Ludica, Kings of Mercia, and continued to reign until nearly the days of St Edmund, A. D. 855 (for the series of his coins extends over the whole of that period, about a quarter of a century); resigned his crown to his younger brother Ethelbald, and abandoned the world : became a monk at Glastonbury under the name Neotus : retired thence to a solitude in Cornwall ; after leading the life of a hermit there for seven years went to Rome and returned to establish a monastery in the same place : then became the counsellor of his youngest brother Alfred, and departed to a better life shortly before Alfred's troubles. Yet immediately afterwards, another was raised up in one of the kingdoms which nearly thirty years before had owned his sway, to perpetuate his name, Guthrum, the noblest of the pagan sea-kings changed by divine grace into Ethelstan the Christian king, the god-son of Alfred.

Returning from this digression for which I hope the interesting nature of the subject will be admitted as an excuse, I come now to conclude my notice of the coins of Alfred by discussing a few pieces which undoubtedly belong to the last ten years of his reign, and must have been issued contemporaneously with some of those last described.

67. + EL FR ED RN
+ SCLAMVNI

Same types as the last two of the spaces in the legend filled by amulets).

BRITISH MUSEUM,

PL. VII, FIG. 9.

The date of issue of all the above seems to be clearly fixed. On 63 we have, in addition to the name and title of Alfred, the first letters of the name of Plegmund, who became archbishop of Canterbury, A. D. 890. On 64, representing a large class of Al

fred's coins, and on 65, we have the first letters of the name Dorovernia, shewing that they were minted at Canterbury, and connecting them also with one type of the money of archbishop Plegmund. This last, 65, and the two varieties which follow, 66 and 67, together form a connecting link between the coins of Alfred and those which bear the name of St Edmund, martyred king of East-Anglia. These have generally been supposed to be of ecclesiastical origin and to have been minted in the monastery founded in honour of St Edmund at Bury. My opinion, founded on a careful consideration of the evidence of the coins themselves, and the circumstances of the two principal discoveries of them, is that they were neither ecclesiastical nor wholly confined to East-Anglia, but that they were simultaneously minted, chiefly in that but in other parts of England as well, in honour of S. Edmund, after the death of Ethelstan (Guthrum) and before the close of the ninth century. The first of the three here given, connects them with Alfred, and with Canterbury, and it is not unreasonable to suppose that it was at his suggestion, and by his authority, that this coinage was issued.

On these Canterbury coins and on others, which, though blundered, appear to be of the same class, we have the following names of moneyers : BIAERED BRVNED

DVNNINE EĐELYINE BIAERÐ BVRNVALD EADVALD

HEREFRED BIRAVAD CERMAN

ELESTAN HVNFRED BIRIVALD

DIARVALD EĐELSTAN TIRVALD. There is a peculiarity to be observed on the coins which follow, viz. that they have their legends both in obverse and reverse disposed in lines, two, three, or four. With the exception of the coins of earl Sitric, all other coins of the English series, on which the obverse presents a linear legend, have a circular one on the reverse. 68. ÆLFRED+ORSNA FORDA In three lines. BERNVALRMO.

In two lines.

PL. VI, Fig. 1. 69. ELFRED ORSNA FORDA In three lines as before. BERNVALDNO

In two lines, having between them a cross raised on steps.

J. KENYON Esq.

BRITISH MUSEUM.

PL. VI, FIG. 2.

Essays

70. ELFRED ORSNY FORDA In three lines as before.
BERNVALDIO
In two lines.

PL. VI, FIG. 3.
The name of the city of Oxford on these coins is usually read
Orsnaford; Mr Sainthill has suggested that it should be read
Oksnaforda, and I believe he is right.

71. This coin has a blundered legend both on the obverse and the reverse, but the former seems to be intended for ALFRED BERNVALDMO and the latter is evidently intended for ORSNAFORDA. It is, then, a distinct variety of the preceding coins, having the moneyer's name along with that of the king on the obverse and that of the mint on the reverse.

72. On this piece we can just make out the name of Alfred on the obverse, but the rest of the legend is so much blundered as to defy explanation. It is certainly not an Oxford coin, but may take its place here, as holding out to us the expectation of future discoveries of coins from other mints similar to those of Oxford. It will be observed that a part of the obverse legend is common to that of the reverse.

73. EVE RAT. In two lines : between them a cross on a a single step

ME FECIT. In two lines.

J. KENYON Esq.

PL. VI, Fır. 6.

This beautiful half-penny, together with the Oxford penny, 69, and the halfpenny, 72, are connected by their type with some of those of Siefred, discovered along with them at Cuerdale. 74. + AELFRED REX SAXONVM. In four lines.

ELI MO- In two lines.

GARLAND Esa.

PL. VI, Fig. 7.

The weight of this piece is 164; grains. If it were intended for a coin, it must be supposed to be a quarter of the mancus. The mancus of silver should weigh 675 grains, and its quarter 168. grains. 75. +AELFRED REX SAXONVM. In four lines.

EXA

J. KENYON ESQ.

PL. VI, Pig. 8.

76. +AELFRED REX SAXONVM

PIN

BRITISH MUSEUM.

PL. VI, Fig. 9.

77. A fragment of a similar coin.

BRITISH MUSEUM.

PL. VI, Fig. 10.

The title on these coins Rex Saxonum occurring in connection with the names of the mints of Exeter, 75, and Winchester, 76 and 77, seems to confirm my conjecture that the coins which also present this title in Pl. II are of West-Saxon origin. In connexion with these I give two similar coins of Alfred's son and successor Edward minted at Bath.

PL. VI, Figs. 11, 12. THE FORNER IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM, THE LATTER IN MA Cuff'S COLLECTION.