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628 APPENDIX XII most improbable in itself, but also quite at variance with his rapidity in printing the New Testament (Ep. 384 introd.). It may fairly be concluded, therefore, that Erasmus’ preface to F is to be dated 1521 ; a conelusion which is supported by the fact that it is printed on the first and final sheet, a, with only two other letters, which are dated 13 Aug. and 14 Oct. 1521. External evidence also is available to corroborate this result. In July 1520 Erasmus writes to Mosellanus that he is preparing a revision of the Farrago ;1 and on 30 Nov. he tells Barland that the work is done? Further, in a letter of (c. Jan.) 1521, Froben? announces to Boniface Amerbach at Avignon that Erasmus has sent ‘ Epistolare suum’. Under these circumstances it is evident that Barland’s volume is prior to F in time. That Barland’s collection was taken in the main from E is shown by the various readings. Of the 115 letters which it reprints from E, just half (58) have no variants in F; but of the remaining 57, 41 invariably follow E where it differs from F. Two letters, Epp. 279 and 821, appear in both D and E, and are in consequence twice reprinted in F. In each case Barland’s text follows EF? nine times, as against DF! once: the single exceptions being, in Ep. 279. 13 nauim (fo. d°) for nauem, in Ep. 821. 6 iuuat (fo. b°) for ivuet, both perhaps merely accidental. There are, however, two more categories, 4 letters in which Barland's text follows sometimes E and sometimes F, and 10 letters in which it follows F against E. In Ep. 56 (f°. k vo.) Barland follows E in ll. 16, 26, and Fin ll. 14, 23, 35. In Ep. 123 (f°.k) Barland follows E in ll. 19, 23, and F in II. 6, 8, 15, 18, 26. In Ep. 165 (fo. i vo.) E once and F once in 1. r by reading a Courtebourne; and F inl. 3. In Fp. 264 (fo. K4 vo.) E Corrig.‘ in 1. 25, Fin 1. 2. As to the final category, in Ep. 54 (f°. i vo.) Barland has the readings introduced in F for Il. 10, 15, 19: in Epp. 62. 4 (f°. 1°), 151. 8 (fo. i4) the easy corrections made in F': in Ep. 148 (fo. i‘) the readings of F for Il. 4, 5: in Ep. 163 (f. i‘ v°.) the addition to the title: in Ep. 225 (f°. k® v°.) the correction in 1. 20: in Ep. 252 (f°. k’) the addition in 1. 16: in Ep. 254 (f°. k® v°.) the addition to the title: in Ep. 415 (fo. Kk?) the necessary addition for I. 7: and in Ep. 918 (fo, Kk? yo.) the variation in the opening word. From the decided character of some of the changes in this last category it is clear that their agreement with F is not fortuitous: and this fact coupled with the inclusion in Barland’s volume of six new letters which were subsequently printed in F, indicates that Erasmus must have sanctioned the undertaking. It may also be inferred that he did not begin to interest himself in the book until it was nearing completion. The new letters are all at the end, Nos. 117-123 on ff. I° vo. to m'; except one, No. 2, which is on the last 1 Lond. xiii. 5, LB. 515. Easter. As Boniface went to Avignon 2 f°, m in these Epistolae selectae : one of the two letters not found elsewhere. 3 A letter in the Basle volume G. II. 29. The date can be assigned from the contents: Froben says that he wrote last at Christmas, and that Erasmus is expected to return to Basle before in May 1520 and Erasmus returned to Basle in Nov. 1521, the date is clear. 4 Barland sometimes follows and sometimes disregards E Corrig.; evidently quite haphazard. With F Corrig. ,as subsequent to the printing of F, he can clearly have had no dealings.
