of the Lexington Papers.]

[Footnote 621: L'Hermitage, Nov. 15/25. 1695.]

[Footnote 622: L'Hermitage Oct 25/Nov 4 Oct 29/Nov 8 1695.]

[Footnote 623: Ibid. Nov. 5/15 1695.]

[Footnote 624: L'Hermitage, Nov. 15/25 1695; Sir James Forbes to Lady
Russell, Oct. 3. 1695; Lady Russell to Lord Edward Russell; The Postman,
Nov. 1695.]

[Footnote 625: There is a highly curious account of this contest in the
despatches of L'Hermitage.]

[Footnote 626: Postman, Dec. 15. 17. 1696; Vernon to Shrewsbury, Dec.
13. 15.; Narcissus Luttrell's Diary; Burnet, i. 647.; Saint Evremond's
Verses to Hampden.]

[Footnote 627: L'Hermitage, Nov. 13/23. 1695.]

[Footnote 628: I have derived much valuable information on this subject
from a MS. in the British Museum, Lansdowne Collection, No. 801. It
is entitled Brief Memoires relating to the Silver and Gold Coins of
England, with an Account of the Corruption of the Hammered Money, and of
the Reform by the late Grand Coinage at the Tower and the Country Mints,
by Hopton Haynes, Assay Master of the Mint.]

[Footnote 629: Stat. 5 Eliz. c. ii., and 18 Eliz. c. 1]

[Footnote 630: Pepys's Diary, November 23. 1663.]

[Footnote 631: The first writer who noticed the fact that, where good
money and bad money are thown into circulation together, the bad money
drives out the good money, was Aristophanes. He seems to have thought
that the preference which his fellow citizens gave to light coins was to
be attributed to a depraved taste such as led them to entrust men like
Cleon and Hyperbolus with the conduct of great affairs. But, though his
political economy will not bear examination, his verses are excellent:--

pollakis g' emin edoksen e polis peponthenai
tauton es te ton politon tous kalous te kagathous
es te tarkhaion nomisma Kai to kainon khrusion.
oute gar toutoisin ousin ou kekibdeleumenios
alla kallistois apanton, us dokei, nomismaton,
kai monois orthos kopeisi, kai kekodonismenois
en te tois Ellisim kai tois barbarioisi pantahkou
khrometh' ouden, alla toutois tois ponerois khalkiois,
khthes te kai proen kopeisi to kakistu kommati.
ton politon th' ous men ismen eugeneis kai sophronas
andras ontas, kai dikaious, kai kalous te kagathous,
kai traphentas en palaistrais, kai khorois kai mousiki
prouseloumen tois de khalkois, kai ksenois, kai purriais,
kai ponerois kak poneron eis apanta khrometha.]

[Footnote 632: Narci