48 Diffeft-dtton on the Life and Writings of

fcriber has entirely fuppreiTed the conclufion of her work. This MS. contains only 6 r fables. The fecond has all the prologue, and the conclufion. It has 83 fables. The third is the completeft of all, and contains 104 fables. Monfieur le Grand fays that he had feen four MSS. of thefe fables in the libraries of Paris, but all different as to the number of them. He cites one in the library of St. Germain des Pres as containing 66 fables; and another in the Royal library, N 7615, with 102, [}']. As he has faid nothing about the other MSS. it is to be fuppofed that he has purpofely mentioned that which had the greateft number of fables, and that which had the leaft. Under this idea the Harleian MS. N 978, is the completeft of all that have been yet cited. But whence have arifen thefe various readings ? Did Mary pub- lifh originally but a part of her work ? Did Ihe afterwards add fup- plements ? or were tranfcribers permitted to make feledlions of her fables, to retain thofe which they liked beft, and to rejec"l the others ? The latter opinion feems the moft probable, for we per- ceive that the tranfcriber of the Cotton MS. has entirely omitted the lines which Mary had placed at the end of her work. We muft, therefore, conclude that thefe perfons, copying oftentimes merely on their own account, gave themfelves but little trouble about pofterity ; and that, in this cafe, there were formerly many imperfect MSS. as at prefent we find mutilated and fpurious editions of printed books. Monfieur le Grand affigns another reafon. He contends that the tranfcribers took the liberty of inferting many ftrange pieces [y] Fabliaux, Vol. IV. p. 330. amongft