Page:The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, Volume 9.djvu/35

Rh be made of gold and silver, but not of other metals.

Pursuant to this opinion, halfpence and farthings were anciently made of silver, which is evident from the act of parliament of Henry the fourth, chap. 4, whereby it is enacted as follows: Item, for the great scarcity that is at present within the realm of England of halfpence and farthings of silver, it is ordained and established, that the third part of all the money of silver plate which shall be brought to the bullion, shall be made into halfpence and farthings. This shows that the words halfpence and farthings of lawful money in that statute concerning the passing of pence, is meant a small coin in halfpence and farthings of silver.

This is farther manifest from the statute of the ninth year of Edward the third, chap. 3, which enacts, that no sterling halfpenny or farthing be molten for to make vessels, or any other thing by the goldsmiths, or others, upon forfeiture of the money so molten (or melted).

By another act in this king's reign, black money was not to be current in England. And by an act in the eleventh year of his reign, chap. 5, galley halfpence were not to pass: what kind of coin these were, I do not know; but I presume they were made of base metal. And these acts were no new laws, but farther declarations of the old laws relating to the coin.

Thus the law stands in relation to coin. Nor is there any example to the contrary, except one in Davis's reports, who tells us, that in the time of Tyrone's rebellion, queen Elizabeth ordered money of