II. LATIN PALIMPSESTS.—(1.) The earliest fragment of Latin literature, printed from a palimpsest original, is the portion of the 91st book of Lbry already referred to, pub lished at Hamburg and also at Rome in 1773. It was re-edited in a more formn by Niehuhr in 1820. (2.) Of the Latin palimpsests edited by Mai, the earliest was some frfdpients of lost orations of Cicero from two different palimpsests in the Ambrosial] library at Milan, in the latter of which, the second writing consisted of the acts of the council of Chalcedon. These orations were published in two successive volumes in 1814. (3.) Eight orations of Syrnmachus (1815). (4.) The comedies of Plautus, including a fragment of the lost play entitled Vidularia (1815). (5.) The works of M. Corn. Fronto, together with the epistles of Antoninus Pius, Lucius Verus, M. Aurelius, and others (1815). (6.) The celebrated dialogue of Cicero, De Republica, from a palimpsest of time Vatican, the modern writing of which is the commentary of St. Augustine on the Psalms. There is none of Mai's publications which presents his critical abilities in so favorable a light as this precious volume, which appeared at Rome in 1821. (7.) Soon after the De Republica he published another volume from palimpsest sources, the most important of whose contents were some fragments of ancient Roman law, which pre pared the way for the more distinguished success of Niebuhr; who, in apalimpsest of t he library of Verona, recognized a portion of (8) the lnstitutiones of Gains, and procured an accurate transcript for the press, which was printed at Berlin in 1820. The latest elm siderable Latin publication in this department is (9) Gal Granii Liciniani Annalinm (ntr supereunt (Berlin, 1857), edited from a palimpsest of the British museum by time younger Pertz. This palimpsest, as was already stated, is a thrice written codex, the earliest and original contents being the Annales of Gains Graph's. The second writing was also in Latin, and the work is a grammatical treatise, of which the chapters De Verbo and De Adve 'Ina are still legible. The most modern writing is Syriac, written in the cursive character. Guilts Granius is a writer named by Macrobius, of whom nothing else is
known.
It will be gathered from the above that the ancient works recovered by means of palimpsest MSS_ are all fragmentary, and one is naturally led to rate at a low value the result thereby obtained. But it must be remembered that in some of the departments to which these fragments belong, every scrap, no matter how trifling, has an independent value. So it is, for example, in biblical remains—a single text may present a valuable reading, the merest fragment may throw light on an important critical question. In history, in like manner, a small fragment may disclose an interesting feet, or supply a significant commentary upon facts otherwise ascertained. And as regards critical uses especially, it must not be forgotten that the obliterated text of the palimpsest MSS. for the most part, far exceeds in antiquity the very oldest known codices which we possess, and is, probably, second only in age to the papyri of Herculaneum.
The method of treating palimpsest MSS., with a view to deciphering their contents, Las been fully described by different Alai, after having washed the palimpsest with an infusion of galls, exposed it to the light and air, and, generally speaking, found this sufficient for his purpose. Peyron washed the parchment in water, afterwards in dilute rauriatie acid, and finally in prussiate of potash. A mixture, compounded on this principle, is called from its inventor, M. Gioberti, linetura G iobertin a. Sometimes the same treatment does not succeed equally well on both sides of the parchment; the inner surface, from its softer texture, sometimes requiring a more active preparation. When the ink contained animal substances, as milk, or the blood of the cuttlefish, Dr. Alone plunged the parchment in a close vessel filled with oil, which he heated to a tem perature of 400° R. In the prefaces of Mai's volumes will be found many amusing and interesting facts illustrating the difficulties which attend this curious branch of literary labor.