Page:Arte or Crafte of Rhethoryke - 1899.djvu/105

 IES.

For a comparison 1 1 >itilio graphical) of the two tcxtf of Cox's Rhetoric see Introduction, supra p. i<>. 1- urthrr, it may be noted in support of the theory that 11 is tin later and revised text that, of the changes noted in B. some one hundred and ten are corrections and improvements upon A, bring- ing the readings nearer to modern forms, while B gives a poorer reading or a more contracted form than A only some twelve or fifteen times. The punctuation in B is throughout better than in A.

On the date of the Rhetoric see Introduction, supra p. to.

In the following notes, besides the explanation of the more difficult and unusual references in the text, attention has been called in nearlx instance to the passages which are translated by Cox from Melanchthon's Institutiones Rhetoricae (noted as " M. I"). A few passages translated from the same author's de Rhttorica are also cited. It will be seen that something over a third of Cox's text is directly translated from M. I ; about a third more is either amplification of hints from M. or consists of direct translation from Cicero, from Melanchthon's de Rhetorica, or from other authors ; while something less than a third seems to be of Cox's unaided composition. Cox, however, has treated his material very freely and sel- dom gives us literal translation. After Melanchthon, Cicero is his chief authority. To him he refers more than thirty times in the course of his short treatise. Among other authors mentioned are Aristotle, Demos- thenes, Erasmus, Hermogenes, Hermolaus Barbarus, Horace, Livy, Ovid, Plato, Politian, Sallust, Thucydides, Trapezuntius, and Virgil.

Certain general peculiarities in Cox's English may here be noted once for all. These are :

Frequent double negatives, e. ^., 73.

The double comparative and superlative, e. g. t 59 ("most valiauntcst ") ; 88 ("more gladder").

The form nat for not, passim.

The phrase that that for that which: e. g., p. 44 line 28 t>8 : 19, etc.

The relatives -who, -whom used for both persons and things as in older English.

The word other in collective sense (= other people, other things): t. g. t 81:35; 88: 18, etc.

Past participles in -/, ~atf, and ~cn % etc.: e. g.:

(1) Neglecte 71:18; suspecte 7 1 : 35 ; 72:21; 75:8. Cf. also 64 : 1 ; 67:18. Cf. deducte 59 : 13 ; 76 : 14 ; accepte 42 : 2 ; instructe 42 : 6.

(2) Violate 64 : 17 ; abdicate 84 : 24 ; approbate 86 : 37. etc.

(3) Be for been: e. g., 8l : 32 (" that have be forgiven ") ; cf. 42 : 26.

(4) "to be understonde" 54 :36.

�� �