Dictionary of Phrase and Fable—A

Angel

Half a sovereign in gold; so called because, at one time, it bore the figure of the archangel Michael slaying the dragon. When the Rev. Mr. Patten, vicar of Whitstable, was dying, the Archbishop of Canterbury sent him #10. The wit said, “Tell his Grace that now I am sure he is a man of God, for I have seen his angels.”

Angel (a public-house sign), in compliment to Richard II, who placed an angel above his shield, holding it up in his hands.

To write like an angel
(French). The angel referred to was Angelo Vergece [Vergezio], a Cretan of the sixteenth century. He was employed both by Henri II and by François I, and was noted for his caligraphy. (Didot: Nouvelle Biographie Universelle [1852–66]).

Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
Angel of the Schools.
Ange de Grève
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