does.

As for L and [Symbol: Delta], they exhibit a vacant space after St. John
vii. 52,--which testifies to the consciousness of the copyists that they
were leaving out something. These are therefore witnesses _for_,--not
witnesses _against_,--the passage under discussion.--X being a
Commentary on the Gospel as it was read in Church, of course leaves the
passage out.--The only uncial MSS. therefore which _simply_ leave out
the pericope, are the three following--[Symbol: Aleph]BT: and the degree
of attention to which such an amount of evidence is entitled, has been
already proved to be wondrous small. We cannot forget moreover that the
two former of these copies enjoy the unenviable distinction of standing
alone on a memorable occasion:--they _alone_ exhibit St. Mark's Gospel
mutilated in respect of its twelve concluding verses.

But I shall be reminded that about seventy MSS. of later date are
without the _pericope de adultera_: that the first Greek Father who
quotes the pericope is Euthymius in the twelfth century: that
Tertullian, Origen, Chrysostom, Cyril, Nonnus, Cosmas, Theophylact, knew
nothing of it: and that it is not contained in the Syriac, the Gothic,
or the Egyptian versions. Concerning every one of which statements I
remark over again that no sincere lover of Truth, supposing him to
understand the matter about which he is disputing, could so exhibit the
evidence for this particular problem. First, because so to state it is
to misrepresent the entire case. Next, because some of the articles of
indictment are only half true:--in fact are _untrue_. But chiefly,
because in the foregoing enumeration certain considerations are actually
suppressed which, had they been fairly stated, would have been found to
reverse the issue. Let me now be permitted to conduct this inquiry in my
own way.

The first thing to be done is to enable the reader clearly to understand
what the problem before him actually is. Twelve verses then, which, as a
matter of fact, are found dovetailed into a certain context of St.
John's Gospel, the Critics insist must now be dislodged. But do the
Critics in question prove that they must? For unless they do, there is
no help for it but the _pericope de adultera_ must be left where it is.
I proceed to shew first, that it is impossible, on any rational
principle to dislodge these twelve verses from their actual
context.--Next, I shall point out that the facts adduced in evidence and
relied on b