Dec. 1. 1855.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



421 



" If once carefully photographed, that would render 

 future collation unnecessary, except in rare instances, and 

 prevent what is called tracing — a manual labour not 

 alwaj's correct, as proved by facts, and one would think 

 always, though but in a small degree sometimes, injurious 

 to the MS. 



" The published collations of Mico and Birch (this 

 latter is imperfect, omitting Luke and John) have been 

 carefully compared with each other by Dr. Tregelles, and 

 they are found to differ in nearly 2000 places. 



" Those who love God's Holy Word, would cheerfully 

 bear the expense,— probably the Bible Society would like 

 to; perhaps Oxford or Cambridge would. All these 

 have willingly done good service in the cause of sacred 

 literature before now. 



" If one manuscript can be photographed successfully, 

 and that an ancient one, nearly all might ; and then 

 learned bodies and owners of private collections of MSS. 

 might exchange copies, just as casts of Flora and Fauna 

 are now exchanged by the Museums of Europe. 



" Will the secretary or librarian of some literary body 

 of standing and reputation put himself in communication 

 with the librarian of the Vatican, and ask if what I pro- 

 pose may be done ? I am, Sir, yours faithfully, 



" Thomas E. Thoresby. 



" 34. Mecklenburg Square, Nov. 16, 1855." 



" Sir, — In common, I am sure, with many of your 

 readers, I feel great interest in Mr. Thoresby's letter, and 

 very thankful to j'ourself for giving it to the public. 



" About a year and a half ago, when in Kome, I had 

 the honour of an introduction to the celebrated scholar 

 the Cardinal Angelo Mai. In the course of conversation, 

 he asked some questions as to the state of the Codex 

 Alexandrinus in the British Museum ; and, on my re- 

 marking on my disappointment at not being able to see 

 the Codex Vaticanus at the great library, he explained 

 that it was in consequence of his being engaged in pre- 

 paring an edition of it himself; and that it was, of course, 

 obliged to be kept at his palace. 



" The learned Cardinal proceeded to open a large strong 

 chest, from which he took an elaborately-worked iron 

 coffer, containing this most precious manuscript. Ob- 

 serving that the greater part that had been published 

 was unsatisfactory and contradictory, he said that he was 

 occup3'ing his leisure by editing it page by page, line by 

 line, letter by letter; that he had entertained serious 

 thoughts of having a fount of type cast in facsimile, in 

 the same manner as Dr. Woide had for the Codex Alexan- 

 drinus; but the difficulties were so great, he had abandoned 

 the idea. I then suggested the making a,fac-simile of the 

 whole in lithography, page by page, as Mr. Arden had 

 done for the Orations of Hyper ides he discovered at Thebes. 

 This could easily have been done, as the manuscript is in 

 such a state of preservation that the greater portion would 

 have borne the transfer paper without the slightest danger 

 of injury. The learned Cardinal assured me he would think 

 very seriously of this suggestion, and directed his secre- 

 tary to send to London for a copy of Mr. Arden's book. 



" I should be very glad to know whether this great and 

 good man took any steps in the matter before his death ; 

 at any rate, how far he had proceeded with the edition he 

 actually had in hand. I may remark that on quitting 

 the palace the secretary remarked, with a smile, he won- 

 dered where the Cardinal's ' leisure ' was to be found, as 

 he always commenced at daybreak, and frequently 

 laboured till past midnight. 



" I have the honour to be, Sir, very faithfully yours, 



"ArTHUK ASHPITEL. 



" 2. Poets' Corner, Westminster Abbey, Nov. 17, 1855." 

 No. 318.] 



" Sir, — I thank you for your courtesy in so promptly 

 publishing my former letter on Saturday morning last. 



" A few hours after it appeared, I had the honour of re- 

 ceiving a private letter from a gentleman, informing me 

 there would be no difficulty about funds — that, in fact, 

 they were ready. 



" I consider the letter of Mr. Ashpitel, in your impres- 

 sion of yesterday, of great importance, as proving the 

 three following things : 



"That in the judgment of that distinguished man. Car- 

 dinal Mai, * the greater part that had been published ' 

 of the Codex Vaticaiius ' was unsatisfactory and contra- 

 dictory ; ' the Cardinal was not alone in his opinion, and 

 it did not die with him ; that the Cardinal himself 

 laboured hard to give the world a faithful copy of the 

 MS. — he was 'editing it page by page, line b}' line, 

 letter by letter' — from which I infer the lioman Catholic 

 authorities are favourable to its publication ; and that 

 those who have charge of the MS. are conscious of its 

 great value — it was taken out of an ' iron coffer,' which 

 was deposited in ' a large, strong chest.' My anxiety 

 would be considerably' diminished if I were assured, on 

 sufficient evidence, that the chest and coffer are fireproof. 



" One word in my letter of the 16th inst. conveys an 

 incorrect opinion as to the completeness of the MS. I 

 fear it will be found that at least the pastoral epistles are 

 gone. It is affirmed, on good authorit}', they were there 

 once. Where are they now .? Has the MS. been wilfully- 

 mutilated? Wolf cut out with a knife two pieces from 6 

 and H Seidelii MSS. once in his possession, and sent the 

 pieces to Bentley, which pieces were afterwards found by 

 Dr. Tregelles in the library of Trinity College, Cambridge. 

 Can the lost parts of the MS. in question be found? 



" There are twelve leaves, forming originally a valu- 

 able fragment of the Gospels : the}' are now separated : 

 we have four of them here in Loiadon ; there are six 

 others in Rome ; and the remaining two are at Vienna. 

 Has anything similar to this happened to the lost parts of 

 the Vatican MS. ? Did the Complutensian editors touch 

 it? Will the Vatican speak, and tell us the exact state 

 of the case, and what it intends to do ? 



" I wish to keep before the mind of some of your 

 readers that what I propose is not a collation, transcript, 

 or tracing, but a photograph of the Codex Vaticanus. 

 " I am. Sir, yours faithfully, 



" Thomas E. Thoresbt. 



" 34. Mecklenburgh Square, Nov. 21, 1855." 



" Sir, — Besides Mr. Thoresby's letter, which you have 

 so kindly given, I have received several anxious inquiries 

 from gentlemen who take an interest in this important 

 matter, and in consequence I venture once more to tres- 

 pass, as shortly as I can, upon your valuable columns. 



" In answer to Mr. Thoresby's inquiry, I suppose the 

 MS. has now most probably been returned to the Vatican 

 since the Cardinal's decease. Every precaution there is 

 taken against fire, and as the floors are all either of 

 marble, or the composition called pavimeiito Veneziano (a 

 sort of marble mosaic), and as the little fire that is wanted 

 there is generally supplied by portable bracieri (the an- 

 cient /ccm/ms), there is not much fear of accident in this 

 way. 



" I cannot sav whether or not the authorities are 

 favourable to the publication of the MS. : the Cardinal 

 evidently was at work upon it alone and unassisted ; he 

 did not consider his exertions part of his public duties, 

 but a labour of love of his own. 



"Could I have foreseen that that great man would 

 have been so soon taken from us, I should have endea- 

 voured to have noted down as full an account as possible 



