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were settled in Moesia and Thrace, translated the Bible into the Gothic language. But
which Ulphilas had translated. The leaves are of vellum of a violet colour; all the letters are of silver, except the initials, which are of gold. These letters (which are all capitals) appear not to have been written with the pen, but stamped or imprinted on the vellum with hot metal types∗, in the same manner as the book-binders at present letter the backs of books. This copy is judged to be near as ancient as the time of Ulphilas, or at least not later than a century or two after; yet so near was the copyist to the discovery of printing, that if he had but thought of combining three or four of these letters together he must have hit upon that admirable invention; whereas he only imprinted each letter singly. ——— This curious fragment has been several times printed in 4to, first by Junius in 1665; and lately in a very elegant manner at Oxford by the learned Mr. Lye in 1750. —Another fragment of this curious version (containing part of the Epistle to the Romans) has been since discovered in the library at Wolfenbottle, and was published a few years ago in a very splendid volume in 4to by the Rev. F. A. Knitell, archdeacon of Wolfenbottle.
It must not be concealed that Mr. Michaelis and one or two other learned men† have opposed the current opinion, that the Silver Book contains part of Ulphilas’s Gothic version; and have offered arguments to prove that it is rather a venerable fragment of some very ancient Fancic Bible but they have
∗. See this fully proved in some late curious Tracts written by the learned Dom. Johan. Ihre, and other Swedish Literati. (Vid. vol. II. p. 355.)
†. Viz. M. de la Croze; see the Latin Dissertation at the end of Chamberlayn’s “Oratio Dominica, &c.” Amst. 1714, 4to.
