226 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



[I- ] 



Before descending to the small details of wliicli a review of this 

 kind must largely consist, I propose to give here several examples of 

 the results attained by the method followed by M. Bouriant, some of 

 the results being not less interesting considered as translations, from a 

 language so finely organized as is Coptic, than the examples of transla- 

 tion furnished by the publication treated of in my previous paper. 

 The method to which these perversions owe their origin may be 

 described briefly as consisting in — 



(«) Insufficient knowledge of the perfectly definite system of 

 Coptic grammar. 



(h) Yery limited acquaintance with Coptic idiom. 

 {e) "Want of familiarity with the Bible. 



Editions of Coptic text are not to belightly undertaken in any case, 

 but under the conditions of the above method, the results cannot fail 

 to be disastrous. 



1. I doubt whether the exemplification of the expression traduttore 

 traditore has ever been more plainly brought to view than in the 

 following passage [209, i ] : — 



anok de prau hijoi je tike ebol nwkwi, tihes 

 Siparan 6thn teph^llake^ ebol je netnimau men 

 secine mpsolf uneuereu, aud ^v nronie mmau 

 ere pna nlietf nsafpot epesteko nfeine nipeusine 

 nftinau nhnag^ape^ anok de miutai laau nsolsl 

 nsa laau nsa. 



Pour moi, c'est moji nom menie qui est cause que Von me delaisse et qui 

 me vaut les peines que vi'injligent mes gardiens ; car ceux-ci y trouvent 

 matiere a benefice pour Vun et pour V autre; tout homme assez rempli de 

 misericorde pour se rendre a la prison satis/ait a leur demande et leur 

 donne quelque cadeau, mais pour moije n'ai de consolation d'aucun cdte. 



In this we may note the following points : 



(a) my name is the cause of my being abandoned ; 



(h) my guards inflict pains on me on account of my name ; 



{c) they find gain therein ; 



{d) pour Vun et four V autre (to whatever these words may refer) ; 



{e) they also get presents from pitying visitors. 



