son published a fifth in 1569; the third of Robert Stephens's editions is in folio, and has the readings of sixteen manuscripts, in the margin; the two first are in 16mo; and, of those, the first is the most correct. An address, by Robert Stephens, to his readers, beginning, "O mirificam regis nostri optimi et "præstantissimi principis liberalitatem," is prefixed to them; and from this has been given them the general appellation of the Mirificam editions. Their correctness is equal to their beauty. Till lately, an opinion generally prevailed, that the types were absolutely lost; but in the Essai Historique sur l'origine des characteres orientaux de l'imprimerie royale, et sur les characteres Grecs de François I. appellés communement Grecs du Roi, published by Mr. de Guignes, in the first volume of the Notices et Extraits des Manuscrits de la Bibliotheque du Roi, it appears that the puncheons and matrices, used by Robert Stephens in these celebrated editions, are still preserved in the Imprimerie Royale at Paris. From the same work we learn, that in 1700 the University of Cambridge applied to the King of France to have a cast of the types; that a proposal was made them on the part of the king, that in the title-pages of the works printed by them, after the words "typis academicis" there should be added, caracteribus Græcis e typographeio regio Parisiensi: that the University refused to accede to the proposal; and that, in consequence of the refusal, the negociation went off.

The first edition of Beza was printed in 1565; he principally follows in it the third edition of Robert Stephens. He printed other editions in 1576, 1582, 1589, 1598.

every where, the same text.

They do not contain,

In his choice of read

ings he is accused of being influenced by his Calvinistic prejudices.

The celebrated edition of the Elzevirs was first printed at Leyden, in 1624. It was printed from the third edition of Robert Stephens: where it varies from that edition, it follows, generally, the edition of Beza. By this edition, the text, which had fluctuated in the preceding editions, acquired a consistency. It was generally followed in all the subsequent editions. It has deservedly, therefore, obtained the appellation of Editio recepta. The editors of it are unknown.

The celebrated edition of the Rev. John Mill was published at Oxford in 1707, after an assiduous labour of thirty years. He survived the publication of it only fourteen days. He inserted in his edition, all the collections of various readings, which had been made before his time; he collated several original editions; procured extracts from Greek manuscripts, which had never been collated; and, in many instances, added readings from the ancient versions, and from the quotations of them in the works of the ancient fathers. The whole of the various readings collected by him, are said, without any improbability, to amount to thirty thousand. He

has enriched his work with most learned prolegomena, and a clear and accurate description of his manuscripts. He took the third edition of Stephens for his text. He shews the highest reverence for the Vulgate, but thinks slightly of the Alexandrine manuscript. His work formed a new era in Biblical criticism. It was reprinted by Ludolph Kuster, at Rotterdam, in 1710, with the readings of twelve additional manuscripts. While sacred criticism lasts, the learning, indefatigable industry and modest candour, of Doctor Mill, will be spoken of with the highest praise.

The edition of John Albert Bengel, Abbot of Alspirspack, in the dutchy of Wurtemberg, was published in 1734. He prefixed to it his " Intro"ductio in Crisin Novi Testamenti ;" and subjoined to it, his "Apparatus Criticus & Epilogus." He altered the text, where he thought it might be improved; but, except in the Apocalypse, studiously avoided inserting in the text any reading, which was not in some printed edition. Under the text, he placed some select readings, reserving the whole collection of various readings, and his own sentiments upon them, for his Apparatus Criticus. He expressed his opinion of these marginal readings by the Greek letters, a, ß, y, ♪, and ɛ. « denotes, that he held the reading to be genuine ; ß, that he thought its genuineness was not absolutely certain, but that the reading appeared to him preferable to that in the text; y, that the reading

in the margin was of equal value with the reading in the text; d, that the marginal reading seemed of less value; and, that he thought it absolutely spurious, though some critics defended it. Several small editions of Bengel's New Testament have been published in Germany. His "Gnomon," which is a collection of explanatory notes upon the New Testament, does not give a very high notion of his own intelligence of the sacred book.

All former editions of the Greek Testament were surpassed by that of John James Wetstein; of which, it is sufficient to mention, that Michaelis, his professed adversary, and who loses no opportunity of speaking harshly of him, says, that it is, of all editions of the Greek Testament, the most important, and the most necessary to those, who are engaged in sacred criticism: and, that the Rev. Herbert Marsh, the celebrated translator of Michaelis, and, perhaps, the best judge living of the merit of such a work, calls it by the emphatic appellation, of the Invaluable Book. It was published in two volumes folio, in 1751, at Amsterdam. Wetstein thinks slightly, not to say, contemptuously, (contemptuous expressions were unfortunately too familiar to him), both of the Latin Vulgate and the Alexandrine manuscript. He adopted for his text the editio recepta of the Elzevirs. His collection of various readings far surpasses that of Mill of Bengel. His notes are particularly valuable, for the copious extracts he

has made from the Rabbinical writers. These greatly serve to explain the idiom and turn of expression used by the Apostolic writers and Evangelists. The editions of his Prolegomena and of his Libelli ad Crisin atque Interpretationem Novi Testamenti, by Dr. Semler, are a mine of recondite and curious Biblical learning. After every deduction is made from the merit of his edition, on account of the supposed Arianism and intemperate spirit of the author, much, very much will remain, that deserves the highest praise.

The acknowledged merit of Wetstein's edition excited a general spirit of emulation among the writers of Germany. The first, in time, as in eminence, was Dr. John James Griesbach, whose edition of the New Testament was first published in 1775-1777, in two volumes octavo, at Halle. In 1796, the first volume was reprinted, under the patronage, and at the expence of his Grace the Duke of Grafton. It has extracts from two hundred manuscripts, in addition to those quoted in the former edition. He has collated all the Latin versions published by Sabatier and Blanchini. His object is to give a select and choice collection of the various readings produced by Mill, Bengel and Wetstein, and of his own extracts, omitting all such as are trifling in themselves, supported by little authority, or evidently only errata. Griesbach's edition is the text book, used by the students in the German Universities. Most probably, like