Gale, Walton, and Grabe, been preserved. Dr. Grabe, who was deeply skilled in labours of this kind, made his extract about the year 1703. This venerable MS. is in quarto, in beautiful uncial or square characters, (what we commonly term capitals), each line consisting in general of 27, rarely of 30 letters. Like all the most ancient MSS. it has no distinction of chapters, verses, or words; and Dr. H. supposes it to have been written about the end of the fourth, or beginning of the fifth century. It seldom agrees with any MS. or printed edition, the Coder Alexandrinus excepted; and often exhibits various readings pe culiar to itself. Certain consonants are frequently interchanged, especially those of the same organ; and the vowels are subjected to the same variation. Even the vowels and dipthongs are frequently permuted. As this was a fruitful source of mis takes in copiers, and errors in translators, and as a proper exa mination of the subject may lead to the detection of many cor ruptions in the text of ancient authors, and to a satisfactory method of accounting for the origin of many of the errors into which transcribers have fallen: we think our readers who have not the opportunity of examining such ancient MSS. will be pleased with a few specimens of these permutations, which may sometimes serve as a clue to direct them in their Biblical researches.

B and M are interchanged in Gen, xliii. 11. Tego is written for Tego. and K as yonyos for xuwyos. x. 9; and é contra paλex for Φαλεγ. xi. 16.—r and N as συγκόψουσιν fot συγκόψουσιν. κxxiv. 30. r and X as δραχματα for δραγματα. xxxvii. 6.—Δ and A as Κελμωναιους for Κεδμων. Χν. 19; and é contra Aidwμ for Aλaμ xxxvi. 2.—▲ and N as Neg for Need. x. 9. 4 and T as Arar for Arad. x. 10, &c.-Z and C as Xarad for Χαζαδ. xxii. 22 ; and μακαρίζεσιν for μακαρισούσιν. XXX. 13.—and x Oxolax for Oxfal xxvi. 26. and T añosent for añosçaqlı xvi. 9. K and X, as Kaλax for Xaλax. X. 11. and ox for oux xiii. 9.-II and 33 υφεξήρηται for υπεξης. xxxix. g. Sometimes consonants are added to the end of words apparently for the sake of euphony; as Xabaλ for Xabas xiv. 15.—yuvaav for yuvaina. xi. 13.-Eviλar for Euïda. x. 7.-M is generally retained in the different flexions of the verb ubarw, in the future λημψομαι, λημψονται. Χίν. 23, 24, &c. and in the aorist, λημφθητο. xviii. 4. And also in the word nupons. xix. 17. This also is common in the Codex Vaticanus. Sometimes a double consonant is expressed by a single one, and vice versa. e. g. 'evernnovтa, for evve›nx. v. 9. and Σενναας, for Σενκας Χ. 10. ψελία for ψελλια. xxiv. 47. &c.

The VOWELS are often interchanged, e. g. A and E, as Toganovra for Todag. vii. 4.—avasn for ave5n. xxi. 14. A and H, as avewžev for nyewžev. viii. 6. paxaign for x. xxvii. 40.-E and H, as e↓ for mua.

XXV. 29. nvnvaσon for sum. xxviii. 12.-H and I, as KiTio for Kriol. X. 4, t for A. xlix. 11-H and Y, as τηχην for πηχυν. vi. 17.-Penua for Peupla. xxii. 24.-0 and r as diveupa for diogopa. vi. 17.-0 and N, as PowCol for Powwe. x. 11.

The Vowels are often interchanged with the Dipthongs, e.g. AI and Ε, 29 απελεύσεσθαι for απελεύσεσθε. xix. 2. ανενεγκαι του ανενεγκε, xxii. 2, παιδιού

P2

παιδιου του πεδίου. Εχχν. 27. κατάξεται for κατάξετε. xiii. 38.1 and A, as yngel for yngx. xv. 15.-El and E, as EVEXEV for evexey. xviii. 5.—EI and H, as sidey for nde. xviii. 19.-El and I, as magise for magisne. xviii. 8. yorx:xiα for You. xviii. 11. ouds for oudes: xxxi. 41. κρείον for ngion: xv. 9, &c.-01 and H, as Aubois for dans. xxxi. 50-or and H, as Tλngns for mangous. xxvii. 27; and lastly, or and , as xxragovOUS for xxTgwμerous. xii. 13. Permutations of this kind are very frequent in the most ancient MSS. and in inscriptions on stones, pillars, coins, &c.

The Dr.'s next authority in order of time and merit, is the famous Codex VATICANUS, written also in uncial characters, without distinction of chapters, verses, &c. and originally without accents; but these have been added by a later hand, by which also the MS. has been corrupted in several places, to make it accord with the more modern copies. It seems to have been corrected and altered for the purpose of being printed; but the additions and expulsions are fortunately such as may be readily discerned from the original text. Codicem, ad typos destinatum, correxerunt Editores; ita tamen ut id, quicquid ipsi repudiaverunt, non minus in manifesto relinqueretur, quam alterum id, quod prætulerunt, Præfat. p. 13. This MS. is supposed to have been written in the fifth or sixth century.

