St. Mark's Gospel (i. 45--ii. 1, [Greek: ho de exelthon] down to
[Greek: Kapharnaoum]), opens our eyes. This wholesale importation
suggests the inquiry,--How did it come about? We look further, and we
find that Cod. D abounds in instances of 'Assimilation' so unmistakably
intentional, that this speedily becomes the only question, How may all
these depravations of the sacred text be most satisfactorily accounted
for? [And the answer is evidently found in the existence of extreme
licentiousness in the scribe or scribes responsible for Codex D, being
the product of ignorance and carelessness combined with such looseness
of principle, as permitted the exercise of direct attempts to improve
the sacred Text by the introduction of passages from the three remaining
Gospels and by other alterations.]

Sec. 3.

Sometimes indeed the true Text bears witness to itself, as may be seen
in the next example.

The little handful of well-known authorities ([Symbol: Aleph]BDL, with a
few copies of the Old Latin, and one of the Egyptian Versions[186]),
conspire in omitting from St. John xvi. 16 the clause [Greek: hoti ego
hypago pros ton Patera]: for which reason Tischendorf, Tregelles,
Alford, Westcott and Hort omit those six words, and Lachmann puts them
into brackets. And yet, let the context be considered. Our Saviour had
said (ver. 16),--'A little while, and ye shall not see Me: and again, a
little while, and ye shall see Me, because I go to the Father.' It
follows (ver. 17),--'Then said some of His disciples among themselves,
What is this that He saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see
Me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see Me: and, _Because I go
to the_ Father?'--Now, the context here,--the general sequence of words
and ideas--in and by itself, creates a high degree of probability that
the clause is genuine. It must at all events be permitted to retain its
place in the Gospel, unless there is found to exist an overwhelming
amount of authority for its exclusion. What then are the facts? All the
other uncials, headed by A and I^{b} (_both_ of the fourth
century),--every known Cursive--all the Versions, (Latin, Syriac,
Gothic, Coptic, &c.)--are for retaining the clause. Add, that
Nonnus[187] (A.D. 400) recognizes it: that the texts of Chrysostom[188]
and of Cyril[189] do the same; and that both those Fathers (to say
nothing of Euthymius and Theophylact) in their Commentaries expressly
bear witness to its genuin