The Golden Latin Gospels. Edited by H. C. Hoskier. (Privately
printed ; New York.)—Some little time ago Mr. Pierpont Morgan purchased at the sale of another American book-collector this beautiful manuscript. It had previously gone through the hands of Mr. Bernard Quaritch, who purchased it for £1,600 at a sale (May 23rd, 1889) of the Hamilton MSS. It is a production of the late seventh or early eighth century of our era, and has been not improbably identified with a copy of the Four Gospels which Wilfrid, Archbishop of York (667-709), ordered to be executed. It is written in uncials, with an occasional cursive character, the letters being gold and the ground purple. Tho place of origin is not definitely known, but there are indications which snit the theory given above that it was executed by British or, yet more probably, by Irish scribes. It must have been easier to find adequately skilful hands at so early a date in Ireland than in Great Britain. The quality of the readings is a highly technical subject on which we cannot enter, but we may say that the collation which the editor has carried through is likely to be of great service in the authorised revision of the Vulgate over which Abbot Gasquet is presiding. Meanwhile we are indebted to private munificence, which it is not difficult to locate, for what is as nearly an equivalent as possible to a personal inspection of this splendid relic of Christian antiquity.
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