the Renommee victorieuse formerly stamped on the coins.  Christian monograms and symbols of the Trinity were often intermingled with the initials of the sovereign.  It also became common to combine in a monogram letters thought to be sacred or lucky, such as C, M, S, T, &c.; also to introduce the names of places, which, perhaps, have since disappeared, as well as some particular mark or sign special to each mint.  Some of these are very difficult to understand, and present a number of problems which have yet to be solved (Figs. 256 to 259).  Unfortunately, the names of places on Merovingian coins to the number of about nine hundred, have rarely been studied by coin collectors, expert both as geographers and linguists.  We find, for example, one hundred distinct mints, and, up to the present time, have not been able to determine where the greater number of them were situated.

[Illustration:  Merovingian Gold Coins, Struck by St. Eloy, Moneyer to Dagobert I. (628-638).

Fig. 256.—­Parisinna Ceve Fit..  Head of Dagobert with double diadem of pearls, hair hanging down the back of the neck. Rev., Dagobertvs Rex.  Cross; above, omega; under the arms of the cross, Eligi.

Fig. 257.—­Parissin.  Civ.  Head of Clovis II., with diadem of pearls, hair braided and hanging down the back of the neck. Rev., Chlodovevs Rex.  Cross with anchor; under the arms of the cross, Eligi.

Fig. 258.—­Parisivs Fit.  Head of King. Rev., Eligivs Mone.  Cross; above, omega; under, a ball.

Fig. 259.—­Mon.  Palati.  Head of King. Rev., Scolare.  I. A. Cross with anchor; under the arms of the cross, Eligi. ]

From the time that Clovis became a Christian, he loaded the Church with favours, and it soon possessed considerable revenues, and enjoyed many valuable immunities.  The sons of Clovis contested these privileges; but the Church resisted for a time, though she was eventually obliged to give way to the iron hand of Charles Martel.  In 732 this great military chieftain, after his struggle with Rainfroy, and after his brilliant victories over the Saxons, the Bavarians, the Swiss, and the Saracens, stripped the clergy of their landed possessions, in order to distribute them amongst his Leudes, who by this means he secured as his creatures, and who were, therefore, ever willing and eager to serve him in arms.

On ascending the throne, King Pepin, who wanted to pacify the Church, endeavoured as far as possible to obliterate the recollection of the wrongs of which his father had been guilty towards her; he ordered the dimes and the nones (tenth and ninth denier levied on the value of lands) to be placed to the account of the possessors of each ecclesiastical domain, on their under-taking to repair the buildings (churches, chateaux, abbeys, and presbyteries), and to restore to the owners the properties on which they held mortgages.  The nobles long resented this, and it required the authority and the example of Charlemagne to soothe the contending parties, and to make Church and State act in harmony.