“It is really curious,” observed the vicar, “that well-informed persons should still continue to be deceived with regard to the value of this coin. The absurd notion of its being worth 100l. arose from an advertisement of an old lady, who had lost one, stating it to be one of the only three known in the world, and worth at least 100l. The truth is, I understand from my much valued friend of Tavistock-Street, that these farthings generally fetch from five to twenty shillings each; there are several different types of them, but the only one intended for currency is that bearing the date of 1714; all the others were struck as patterns. This is certainly scarce, in consequence of the death of the Queen taking place before the coinage was finished. The farthing and sixpence of Oliver Cromwell are much more scarce and valuable, the one generally brings 10l. the other as much as 25l. It appears that, after Oliver had stamped his head upon them, he was afraid to issue them as current coins, which accounts for the few which have been handed down to us.”
“You remind me,” said Mr. Seymour, “of a story I lately heard of a crown-piece of Oliver selling at a public auction for as much as two hundred guineas--can it be possible?”
“You labour under a mistake,” answered the vicar; “the coin you allude to is known amongst collectors by the name of the Petition crown of Charles the Second, and it is undoubtedly a most inimitable piece of workmanship. The story is this: Simon, the artist, had been employed by Oliver Cromwell, and at the Restoration, in order to obtain the patronage of Charles, executed the crown-piece in question. It resembles in its general appearance the common milled five-shilling piece, but on the edging there are two lines of letters beautifully executed. The words are ‘Thomas Simon most humbly prays your Majesty to compare this his tryal piece with the Dutch, and if more truly drawn and embossed, more gracefully ordered, and more accurately engraven, to relieve him.’”
“And what said Charles to it?” enquired Mrs. Seymour.
“Charles,” said the vicar, “took no notice of him, on account of his having worked for Cromwell, and the poor artist shortly afterwards died of a broken heart.”
“Well,” exclaimed Mr. Seymour, “his manes must be surely appeased, if his crowns now sell for two hundred guineas each.”
The party, soon after this exhibition, quitted the vicarage, highly gratified, and returned to the Lodge, where, after the usual ceremonies at the toilet, they sat down to dinner; in the enjoyment of which we will now leave them, and put an end to the present chapter.
[7]. Gravity, or the tendency of a body to approach the earth, is proportioned to the square of the distance; that is, if a body be attracted by the earth at a certain distance, with a certain force, and be afterwards removed to twice the distance, it will now be attracted, not half us much, but only one-fourth as much as it was before; and if it be removed to three times the first distance, it will be attracted not one-third as much, but one-ninth, as much as before; four being the square of two, and nine the square of three.