Holograph notes on possible subjects and mottoes for George I's Coronation medal
If {illeg} Astyages did nothing glorious. Of all the kings of the Medes Cyaxeres was the greatest warrior Herodotus tells us that he was much more warlike then his ancestors & that he was the first who reduced the irregular & undisciplined forces of the Medes into discipline & therefore by the testimony of Herodotu{s} he was that king of the Medes of whom Æschylus writes \makes the first conqueror & founder of the Empire {illeg} saying/ {illeg} He that first le{illeg}|d| the army was a Mede. {illeg} Darius according to Daniel was the son of Achsuerus of yt seed of The next the Medes, that is \the son of Cyaxeres/ of the seed royal. He reigned by the laws of the Medes & Persians (Dan 0.8, 12, 15 \& 8.20/) & therefore he reigned over the Medes & Persians as well as over Babylon, & the Medes being set first were uppermost in his reign, as the for in the reign of Cyrus\afterwards/ when ye Persians were uppermost they were set before the Medes Dan Esther 1.3, 14, 18, 19. You may know also by the number of provinces in ye kingdom of Darius that he {re} was king of the Medes & Persians For upon the conquest of Babylon he set over the whole kingdom 120 Princes & afterwards when the Provinces of Egypt Thebais & Ly|y|by|ic|a were added to ye kingdom\by Cambyses/ the whole continued but 127 Provinces Esther 1. {illeg}|{illeg}|. So then its ce Cyaxeres, Darius & Cyrus were the three first kings mentioned by Æschylus the oldest greek author who writes of these things. Herodotus has incerted the order of the kings Astyages & Cyaxeres, \putting Cyaxer Astyages after Cyaxeres/ Xenophon has restored the right order & Daniel has inserted\added/ Darius whom the Greeks {reigned be who} reigned {illeg} {worst} {illeg} or Cyaxares & Cyrus\who after them both, a man of the same age wth Cyrus the grandson of Astyages./
{illeg} Astyages did nothing glorious. \It was/ In his reig the Scy a great body of Scythe|i|ans commanded by Madyes
– – – – Darius into a very great Monarchy. This Monarchy rose up by the fall of Nineveh & about 69 or 70 years after by the fall of Babylon grew to its full greatness excepting that Cambyses enlarged it into Egypt.
The great slaughters wch Cyaxeres made of the nations in erecting this|is| Empire of the Medes
– – – – – wch was about 70 years.
|It is to be conceived therefore – – – befor {sic} Cy{illeg}|r|us as above.|
When Cyrus had conquered Babylon – – – committed a mistake in the time & name of the king.
King Iames {1s}|ye| 1st in token\to signify/ that he would unite the two kingdoms \of England & Scotland/ stiled himself Magna Britanniæ Rex & on the Reverse of his broad pieces & xxs pieces stiled put this Motto Faciam eos in Gentem unam, I will make them one nation Ezek 37. 22. In reference to this inscription & \thereby/ to signify that her Majty has finished a \great & difficult/ work of\an undertaking of/ an 10{illeg}|0| years standing I propose the following Medal.
