Atkinson — On Prof. Bossies South-Coptic Texts. 45 



As will be seen, no attempt is here made to translate the last lines ; 

 and how could they hold their hands stretched out on their breast, 

 when they were bound hand and foot ? In any case, the Coptic text 

 says nothing to that effect, bnt is of quite different purport : " but as 

 for us, the hands of our heart were stretched out, but bodiless, so as 

 not to faint". Their bodily hands were tied, but the hands of their 

 heart were stretched out to God in unwearying supplication. 



The construction of bol ebol with cij is perfectly correct 

 Coptic, and occurs in Isai. xiii. 7, etbe pai cij nim nabol ebol, 

 LXX Slo. tovto Tracra X^'-P c'^^i^^^o'^Tcti ; Jer. 1. 15. 



And what was the use of translating in the beginning of the 

 clause aurhot epekro by eibero navigate molto alto {pel mare)'? 

 whereas it means "they sailed to the shore^\ 



52. The whole of this portion is badly done, and the difficulties of 

 the text are often slurred over in the translation, and that too without 

 mention. I may quote a few of these omissions [23, 26] : 



nai de ere tpolis ters qtieste cose la citta tutta 



jo mmow huste 

 etres noein hitn 

 tase nmmeese 



au6 tespere ntassope dal prodigio fatto 



aunts Sahrm prro si porto presso il re. 



That sort of translation is only too common in versions from Old 

 Egyptian, but it is quite intolerable in versions from a language so 

 generally pellucid as is the Coptic. 



The editor gives no ... to show that anything has been omitted, 

 and his version is neither literal nor faithful. The words mean : 

 "these things the whole city shouts so as to make it shake by the 

 multitude of the crowds ; and [as to] the miracle that had taken 

 place, they carried it before the King". 



53. Or take the passage [25, 14] : 



tenw ce ari pahre eron ora, dunque, sana not 

 hn iizeteiua etorj 



mn nlogos 



ethm paho mpekhet 



etbe psooce 



ntausoocn nhetf 



nci narianos dagli errori degli Ariani. 



Here are several lines with not a hint as to their translation, and 



