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to us in its purest state, not by those editions which they themselves published with such difficulty, and which others after them perpe- tuated with such scrupulous exactness, but by both classes of editions conjointly, and indeed by the whole of Christian antiquity , and the Marrow of its documents. These are all the foundations on which my criticism is based. In such a manner not only many passages of lesser, though undoubtedly of some, weight, but also some of the greatest importance , having reference to the Divine economy, are renewed afresh in the Apocalypse by the royal proclamation of Jesus Christ to those who love His appearance. Many good souls now acknowledge this. They give thanks to God, and turn the matter to their owrn use.” Since the matter comes to this point, I do not think it burdensome, and I consider it my duty, to note down by the way further observations, which, from time to time, of their own accord occur to me, perhaps more than to any other man, how- ever learned, even when I am engaged on other business ; and to add vindications of their truth, where there is occasion to do so.
3) To those resources, which I employed in the Apparatus, is now added a commentary upon the Apocalypse, attributed to Apringius , respecting whom it will be useful to make some remarks. Aprin- gius,, whom many call Aprigius (some use other slight variations of the name), was Bishop of Pax J ulia, in Spain, about the year 540. His Commentary on the Apocalypse, quoted by Isidorus of Seville, and by others, was regarded by some as lost. But Garsias Loaisa , according to Fabricius, says, u There is extant a great work in MS. on the Apocalypse .” But when I had seen the Gothic Legionensian Codex , written in the thousand and eighth year , 1 perceived that no certain knowledge was to be gained from thence respecting the name of the author , but that the work was composed for the gratification of a certain AEterius. Moreover the author says in his preface , that he has collected his writings from the books of Victor inus, Isidorus , and Aprigius. Another copy on parchment, transcribed at Barcinona , in the year 1042, from another copy of greater antiquity (perhaps the Legionensian), was brought from Spain into Denmark in the pre- ceding century. At Arna , in that country, by the permission of Magnceus Islandus , a professor at Copenhagen, the well-known abbot I. L. Moshemius formerly copied the book : and he informed me, that the original MSS. were destroyed in the fire at Copen- hagen ; he however obligingly sent me as a present his own copy, most accurately derived from them. In that MS. the name of Apringius occurs throughout : and this very treatise, at the begin-
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