Chapter 5

TEXTUAL CRITICISM

Errors in the reproduction of documents: their frequency under the most favourable conditions--Mistakes of copyists--"Sound" and "corrupt" texts 71

Necessity of emendation--The method subject to fixed rules 73

Methods of textual criticism: (_a_) original preserved; (_b_) a single copy preserved, conjectural emendation; (_c_) several copies preserved, comparison of errors, families of manuscripts 75

Different degrees of difficulty of textual criticism: its results negative--The "emendation game"--What still remains to be done 83