'Madam,
I am glad to fynd an excuse, and force an occasion to renew in your remembrance the name of an old seruant; for when I had no other matter but myself and my fruictlesse oblations, I haue to my greife tryed, that they fall like little riuers into the ocean, without memory, lost, neyther able to add to yow, nor to conteyne themselues in their owne channells, being a naturall and due tribute. Therfore I haue recalled my thoughts upon what your ladyship tooke the latest pleasure, that I saw yow marshalling of antient coynes and medalls, delighting in the records of vertuous tymes, vertuous men, and uertuous actions; so that I haue presumed to enterteyne yow one hower with the enclosed catalogue of such, as in this pilgrimage I haue collected: amongst which there are some so rare, that I suppose the cabinets of Paris, which muster 12000, cannot match them. This curiositye of antiquityes, though by some seuere men censured, hath yet diuers uses besides delight, not to bee contemned: they are a kynd of lay humanitye, teaching and inciting deuotion to morall uertue, as well, and more safely then images among the new Romans, to the contemplation of diuine misteries. They propose a liuely cronologye on the one syde, and a representation of historye, heroicque or greate actions, on the other. They carry in them a shadow of eternitye, and kindle an emulation of glorye, by seeing dead men kept long among the liuing by their famous deedes. This apologye made for the generall, your ladyship will giue mee leaue to say somwhat of particulars. Foure things are required in medalls, truth, antiquitye, bewty, storye, or poetrye: for these, the mettall is one of the best wittnesses. Copper is seldome here a counterfayt, harder to woorke upon, and therfore of most esteeme, especially the unciales, and truest in respect of chardge, where so many were stamped, siluer and gold, untill the fourth hundred year urbis conditi, being scarce and not in use. In antiquityes wee must discerne which were made upon publicque triumph, or for honor, from those which were nummi: these latter are lesse esteemed, though, where they haue numbers, they are an equall light to historye. The others, truly medalls, are most rare in the tymes of the consulls; and I doubt whither there can bee any showed and maynteyned before the first Punicque warr. Roman coynes, as a quadrans, sextans, triens, were small, of brass, and bare only some inscription of Rome, as urbs Romae; or stampe of a beast, a sheepe, cowe, or wolfe. Siluer was first beaten at Rome, anno 484, Fabius Pictor and Quintus Oculeius consulls. 62 yeares after, C. Claudius Nero, and M. Liuius Salinator, stamped gold, all of one weight and name, aurei. Now began medalls of the fame greatnesse, which also passed for their value, though cast abroad, and made upon some occasion. From these tymes consulary monyes remayne to us, though I know not why they are not ualued, as ordinary in their birth, with reuerses of biga and quadriga, conteyning no historye. The tribunes and censors also coyned, but I reckon these all in one order: yet I cannot so bee beaten of, as not to esteeme them, being they haue three of the qualityes required; and therfore, euen of these, I haue bought all I could fynd, as your ladyship will see in the first series, amongst which, I confess, most are nummi. Playne monyes, as appeares by the inscription Roma, and the X, signifing denarius [a full stop here?], quinarius, and sextertius, noted with Q and S, I haue not scene: but among these I fynd many that were not coynes, but pure medalls, because they relate to historye, or the memory of more antient tymes, as the Mercury of Camillus, the combat ouer a virgin, of Sabinus, the altar of Libo, the Diana of Lucretius, the pontificall ornaments of Cæsar, and the Libertas of Brutus. But here also wee must take heede of an error, neyther to condemne all for false, that wee fynd inscribed with elder names or actions, then our rule will iustefye; nor to esteeme them made by those men, or in those tymes, whose memorye they carry; as of the Sabine rapture, Camillus, Lucretia, and such like, long dead before the use of medalls in Rome, or the striking of siluer: but wee must acknowledge them stamped by some of their posteritye, who, upon occasion of new honor, did reuiue the glory of their ancestors, and insinuate their owne: and so wee shall fynd the moderne emperors honor Augustus Cæsar, so the Furii did renue the memory of Camillus; Sabini, of the peace made with the Sabines; Lucretius the confull, of that famous chastetye which gaue Rome her libertye: but leauing these obscure and coniecturall tymes, from Crassus and Pompey downward, medalls begun to bee necessary and usuall, greater then coynes, and for the most part brass. In the beginning of the empire, this honor was allowed to the wiues, daughters, sonnes adopted, and the bloud of the Cæsars, their great freinds and fauorites: as Augustus stamped medalls of Agrippa, and honored Virgill with an imperiall band, fascia, upon his garland, of which I haue one made, as I collect, to cast to the people, in the honor of the prince of poetts. But in the next age, this use was vulgated and depraued, being communicated to their concubines, libertines, and masters of their sordid pleasures: but now was the art at the highest, and infinite numbers were spread in the world; so that, from the Cæsars, it is possible to continew the cronologye, if not the historye, to Paleologus that lost the East empire. Of this moderne kvnd some are hardly found, but I haue gotten the rarest, and all that are here to bee had, as the second title will show; some whereof are not to bee seene in euery shop, as Claudius, father to Nero; Geta killed in his mothers armes; Maximianus Thrax; Qu. Herennius, sonne and colleague of Decius; Gordianus Afer; Posthumus, sett up among the 30 tirants agaynst Galienus; Seuerus, adopted by Galerius, colleague of Constantius Chlorus; Constantine the greate, and his successors, to Focas. But now barbarisme and ignorance preuayled, arts were forgotten or disgraced, all the stamps are brute. Such as they are, I will endeuor to follow the succession as low as I can, because in the West they are not seene.
GREEKE medalls, in my opinion, as they are more antient, so they are bewtifull, full of art, and most misticall in the reuerses, alluding to their sacrifices, religions, or warrs. I haue some rare peices, a dedication for the health or saftye of Hercules, an hierogliphicque of the Heathen diety, a Pallas of Athens, a head in brass, not to bee cutt in many moderne ages, in which I read almost Agamemnon. Most of these are great, braue, and bold figures, semiunciales, of gold and siluer; in breife, cose di cardinale. To the contemplation of their inscriptions I leaue your ladyship, not doubting yow will teach mee, when I returne, more then I can fynd of them without helpe. With this intrusion, I hope at least, yow will not bee displeased; nor, when yow might expect newes, that I talke of their contrarye antiquities; when by them I am putt in mynd, that I am your antient seruant, and will euer profess and maynteyne, that 1 loue and honor yow aboue all weomen; and therfore, at this distance, yow will accept this all possible expression of
Your Ladyships most humble seruant. Constantinople, 9/19 Decemb. 1626.' (Burnett 2020b, pp. 1406-7)