The Codex ALEXANDRINUS, presented on the part of Cyril Lucaris, formerly patriarch of Alexandria, to King Charles I. by the hand of Sir Thomas Roe, then ambassador at Constantinople, and now deposited in the British Museum, occupies the third place in the order of Dr. H.'s MSS. in uncial characters. With the MS. Cyril, who was then patriarch of Constantinople, sent the following note, written by his own hand.

Liber iste Scriptura Sacra Novi et Veteris Testamenti, prout ex Traditione habemus, est scriptus manu Thecla nobilis famine Egyptia ante mile (pro Mille) et trecentos Annos circiter paulo post concilium Nicænum. Nomen Thecla in fine Libri erat exaratum; sed extincto Christianismo in Egypto a Mahometanis, et Libri una Christianorum in similem sunt redacti conditionem ; extinctum ergo et (lege est) Thecla nomen et laceratum, sed memoria et traditio recens observat.

Cyrillus Patriarcha Constantinopolitanus.*

* This book of the Holy Scriptures of the new and Old Testament, was written according to tradition, by the hand of Thecla, a noble Egyptian woman, about 1300 years since, a little after the council of Nice. The name of Thecla, was formerly written at the end of the book, but Christianity being suppressed in Egypt, by the Mohammedans, the books also of Christians shared the same fate. But though the name of Thecla be blotted and torn out, yet memory and tradition continue to preserve Cyril, Patriarch of Constantinople.

it.

This,

This, we believe, in antiquity, may fairly vie with the Codex: Vaticanus: for it is generally allowed to have been written (probably at Alexandria) befo.e the conclusion of the fifth century: the letter of Cyril, assigns it a much earlier date, viz. a little after the council of Nice, which was held at a city of that name in Nicomedia, in 324. Of this most valuable MS. Dr. H. has given a very short and unsatisfactory description.

The fourth and fifth codices are distinct parts of the same MS. as Dr. Gral e has fully proved in the Prolegomena to his edition. The first is termed the Codex SARRAVIANUS, now in the public library of the academy of Leyden: the second, called Coder COLBERTINUS, was formerly numbered 3084, among the Col. bert MSS. and is now preserved in the Royal Library, at Paris. It consists of seven leaves in Exodus, thirteen in Leviticus, and two in Numbers, which in no respect differ from the Coder Sarravianus, which is deficient in these very leaves, so that the identity of this fragment with the preceding MS. is absolutely ascertained. A leaf also, taken out of the book of Judges, was formerly in the possession of the celebrated Montfaucon, the text of which he inserts in his Palæographia Græca, p. 189. In the preceding page, he gives a large, and important fac simile of Levit. c. ii. v. 16; and iii. v. 1, et seq. from which it appears, that this MS. contains a text of the Septuagint version, essentially different from that in our printed copies. In it the uncial and round characters are intermixed.

The Codex CESAREUS, called also, Codex ARGENTEUS, and Codex Argenteo-Purpureus, because written in silver letters, on purple vellum, is the sixth in Dr. H.'s catalogue. It consists of twenty-six leaves only; the first twenty-four containing a fragment of the book of Genesis, from c. iii. 4. viii. 24: the two last, a fragment of the Gospel of Luke, chap. xxiv. from v. 21 to v. 49. It has forty-eight curious miniature paintings; engraved copies of which may be seen in Nesselius's catalogue. Vol. i. p. 55-102, and a fine fac simile of the writing, Palæogr. Græc. p. 194. Nessel supposes that these paintings are such as might have been executed in the time of Constantine. In these pictures, the divine presence and supporting power are always represented by a hand proceeding out of a cloud; and they exhibit interesting specimens of the habits, customs, and amusements of those early times. In a specimen of his projected edition, which Dr. H. published in 1795, he inserted the whole of these fragments, leaf for leaf, and line for line, with those in the MS. with a beautiful fuc simile of the 8th page. These we have collated with the copy in Lambeccius; the description in Nesselii catalogus, vol. i. p. 49.-and were sorry to find the two co pies at such frequent variance with that given by Dr. Holmes. But to whose account the inaccuracies are chargeable we cannot

Ps

pretend

pretend to say, as we cannot have access to the manuscript.When the matter on which this fragment is written, the beauty of the characters, which are all in gold and silver, its various readings, and especially, the numerous miniatures with which it is adorned, are all considered, we think we may safely assert, that the Codex Cæsareus, and the Codex Argenteus of Upsal, (which contains the four Gospels in Gothic,) are two of the most important and curious relics of Ecclesiastical Antiquity.

