W. C a r e w H a z l i t t Coinage of the European Continent

Descriptive O^ltl^ne of the Coinages of Europe 523
Portugal was, nominally at least, under Spanish control, and
with the almost unique tostao and ^ tostao issued at home in
the name of a so-called provisional Government. Antonio
himself, among other types, had a silver cruzado, exhibiting
on either side of the shield a falcon, and probably
= 1000
reis ;
it was the precursor of the more recent milrei and
coroa. But he also, with the cognisance of the French
Government, struck in France in 1582-83 tostoes following
the pattern of the franc d* argent of Henri III., and awakened
by these means remonstrances from that prince's advisers,
who insisted on the coinage being limited to copper, and
being prohibited within French territory. These pieces,
which really enter into the class of money of necessity, swell
the volume of introuvables, in which this political crisis is
so wealthy.
The Spanish rulers, Philip II.
and III. (of Spain), struck
a large variety of coins, chiefly of the customary and familiar
types, except the double and quadruple cruzados of the
former, which are among the rarities and desiderata in this
section : the obverse presents a shield flanked by LB for
the mint (Lisbon) and moneyer, and iiii. or ii. for the value ;
the higher denomination is engraved by Fernandes from a
specimen weighing 246^ gr., in the cabinet of the then
Infante Dom Luiz.
The rarity of the Hispano-Portuguese money of Philip
II., III., and IV. (1580-1640) is susceptible of the explanation
that the Spanish sovereignty over the adjacent state was
never fully consummated, and that, while some of the outlying
portions of the kingdom never recognised the authority
of the usurpers, there was always a Portuguese party at
home and it is to it and the
; provisional executive which it
organised and supported that we owe the tostao, ^ tostao, and
500 reis in gold, bearing the legend Gvbernatores. Et. Defens.
Reg. D. Po. The insecure and more or less titular nature of
the foreign control helps to render more intelligible the
apparent facility with which the distasteful yoke was cast off
under the leadership of the Duke of Braganza, descended
from Emmanuel (1495-1521).