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pretension to a superior authority, so as to claim to be a standard to which the rest ought to be reduced. A true text, as far as it is possible to recover it, is to be gathered from the manuscripts now extant, and from the evidence furnished by the ancient versions of the readings of manuscripts of much earlier times. This being the case, the first care of the translator should be, especially in places obscure and difficult, to consider, whether the words which he is to render, be indeed the genuine words of the prophet, and to ascertain, as far as may be, the true reading of the text.

The ancient versions above-mentioned, as the principal sources of emendation, and highly useful in rectifying, as well as in explaining, the Hebrew text, are contained in the London Polyglot.

The Greek version, commonly called the Septuagint, or of the seventy interpreters, probably made by different hands (the number of them uncertain), and at different times, as the exigence of the Jewish church at Alexandria and in other parts of Egypt required, is of the first authority, and of the greatest use in correcting the Hebrew text; as being the most ancient of all; and as the copy, from which it was translated, appears to have been free from many errors, which afterward by degrees got into the text. But the version of Isaiah is not so old as that of the Pentateuch by a hundred years and more; having been made in all probability after the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, when the reading of the Prophets in the Jewish synagogues began to be practised; and even after the building of Onias' temple, to favour which there seems to have been some artifice employed in a certain passage of Isaiah* in this version. And it unfortunately happens, that Isaiah has had the hard fate to meet with a translator very unworthy of him, there being hardly any book of the Old Testament so ill rendered in * Chap. xix. 18. See the note there.

that version as this of Isaiah. Add to this, that the version of Isaiah, as well as other parts of the Greek version, is come down to us in a bad condition, incorrect, and with frequent omissions and interpolations. Yet, with all these disadvantages, with all its faults and imperfections, this version is of more use in correcting the Hebrew text, than any other whatsoever.

The Arabic version is sometimes referred to, as verifying the reading of the Septuagint, being, for the most part at least, taken from that version.

The learned Mr. Woide, to whom we are indebted for the publication of a Coptic Lexicon and Grammar, very useful and necessary for the proportion of that part of literature, has very kindly communicated to me his extracts from the fragments of a manuscript of a Coptic version of Isaiah, made from the Septuagint, with which he has collated them. They are preserved in the Library of St. Germain de Prez at Paris. He judges this Coptic version to be of the second century. The manuscript was written in the beginning of the fourteenth century. The same gentleman has had the goodness, at my request, to collate with Bos' edition of the Septuagint, through the book of Isaiah, two manuscripts, of the King's library, now in the British Museum, the one marked 1. B. II. the other 1. D. 11. The former manuscript, containing the Prophets of the version of the Septuagint, was written in the eleventh or twelfth century, according to Grabe (in the tenth or eleventh century, according to Mr. Woide's opinion); and by a note on the back of the first leaf appears to have belonged to Pachomius, Patriarch of Constantinople in the beginning of the sixteenth century. Grabe highly valued this manuscript; and intended to write a dissertation on the superiority of this and of the Alexandrian manuscript to that of the Vatican; but did not live to execute his design. See Prolegom. ad Tom. tertium, LXX Interp. Edit. Grabe, Sect. iii. and v. and Grabe de Vitiis LXX

Interp. p. 118.-I quote this manuscript by the title of MS. Pachom. for the reason above given.

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The late manuscript 1. D. 11. above-mentioned, contains many of the historical books, beginning with Ruth, and ending with Ezra, according to the order of the books in our English Bible; and also the prophet Isaiah, of the version of the Septuagint. This manuscript in the book of Isaiah, consists of two different parts: the first from the beginning to the word rupλwv, chap. xxxv. 5. written in a more ancient and better character, and upon better vellum; which Mr. Woide judges to be of the eleventh or twelfth century: the remaining part he refers to the beginning of the fourteenth century; which Grabe supposes to be the age of the whole. See Grabe de Vitiis LXX Interp. p. 104. This manuscript seem to have been taken from a good copy, as it frequently agrees with the best and most ancient manuscripts, and in particular with the manuscript of Pachomius.

