CURIOUS SIGN BOARDS IN SOMERSETSHIRE.

NUMISMATA HELLENICA.

UNDER this title has been published A Catalogue of
Greek Coins, collected by WILLIAM MARTIN LEAKE,
F.R.S., one of the Vice-Presidents of the Royal Society
of Literature.'

This volume adds more to the assistance of the student in the history of Greece, than any other work that has I THINK Mr. Warne's explanation of the Case is preceded it, and proffers much to the numismatist that altered,' Current Notes, p. 13, is the correct one; but may in vain be sought for elsewhere. Its range embraces, I am not satisfied, that my suggestion respecting the as far as found practicable, descriptions and notices of Pall Inn, having been the 'resting-place for the corpse on Greek coins, the productions of all the countries, over its way to its last home,' is not the true origin of the which the monetary art and excellence of Greece exname? I have received a letter offering a very inge-tended; and of every age, from the earliest known spenious solution of the difficulty that considering it still a cimens, to the reign of Gallienus, a space of eight hunvexata questio, and having obtained permission, I take dred years. To render more clearly its value and imthe liberty of transcribingportance, the following retrospective notices are submitted.

Bridport, Feb. 25.

Dear Sir, I have just seen in Willis's Current Notes of this month, your note about the sign of the inn at Yeovil, I am satisfied you are on the wrong scent. The true origin, I doubt not, must have been the adjacent church having been anciently dedicated to St. Mary, this inn was then probably a sort of religious out-house appurtenant, perhaps a refectory, where the jolly priors and monks experimentally studied their anti-dry-rot specifics, and when fuddled, are likely to have irreverently toasted their patroness, as Poll, which word is now corrupted to Pall. In this same way, I really believe, that Pall Mall in the Metropolis, was so named in honour of the two first class Beauties of King Charles's days, of the same name, but commonly distinguished as Poll and Moll. Indeed, I have often wondered that the elegant dandies of the Athenæum, and the United Service, have not yet refined their street nomenclature by altering Pall Mall to The Two Marys.' Pray forgive this an tiquarian speculation.

F. G. FLIGHT.

Although Mr. Flight further states that he considers my notion as rather appalling, I confess that the old adage of―

A man convinced against his will,

Is of the same opinion still;

But from their monuments, scarcely any thing is known of Egypt and Assyria. The kingdom of the Pharaohs was not available to the historical researches of the Greeks, until after its subjugation by the Babylonians and the Persians; nothing even of its history remained, save its monuments, in the time of the Ptolemies, with two or three confused lists of regal names, and but a single date, that rested on a recognized basis. The monuments of Assyria have their interpretation solely in the Old Testament; in like manner, so great has been the destruction of Greek literature by the ravages of barbarism, bigotry and ignorance, that of the immense number of Greek writings anciently collected in the libraries of Egypt, Greece and Italy, but little remains, and scarcely any contemporaneous of the events related. It is, therefore, not at all surprising that when the hydrographical outline of the ancient countries was but very partially known; when the interior was almost a blank on the map; when scarcely any of the supposed sites of celebrated cities had been explored, the most diligent study of the printed authorities clicited little more than a history of Athens, giving rise to a commonly received opinion, that the glory of Greece was of short duration; but geographical knowledge and

somewhat applies to me, and I shall be glad of any monumental evidence, have greatly enlarged, corrected
further ideas on the subject.
DORCHESTER, March 13.

JOHN GARLAND.

* The Editor distinctly disavows all or any such heterodoxical antiquarian notions, and the best apology is that like the burden of Count Bellino's song

-'tis but Fancy's sketch!

Who Mr. Flight's two first class Beauties were, are shrouded in conjecture, but supposing one of the Two Marys,' to have been Mary Davis; it is surprising, that in his anxiety to award such saint-like honours to two of the commonly distinguished' frail sisterhood, he did not, with the same propriety and truth assert Moldavia, one of the principalities now in dispute, was also so named in national respect to the meretricious Moll Davis? The etymological derivation is doubtless equally correct, but, as Willis's Current Notes, have the honour of being extensively known and read by many of the members of the Athenæum and the United Service Clubs, a passing repudiation is sufficient.

and improved the history of Greece; not so much in its
annals, as in the far more important and instructive
details of a great nation: its manners and institutions;
its proficiency in art and science; and particularly in
proving the vast extent of the influence of those quali-
ties, which rendered the Greeks superior to every other
ancient race. We may admit without disparagement
to the Greeks, that excepting the two Persian wars,
there is little in their annals more edifying than in me-
diæval or modern history, but the real glory of Greece is
to be estimated by the extent and duration of its lan-
guage. A collection of Greek coins is sufficient evidence
that the customs or institutions, which were certainly
the cause and consequence of Greek civilization, lasted
more than a thousand years, and extended over countries
and peoples from Spain to India; proving, at the same
time, that the Greeks constantly maintained that innate

MERIT is often an obstacle to fortune and success, and the reason is, it always produces two bad effects-envy and fear. Envy in those who cannot rise to the same degree of perfection; and fear in those who are established, and who dread, that by advancing a man possessed of more abilities or more attainments than them-mersed in the selves, they may be supplanted.

