Tbe  coining  of  money  at  Rome  was  not  a  privi-
lege bdonging  eTclnsiTely  to  tbe  state,  bnt  fROft
the  CMns  atill  extant  we  moit  inii!T  that  ereiT
Roman  dtiten  had  the  right  to  have  hit  awn  gold
and  ailTer  coined  in  the  puUie  mint,  and  tmdn  tha
snperintendiftice  of  ita  officera.  The  indiridnal  or
gem  who  bad  their  meta]  coined,  atated  its  nam*
SB  well  as  the  value  at  the  cam.  Thia  waa  a  kind
of  guaiantee  to  the  public,  and  nearly  all  the  coina
oF  the  repablioan  period  coined  by  a  gena  or  an  in-
diridoal  hear  a  n^ik  stating  their  Talue.  Aa  iaog
aa  tbe  republic  henetf  uted  pure  nlver  and  gaiS,
bad  money  doea  not  aeem  to  have  been  eoiaed  by
any  one ;  bnt  when,  in  90  b.  c,  the  trilmne  Linua
Drnsus  anggeated  tha  expediency  of  mixing  tba
lilTBT  which  was  to  be  corned  with  one-eigbth  of
copper,  a  temptation  to  fbigery  was  given  to  tha
people,  and  it  appears  hotcefbrth  to  hare  occurrad
frequently.  As  early  ai  the  year  86  B.  a  forgerj
of  money  was  carried  to  such  an  extent,  that  no
one  waa  ann  whether  the  money  he  poweeaed  waa
genuine  or  hiae,  and  the  praetiv  M.  Morius  Qiali-
dianua  aaw  tbe  neceaaity  of  interfering,  (Cic  A
Q^  iiL  20.)  Ha  ia  said  to  have  diacorasd  a
m<»nB  of  testing  money  and  of  diatingniibing  tha
good  from  ^le  bad  denarii.  (Plin.  H.  N.  uxiiL
46.)  In  what  this  means  oHUBted  ia  not  clear ;  bmt
aome  method  of  examining  silver  coins  most  hav*
been  known  to  tha  Romans  long  beibre  thia  timo,
(Liv.  xxxii.  2.)  Snihi  inflicted  hoTy  jnuisb-
ment  npon  the  coiners  of  fitlae  money  ■  hia  law
icmained  in  fam  during  the  empire,  and  Dot
only  blse  coining,  but  any  crime  connected  with
the  deterioration  of  money,  was  gradually  made  to
nnder  it.     In  the  latest  timea  of  the  empit*


All  Rnnan  mcaey  waa  gencnlly  coined  at  Rome,
hut  in  soma  particular  ouea  the  ninta  of  otW
Italian  towns,  u  in  the  previneea,  were  ated  ;  &■
we  must  remember,  that  during  the  time  of  tba
republic,  subject  countries  and  provinces  were  mt
deprived  of  the  right  of  coining  iheit  own  monn.
