ent non contemnendas sententias, praesertim sicut Graece
leguntur. Admixta vero sunt et alia non pauca, quae profecto non
referunt gravitatem Apostolicam. Adulteratas enim jam esse illas
epistolas, vel inde colligitur." He then shows that quotations in
ancient writers purporting to be taken from the Epistles of Ignatius
are not found in these extant Epistles at all, and says: "De Epistolis
igitur illis Ignatii, quae nunc ejus titulo feruntur, merito dubitamus:
transformatae enim videntur in multis locis, ad stabiliendum statum
regni Pontificii." [65:1] Even when he speaks in favour of them he
"damns them with faint praise." The whole of the discussion turns upon
the word "fully," and is an instance of the minute criticism of my
critic, who evidently is not directly acquainted with Chemnitz. A shade
more or less of doubt or certainty in conveying the impression received
from the words of a writer is scarcely worth much indignation.

Dr. Lightfoot makes a very detailed attack upon my next two notes, and
here again I must closely follow him. My note (2) p. 260 reads as
follows:

"(2) By Bochartus, Aubertin, Blondel, Basnage, Casaubon, Cocus,
Humfrey, Rivetus, Salmasius, Socinus (Faustus), Parker, Petau, &c.
&c.; cf. Jacobson, 'Patr. Apost.' i. p. xxv; Cureton, 'Vindiciae
Ignatianae,' 1846, appendix."

Upon this Dr. Lightfoot makes the following preliminary remarks:--

"But the most important point of all is the purpose for which they
are quoted. 'Similar doubts' could only, I think, be interpreted
from the context as doubts 'regarding the authenticity of any of the
Epistles ascribed to Ignatius.'" [65:2]

As Dr. Lightfoot, in the first sentence just quoted, recognises what is
"the most important point of all," it is a pity that, throughout the
whole of the subsequent analysis of the references in question, he
persistently ignores my very careful definition of "the purpose for
which they are quoted." It is difficult, without entering into minute
classifications, accurately to represent in a few words the opinions of
a great number of writers, and briefly convey a fair idea of the course
of critical judgment. Desirous, therefore, of embracing a large
class--for both this note and the next, with mere difference of epoch,
illustrate the same statement in the text--and not to overstate the case
on my own side, I used what seemed to me a very moderate phrase,
decreasing the force of the opini