Φασι δε και Αρατον πυθεσθαι αυτου, [Τίμωνος] πως την Ομηρου ποίησιν ασφαλώς κτήσαιτο τον δε είπειν, Ει τοις αρχαιοις αντιγράφοις εντυγχανοι, και μη τοις ηδη διωρθωμένοις. Diog. Laertii Timon. Amst. 4to. 1698, p. 600. "And surely, if men, by the help of that blessed art of correcting old copies, proceed to amend, and upon private fancie doe presumne thus to alter publike records, shortly wee shall have just cause generally to esteeme those copies most correct, which least have been corrected.”—Explication of a place in Polybius, at the end of Sir H. Savile's Tacitus, Fo. 1622, p. 224, John Bill. Quæ in veteribus libris reperta mutare imperiti solent, dum Librariorum insectari inscitiam volunt, suam confitentur.-Quint. L. ix. c. iv. LONDON: PRINTED FOR THE EDITOR, BY WILLIAM NICOL, CLEVELAND-ROW, ST. JAMES'S. 1832. 13484.40 HARY LLEGE MAY 5 1914 LIBRARI Gift of For it is a thyng uneth beleveable how muche and how boldely as well the commen writers that from tyme to tyme have copied out the bookes of Plutarchus, as also certain that have thought theimselves liable to controlle and emend all mennes dooynges, have taken upon theim in this autour, who ought with all reverence to have been handleed of theim, and with all feare to have been preserved from altreyng depravyng or corruptyng. For never hath there been emonge the greke writers any one more holy then Plutarchus, or better worthie of all menne to bee read. But the veraye same thyng hath provoked persons desirous of glorie, and of lucre, to deprave and corrupt this autour, to putte in more then he wrote, and also to leave out of that he wrote, which ought moste of all to have feared them from soo doyng. For everie wryter the better accepted and sette by that he is, and the greater name that he hath emong learned menne, so muche the rather shall he for lucre and avauntage bee corrupted.-Preface to Erasmus's Apopphthegmes, by Nic. Udall, 12mo. 1542, p. 9. Now, what thanke suche persones are worthie to have whiche dooe in this wyse slabre and defyle the bookes of famous autores, I will not at this tyme reason, but truely me thynketh it a veraye sacriliege. Ib. p. 14. or Signat. iii. |