VICISSITUDES OF A NUMISMATIST.

terms of the contract, in rendering the Otho to his enthusiastic friend the Lyonnese collector.

cabinet, and were placed in the golden vase, till stolen by burglars from that establishment, and the whole melted. Many were deemed uniques, and that appreciation appears to be sustained, by few others occurring to repair that loss.

THE BEARD IN THE PULPIT.

FRANCIS the First, disgusted with the prevailing practice in his day, of the clergy retaining their beards, obtained from the Pope, a brief by which all ecclesiastics throughout France were compelled to shave, or pay a large sum for the privilege of appearing with a beard. The bishops and richly beneficed clergy readily paid the prohibitory fine, but the poorer sort, unable to comply, were reduced to the grievous necessity of surrendering this ornament of the chin. The license obtained by compliance with the terms of the papal brief, was, however, secondary to the statute regulations of the Church, which in some instances were directly inhibitory of the bishop himself performing the service, unshaven; and of this fact, Duprat was in his person as a prelate, a remarkable instance.

VAILLANT, a distinguished numismatic writer, was The gold coins that Vaillant so singularly preserved, employed many years in collecting the rarest and most it is stated were of extreme beauty and rarity, were choice coins for the Royal Cabinet of Louis the Four-long religiously revered among the gems of the French teenth. On one occasion having to go to Rome, he embarked with other Frenchmen of character and distinction, at Marseilles, in a vessel belonging to Leghorn, that was captured at sea by an Algerine corsair, on the day following that of his departure. As France was not then at war with the Dey, Vaillant and his companions consoled themselves, the Algerines would soon set them on shore, at liberty, but the corsair captain excused himself by saying he was too far from the French coast, and had no more provisions than were barely sufficient for his immediate return. The Algerines, therefore accosting them with bona pace Francesi," stripped Vaillant and his companions, and carried them to Algiers, where they were treated as slaves. The applications by the French consul for their liberation, were constantly resisted by the Dey's insisting on their detention, by reason of there being eight Algerines, in the king's gallies, whose enlargement he could not obtain. Vaillant after being four months and a half a slave, was permitted to return to France, and twenty gold coins of which he had been despoiled by the corsair, were restored to him. He embarked in a small ship, bound for Marseilles, and after sailing for two days, a Sallee rover was seen advancing towards them, the pirate by means of their oars, baffled every manoeuvre made by the sailing vessel to avoid a rencontre, and was soon within cannon shot. Vaillant, in extreme anxiety for the twenty gold coins, jeopardised by his recent captivity, swallowed them, without the slightest hesitation; but a breeze at the moment springing up, the vessel quickly darted beyond the reach of the pirate, and was driven upon the coast of Catalonia, where it fortunately escaped becoming a total wreck. The captain subsequently entangled himself among the shores and sand-banks of the Rhone, where he lost his anchors, and Vaillant in a boat, with much difficulty, reached the shore. The gold coins, which weighed between four and five ounces, were still within him, and greatly incommoded him; he consulted two physicians as to the proper method of relieving himself of them, but singular as it may appear, they differed in opinion, and Vaillant would not adopt the prescription of either. Abstaining from medicine, nature from time to time gave him relief, and he reached Lyons when he had recovered about half of his treasure. In that city he hastened to a brother antiquary, one of his numismatic associates, related circumstantially his mishaps, not forgetting the manner of his secreting the gold coins. He showed his delighted friend, those he had in possession, and described those he hourly expected. Among these in the womb of time, was an Otho his friend was most desirous of acquiring, and busily engaged in stipulating with Vaillant for its purchase at a stated sum, forgot to render his friend any assistance, till Vaillant complying, was with some difficulty, enabled that day to fulfil the

Duprat, son of the Chancellor of that name, had naturally a beard that excited general admiration; and shortly after his return from the Council of Trent, where he had displayed his eloquence, and distinguished himself by his writings was appointed to the see of Clermont. On Easter-Sunday he appeared at the cathedral to take possession, but found the doors closed. Three dignitaries of the Chapter awaited him at the entrance; one held a razor; another, a pair of scissors; and the third, a book containing the ancient statutes of that church, to which, with his finger, that officer pointed to the wouldbe bishop the words barbis rasis-no beards. In vain did Duprat endeavour to avoid that despoilment, and argued the sinfulness of doing any work on so solemn a day; but inexorably determined, those who held the razor and the scissors resisted his entering, and protruded their weapons in such guise, that the non-inducted bishop, to save his beard, fled in dismay, abandoned the honour, and grief in a few days rendered him for ever insensible to the advantages of a prelatical position, or the vain solicitude created by the unusual elegance of a beard.

Even in old England,' where it is said common sense finds a home, there are found highly reprehensible attempts of the clergy to wear a beard in the pulpit. A correspondent of the Durham Advertiser states, it is reported the clergyman at Cockfield has given so much offence to his parishioners by wearing his beard, that they have discontinued their attendance at church.

There are also the following verses, allusive to the hall, and there left. This greatly added to the clergy-
perpetrators of this disgraceful transaction :-