tificated. I, however, commend your zeal for the highest things, most learned Hoescheli, for which the multitude of the wise is wont to converge upon you from all sides, as lines to their center. A sign of this is the truly God-pleasing desire of the most illustrious Henry Savile, which he continuously nourishes for the edition of those works most excellently labored upon by the golden-tongued orator. For he has trusted the care of these things to you, as to one of the champions of such worthy goals. Would that his efforts might succeed according to his intent. For this would bring no small utility to piety itself and to its students, in addition to the abundant reward that would be laid up for him from God in the future. I have read his letter to the man who has already departed this life, and I have learned what his desire was. Since, however, no hope is left from that quarter, a second voyage, as they say, the consideration of assistance from others, has been devised. Assuredly, having compared the catalogue of Chrysostomic discourses sent by him with the one in my possession, I found that this number exceeds the other by two hundred and more discourses. These have received various titles: the ones for Pascha, that is, the seven on the Trumpets, and the six against the Jews, as many on Priesthood, eight on the Incomprehensible, five inscribed on the Seraphim, those on the Statues, and the Pearls, and those which I collected at the same time, the panegyrics. For the ones on Matthew, and on John, and those on Genesis, which were sent two years ago to Mount Athos, which is called holy, to the most illustrious patrician George of Venice. And Margunius himself died a few days later, at a most inopportune time for my affairs. Savile.
ON THE TWO SUBSEQUENT HOMILIES ON THE FIFTIETH PSALM
It has long been a question among scholars whether the two following homilies are genuine and authentic works of Chrysostom, or not. Savile doubts them, as he indicates in the catalogue placed at the front of the first volume. In the notes, however, in Volume 8, page 115, he sufficiently implies that he was led by the authority of famous men not to cast his vote for them. Fronto Ducaeus, moreover, edited them outside the number of the genuine homilies, without bringing forth any cause for adjudging them away from Chrysostom. But I believe it is altogether certain that Ducaeus did this advisedly. For I judge these two homilies to be undoubtedly spurious: and this, if I am not mistaken, will be made clear by the arguments to be produced a little later. But before I set them forth, I shall bring into the middle the sentiment of Savile concerning them, with the annexed letter of Maximus Margunius which I have rendered into Latin.
* “These two,” Savile says, “prayers or homilies on the fiftieth Psalm are not acknowledged, or were not seen, by him who left us that long-since excellent collection of Chrysostom’s Commentaries on the Psalms from Oxford. And certainly that they are unlike the others, especially the former, is clearer than light. Therefore I do not adjudge them away, since they have great patrons, Sixtus of Siena and Jacobus Billius, and they are held here and there in libraries under the name of our Chrysostom: and (which is no light argument to me) their version has long since been received in the Latin Church. Moreover, we have as their champion the most learned of the recent Greeks, Maximus Margunius, Bishop of Cythera, in a letter sent to the most learned David Hoeschelius, which, because it touches upon this entire Chrysostomic business, I have seen fit to subjoin in this place.” *
* “To David Hoeschelius, most learned man, Maximus, humble Bishop of Cythera, greeting. I commend your zeal for things of the highest order, most wise Hoescheli; for whose sake a procession of learned men is wont to run to you from all directions, as lines to a center. A copy of which matter is supplied by the pious plan of the most illustrious Henry Savile, by which he is entirely and assiduously occupied with the edition of the golden works of Chrysostom. For he has confidently entrusted the care of these things to you, as to a certain helper of the good. Would that such endeavor might succeed for him according to his proposal. For it will bring no small utility to religion at the same time as to its cultivators: but to this it will surely win a copious reward from God in the future. I read, therefore, his letter to the man who has already departed this life, and I learned what he had in his hopes. But because no hope remained from there, a second, as is said, navigation was thought out from other suppliers. Truly, when I had compared the catalogue of the discourses of Chrysostom (a) which he himself sent with that which is in my possession, I discovered that this was more than two hundred discourses larger than the former. These discourses, furthermore, bear various titles: some indeed for Pascha, of which I have seven on the Trumpets, others against the Jews, six; on the Priesthood, as many; on the Incomprehensible, eight; those inscribed on the Seraphim, five; on the Statues, on the Pearls, and also other panegyrics which I collected at the same time. For the commentaries of that holy man on Matthew, and on John, and on Genesis…”
[SPURIA.]