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20. I call upon the literary men of England, upon the English government, and upon the public, to set the example in a glorious expedition, which, even in this age of wonders, is one of no little importance and magnitude. I conjure them to bear in mind the words I have placed at the head of this article,--the opinion of one of our best and most delightful authors. This opinion Mr. Landor, veiled under the eidolon of Porson, I feel assured, does not hold alone; I believe it to be engraven on the "red-leaved tablets" of the hearts of many more learned and more distinguished scholars than myself, who am but as the trumpet which is to rouse the friends of classical literature to action; as the bell which awakens the reaper to his abundant harvest: but I will sustain, that on none of them is it cut more deeply or more inextinguishably than on mine. I propose that the friends of Classical, Scandinavian, and Oriental literature form themselves into an Association for the Rescue of the many ancient MSS. in the Greek, Latin, Anglo-Saxon, Norwegian, Zend, Sanscrit, Hebrew, Abyssinian, Ethiopian, Hindostanee, Persian, Syriac, Arabic, Armenian, Coptic, Turkish, and Chinese languages:--that application be made to government for the pecuniary furtherance of this enterprise;--and that the active co-operation of all foreign literary men be secured.[1] Thus a careful and untiring search may be entered upon in all the regions of the earth where any MSS. are likely to be found, and the recovery or loss of the many inestimable authors of antiquity be made certain. Let the libraries of Europe be examined strictly and inquisitorially (and this will not be a heavy expense), and the new accessions to classical literature printed, the MSS. {162} which present themselves of already known authors carefully examined, and the variations to the received text marked. How much this is wanted we experience in the corruptions of Sophocles, AEschylus, Thucydides, Plato, and Aristoteles! In this way much that is valuable may be recovered; much that is matter of discussion set at rest. Let me instance the Babrian fables, and the discovery of Mr. Harris at Alexandria; who, it was remarked to me, might have discovered the whole, instead of a part, had proper hands unfolded the mummy. On the advantages of this search, it were useless to expatiate: every one is sensible of it, and, sooner or later, it _must_ occur. Let us not allow our grandchildren to
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