So the Prophecies of _Isaiah_, written at several times, he has collected into one body. And the like he did for those of _Jeremiah_, and the rest of the Prophets, down to the days of the second Temple. The book of _Jonah_ is the history of _Jonah_ written by another hand. The book of _Daniel_ is a collection of papers written at several times. The six last chapters contain Prophecies written at several times by _Daniel_ himself: the six first are a collection of historical papers written by others. The fourth chapter is a decree of _Nebuchadnezzar_. The first chapter was written after _Daniel_'s death: for the author saith, that _Daniel_ continued to the first year of _Cyrus_; that is, to his first year over the _Persians_ and _Medes_, and third year over _Babylon_. And, for the same reason, the fifth and sixth chapters were also written after his death. For they end with these words: _So this _Daniel_ prospered in the reign of _Darius_ and in the reign of _Cyrus_ the_ Persian. Yet these words might be added by the collector of the papers, whom I take to be _Ezra_. The Psalms composed by _Moses_, _David_, and others, seem to have been also collected by _Ezra_ into one volume. I reckon him the collector, because in this collection I meet with Psalms as late as the _Babylonian_ captivity, but with none later. After these things _Antiochus Epiphanes_ spoiled the Temple, commanded the _Jews_ to forsake the Law upon pain of death, and caused the sacred books to be burnt wherever they could be found: and in these troubles the book of the _Chronicles_ of the Kings of _Israel_ was entirely lost. But upon recovering from this oppression, _Judas Maccabaeus_ gathered together all those writings that were to be met with, 2 _Maccab._ ii. 14. and in reducing them into order, part of the Prophecies of _Isaiah_, or some other Prophet, have been added to the end of the Prophecies of _Zechariah_; and the book of _Ezra_ has been separated from the book of _Chronicles_, and set together in two different orders; in one order in the book of _Ezra_, received into the Canon, and in another order in the first book of _Esdras_. After the _Roman_ captivity, the _Jews_ for preserving their traditions, put them in writing in their _Talmud_, and for preserving their scriptures, agreed upon an Edition, and pointed it, and counted the letters of every sort in every book: and by preserving only this Edition, the antienter various lections, except what can be discovered by means of the _Septuagint_ Version, are now lost; and such marginal notes, or other corruptions, as by the errors of the transcribers, before this Edition was made, had crept into the text, are now scarce to be corrected.