ense dazzled _by the glass_ into making
some indiscreet admission, we now change the theme. We had heard that
morning a good story; it was "the case of Coco _versus_ Casanuova," in
which the cleverness of the former rogue had prevailed against his
equally astute rival, who had himself been so obliging as to favour us
with the full particulars thereof, in words like the
following:--"Coco--(you know Coco?")--(Coco and I smiled, for we knew
each other perfectly,)--"Well, he presents himself one day before me in
a shop in the Piazza degli Orefici, bringing in a coin in his hand,
which he throws down carelessly on the counter, asking me what price he
should put upon it? On taking it up, I see '[Greek: Yelion],' which,
with the common type of the Velian Lion, as we all know, _vale poco_;
but, in place of a lion, this had the Athenian _diota_ (or two-eared
_amphora_) upon the field of the reverse. Knowing that the rogue was
eyeing me to see how I liked it, in order that he might charge for it
accordingly, I asked him doubtingly whether _he_ was quite sure it was
genuine, (_entertaining no doubt on that subject myself._) 'Rather an
ingenious question for a profound connossieur like Casanuova, to put to
a poor devil who has the good fortune for once in his life to buy
something good. _You_ have no doubt about it; but if you say you have, I
will take it to Tuzzi, and get his opinion first.' Fearing to lose it if
he did, I confessed that I believed it genuine, and then asked him his
price. 'He had _refused_ fifty; we might have it at seventy dollars.' Of
course I 'was astonished,' and offered 'forty--Would that do?' No!
_honest_ men had but one price; seventy he had said--seventy, he
repeated, was the price.' I bought it, and paid for it and took it home,
and consulted my books, and _there_ there was no such type to be
seen--learned friends who called upon me had never seen its fellow--it
was pronounced an _inedited_ coin, as indeed it turned out afterwards to
be! The annual meeting of our archaeological society was at hand. I
determined to _memorialize_ my coin, and to read my memoir at the
meeting. In three weeks I had finished my labours. There were some
striking conjectures in the paper, which I went early to deliver. We had
waited half an hour for the Prince St Georgio. At last he came. 'Look!'
said I, putting the coin into his hands, (and I said not a word beyond
this.) Mightily pleased he seemed with it _at once_, looking fro