On the first side her Maties effigies wth the inscription \ANNA. D. G. MAG. BRITANNIÆ. REGINA, or/ ANNA. D. G. MAGNÆ. BRITANNIÆ. F. et. H. REGINA. On the second her Maty \in royal apparel, in the posture of Britannia/ sitting on a Globe in Royal apparel wth a speare in her hand & a shield by her side to represent Britannia\both her self/ wch {illeg}\&/ her mystical body \BRITannia. {sic}/. The sheild to be\to be/ charged wth the new arms of great Britain, In her left hand a Rose & a Thistle grow{s} upon one stalk; the Rose towards her right hand. And \In the prospect {below} two revers (T{he}|a|mesis & Boderia) unite into one common stream/ o|O|ver her head two hands \to signify that this is the work of heaven/ comeing out of |ye| the Heaven\clouds/ {illeg} {illeg} her wth\holding/ a single crown to crown her, |signifying\{to} {signify}/ that this is the work of heaven.| And in the prospect below two rivers (the Tames & Forth \(Tamesis & Boderia)./) uniti|e|ng into one common stream. The motto, FECI. EOS. IN. GENTUM. UNAM. And in the Exergue I. MAII. M{illeg}|D|{C}VII. |/|In this designe the union is represented by the single crowns \in two hands/ by the Rose & Thistle upon one stalk, |by| the \new/ arms of great Britain upon the shield, & |by| the two Rivers |T\h/amesis & Boderia Forth| uniting: for rivers were anciently the emblemes of Kingdom. |By| The Motto, wch also expresses the union{illeg} \|the union is| {refered} \to/ the union to ye Queen as God the minister {illeg}\of heaven in this work/, & although this motto yet/ may at first seem flat, but being compared wth \that on/ the gold coynes of K Iames I, \|& \wth/ the Prophesy of Ezekiel| it/ will \appear/ very significant grave & {illeg} compr comprehensive, \|pious| lively, pious/ & majestick, & perhaps the most apposite of any that can be thought of. A poetical Motto is too light\not so grave/ for such an occasion.
Tw{illeg}|o| weoman hand in hand to represent England & Scotland uni{illeg}|t|es|d||,|{.} sum to represent\signify/ only a {illeg}|fe|deral union, \or only/ such an union a{n}|s| is represent by the Motto \on the money/ of K. Charles I, Floreal concordia regna. After\3/ this\e/ union\4/, England\1/ & Scotland\2/ should be rem{illeg}|e|mbered no more, & therefore in th{i}|e|{s} Medal \they/ should be only glanced at & nat made too conspicuous. However \for variety/ I have caused t{o}|w|o \or two/ draughts of this kind \of weoman/ to be made together wth some\two/ others \draughts/ on the next pages, but prefer that above. The Draughts were made in hast & when the designe in general is resolved upon the Graver will be more exact.
<31v>How Cyrus dethroned Darius\his predecesoor/ Herodotus tells at large excepting that he errs in the name of the king. Cyaxeres according to Herodotus reigned 40 years & his successor 35 & therefore Astyages the grandfather of Cyrus & father of Cyaxeres was dead 75 years before the reign of Cyrus that is about 4 or 5 years before the taking of Nineveh.
How Cyrus after he had dethroned his predecessor made war upon Crasus & ca
As the Mag Zoroaster In the sacred commentary of ye Persian rites, is said to have these words are ascribed to Zoroaster: Deus est accipitris capite. Hei est primus – – inventor But as mankind is naturally prone to folly & superstition & the ancient Egyptians, Syrians & Chaldæans declined from the workshop of the in{illeg} omnipresent invisible Gold whom {illeg}|o| eye hath seen nor can see to worship \finite/ corporeal\{illeg}/ visible\{illeg}/ subsances {sic}, so ye d{illeg} Persians in a short time declined \from the incorruptible {illeg} ordeal unbegotten indivisible Gold\re{illeg} of ye {illeg}// to worship the sun & the fire & at length to worship dead men & images.
{illeg} As the Priests of the Persians were called Ma{g}e \{The}/Magicians\/ to the knowledge of the{illeg} \Persian/ rel{i}gion, was called the Magie{illeg} skill of the Priests in divinations by dreams, extraordinary events & in interpreting drea in the interpretations of dreams & other\& exercise of the Priesthood the{ir} sacred hymn{illeg}s, {illeg} invocations \& {ceremonies}/ used by the Priests in their worship & their/ skill in divinations were {illeg}|c|alled Magic|a| Magic; & \so/ all superstition is Magic, in this {illeg} |[|& all pretending to supernatural operations by ceremonies is|]| & so all so all {sic} superstition in al religions is of the same nature with Magic & deserves to be called by that name.
