melting and refining Metals out of Oars, and that by their care and expence great advantage had accrued to the Nation, but that by reason of great difficultys they mett with in the management, and the time having expired, they had not made the hoped for advantage, they therefore did peticon that in some recompence for their charges and expences they might send in two Tunns of Copper Blanks per week into the Mint until they had disposed of Seven hundred Tunns.

Mr. Chambers, hearing of this proposal of Sr Talbot Clerk, represented that He and divers other persons had purchased, at a very dear rate, of the said S" Talbot Clerk and others concerned with him, their Interest in the said Pattent and were afterwards incorporated by K. W. and Q. M. under the name of the Governor and Comp of Copper Mines in England. And that having very much improved the Copper Works, and at the charge of above £20,000 having obtained the knowledge of the making copper fine, and having a greater stock in his hands than could be disposed off, did propose to send 100 Tuns of Copper into the Mint at the rate of 12d. p. pound to be there coined into halfpence and Farthings at such value as should be directed so that the charge of coining the same and other incidents might be born out, and that He might have 12d. p. pound to be paid to Him as fast as the Copper Money should be disposed off.

William Morgan, Gent., and others did, in the year 1708, peticon for the grant for the coining 1,000 Tuns of English Copper, one half into halfpence and the other half into farthings and half-farthings, within the Terme of Seven years, to be of weight and Fineness according to a standard to be agreed to, which standard was to be at least 20 per cent. finer and better Copper than the 700 Tuns formerly coined. And was to be melted, assayed, rolled, cutt, and stamped at the Mint in the Tower, subject to a comptroller to be appointed by her Majesty and at the expence of the undertaker.

By this proposal all the copper halfpence and farthings formerly coined were to be taken in and exchanged by the proposer in Tale for those of the new stamp and so melted

down.

Mr. William Palmes, in the year 1710, did peticon that towards a Recompence for Losses he had sustained, he might have a pattent for the coining 700 tuns of Copper in fourteen years, subject to such agreement, limitations and covenants as were made in the pattent granted for the coining the former 700 Tuns.

The several reports that have been made upon those respective peticons and proposals have all been to the same effect, humbly

setting forth that all the coinages of halfpence and farthings since the year 1672 viz1 in the reign of King Charles the 24, King James the 2a and in the beginning of their late Majestys, King William and Queen Mary, were performed by Commrs who had money imprested from the Exchequer to buy Copper and Tin, and coined at most at 20d. per pound Avoir-depoise, and accounted upon oath to the government for the charge and produce thereof by Tale.

That upon calling in the Tin farthings and halfpence by reason of the complaints made against them, a pattent was granted to S Joseph Herne and others who contracted to Change the same, and to enable them to bear that Charge they were allowed to coine 700 Tunns at 21a. p. pound weight with a remedy of a halfpenny without being accountable to the Government for the Tales, the reason of which allowance ceasing, wee have all along been humbly of opinion that the said pattent was nott to be drawn into president, especially since the money made thereby was light, of bad copper and ill-coined.

We have further humbly reported that it is best to coin the copper money as near as conveniently to the intrinsic value, including the charges of coinage, sett allowances, and incidents, and reckoning the copper att what it would sell for if the new money should be melted down again, for which reason itt ought to be free from such mixtures as diminish the markett price, and that whatever profitt arises by the coinage Her Majesty may have it in Her power to gratifye whom she please therewith. And therefore the former method by Commission and upon acct seemed the more safe, commendable, and advantageous to the Government, especially if the method used in the coinage of gold and silver be observed as near as can be conveniently in the coinage of copper. For thereby the Coinage may come nearer to the Intrinsic value and will be better performed and of better copper, and by a standing commission any Quantity may be coined at any time as the uses of the Nation shall from time to time require for preventing Complaints. For in the times of the peticons and proposals above menconed, there was at first no want and afterwards no considerable want of copper money, and it was thought safest to coin only what was wanted least the coinage of too great a Quantity at once should occasion complaints, as it did actually in parliam' in the coinage of the first Six hundred Tuns of the present copper money.

And further upon the peticon of Mr. Morgan there was a verbal report to, that to call in all the copper money then currant would be a loss of 70 or 80 Thousand pounds to the Governm1 or above, and that a Thousand Tunns were too

much, six or seven hundred Tunns being found sufficient to stock the Nation of England. And to an argum1 of the pets that a new coinage of weightier and better money would cause the old money to be rejected by the people and lose its currancy, it was answered that a great coinage, suppose of 600 or 700 Tuns, might have that effect because alone sufficient for the uses of the Nation, but a small coinage nott sufficient for that purpose was best.

This is the tenour and substance of the Reports which have been made upon the peticons and proposals referred to this Office during Her Majesty's reigne. All which is most humbly submitted to Yr Lo's Great Wisdom.

Mint Office, the

December, 1712.

CRAVEN PEYTON.
IS. NEWTON.
EDWD. PHILIPPS

(Copies of Slaney and Shepherd's reports follow.)

V.

PAPAL MEDALS OF THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY.

INNOCENT VIII. (Giovanni Cybo) 1484-92.

IN Rome scenes of riot followed the death of Sixtus IV., and Roman turbulence, headed by the Colonna, held its saturnalia. For many days the Sacred College was afraid to meet in conclave to elect another Pope; and when it did meet, it met to find itself speedily the subject of a surprise. During the night of August 28th, two of its members, men versed in intrigue, went from cell to cell of the younger cardinals, and so made terms with them that when morning broke, those who slept were awakened with "Come, we have made the Pope." On their enquiring "Whom?" "The Cardinal of Melfi," was the answer. "How ?" "Why, during the night while you were sleeping, we collected the votes, save of you sleepers." Then, they perceiving that those who had played this trick were eighteen or nineteen, and that they were too few themselves to undo what had been done, consented, and Cardinal Cybo was accordingly proclaimed. Such is the narrative of the chronicler.

Giovanni Battista Cybo was a Genoese by birth, but a Greek by extraction. His father was a soldier of some distinction in the wars with Naples, but the son early betook himself to Rome as a churchman, and was there

befriended by a brother of Nicholas V. In 1473 he became Cardinal, and now was chosen Pope in the manner described, assuming the dignity under the name Innocent VIII. His coronation took place September 12th, 1484, in St. Peter's. The letter which our English king, Richard III., wrote to him on the occasion, congratulating him on his elevation to the Apostolic See, and "rejoicing that the Church of God had been provided with so worthy a pastor," has been preserved. It is signed with Richard's name, and was "written from his castle at Nottingham." A king's courtly phrases and nothing more. Innocent's reign lasted nearly eight years, and it had little in it which can interest us of to-day; while, as regards the interests of the great Western Church, it left no more mark on them than his shadow left on the walls of the Vatican. To this it is fair to add that in his later years. the Pope suffered from a constitutional lethargy which would cause him to drop asleep even while transacting business. His continued feuds with the King of Naplesfeuds which he is accused of having fomented from interested motives-followed with ill-grace that prompt appeal which he made to Europe to combine together against the Moslem. Subsequently, his reception at Rome of Zizim, son of Mahomet II., and brother of the reigning Sultan, forms, doubtless, the most conspicuous event in his reign. At Prusias, in Bithynia, the brothers had met in arms, disputing for the throne. Zizim being worsted, rather than submit to Bajazet's fraternal embraces fled for shelter to Rhodes; he preferred to trust himself to the Knights Hospitallers of St. John. Their Grand Master, Peter d'Aubusson, however, delivered him to the King of France, who in turn delivered him to the Pope.

Innocent received the fugitive prince honourably

VOL. VII. THIRD SERIES.

Y