KNITTEL, FRANZ ANTON, successively archi diaconus, general superintendent, and consistorial rath at Wolfenbiittel, was born at Salzdahlum, 3d April 1721, and died at his residence, r3th April 1792. In 1756 he discovered in the library at Wolfenbilttel a MS. containing some fragments of the Epistle to the Romans in the Gothic version of Ulfilas. The MS. is a palimpsest, the newer sur face beim" occupied with the Origines and some letters of'Isidorus Hispalensis. The portions of the Gothic version of the Epistle to the Romans contained in it are ch. xi. 33-36 ; xii. 1-5, 17-21 xiii. 1-5 ; xiv. 9-20 ; xv. 3-13. These Knittel printed in a volume entitled Ulphilx Versionem Go thicam nonnullorunt capitum Ep. ad Ronz. vener andUM antiquitalis 7970n11111,11111M . e latina coa'i cis cujusd. .111Sti reseripi . . una ClI111 variis varia, litteratura monimentis hut- usque etc. The text is printed on one side of the page in Gothic letters ; under each word is Knitters read ing of it in italics ; and under that a Latin transla tion of each. On the other side, there is a Latin version found in the Codex, under that the reading in the Vulgate, and under that the Greek text.
The volume contains also two fragments from ancient Greek codices of the N. T. in the Wolfen biittel library, and a copious critical commentary by Knittel. There are twelve plates, containing admirably-executed fac-similes of different codices ; and amour, the notes is found an extract of con siderable length from Otfried's Gospel-Harmony. The book is altogether a splendid one ; but its literary merits are not quite equal to its sumptuous appearance. Knittel was not a man of large en dowments, his knowledge of Gothic was imperfect, and he was too fond of the varia litteratura' (to use his own expression) te be very profound or exact in any one department of knowledge. He deserves, however, the praise of great laborious ness, and his honest endeavours to make his work worthy of the acceptance of scholars have enabled him to collect a vast amount of curious matter not elsewhere to be found. The volume bears no date, but it is usually referred to the year 176z or 1763. It is now rare, and of the copies in the shops few have all the plates.—W. L. A.