The undisputed accession of the House of Stuart to the English throne and the peaceable reign of its first king limit the subjects for medallic illustration. The medals of the reign of James are purely personal, with few exceptions, such as the Gunpowder Plot (No. 45), and the alliance between England, France, and the United Provinces, for the protection of the latter against the power of Spain (Nos. 46—47). The rest present us with several portraits of the King and of various members of the royal family, and of leading personages, of whom are the Marquis (afterwards Duke) of Buckingham, Richard Sackville Earl of Dorset, Sir Thomas Bodley, founder of the public library at Oxford, and others. There is also a series of royal badges, a species of memorial which becomes much more general in the next reign. These are followed by a selection of engraved portraits of royal personages and others by Simon Passe, who excelled in this style of work. There are no medals which indicate the early contest between Charles I. and the Parliament, those which are issued before 1640 referring for the most part to the royal family and to eminent persons, with the exception of the Scottish coronation medals of 1633 and those commemorating the settlement of the Dutch Fishery question in 1636. After the Declaration of Parliament in 1642, when the country was divided into two parties, a new era in its medallic history begins, and medals are struck in extraordinary numbers. This continues during the period of the Civil War, and, besides medals which record the successes of both parties, there is a large number of Royalist and Parliamentarian badges, with portraits of the generals and statesmen on both sides. Fortunately, England at this time produced several artists, whose works are fitted to take the first rank in the national series. These artists were Thomas and Abraham Simon, who worked for the Parliament, and Thomas Rawlins, who was in the service of the King. The series of this reign ends with several examples of the badges worn by those who sympathised with the royal cause and with a few medals recording the King's death. With the period of the Commonwealth the issue of royalist badges ceases, and for the next ten years the medals are of the parliamentarian class. These consist of portrait medals of the Protector, of his family, and of the leading statesmen and generals, and also of military and naval rewards, for the most part executed by the two Simons. The Dunbar medal (Nos. 149—150), which was issued for distribution among those engaged in that battle, is the first authorized military decoration known. It was struck by order of the Parliament immediately after the engagement. Naval medals were also issued on several occasions, the most important being those for Blake's victories over the Dutch in 1653 (Nos. 155—158). The Commonwealth series closes with several medals, English and Dutch, commemorating the