The Coptic fragments above-mentioned, and these manuscripts, are useful for the same purpose of authenticating the reading of the Septuagint; and, in consequence, of ascertaining or correcting the Hebrew text in some places.

My examination of Mr. Woide's collation of the two Greek manuscripts of Isaiah, has been confined to this single view in respect to the Hebrew text: were these manuscripts to be applied more extensively, and to their proper use, that of correcting the text of the Septuagint through all the parts of it which they contain, I am persuaded they would be found to be of very great importance, and would contribute largely to the revision and emendation of that ancient and very valuable version : a work, which may be now considered as one of the principal desiderata of sacred criticism; and which ought to follow that arduous undertaking, which has so happily succeeded, the collation of Hebrew manu

scripts; to which it stands next in order of importance and usefulness, towards our attaining a more perfect knowledge of the holy Scriptures.

The Chaldee paraphrase of Jonathan Ben Uziel, made about or before the time of our Saviour, though it often wanders from the text in a wordy allegorical explanation, yet very frequently adheres to it closely, and gives a verbal rendering of it; and accordingly is sometimes of great use in ascertaining the true reading of the Hebrew text.

The Syriac version stands next in order of time, but is superior to the Chaldee in usefulness and authority, as well in ascertaining as in explaining the Hebrew text. It is a close translation of the Hebrew into a language of near affinity to it. It is supposed to have been made as early as the first century.

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The fragments of the three Greek versions of Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion, all made in the second century, which are collected in the Hexapla of Mountfaucon, are of considerable use for the same purpose.

The Vulgate, being for the most part the translation of Jerom, made in the fourth century, is of service in the same way in proportion to its antiquity.

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I am greatly obliged to several learned friends for their observations on particular passages. To one great person more especially, whom I had the honour to call my friend, the late Archbishop Secker : whose marginal notes on the Bible, deposited by his order in the library at Lambeth, I had permission to consult by favour of his most worthy successor. There are two Bibles with his notes: one a folio English Bible interleaved, containing chiefly corrections of the English translation; the other a Hebrew Bible of the edition of Michaelis, Halle, 1720, in 4to.; the large margins of which are filled with critical remarks on the Hebrew text, collations of the ancient versions, and other short annotations; which stand an illustrious monument of the learning,

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judgment, and indefatigable industry of that excellent I add also, of his candour and modesty; for person; there is hardly a proposed emendation, however ingenious and probable, to which he has not added the objections which occurred to him against it. These valuable remains of that great and good man will be of infinite service, whenever that necessary work, a new translation, or a revision of the present translation, of the holy Scriptures, for the use of our church, shall be undertaken. To his observations I have set his name. And to the remarks of others of my learned friends, I have likewise subjoined in the notes their names respectively. Among these I must here particularly mention the late learned Dr. Durell, Principal of Hertford College in Oxford; who some years ago communicated to me his manuscript remarks on the Prophets. With his leave I took short memorandums of some of his corrections of the text; and had his permission to make what use I pleased of them.

I am in a more particular manner obliged to my learned friend Dr. Kennicott, for his singular favour in frequently communicating to me his collations while they were collecting, and the printed copy of the book of Isaiah itself, as soon as it was finished at the press, for my private use, while the remainder of the volume is in hand and preparing for the public. These I have examined with some attention; and I hope the reader, whose expectations do not exceed the bounds of reason and moderation, will be satisfied with the assistance and But benefit which he will find they have afforded me. I must beg to have it well understood, that I do by no means pretend to have exhausted these valuable stores: many things may have escaped me, which may strike the eye of another observer; many a variation, which appears at first sight very minute and trifling, and manifestly false and absurd, may by some side light tend to useful discoveries. To apply these materials to all the

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