20 and 21 is Herod the King.

[This recurrence of identical or similar syllables near together was a
frequent source of error. Copying has always a tendency to become
mechanical: and when the mind of the copyist sank to sleep in his
monotonous toil, as well as if it became too active, the sacred Text
suffered more or less, and so even a trifling mistake might be the seed
of serious depravation.]

Sec. 5.

Another interesting and instructive instance of error originating in
sheer accident, is supplied by the reading in certain MSS. of St. Mark
viii. 1. That the Evangelist wrote [Greek: pampollou ochlou] 'the
multitude being very great,' is certain. This is the reading of all the
uncials but eight, of all the cursives but fifteen. But instead of this,
it has been proposed that we should read, 'when there was again a great
multitude,' the plain fact being that some ancient scribe mistook, as he
easily might, the less usual compound word for what was to himself a far
more familiar expression: i.e. he mistook [Greek: PAMPOLLOU] for [Greek:
PALIN POLLOU].

This blunder must date from the second century, for 'iterum' is met with
in the Old Latin as well as in the Vulgate, the Gothic, the Bohairic,
and some other versions. On the other hand, it is against 'every true
principle of Textual Criticism' (as Dr. Tregelles would say), that the
more difficult expression should be abandoned for the easier, when
forty-nine out of every fifty MSS. are observed to uphold it; when the
oldest version of all, the Syriac, is on the same side; when the source
of the mistake is patent; and when the rarer word is observed to be in
St. Mark's peculiar manner. There could be in fact no hesitation on this
subject, if the opposition had not been headed by those notorious false
witnesses [Symbol: Aleph]BDL, which it is just now the fashion to uphold
at all hazards. They happen to be supported on this occasion by
GMN[Symbol: Delta] and fifteen cursives: while two other cursives look
both ways and exhibit [Greek: palin pampollou].

In St Mark vii. 14, [Greek: palin] was similarly misread by some
copyists for [Greek: panta], and has been preserved by [Symbol:
Aleph]BDL[Symbol: Delta] ([Greek: PALIN] for [Greek: PANTA]) against
thirteen uncials, all the cursives, the Peshitto and Armenian.

So again in St. John xiii. 37. A reads [Greek: dynasai moi] by an
evident slip of the pen for [Greek: dynamai soi]. And in xix. 31 [Greek:
megalE E Emera] h