Page:Gospel of Saint John in West-Saxon.djvu/11



first English version of the Gospels, preceding the Wiclifite Bible by four hundred years, is made historically important by the fact of chronology alone. This importance of the Gospel in West-Saxon is raised to unquestioned significance by characteristics that make the Version a subject of fruitful study to the professional student of English and to the professional student of Scripture. Hitherto the student of English has perhaps surpassed the student of Scripture in familiarity with these Gospels; but in all departments of inquiry many results are yet awaiting accurate and exhaustive investigation. A trustworthy and easily accessible edition of this text should, therefore, confidently be expected to meet a demand within the widening sphere of scholarship; within the wider sphere of general intellectual interests, it should no less confidently be expected to meet an enlightened popular demand.

This edition is based upon the original manuscripts; but the accuracy of Professor W. W. Skeat's edition obviated the labor of copying the entire text, and facilitated the more speedy and less irksome task of collation. Professor Skeat's reproduction of the Corpus manuscript was found to be almost faultless, and the differences between his record of variant readings and mine are not numerous. There is a value, however, in the assurance that can be given that all details have been verified with the originals, and that the text and the variant readings may now be used with a grain of additional