9* s.x. SEPT. 6,51902.] NOTES AND QUERIES.
183
misprinted 87, and in place of a comma after
" sound " in
The empty vessel makes the greatest sound the correctly paged copies have a period. Sig. 13 on p. 93 is misprinted h3, and pp. 94-95 are misprinted respectively 49 and 59. On p. 103 sig. m2 is misprinted m3. Lowndes says that all copies have the mis- pagination of 194 for 164, but it is to be seen only in (c), (e), and (g), and Lowndes omits to state that on p. 201 sig. u3 is .misprinted v3 in all copies. All copies have tu& mispagination 120 for 209 and the sig. x., sigs. v and w being omitted in all.
The Tragedies.
The prologue to 'Troilusand Cressida' is on p. 1, sig. aa. Sigs. bb, bb2, are both repeated in all, but bb3 only in (c), (/), and (f), while cc, cc2, and cc3 are missing in all, and gg2 is gg3 in all. P. 85 is 58 in (a) and (c), and this seems not to have been noted heretofore. The first print 58 shows these corrections in the other copies :
"To see now how a iest shall come about," corrected to read "To see now how a lest shall come about."
" And so are with them above a common bound," corrected to read "And scare with them above a common bound."
" To so are with his light feathers," corrected to read " To soare with his light feathers."
" A Torch for me, let wantons light of heare," corrected to read "A Torch for me, let wantons light of heart."
Pp. 96 and 154 are respectively 67 and 134 in all, and p. 169 is 269, with the wrong century thereafter, except pp. 186-187. In all copies pp. 341-342 are 143-144, pp. 351-352 are 151- 152, p. 355 is 335, and p. 389 is 399.
CHAS. A. HERPICH.
New York City.
SORTES EVANGELIC JE : ST. EUGENIA.
THERE is curious evidence of the custom in the early Christian Church of divination by the Gospels in the Armenian Acts of {St. Eugenia. These are translated by Mr. F. C. Conybeare in his book 'The Armenian Apology and Acts of Apollonius and other Monuments of Early Christianity' (second edition, London, 1896, pp. 147 et seqq.). The passage relating to the sortes JSvangelicce is the following :
" But Eugenia disguised as a man remained in the aforesaid monastery, locked in spiritual unioi with Protua and Hyacinthus. And they pro gressed so much in the divine love in Christ that in two years' time they took into their 'minds the whole book. But in the third year, while they were still pursuing such a life, the elder of the
monastery died and passed from this life to his
jord. And after his death it seemed good to all
- he brethren to appoint the blessed Eugenia to the
>rincipalship. But Eugenia declined, for she was estrained by scruples of conscience, and felt that b woman ought not to be head of a congregation of men of God. And yet she feared to become a source af aversion and turpitude to those who invited her ,o take the post. Then they all with one will and accord assailed her, and she returned them the ollowing answer again and again : ' In the con- 'regation of Christians ye said that Christ will of tlis own accord define that which is to be according
- o His pleasure. Wherefore, if ye so command, let
the Gospel be brought forward, and let us open and read it, and whatsoever command first meets the sye let us give ear thereunto.' So they brought the loly Gospel, and the blessed Eugenia took it and adored, and they all held their peace and prayed. Then she opened and read the place in which it is written : ' J esus said to His disciples, Ye know that the rulers of the heathen are lords, and the great ones oppress them. But let it not be so in your midst also ; but he that shall among you desire to become rirst, let him be least of you and servant of all.' But after she had read this Eugenia said: ' Make up your minds upon this model that I shall be so.' "
The custom of deciding matters by refer- ence to the '^nefd' of Virgil and to the Bible is of great antiquity and persistence. Religious biography contains many examples.
Mr. Conybeare has pointed out the interest- ing fact that the verses by which St. Eugenia was made the head of the monastery repre- sent a different text of the Gospels from that now received. The quotation gives as one passage sentences which are now separated. The later Latin recension accommodates the quotation to Matt. xx. 25 and Luke xxv. 25, oblivious of the circumstance that these pas- sages could not be simultaneously visible at the one opening of the book. It may be suggested that a harmony of the Gospels was used, but Tatian's does not solve the problem.
Eugenia is one of several women saints who adopted male attire. The names of St. Marina and of St. Margaret are in Vora- gine. In an interesting catalogue recently issued by Breslauer & Meyer, of Berlin, there is a notice of a quarto tract of twenty pages issued at Florence in 1572, containing "La Rappresentatione di Santa Eufrosina, Ver- giue. La quale essendo maritata si fuggi tra Monaci come maschio, <fc ivi stette trent' otto anni, & alia sua morta f u conosciuta dal padre com' ella voile." Another edition issued at Siena in 1607 was included in the Mar- chetti sale in 1876. Whether this should be classed as hagiography or folk-lore might be a theme for discussion.
WILLIAM E. A. AXON. Manchester.
