~ 
536 
veral chafms, alfo, have been pointed out 
in this MS. 
The writing is in uncial letters of the 
fquare form, that is, in large capitals, 
quadrated, _ as> diftinguifhed from the 
fharper ancials. The fquare uncial let- 
ters are of the greateft antiquity. 
Further, this codex has no fiops, breath- 
Ings, or accents. 
till the feventh century, and were firft in- 
troduced by Ariftophanes Byzantinus. 
Of the two oldeft Greek MSS. mentioned 
by Montfaucon, one is fuppofed by him 
to be of the fixth century, the other of 
the feventh; the former is in the Colbert - 
Library, at Paris; the latter in the Em- 
peror of Germany’s at Vienna. . The 
Cambridge MS feems to challenge great- 
er antiquity than either of thefe. It mutt 
be at leait of the fixth century: but many 
fuppefe it more ancient. Dr. Kipling 
thinks the opinion of Whifton not im- 
probable, and that it may be as old even 
as the fecond century. But few, will, 
erhaps, be willing to travel quite fo far 
back ; there not being, probably, aremnant 
of Greek hand-writing as old as that. Be 
this as it may, the Cambridge MS. is al- 
mof generally allowed to be the oldeft 
Greek MS. extant. Cambridge, therefore, 
ean at prefeut boait of having the moit 
ancient Greek MS. without a date, and 
ene of the moft ancient with a date. 
LXVI.—DISPUTES CONNECTED with the 
CODEX BEZ. 
Some critics have maintained, that this 
MS. has been sltered from the Latin ver- 
fion, which acc.mpenies it: and fome 
fufpect it to have beea altered from the 
Syriac: while others, after minutely fift- 
ing the matter, confider the charge as un- 
founded. Beza himfelf acknowledged, 
that rany of ifs readings differed trom 
thofe cf other ancient MSS. ard ‘that, to 
avoid giving offence, it ought raiher to be 
relerved for private infpection, than ex- 
pofed to public curiofity. This caution 
proceeded from the doétrine generally be- 
lieved in Beza’s time, of the plezary. in- 
fpiration of the Scriptures, or, that the 
very words anu letters of Scripture were 
diftated by the Holy Ghoft: for this 
pious caution, however, as well as cn 
other accounts, Beza has been very fharpiy 
handled by fome cf his brother critics. 
If credit may be given to Beza, his 
MS. was found A. 1562, inthe Monaftery 
of Irenzeus, at. Lyons, and had been there 
time immemorial. But no confidence is 
paid by many to this declaration. They 
aiirm, that it was found at Clermont. 
Thev atualiy accule Beza of having either 
Cantabrigiana. 
Thefe were not ufed- 
.confidered but as 
(J uly 1, 
ftolen this precious relic himfelf, or of 
having received it from others, knowing 
it to have been furreptitioufly taken from 
a monaftery: a monftrous charge, it may 
be thought, to be laid againft fo learned 
and pious a reformer ! 
Ess O nevoet Dajrcyv 
Eosnog aur Detovay x= 
—Aa* pernv yoo aire. Pindar. ' 
The charge, however, has obtained cre- 
di. And by fuch as are acquainted 
with the extent to which pious frauds have 
proceeded, both in faith and praice, as 
well among the orthodox as the hefetics, 
the flealing of an old Greek MS, will be 
the duit cn the ba- 
lance! 
Tantum Religio potuit fuadere malorum! 
; i Lucretius, 
The difpute, in which the greatett 
controverfial fkill has been difplayed, re- 
lates to the identity of this MS. and 
Henry Stephens’s famous codex, entitled 
6B; fome contending, that they are dif- 
ferent MSS. others, that they are the 
fame. Arguments feem to preponderate 
on the fide of the latter opinion. But 
fuffice it, juft to have touched the edge of. 
thefe difputes. ane vie 
The readings of this MS. are confidered 
in general as of more authority than thofe 
of other MSS.: and, for this reafon, Dr. 
Harwood's Greek. ‘Teftament, though a 
moit abominably ill-printed book, 1s con- 
fidered as very valuable: it foliows 
the readings of the Codex Beze more 
clofely than any other edition does. In 
the year 1787 the Univerfity appointed 
Dr. Kipling, late Fellow of St. John’s, 
and Deputy Regius-Profefior of Divinity, 
to publith a fac-fimile of this their highly 
prized MS, ‘The fac-fimile made its ap- 
pearance in 1793, in two volumes folio, 
a moft fumptuous work, and allowed to. 
be a faithful reprefentation of the origi- 
nal. But the editor gained few laurels by 
his preface, which is not very fertile in~ 
critical remark, and is even disfigured by 
falfe Latin. Dr. Edwards, the editor of — 
‘Plutarch’s Treatile segs Tlauyuryiess 
publifhed fome peitinent remarks on this 
Preface. 
LXVII.—-SIR ISAAC NEWTON. 
Tt is related of Sir Ifaac Newton, that 
he firft. formed the thought of writing his 
Principia, as he fat alone in his gardens 
He there fell, it is faid, into a meditation 
on the power of gravity, when he beheld 
an apple fall from a tree, This occur~ 
rence, they fay, tended to confirm him im 
his opinion on the law of falling bodies.’ _ 
Being 
\ 
é 
