The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1903-11-19

or them ever struck a gold coin be-
fore that event, and that all of them
struck gold coins Immediately after
wards. There was no abstention from
gold coinage by either the Goths,
the Celts, the Greeks, or the Romans
of-the-Commonwealth; there was no
abstention from gold coinage by the
Merovingian Franks or the Arabians
| OF later ages; there was no lack of
gold mines or of gold river washings
IL. any of the provinces or countries
of the west; there was no want OF
knowledge concerning the manner Of
raising, smelling or stamping gold;
yet we find the strange fact that
wherever the authority OF the Roman
sovereign-pontin was established,
there and then the coinage, sometimes
even the production, of gold at once
stopped"
Julius Caesar" he continues. Ger
ected the coinage of gold into a sac
erdotal prerOgative; this prerogative
was attached to the sovereign and his
successors, not as the emperors. but
as. the high priests Of Rome; it was
enjoyed by every Basueus, whether
pagan or Christian, OF the joint and
eastern empires from the Julian con-
quest of Alexandria to the papal de-
struction of Constantinope; the
pieces bore the rayed efiigies of the
deified Caesars, and some of them the
legend Theos Sebastos.' When en-
peror-Worship was succeeded by Chris
tlanity they bore the effigy of Jesus
Christ. 1t would have been sacrilege,
punishable by torture, death and
anathema for any other prince than
the -pontiff to strike coins
OF gold; 1t would have been sacrilege
10 give currency to any others; hence,
no other Christian prince, not even
the pope Of Rome, nor the sovereign
OF the western or medieval empire
attempted to coin gold while the an
Gent empire survived"
In this connection it may save space
to quote from this chapter the date of
the earliest coinage of gold in Chris
tian Europe after the fall of Constan-
tlnople:
l2z5. Portugal, gold ducats of San
cho l., weighing 54H grains gross.
lzz6. France, pavilion dor of
Louis TX.
1850. France, gold agneIs, or dinars
struck for Louis TX. by Blanche, his
mother.
1852. Florence, republican zecchins
or horins, So grains fine.
1852. Genoa, gold genovinas."
1877. England, pennies or marave-
dis OF Henry ILL.,, 43 grains fine.
1865. Flanders, mantelets dor.
1876. Venice, zecchins or seauins.
So 3-4 grains fine.
1928. Germany, ducats of Louis Nv.
"The evolution of Morse monetary
systems" says Mr.. Del Mar, whether
in Iesta, Saxony, Scandinavia, Frakk-
land, Britain, Russia or Iceland, US
ually proceeded in the following man
ner: First, fish and vadmal (cloth)
money; second, baug, or ring-money;
third, limitations of pagan Roman
coined money; third, Morse pagan
coinage system (partly derived from
the Roman SYSTEM of stycas, seats,
and oras; fifth, intrusion of Moslem
coinage system of dinars, maravedis
and dirhems; sixth, replacement of
the last by Christian Roman coinage
system of S. d. This progression did
not occur simultaneously in the vari-
GUS countries named, because the
Goths used coined money in Britain
before they employed fish-money in
Iceland"
THE first money Of the Norsemen in
Britain was probably fish. as was the
case In Norway and Iceland down to
the close OF the last century (1Sthj.
Slid. hiring, or herring, is still used to
mean money, aud the scad or. scat
corrupted to scott, fish of the same
genus, has the same meaning in North
Britain. C'Scads" is cant term for
money In parts of America today
Ed. Ind Following fish, the money
of the Norsemen in Britain was vad-
NAL, a homesDun cloth. measured by
the arms length: still later they used |
bangs or ring-money. IL was not un-
Oil after all this that they began 10
strike coins"
Islam. like Rome" Mr.. Del Mar
AYERS. was a sacred empire, the SOW
eIeign was betn emperor aud high |
priest. but with this remarkable DIFF |
ference. that whilst the Roman empe-
ror demanded 10 be worshlpped as a