The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-04
FAMOUS SCHOLARLY soouNDREL.
Max MuIIer's Description of the
Ways of the FOrger simOnidcs.

Max MuIIer's Description of the
Ways of the FOrger SimOnidcs.
From Prof Muller's Paper on Beggars in
Cosmopolis.
AS I spent a good deal of my time at the
Bodleian library, and was there every day
for several years as oriental librarian, I
made some curious acquaintance. The
most interesting was that of the famous
forger Smonides. Fortunately his fame
had preceded him. There had been a full
account OF his doings and misdoings
abroad. yet he arrived quite upabsshed
with box full Of Greek manuscript. l
had warned our librarian, Rev. II. O..
Coke, and IL was amusing to watch the
two when their pourparlers began. ST.
monides-so called not because he was a
descendant of the poet Simonides, but
with a long "i'') because his ancestor was
one Simon, a Jew-addressed the libra
ran half IN ancient Greek, half in modern
English. He knew both equally well. His
manners we're most engaging. The libra
ran was equally polite, and began to ex-
anime some of the Greek manuscript.
These are of small value" Simonides
said, they are modern. What century
would you assign them?" The librarian
assigned the thirteenth century to them,
and Simonides fully agreed. He then went
on producing manuscript after manuscript
but claiming for none of them more than
the tenth or ninth century. All went on
most amlcably until he produced some
fragments of an uncial Greek manuscript.
The librarian opened his eyes wide, and,
examining them very carefully, put some
of them aside for further consideration.
Becoming more and more confident, ST.
monides at last produced a real treasure.
This" he said fought to repose nowhere
but in the Bodleian library. And what
century would you assign it, Mr.. Libra
rian?" Simonides said with smile and a
respectful bow. Mr.. Coke turned over a
few pages and looking very grave, though
never quite without his usual twinkle,
'erhe second half Of the ninteenth century,
sir" he said land now pack up your
manuscript and apAge (begone)."
He was certainly a most extraordinary
mana scholar who, If he had applied his
ingenuity to editing instead of forging
Greek manuscripts, might have held a
very high position. His greatest achieve
ment was, of course, the newly discovered
Greek text of the history of ancient Egypt
by Uranlos. The man possessed a large
quantity Of later Greek manuscripts. It
seems that in the eastern monasteries,
where he sold, he also acquired some
Greek manuscripts, by what means we
must not ask. He tried several of these
manuscripts with chemicals to see wheth-
err, as was the fashion during the middle
ages, the parchment on which they were
written had been used before, and the
old writing scraped off In order to get
writing material for some legends Of
Christian saints or other modern compo-
sitions. When that has been the case,
chemical appliances bring out the old writ
ing very clearly and he knew that IN this
way some very old and valuable Greek
texts had been recovered. In that case
the old uncial writing comes out generally
In a dark blue, and becomes quite legible
as underlying the modern Greek text. AS
Simonides was not lucky enough to dis
cover or recover an ancient Greek text,
or what is called Palimpsest manuscript,
the thought struck him that he might
manufacture such treasure, which would
have sold at very high price. But even
this did not satisfy his ambition. He
might have taken the text Of the gospels
and written II between the lines OF one OF
his modern Greek manuscripts, ADDING
some startling, various readings. In thai
case detection would have seemed much
more difficult But he scared higher
He knew that man Of the name o
uranios had written a history Of Egypt