, except by closing with a very staggering proposal on her part, and taking his creditor to wife, whose charms were very far from alluring, whilst her demands were extremely urgent. In this crisis of his fate he was found by Johnson, in the act of of meditating on the melancholy alternative before him. He shewed Johnson his manuscript of the Vicar of Wakefield, but seemed to be without any plan, or even hope, of raising money upon the disposal of it. When Johnson east his eye upon it, he discovered something that gave him hope; and immediately took it to Dodsley, who paid down the price abovementioned in ready money, and added an eventual condition on its future sale. Johnson described the precautions he took in concealing the amount of the sum he had in hand, which he prudently administered to him by a guinea at a time In the event he paid off the landlady's score, and redeemed the person of his friend from her embraces. Goldsmith had the joy of finding his ingenious work succeed beyond his hopes, and from that time began to place a confidence in the resources of his talents, which thenceforward enabled him to keep his station in society, and cultivate the friendship of many eminent persons, who, whilst they smiled at his eccentricities, esteemed him for his genius and good qualities." Mr. BOSWELL's Account of the first publication of Dr. GOLDSMITH'S "Vicar of Wakefield." Extracted from his "Life of Dr. JoHNSON." Vol. I. p. 379. Svo. 1793. "MRS. Piozzi and Sir John Hawkins have strangely mis-stated the history of Goldsmith's situation, and Johnson's friendly interference, when his novel the Vicar of Wakefield was sold. I shall give it authentically from Johnson's own exact narration: "I received one morning a message from poor Goldsmith that he was in great distress, and, as it was not in his power to come to me, begging that I would come to him as soon as possible. I sent him a guinea, and promised to come to him directly. I accordingly went to him as soon as I was drest, and found that his landlady had arrested him for his rent, at which he was in a violent passion. I perceived that he had already changed my guinea, and had got a bottle of Madeira, and a glass before him. I put the cork into the bottle, desired he would be calm, and began to talk to him of the means by which he might be extricated. He then told me that he had a novel ready for the press, which he produced to me. I looked into it, and saw its merit; told the landlady I should soon return; and having gone to a Bookseller, sold it for sixty pounds. I brought Goldsmith the money, and he discharged his rent, not without rating his landlady in a high tone for having used him so ill." Additions to the above account, from a person intimately acquainted both with GOLDSMITH and JOHNSON. THE Bookseller to whom the copyright of the Vicar of Wakefield was sold was Mr. Newbery in St. Paul's Church-yard, whose name will be seen in the title-pages of all the early editions of the Vicar of Wakefield. But Goldsmith's merit as a writer was not till this time (1763) unknown to the Booksellers; for he had, in 1759, published "An Enquiry into the present State of Polite Learning in Europe, printed for Dods. ley," 12mo. though without his name; and was also concerned in many periodical publications, by which he was well known to the Trade, and frequently boasted that he could earn from three guineas a-day. But the above publication led to a connexion with Newbery, which subsisted between them many years, to their mutual advantage. F the instances which your pious and learned Correspondent R. C has produced to prove that our blessed Saviour used irony in his discour ses, the latter from Mark vii. 9. does not seem to me at least satisfactory, since the verse may be as well, if not better, translated interrogatively, "Do ye well to reject the Commandments of God?" See Whitby on the New Testament. The Arabic and Æthiopic versions so translate it; as may be seen by referring to Walton's Polyglott. I must own I feel some reluc tance in admitting the use of irony by our Lord; in whose mouth, according to the Apostle, was found no deceit or guile. Perhaps R. C. will favour the Readers of your entertaining and instructive Miscellany with some more instances. This is a subject which, as your Correspondent S. B. justly ob serves, isworth further consideration. The CLIst Psalm, translated in your Magazine, p. 9. is certainly Apocryphal. It seems to be a collection of passages taken from the other Psalms, and applied to David. It is found only in the Greek version, and the other antient versions that are derived from it. Athanasius, however, esteems it Canonical, though it is not noticed by Theodoret nor Augustin, nor admitted by Origen into the Hexapla. See Eichorn's Introduction, vol. 11. p. 444. W. W. "One morning I took a ride to Wharton Hall, about two miles to the South of Kirkby, seated on the Eden, and, till the ruin of the family, in a noble park, at present occupied by farmers. This had been from very distant times the residence of the well-known name of the Whartons. The antiquity of their stock is far higher than the Heralds' record. A considerable family flourished here as early as the reign of Edward I. Yet the first which is mentioned in the College is Tho. de Wharton, in the time of Hen. VI. who held the manor from Thomas de Clifford. The house is almost a ruin, and had been very large. In the kitchen are two vast fire-places, and in the hall one 12 feet wide: melancholy testimonies of the former hospitality of the place. I could not avoid inquiring after the celebrated Duke. [Here Mr. Pennant quotes the well-known Lines on Wharton from Pope's Moral Essays, Ep. 1.] I discovered that people now living well remembered the British Clodio, and bear witness to the justice of the description of the profligate part of his character, of his affecting to hunt on Sundays, and shewing in all his actions an equal contempt of the Laws of God and Man." Yours, &c. Mr. URBAN, B-R. Caversham, near N the arrival of the Gentleman's O on even ing, I hastily threw aside my favourite illustrated Isaac Walton, to run over the pages of your entertaining Miscellany. At p. 61, E. Hood observes on the verses p. 566 of your last Volume, it "would have gratified the curious by mentioning the date." I have not only sent the date, but some further particulars. The title-page runs thus: "Gray. 1591. An Alinanacke Rectified for the elevation and Round it a wood-cut border, with emblematical figures, and Queen Elizabeth's arms at the top. At the end: "Imprinted at London by Richard Watkins and James Robertes, 1591." This little Almanack is very perfect and in good condition, and is about 34 inches by 24. In respect of its being the oldest Almanack known, I confess I have my doubts; for I observe in the first edition of Ames, p. 338, that Richard Watkins and James Roberts had a patent, and printed Almanacks as early as 1573. If this little piece will be of the least use to Mr. Dibdin when he brings his much-admired and elegant edition of Ames down to these printers, the loan of it will be much at his service; and it may be left in your care for the inspection of the curious, and to prevent the trouble of taking places in the Reading coach to Caversham, to enquire of the village rustics, “where lives Rusticus?" who knows Rusticus ?" (see p. 502, last vol.) when Mr. Urban may inform them who is the true Mr. URBAN, T RUSTICUS. Jan. 30. HE Year Books mentioned in the following list are now in my possession. As the three former ones are not noticed in Mr. Dibdin's second volume of the "Typographical Antiquities," I forward the list to you, in order that you may, if you think proper, give them a place in your Miscellany. Yours, &c. D. A. Y. |