others generously hastened to lend them for his use, amongst whom must be mentioned Pope Leo X. This pontiff honoured and revered Ximenes, and still more he loved the fine arts. He therefore generously supported him in the publication of the celebrated Polyglot. In return Ximenes dedicated the work to his Holiness, and in the introduction gave him public thanks in these words: 'Atque ex ipsis exemplaribus quidem, Graeca Sanctitati Tuae debemus, qui ex ista Apostolica Bibliotheca antiquissimos tam Veteris quam Novi Testamenti codices perquam humane ad nos misisti': _i.e._ 'To your Holiness we are indebted for the Greek manuscripts. You have sent us with the greatest kindness the copies both of the Old and New Testament, the most ancient that the apostolic library possessed".[8] In the introductory remarks to the various volumes, the learned editor more than once acquaints us with the motives which impelled him to this gigantic undertaking, and repeats the same expression of gratitude to the reigning pontiff for the kind assistance afforded him. Thus in the prolegomena he writes: "No translation can fully and exactly represent the sense of the original, at least in that language in which our Saviour himself spoke. It is necessary, therefore, as St. Jerome and St. Augustine desired, that we should go back to the origin of the sacred writings, and correct the books of the Old Testament by the Hebrew text, and those of the New Testament by the Greek text. Every theologian should also be able to drink of that water 'which springeth up to life eternal', at the fountainhead itself. This is the reason, therefore, why we have ordered the Bible to be printed in the original language with different translations. To accomplish this task we have been obliged to have recourse to the knowledge of the most able philologists, and to make researches in every direction for the best and most ancient Hebrew and Greek manuscripts". Again, in the preface to the New Testament, we read: "Illud lectorem non lateat non quaevis exemplaria impressioni huic archetypa fuisse sed antiquissima emendatissimaque ac tantae praeterea vetustatis ut fidem eis abrogare nefas videatur quae sanctissimus in Christo Pater et Dominus Nester Leo X. Pontifex Max. huic instituto favere cupiens, ex Apostolica Bibliotheca educta misit ad Reverendissimum D. Cardinalem Hispaniae".