readings,' and illustrate it as they imagine
with what are really insinuations of doubt, in the way that they prepare
an edition of the classics for the purpose of enlarging and sharpening
the minds of youthful students. There was intention, and the intention
was good: but it was none the less productive of corruption.]

I suspect that if we ever obtain access to a specimen of those connected
Gospel narratives called Diatessarons, which are known to have existed
anciently in the Church, we shall be furnished with a clue to a problem
which at present is shrouded in obscurity,--and concerning the solution
of which, with such instruments of criticism as we at present possess,
we can do little else but conjecture. I allude to those many occasions
on which the oldest documents extant, in narrating some incident which
really presents no special difficulty, are observed to diverge into
hopeless variety of expression. An example of the thing referred to will
best explain my meaning. Take then the incident of our Lord's paying
tribute,--set down in St. Matt. xvii. 25, 26.

The received text exhibits,--'And when he [Peter] had entered ([Greek:
hote eiselthen]) into the house, Jesus was beforehand with him, saying,
What thinkest thou, Simon? Of whom do earthly kings take toll or
tribute? of their sons or of strangers?' Here, for [Greek: hote
eiselthen], Codex B (but no other uncial) substitutes [Greek: elthonta]:
Codex [Symbol: Aleph] (but no other) [Greek: eiselthonta]: Codex D (but
no other) [Greek: eiselthonti]: Codex C (but no other) [Greek: hote
elthon]: while a fifth lost copy certainly contained [Greek:
eiselthonton]; and a sixth, [Greek: elthonton auton]. A very fair
specimen this, be it remarked in passing, of the _concordia discors_
which prevails in the most ancient uncial copies[179]. How is all this
discrepancy to be accounted for?

The Evangelist proceeds,--'Peter saith unto Him ([Greek: Legei auto ho
Petros]), Of strangers.' These four words C retains, but continues--'Now
when he had said, Of strangers' ([Greek: Eipontos de autou, apo ton
allotrion]);--which unauthorized clause, all but the word [Greek:
autou], is found also in [Symbol: Aleph], but in no other uncial. On the
other hand, for [Greek: Legei auto ho Petros], [Symbol: Aleph] (alone of
uncials) substitutes [Greek: Ho de ephe]: and B (also alone of uncials)
substitutes [Greek: Eipontos de],--and then proceeds exactly like the
received text: while D merel