The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-01-10


critical outfit for the editor of classical
author, we have for the "Commedia"
list of authorities which are counted by
hundreds.
The result has been that, though there
has been much talk in Italy about codici
of the "Commedia," chiefly in setting
forth the merits of some favorite copy,
nothing was done, even toward prepar-
ing the way for the settlement of the
text, till the subject was taken up by
White. The Crusca academicians, in their
edition $685., appealed to manuscripts
for the readings which they approved
or condemned; but, besides that they
avowedly improved" readings, they,
like most people at the time, only
counted their manuscripts and did not
weigh them, and were not alive to what
might have seemed an obvious truth,
except that the critical world was SO
long finding it out that there are manu-
scripts and manuscripts, good copies and
bad. Witte broke ground in attempting
a more reasonable and scholarlike treat
ment of the thing to be done. He en-
larged the area of comparison; he formed
a scholarlike judgment on the value Of
his authorities, and he gave an example
of critical text. He ought to have the
full and ungrudging praise due to a
clear view of what was needed, and
great care and industry in carrying it
out within what was possible to him.
The work which White began has been
taken up by DIR. Moore in a thorough
and solid way, which is, in the highest
degree, creditable to English scholarship.
His volume of contributions to the text
ual criticism" of the "Commedia" is a
step in advance of anything yet said on
the subject, not only in England, but in
Germany. The immense mass of mate
rails which confronts the critical editor
of the "Commedia," comprising copies
which go back to time not far distant
from the writer's death, makes the sift-
ing and classification of these copies a
necessity, if he would not be overwhelmed
by an almost hopeless task.
DIR. Moore has made beginning in
this difficult work, though, with the eau
ton and modesty of scholar, he pro-
poses it only as beginning. Can this
multitude of copies be sorted and ar
ranged on any principle? He selects a
number of passages where the readings
vary-''test passages" as he calls them;
and he examines and compares the read
ings given by as many manuscripts as he
can get hold Of. The number is large;
he cites, mainly from his own inspection,
over 200 All kinds Of unaccountable
anomalies present themselves; some Of
the most curious variations, and even
blunders, occurring in some of the Oldest
authorities, and suggesting the POSSIBLE
ties of changes and corrections by the
poet himself in copies made in his life
time. 1t is curious that, though in many
copies the dialect of the scribe-Vene-
tan, Lombard, Tuscan-is SO evident, it
does not seem to supply mark for group
ing. Still, in spite of all this obscurity,
DR.. Moore thinks that he finds traces of
one distinct group or family, which he
calls the Vatican" family, from a ia
nous manuscript which isits type. White
had also thought that he could trace
Siennese family of copies, though his in
dications are fainter. This is the point
to which the investigation has reached.