various nations, however, other things, in the scarcity of
metal, have been substituted for it, as shells, wood, leather, paper,
or even pasteboard on extraordinary occasions.

_Fluctuation_, unsteadiness; a wavering.

Of what form was money generally made?

The form of money has been more various than its materials; the
ancient Britons used as money, rings or bars of iron or tin; the
Lacedemonians used iron bars quenched with vinegar. The money of most
nations usually bore an impression peculiar to themselves, as, for
instance, the sicle of the Jews was marked with the golden pot of
manna on one side, and Aaron's rod on the other; other coins with the
figures of animals, &c.; in shape, coins were either round, irregular,
or square.

Have the terms Money and Coin the same signification?

Not exactly; by money is understood any matters, such as metal, wood,
leather, glass, horn, paper, fruits, shells, &c., which have currency
as a medium in commerce. Coin is a particular species always made of
metal, and struck off according to a certain process called coining;
it is not of equal antiquity with money. In fact, the very commodities
themselves were the first moneys, that is, were current one for
another by way of exchange. Coin is a piece of metal converted into
money, by the impression of certain marks or figures thereon. The
first coining of silver took place at Rome, two hundred and
sixty-nine, and of gold, two hundred and six years before Christ: the
Romans, after the commonwealth, stamped their coins with the image of
the reigning emperor, which custom was followed by most civilized
nations. Coins were, and are, frequently, struck in commemoration of a
particular event or celebrated person.

When was the use of stamped coin introduced into Britain?

After the arrival of the Romans in that island, the natives imitated
them, coining both gold and silver with the images of their kings
stamped upon them; but the Romans, when they subdued the nation,
suppressed also their coins, and obliged them to use their own; hence
the number of Roman coins found among the relics of antiquity in that
island.

_Suppressed_, put aside, hindered from circulation.

_Relics_, remains.

What does the first coined money in ancient Britain appear to have
been?

Copper money; but after the arrival of the Saxons in England, scarcely
any copper money was used for many centuries, nor did it become common
till