Produced by Colin Bell, Daniel J. Mount, Dave Morgan, David King, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net THE CAUSES OF THE CORRUPTION OF THE TRADITIONAL TEXT OF THE HOLY GOSPELS BEING THE SEQUEL TO _THE TRADITIONAL TEXT OF THE HOLY GOSPELS_ BY THE LATE JOHN WILLIAM BURGON, B. D. DEAN OF CHICHESTER ARRANGED, COMPLETED, AND EDITED BY EDWARD MILLER, M. A. WYKEHAMICAL PREBENDARY OF CHICHESTER LONDON GEORGE BELL AND SONS CAMBRIDGE: DEIGHTON, BELL AND CO. 1896. 'Tenet ecclesia nostra, tenuitque semper firmam illam et immotam Tertulliani regulam "Id verius quod prius, id prius quod ab initio." Quo propius ad veritatis fontem accedimus, eo purior decurrit Catholicae doctrinae rivus.' Cave's _Proleg._ p. xliv. 'Interrogate de semitis antiquis quae sit via bona, et ambulate in ea.'--Jerem. vi. 16. 'In summa, si constat id verius quod prius, id prius quod ab initio, id ab initio quod ab Apostolis; pariter utique constabit, id esse ab Apostolis traditum, quod apud Ecclesias Apostolorum fuerit sacrosanctum.'--Tertull. _adv. Marc._ l. iv. c. 5. PREFACE The reception given by the learned world to the First Volume of this work, as expressed hitherto in smaller reviews and notices, has on the whole been decidedly far from discouraging. All have had some word of encomium on our efforts. Many have accorded praise and signified their agreement, sometimes with unquestionable ability. Some have pronounced adverse opinions with considerable candour and courtesy. Others in opposing have employed arguments so weak and even irrelevant to the real question at issue, as to suggest that there is not after all so much as I anticipated to advance against our case. Longer examinations of this important matter are doubtless impending, with all the interest attaching to them and the judgements involved: but I beg now to offer my acknowledgements for all the words of encouragement that have been uttered.