STMPLICIUS DE CCELO. osT scholars are aware that the Greek text of the commentary of Simplicius on Aristotles treatise de CobIo first published by Aldus at Venice in 1526^ is spurious; having been printed from a strangely garbled version or paraphrase of the genuine work. This circumstance was first made known to the learned by Mons^ Amedee Peyron, of Turin, who discovered w the Royal Library of that city a MS. containing th^ true text of Simplicius, and published some specimens of it, together with the corresponding passages in the Venetian edition ; so as to leave no doubt whatever respecting the fact he was desirous of establishing^ It still remains however to be explained by what singular accident Aldus came to pitch upon the spurious MS. from which he published his edition. I term it a singular accident because I apprehend that the interpolated text is much more scarce than the genuine one; and had Aldus collated any other copy he must have disco- vered his error. The Florence Library contains another copy of the spurious Simplicius^ ; but the University of Oxford possesses no less than four MSS. containing either the whole or considerable portions of the genuine work. The most valuable and perfect of these is a MS. belonging to Corpus Christi College. It is a large folio of 341 leaves, written on paper by different hands, with few abbreviations, about the middle of the fifteenth century^, and with the exception of some trifling lacunae, contains the entire treatise of Simpli- ^ Empedoclis et Parmenidis Fragmenta ex Codice Taurinensis Bibliothecae re- stituta et Ulustrata ab Amedeo Peyron in Taurin. Acad. ll. Orient. Professore Vices Gerente. Simul agitur de genuine Gra^co Textu Commentarii Simplicii in Aris- totelem de Coelo et Mundo. Lips. 1810. 8vo. 2 Bibl. Medic. Laurent. Catal. Cod. 27. Plut. 85. noticed by Prof. Peyron. 3 At the bottom of the first leaf is the following note : Hie liber emptus fuit ab heredibus Gulielmi Grocim Anno Domini 1501 pro Collegio Corporis Christi Clai- mondo Prasside.
