ons arc most probably Depravations of the trueText, as it stood in the old Editions.

First , The Readings introduced into the Textof this new Edition, with the greatest Appearanceof Reason, are no more than probably genuine.Mills himself, from whom they are taken, pre-tended to say no more of them. * " Although<c I have, says he, delivered my Opinions here-cc in dogmatically for the fake of Brevity - yetcc I do not desire they should pass for more<c than the Conjectures of one that has been" much conversant in these Matters, and con-tc sequently one whose Judgment in such Cases<c may, generally speaking, be presumed not tocc have been ill founded Such was the Mo-desty and good Sense of that learned and labo-rious Critick. And agreeably to this Decla-ration, we find that he very seldom alters theText of his new Edition, to make way for hisgenuine Readings. He thought perhaps, that aVariety of Original Texts would do certainMischief, whilst he hoped for no more than pro-bable Good from his own Corrections: He wasloth, in so tender a Point, at once to prescribeto the whole Learned World, choosing rather tolet the Old Text stand in the main unmolested,still the Generality of People should be so wellsatisfied with his genuine Readings, as by com-mon Consent to make them Textual. He knewthat the Credit and Purity of Religion was littleconcern’d in the Question about a new Text, be-cause few of his genuine Readings tended eitherto improve or illustrate the Sense of the sacred

* trol N°. 1510, 1511.

[Writers,