together; though of what metal that money was made, and whether it was coined or not, he is filent. Herodotus writeth, That the first that coined filver and gold to buy and fell with, were the Lydians: for filver and gold being the most precious of metals, was fo much valued, that whatever any man wanted, might be purchased for it. Homer indeed tells us, That before the fiege of Troy, men used to change or barter one commodity for another. But it is undeniable, that money was in ufe long before that time: for when Abraham purchased the Cave of Machpelah, and the field in which it was, for a burying-place for his family, he gave 400 fhekels of filver for it; which the facred Text tells us, was current money with the merchant: and this about the year of the World 2088, which was near 700 years before the deftruction of Troy: but tho' the money was current with the merchant, yet I question whether it was coined or not; for it rather appears that it received its value from its weight, than from any stamp that was upon it: their weight of a fhekel being a quarter of an ounce, and the true value of it fifteen-pence of our money, fo that at that rate Abraham paid twenty-five pounds of our English money for that burying-place.

We read likewife of pieces of filver, or filverlings before this, which was current money among the nations at that day: for Abimelech, King of Gerar, having taken Abraham's wife from him, upon a fuppofition that fhe was his fifter; when he came to understand the truth of the matter, not only reftored his wife to him again, but alfo gave him a thoufand pieces of filver, or filverlings; the value of which thoufand pieces (each piece being worth two fhillings and fix-pence) came to one hundred twenty-five pounds, two fhillings and fix-pence; which at that day was a noble prefent for a King to give.

But

But befides Shekels and Silverlings, there was Talents alfo, the weight of which was 750 ounces: a Talent of filver (for there were Talents of gold, as well as filver) contained the value of one hundred eighty feven pounds ten fhillings. Of each of thefe coins there is frequent mention in the holy Scriptures of the Old Teftament: in the New Teftament our Saviour commanded Peter to take up the first fish that came to hand, and when he had opened his mouth, he fhould find therein a piece of money; which he was to take and give the Tax-gatherers for his Mafter and himself: which piece of money was called a Stator, which contained half an ounce of filver, and came to two fhillings. And when the wicked Jews came to enfnare our Saviour, about the lawfulness of paying tribute to Cæfar, he bid them fhew him the tributemoney, and they fhewed him a penny, which is feven-pence half-penny; and that this was money coined and ftamped, appears by our Saviour's afking them, Whofe was the image and fuperfcription? To which they anfwered, Cafar's.

But I need not quote the Scripture to prove that the Jews and Romans used to coin money, the image and fuperfcription giving a value to it, and promoting the currency of it. For filver was coined in Rome, in the year of the world, 3672, which was about 300 years before our Saviour was born into the world. Hiftory tells us, that filver was first of all coined in the Ifle Egina; but in Rome it was ftamped with the imprefs of a chariot and horses. And Janus caufed brafs to be coined with a face on the one fide, and a fhip on the other, in memory of Saturnus, who arrived there in a fhip. Servius Tullus, a king of the Romans, first coined brafs with the image of a fheep and an ox. And in fome places leather cut into pieces, has had the ftamp of authority put into it,

and

and fo it was made to pafs for money. And in New-England, the Indians have money which they call Wampompege, which is of two forts, one white, which they make of the stem or stock of the Periwinckle, which they call Meteauheck, when all the fhell is broken off; and of this fort fix of their finall beads (which they make with holes to ftring the bracelets) are current with the English for a penny. The other fort is black, inclining to blew, which is made of the fhell of a fifh, which they call Poquauhock; and of this fort, three make an Englifh penny. They that live upon the fea-fide generally make of it; and as many make as will ; none being denied the liberty of making of it. This coin or money the Indians fet fuch a value upon, that they bring down all the forts of furs which they take in the country, and fell to the Indians and Englifh too, for this Indian-money; and the currency of it among them, makes them look upon it as a good equivalent for what commodities they have to fell, both the English, Dutch, and French trading to the Indians with it above fix hundred miles North and South from New-England.

Which is fufficient to fhew that the use of money is very ancient, and is made use of by all nations, in trading with each other; and was firft invented as a medium in trade, and an equivalent for all forts of commodities.

CHA P. II.

Of the Mifery and Unhappiness of those that want Money, and are in Debt by borrowing of it. HERE is no wife man that will covet money for itself, but for the ufe that is to be made of it for money itfelf cannot fatisfy and fo we are told by the wifeft of men, Ecclef. v. 10, He that loveth filver, fhall not be fatisfied with filver; nor he that loveth abundance, with increafe. In a

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time of famine, or in a befieged city, a man may have money enough by him, and yet may want a piece of bread: money therefore is prized not for itself, but for its ufe; because, as Solomon alfo fays, Money answers all things and feeing without money a man can have nothing, they muft be very miferable that are without it.

Charity (in this laft and iron age of the world) is grown fo cold, that there is fcarce any thing to be got upon that account: if you are cold, Charity will not warm you; neither, if you are hungry, will it fill your belly. But if you have money, you may do both.

If you have money, you may be a Livery Man, an Affiftant, a Warden, a Master of your Company; but if you want money, you'll never arrive to the honour of a Beadle; for even for fuch an inferior employment, you must make friends, and that cannot be done without bribes, nor can you bribe without money.

If you have money, you may be an honeft man, and a good man; but if you want money, you muft. be a knave by confequence.

Enquire of a rich man among his neighbours,. what he is, meaning only whether he be a fubftantial man, and one that is refponfible; and they will presently tell you, he is a very good man, I will affure you: though at the fame time, with refpect to his morals, he is perhaps as profligate a fellow as any in the whole parish; and one that lives by oppreffing his poor neighbours, and doing all manner of injuftice; his money making amends for all his enormities. I knew a certain Tradefman in London, that had an Uncle, a rich covetous fellow, that was worth many thousands; this poor man addreffed himself to his Uncle to give him an hundred pounds to fet him up; but he knew the worth of money better than to part with it out of his own hands, before death forced

forced it from him: and told him plainly he would give him nothing while he lived, but it may be he might leave him fomething when he died; efpecially if he found him industrious, and that he put himself into a way to live.------The poor man had but little money, and less credit, and how to put himself into a way to live he knew not, his trade being none of the beft for a journeyman: however picking up a little credit at one place, and a little at another, he addreffes himself to the Company he was free of, and would fain have borrowed fifty pounds of them; but truly they would not lend it him, but upon fuch fecurity as he could not procure; in this extremity, having put himself into a fhop, he goes again to his Uncle, to defire him to lend him a little money; telling him he had fet up of his trade, and was got into a fhop; but wanted money to carry on his business, and defired him to lend him a little; his Uncle finding he was getting into a way, out of his great generofity lends him 201. but makes him give him a bond to pay him again in a year's time. The poor man had almost as good have been without his money as to have been under fuch an obligation; but was refolved to keep touch with him, though he lived fo poorly all the time, that he was the fcorn of his neighbours and fellow-tradefmen, who all looked upon him as a poor, and confequently a pitiful fellow: but for all that, though with much ado, he had the good fortune to pay back his Uncle the 20l. within the time limited which his Uncle took fo well, that he told him, Since he took fuch care to keep his word, he would remember him another time; and fo he did;. for having neither wife nor child, when he died, he divided his eftate among his relations, and left this poor kinfman of his, thirty thousand pounds in ready money, and fifteen hundred pounds per ann, And now this poor man, whose poverty made him

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