The Coder AMBROSIANUS, so called from the Ambrosian library, at Milan, to which it belongs, occupies the Seventh place in this catalogue. It is a large square quarto, in a round uncial character, quod dicimus, (says Montfaucon Diar. Ital. c. 2.) ut distinguatur a charactere oblongo et deflexo. This eminent critic, who examined it in 1698, supposed it to be then about 1000 years old.

For a particular description of the Codex CoISLINIANUS, the Eighth in this catalogue, Dr. H. refers his readers to the Biblic theca Coisliniana, of Montfaucon. As this work cannot be within the reach of our readers in general, we shall supply the Dr.'s lack of service, by extracting from it what we deem necessary to complete the description of the MS. in question. In the Biblioth. Coislin. this MS. is the first in order, and was formerly numbered LVI. It is in quarto, 13 inches by 9, and was written, as Montfaucon conjectures, in the sixth, or, at the latest, in the seventh century. It is in a beautiful round uncial character, a fac simile of which, from the beginning of Genesis, is given in the above work. p. 8. It has in most places, the spirits and accents; but those were evidently inserted by a comparatively recent hand. It consists of 226 leaves of vellum, and formerly contained the Octateuch, 1 and 2 Samuel, and 1 and 2 Kings; but much of it has perished by the injuries of time. The copyist was totally ignorant of the Hebrew language, as appears from his inscription at the commencement of the book of Genesis, which is as follows; Βαρησεθ παρα Εβραιοις, ο περ εσιν εςμενενομένον, λογοι mugav. The word Bagnol, which he says means in Hebrew, the history of the days, i. e. the six days work of creation, is no other than N, beresheeth, the first word of Genesis, which simply signifies, In the beginning. This ignorance of the Hebrew, is, however, a favourable circumstance, as it prevented the transcriber from interpolating his copy from the Hebrew text. Montfaucon held this MS. in the highest estimation, and believed it to be one of the most important in Europe. He has particularly recommended it to the attention of any who should in future publish a new edition of the Septuagint. Dignissimus sane Codex, cujus varias lectiones excipiat, si quis nova Tăvi editioni operam dederit. Nullum quippe illo præstantiorem hac tenus novimus. Bibl. Cois. p. 32. In collating this important

MS.

MS. for the present edition, Dr. H. has properly followed the advice of this eminent Critic.

The Codex BASILIANO-VATICANUS is the Ninth and last in Dr. Holmes's catalogue of MSS. in uncial characters. It is written in an oblong leaning character, and appears to have been executed sometime in the 9th century. Dr. H. esteems it a MS. of considerable importance, as it contains some valuable readings found nowhere else.

These nine MSS. numbered in the preface, and quoted in the body of the work by roman numerals, are all the MSS. in uncial characters, containing the whole, or parts of the Pentateuch, to which Dr. H. could gain access. The reader will observe, that the two last articles, though occupying the 8th and 9th places in the catalogue, are marked by Dr. H. x. and xi.

The 3d chapter is occupied with a short description of those MSS. in small or cursive characters, whose various readings have been selected for this edition: they amount to 63, and were written chiefly in the 9th, 10th, and 11th centuries. They are quoted in the preface, and referred to in the body of the work by Arabic figures. For farther information on this head we must refer to the work itself.

An account of the EDITIONS, FATHERS and VERSIONS, collated for this work, forms the subject of the fourth Chapter.

Five EDITIONS were collated. 1, the Complutensian in the Alcala Polyglott, folio, printed in 1514-22. and the Editio Princeps of the Septuagint. What MSS. the editors made use of for this edition are not known: though Dr. H. thinks that three of those which he has collated, contain nearly the whole of the text of the Pentateuch as it stands in the Complutensian edition.

2. The Aldine edition, printed at Venice, by Aldus Manutius Romanus, in 1518. fol. To make this edition as immaculate as possible, Aldus collated a number of ancient MSS., and, as he informs us himself, employed several very eminent scholars to

assist him in the work.

3. The Oxford edition by Dr. Grabe, begun in 1706, and finished in 1721. This work exhibits the text of the celebrated Codex Alexandrinus mentioned above, with additions from the Codex Vaticanus, and some from the Complutensian edition. It should be observed that this edition, gives on the whole, a fair representation of the Alexandrian MS. for the additions taken from the above or other sources, are always printed in a smaller character than that employed in the text. Though Dr. Grabe had prepared the whole work for the press, yet he only lived to publish the Octateuch and the Metrical books. Francis Lee, M.D. a very eminent Greek scholar, edited the historical books: and W. Wigan, S.T.D. edited the Prophetical. This is a very valu able edition; the Prolegomena of Dr. Grabe, contain a Treasure

of