372

THE DECLINE AND FALL

chap. The royal prerogative of coining money,

.which had been exercised near three hundred

Martin v. years by the senate, was first resumed by Mar-a.d. H 17 . ti n the fifth, h and his image and superscriptionintroduce the series of the papal medals. OfEugenmi jjj s two immediate successors, Eugenius the

jy 11IS IVtU llllillcUldlC oUtbC

a. d. 1431 . fourth was the last pope

expelled by the

tu-

Nichoia»v. mults of the Roman people/ and Nicholas theA ' D ' - fifth, the last who was importuned by the pre-La«trevolt sence of a Roman emperor.* I. The conflicta^d.°i 434, of Eugenius with the fathers of Basil , and theOctober 26 . we ight or apprehension of a new excise, em-boldened and provoked the Romans to usurpthe temporal government of the city. Theyrose in arms, selected seven governors of the re-public, and a constable of the capitol; impri-soned the pope’s nephew; besieged his person

and Basil , have been written witli a tolerable degree of candour, in-dustry, and elegance, by a protestant minister, M. Lenfant, who re-tired from Fiance to Berlin. They form six volumes in quarto ;and as Basil is the worst, so Constance is the best part of the col-lection.

* See the twenty-seventh dissertation of the Antiquities of Mura-tori, and the first Instruction of the Science des Medailles of the PoreJoubert and the Baron de la Bastie. TlieMedallie history of MartinV. and his successors has been composed by two monks, Moulinet aFrenchman, and Bonani an Italian : but I understand, that the firstpart of the series is restored from more recent coins.

I Besides the Lives of Eugenins IV. (Rerum Italic, tom iii, p. i,p. 869, and tom. xxv, p. 256) the Diaries of Paul Petroni and StephenInfessura are the best original evidence for the revolt of the Romansagainst Eugenius IV . The former, who lived at the time, and on thespot, speaks the language of a citizen, equally afraid of priestly andpopular tyranny

II The coronation of Frederic III. is described by Lenfant (Concilede Basle, tom ii, p. 276-288), from £neas Sylvius, a spectator andactor in that splendid scene.