Of the medals and coins of Scotland

CHAP. I. Of the Med•••••• and Coins of Scotland. (Book 1)

THere are not many Scotch Coins found on the Borders of the Two Kingdoms, notwithstanding the frequent Conflicts that have happen'd there: And one great Reason, why they are more rarely met with than the English, is because (as our Edward the Second observ'd in his (a) 1.1 Speech) the Kings of Scotland used not, in old Time, to pay their Armies, but every Man follow'd at his own Expence, and carry'd his own Provisions. He that wrote the short Catalogue of the King's prefix'd to H. Boethius's History (I speak thus doubtingly of it, because it could not be written by that Historian himself, since it concludes with Queen Mary's two Husbands) affirms roundly that there was no coin'd Mony in the Days of K. Reutha; but that all manner of Payments, of Wages or Prices, were made in Corn or Beef. In the (b) 1.2 History it self this King is said to have order'd the Salaries of Men of different Professions in a certain and critical manner; so as that a Counsellor at Law was to have the Ox's Tongue, the Physician two Ribs out of each of his sides, &c. Bishop (c) 1.3 Lesley indeed reports this matter much otherwise; and assures us that King Reutha coin'd Mony of Leather, Numum ex corio bubulo cudi jussit: But, long after this, the Brigantes are (d) 1.4 said to have been Strangers to the Use of any sort of Coin, their whole Treasure (in aracta∣cus's Reign being in re pecuaria, in their Stocks of Cattle.

* 1.5We are told that (e) 1.6 Brudus King of the Picts, sent a consi∣derable Sum [missa ad eum ingenti pecuniae vi] to the Saxon King Edwine, as his Stipendiary against the Scots: But, whether this was of his own or some foreign Coin, we are not inform'd.

* 1.7'Tis probable enough that some sort of coin'd Money they had, even long before that Time, if their Neighbours the Scots were made acquainted with the Thing as early as K. Donald the First's Days. And so says (f) 1.8 H. Boethius, whose very expressions are mostly transcrib'd by the following Histo∣rians, and are these: Donaldus, primus omnium Scotorum Regum, ut in Nostris Annalibus proditum est memoriae, Nummum Argenteum Aureum{que} signavit, una parte salutiferae Crucis, altera sui ipsius Effigie expressa, quo suscepta a se primum inter Scotos Reges Christianae pietatis memoriam ad posteros propagaret. Enimvero Nostrates antea aut nulla pecunia signata, sed ejus loco Mercibus Commmutationis Causa, aut Romana aut Britan∣nica, in Commerciis utebantur. He proves the latter part of this Story from great Quantities of Roman Money found in Fife and other Parts of the Kingdom; but his Authorities for the rest, which is of chief Concern to us are omitted.

* 1.9I do not much doubt but that these Parts of Great Britain have all along maintain'd their Commerce (and may they ever continue to do so!) in the same Methods and Fashion with those that are more Southern: So that the Value of Money, and the Prices of Goods, have generally been at a par amongst the several Nations which antiently inhabited this Island. An early Instance we have of this in the (g) 1.10 Laws of King Malcolm the Second, wherein a Colpindach (or young Heifer) is valu'd at Thirty Pence; the very same Price which is set on an Ox in some of our (h) 1.11 Saxon Laws, which are supposd to have been Enacted about the same Time.

Notes

• (a) 1.1

  J. Major, Hist. lib. 5. cap. 5.
• (b) 1.2

  H. Boeth. lib. 2. fol. 10. a.
• (c) 1.3

  Hist. Scot. lib. ••. p. 8••.
• (d) 1.4

  H. Boeth. lib. 3. fol. 46. a.
• * 1.5

  Picts.
• (e) 1.6

  H. Boeth. Lib. 10. fol. 194. a.
• * 1.7

  K. Donald.
• (f) 1.8

  Id. Lib. 5. fol. 86. b. Lesl. lib. 2. p. 109. and Buchanan (Lib. 6. p. m. 175.) says Sterling-Money was first coin'd by Donald the Fifth about the middle of the Ninth Century.
• * 1.9

  Malcolm II
• (g) 1.10

  LL. Malc. 2. capp. 3.7, 8.
• (h) 1.11

  Vid. L L. ASS. Edit. Wheloc. p. 95.