^24 Prof. Rigaud on those MSS. in G. Britain^ which contain 
one place in the fourth book, in which there is a very remarkable 
coincidence ; — 2 i blank space is left in the side of the text of No. 3. 
for a figure ; and this is the only instance in which any thing of 
the kind occurs throughout the volume ; and exactly at the same 
place, a similar blank is left in the text of Dr Burney’s manu- 
script. All these points of coincidence cannot be accidental, 
neither can they be accounted for by a conjecture, like that of 
Dr Wallis’s, which would suppose that one is a transcript of the 
other. The transcriber of the Savilian MS. would not have left 
lacunae in his text, where it was complete in his original ; and 
the state ©f the diagrams, with their partial variations, proves 
that Dr Burney’s MS., (even if it dad not appear, at least in the 
latter part, to be of an earlier date,) could not be taken from 
the Savilian, No. 3. The whole, indeed, admits of a much 
more probable explanation, which will extend likewise to No. 9., 
and account clearly for its similarity to No. 3. It is well known, 
that the early manuscripts of many works are very few in num- 
ber. In some cases, only one is known, from which the rest 
have been derived ; and, in other cases, even that one has been 
lost. Is it not very probable that this may be the truth with 
respect to the text of Pappua.? None of the MSS. of which we 
have any details, are of a very early date, and there appears to 
be a similarity in all, which have been examined. This would 
be the immediate consequence of their having all the same pro- 
totype, without leading, by any necessity, to the conclusion of 
one’s being a mere transcript of the other. Several, no doubt, 
are, and must of course be, secondary copies, and that of mo- 
dern MSS. ; but this must be proved by other circumstances 
than those whidi lead Dr Wallis (as it should seem) too hastily 
to his conclusion. 
The hypothesis now offered, may be considered as satisfactory 
with respect to the English manusci'ipts : how far it may be ge- v 
nerally applicable to those on the Continent, can only be deter- 
mined by a particular examination of each. Most catalogues 
give nothing but the titles of the books, or a very few particu- 
lars, from which little can be collected ; and of this little, the ac- 
curacy is not always to be depended on. On this head, however, 
we may look for much information. Professor Excelmans at Pa- 
ris is said to have made considerable advances in preparing the 
