'Winchilsea’s original manuscript was first written in 1702 (f.ix), and he must have given it to Haym’s printer in 1719. It duly appeared in the Tesoro Britannico. Winchilsea was so appalled at what had been done to his text by Haym’s printer (he generously exonerated Haym, as can be seen below) that he made a new copy in the same year (f.xvi). It survives, as Bodleian Library, MS Arch. Num XI.9. It is not clear if he did this as a matter of record, or with the intention of republishing. He included a new ‘advertisement’ (ff.xix–xx), which relates the story.
f.ix A DESCRIPTION OF MY ATHENIAN MEDALS WITH OBSERVATIONS VPON THEM 1702
[Illustrated title page, decorated with many coins]
ff.x–xv: blank
f.xvi: Essays of Conjectural Discourses By the Earl Winchilsea Concerning Some of his Athenian Medals With An Appendix Relating to a few of other Places and Persons Which \are/ the most rare and Singular In his Collection. Anno 1719
ff.xix–xx:
An Advertisement
When Signr Nicolino Haym saw my Medals and desired to have some of them in his Tesauro Britannico, to which I was a subscriber, I shew’d him what Observations I had at my leasure hours made upon them, and he much press’d me to let them go with my Medalls into his Book, I wou’d have declined it, but yeilded at last to his importunities. He promised me that he wou’d faithfully Translate what I had written into Italian and to Print it also in English as I had written it. Except that what I had written upon some particular Medals, being very long we agreed ///////////////// where there were various conjectures upon one some particular Medals, part should be left out, but not otherwise to alter anything.
After a while Sigr Haym shew’d me his Italian Translation which I found very well perform’d, except that in a very few places \he/ had mistaken me. But when afterwards he shew’d me the Transcript of my English Copy for the Presse, I was not a little surpriz’d, for it was alter’d and /////// extreamly mangled. It seems the Person he employed in translating his Italian into English, had taken upon him to alter my Copy, partly to make it agree with \ his own Stile & wth/ the Italian translation even where the Sigr was mistaken, and in some places, he makes me Contradict my self and in others positively to affirm things where I only expresse myself doubtfully, my design and practice being rarely or never to Affirm. And in many places, he has putt in pedantick words & Phrases which I have not, but always endeavour to avoid them. I did as much as I cou’d to correct the Transcribers Copy, and afterwards the proof Sheets in Print, and yett it’s mangled a great deal in the Publish’d Copy, to which I have been forc’d to add a large Errata \but which does not take in all the remaining faults that are very numerous./
These things occasion my transcribing my Manuscript (which I had given Sigr Haym to Translate) \into this Book/ that it may some where appear, that although I do not pique my self upon being a good Author, I am not altogether so bad a one, as I must seem to be in that Work.
While I think my self unfortunate in having faln into the hands of Sigr Haym’s (or rather Mr Tonson’s) Supervisor of the Presse, (who I am told is a Learned Man & I believe it, tho’ out of his Element in this sort of Study) I do not however lay any blame upon the Sigr Haym him self who is as much grieved as I am at these blunders. He is /////////////////// , a very ingeni\o/us Man, and indefatigable, in his Studies, by which he has made him self an Excellent Antiquary, and this Nation as well as his Particular Friends are much obliged to him for his very agreeable and usefull Labours. But it is impossible for him who has such a vast number of Medals to write upon, and Engrave, it is I say impossible for him to translate \into English/ him self all that he writes (though he is very capable of it) nor can he have leasure to correct the Translations, or Transcripts which Mr Tonsons Agent performs. The Sigr has done his own part well and we must be contented with the rest as we can get it.
In this Book I have exactly transcribed my Manuscript which (as I sayd) I furnish’d the Sigr with; But I have added in several places, conjectures which I had not put in his Copy, because I would not make it too long. but here to distinguish them from the rest a hand points to the beginning of such additions, and red lines in the margent shew how far they go.
I have added several Medals which are come to my hands since his Book was printed but they are distinguished by a red //////////// Figure written within a red circle, thus (1) for the first of them &c. not disturbing the Order of the Medals he has engraved.
I have placed at \the head of/ their Descriptions the Medals \generally/ as he has engraved them. [He left spaces for them, but never added them.] But I have Dessign’d many of them again where he has not made them so like the Medals as I think they shou’d be; for it is impossible for him who has several thousans of Medals to engrave, to Dessign every medal with the utmost care and Study, that would take up a Man’s whole \Life./ He can both Dessign and engrave admirably well; but if he gives us \perfect Dessigns of the best Medals and a/ general idea of them especially of those which are the most common it is all we have to Expect. Besides he had not long practis’d graving when he began his noble work, but he is wonderfully improved by his practice since, as will appear in the next Volume, for he has a Genius capable of whatever he will undertake. But here I shall \end/ this long Advertisement, wch I thought necessary for my own Vindication.
ff.1–108 [The text of Winchilsea’s essay, including some omitted passages and some additional material]
[Then follows some supplementary material:]
ff.109–112: An Addition to my Athenian Medals Procur’d since the former part of this Book was finished. I begin with the Brasse [8 coins described]
f.113: Here follow some Duplicates but fairer than those in the Book [brief descriptions of 11 coins]
f.114: blank
f. 115-20: Athenian Tetradrachmae silver not in the former Book [full descriptions of 15 coins, with weights]
f.121: NB Beside the Tetradrachmae already Discribed, I have from Dr Sherard a silver Athenian obolus, Minerva’s head, R struck with a square Die – ΑΘ. An owl. This weighs 11 1/6 grains – the weight of the heaviest Obolus. Its Drachma would weigh 67 grs & its Tetradrachma 268 grains, the heaviest Athenian tetradrachma – and this is the only perfect Obolus that I have yet seen
Of Athens AE very small – Minervas head. R. The prow of a Galley. in the Exergue. ΑΘ:
Nov. 26 1724 Mr Ainsworth made me a present of the following Athenian Tetradrachma – AR – [described and weight]
Dec 9th 1725. This day Mr Holmes (at the Tower) made me a present of the following small AE Athenian Medals [8 listed]
After several blank pages, come a series 25 sets of pencil drawings made up in the form of plates. It looks as if these were drawn by Winchilsea himself (cf. ‘I have dessigned’, above), and they enable a considerable number of coins to be definitely associated with Winchilsea’s collection:
11 of Greek coins (ff.143–63)
1 of British (f.165)
12 (pp. 167–91) + 1 unfinished (f.193) of Roman coins
1 unfinished of Greek coins (Athens) (f.201)
The drawings are annotated with the metal, and, for the precious metal coins, the weight. There are also a number of monograms whose significant is not clear. One of the coins (an aureus of Augustus) has the small eagle countermark of the D’Este family (p. 167).
ff.228–9: printed cut outs of counters, roughly pasted in.'
(Burnett 2020b, pp. 1576-7)
