““One morning, as usual, Ahab went for a walk along the quarter-deck. He stopped before the mainmast and glanced at the gold coin nailed there. For the first time, Ahab seemed to be attracted by the strange figures and inscriptions stamped on it. He seemed to ask himself what they could mean. It was sanctified for a terrifying end and the sailors considered it the White Whale's talisman. In its round border it bore the letters "Republica del Ecuador: Quito'. Noble golden coins like that are medals of the sun and tropics.””
![“Many historians regard him [Offa] as the most powerful Anglo-Saxon king before Alfred the Great. In the 780s he extended his power over most of Southern England. One of the most remarkable extantfrom King Offa's reign is a gold coin that is kept in the British Museum. On one side, it carries the…” quote by Jim Al-Khalili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/342/jim-al-khalili-25557_british-museum_many-historians-regard-him-offa-as-the-m_413618.jpg)
