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Most sorts of diversion in men, children, and other animals, are in imitation of fighting.

Augustus meeting an ass with a lucky name, foretold himself good fortune. I meet many asses, but none of them have lucky names.

If a man makes me keep my distance, the comfort is he keeps his at the same time.

Who can deny that all men are violent lovers of truth, when we see them so positive in their errours, which they will maintain out of their zeal to truth, although they contradict themselves every day of their lives?

That was excellently observed, say I, when I read a passage in an author, where his opinion agrees with mine. When we differ, there I pronounce him to bé mistaken.

Very few men, properly speaking, live at present, but are providing to live another time.

As universal a practice as lying is, and as easy a one as it seems, I do not remember to have heard three good lies in all my conversation, even from those who were most celebrated in that faculty.

VOL. V.

Нн

AN

AN

ESSAY*

ON

NATIONAL REWARDS;

BEING A PROPOSAL FOR BESTOWING THEM ON A PLAN MORE DURABLE AND RESPECTABLE.

Cuncti adsint, meritæque expectent præmia palmæ. VIRG.

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THERE is no maxim in politicks more indisputable, than that a nation should have many honours to reserve for those who do national services. This raises emulation, cherishes publick merit, and inspires every one with an ambition which promotes the good of his country. The less expensive these honours are to the publick, the more still do they turn to its advantage.

The Romans abounded with these little honorary rewards, that, without conferring wealth and riches, gave only place and distinction to the person who received them. An oaken garland, to be worn on

*This Essay was first printed in the Guardian, No. 96,

festivals

festivals and publick ceremonies, was the glorious recompense of one who had covered a citizen in battle. A soldier would not only venture his life for a mural crown, but think the most hazardous enterprise sufficiently repaid by so noble a donation.

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But, among all honorary rewards which are neither dangerous nor detrimental to the donor, I remember none so remarkable as the titles which are bestowed by the emperor of China. "These "are never given to any subject," says monsieur le Comte,"till the subject is dead. If he has pleased his emperor to the last, he is called in "all publick memorials by the title which the emperor confers on him after his death, and his "children take their ranks accordingly." This keeps the ambitious subject in a perpetual dependence, making him always vigilant and active, and in every thing conformable to the will of his sovereign.

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There are no honorary rewards among us, which are more esteemed by the persons who receive them, and are cheaper to the prince, than the giving of medals. But there is something in the modern manner of celebrating a great action in medals, which makes such a reward much less valuable than it was among the Romans. There is generally but one coin stamped upon the occasion, which is made a present to the person who is celebrated on it. By this means the whole fame is in his own custody. The applause that is bestowed upon him is too much limited and confined. He is in possession of an honour which the world perhaps knows nothing of. He may be a great man in his own family; his wife and children may see the monument of an exploit, which the publick

ни 2

The Romans took a particular. Their

in a little time is a stranger to. quite different method in this medals were their current money. When an action deserved to be recorded on a coin, it was stamped perhaps upon a hundred thousand pieces of money, like our shillings or Halfpence, which were issued out of the mint, and became current. This method published every noble action to advantage, and in a short space of time spread through the whole Roman empire. The Romans were so careful to preserve the memory of great events upon their coins, that when any particular piece of money grew very scarce, it was often recoined by a succeeding emperor, many years after the death of the emperor to whose honour it was first struck.

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A friend of mine drew up a project of this kind during the late ministry, which would then have been put in execution, had it not, been too busy a time for thoughts of that nature. As this project has been very much talked of by the gentleman abovementioned to men of the greatest genius as well as quality, I am informed there is now a design on foot for executing the proposal which was then made, and that we shall have several farthings and halfpence charged on the reverse with many of the glorious particulars of her majesty's reign. This is one of those arts of peace which may very well deserve to be cultivated, and which may be of great use to posterity.

As I have in my possession the сору of the paper abovementioned, which was delivered to the late lord treasurer* I shall here give the publick a sight of

* Earl of Godolphin; not Oxford, as Mr. Granger supposes the preface to his Biographical History.

in

it; for I do not question but that the curious part of my readers will be very well pleased to see so much matter, and so many useful hints upon this subject, laid together in so clear and concise a

manner :

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"The English have not been so careful as other polite nations to preserve the memory of their "C great actions and events on medals. Their sub"jects are few, their mottoes and devices mean, "and the coins themselves not numerous enough "to spread among the people, or descend to pos❝terity.

"The French have outdone us in these parti"culars, and by the establishment of a society for "the invention of proper inscriptions and designs, "have the whole history of their present king in a "regular series of medals.

They have failed, as well as the English, in "coining so small a number of each kind, and "those of such costly metals that each species may "be lost in a few ages, and is at present no where "to be met with but in the cabinets of the curious.

"The ancient Romans took the only effectual "method to disperse and preserve their medals, by making them their current money.

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Every thing glorious or useful, as well in peace as war, gave occasion to a different coin. "only an expedition, victory, or triumph, but "the exercise of a solemn devotion, the remission "of a duty or tax, a new temple, seaport, or highway, were transmitted to posterity after this

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66 manner.

"The greatest variety of devices are on their copper money, which have most of the designs.

that

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