ses,--_seven_ of them at least of more ancient date than
the oldest copy of the Gospels extant.

I propose to recur to this subject for an instant when the reader has been
made acquainted with the decisive testimony which ancient Versions supply.
But the Versions deserve a short Chapter to themselves.

CHAPTER IV.

THE EARLY VERSIONS EXAMINED, AND FOUND TO YIELD UNFALTERING TESTIMONY TO
THE GENUINENESS OF THESE VERSES.

The Peshito,--the Curetonian Syriac,--and the Recension of Thomas of
Hharkel (p. 33.)--The Vulgate (p. 34)--and the Vetus Itala (p.
35)--the Gothic (p. 35)--and the Egyptian Versions (p. 35).--Review
of the Evidence up to this point, (p. 36).

It was declared at the outset that when we are seeking to establish in
detail _the Text_ of the Gospels, the testimony of Manuscripts is
incomparably the most important of all. To early Versions, the second
place was assigned. To Patristic citations, the third. But it was
explained that whenever (as here) the only question to be decided is
whether a considerable portion of Scripture be genuine or not, then,
Patristic references yield to no class of evidence in importance. To which
statement it must now be added that second only to the testimony of
Fathers on such occasions is to be reckoned the evidence of the oldest of
the Versions. The reason is obvious, (_a._) We know for the most part the
approximate date of the principal ancient Versions of the New
Testament:--(_b._) Each Version is represented by at least one very ancient
Codex:--and (_c._) It may be safely assumed that Translators were never
dependant on a single copy of the original Greek when they executed their
several Translations. Proceed we now to ascertain what evidence the oldest
of the Versions bear concerning the concluding verses of S. Mark's Gospel:
and first of all for the Syriac.

I. "Literary history," (says Mr. Scrivener,) "can hardly afford a more
powerful case than has been established for the identity of the Version of
the Syriac now called the 'PESHITO' with that used by the Eastern Church
long before the great schism had its beginning, in the native land of the
blessed Gospel." The Peshito is referred by common consent to the iind
century of our aera; and is found to contain the verses in question.

II. This, however, is not all. Within the last thirty years, fragments of
_another_ very ancient Syriac translation of the G