The Birthday Book (De Die Natali)

tutetia in the year 1583 appeared, and at Lyon in 1593 was repeated, exhibits the words of the writer much less corrected than could have been done with the help of this codex. For although the printer went about the printing of the book quite negligently, a matter about which Carrio rightly complains (emendd. II, 1), he himself nevertheless neither examined the codex accurately, of which he produced only a few readings in the fragment, nor did he skillfully correct the corrupt passages. Franciscus Modius Francis Modius used this book far more diligently, who in his novantiquis lectionibus new-ancient readings reviewed almost the entire Censorinus against the wondrously ancient book which he had used among the Ubii an ancient Germanic tribe through the most learned and friendly theologian Melch. Hittorpio Melchior Hittorp (ep. 35 and 82) *). Since he correctly saw that the reading of the codex was to be restored in very many places, I did not think this should be noted, but I made mention of him only in those places where he attempted to correct Censorinus through conjecture. Besides him, also Ianus Guilielmius Jan Gulielmius (verisim. III, 5. 6) and Stewechius Stewechius (ad Veget. p. 221) commemorate this codex. Far different from this is the manuscript codex of Cologne, which Casp. Barthius Caspar Barth (adv. XVIII, 14) narrates that he saw among the Ubii in the possession of Michael Mascerelius and collated with the edition of Merula Gaudentius Merula. The readings which he brought forward from this book in his adversaria (XVIII, 14. XXVII, 19), since they differ wondrously from the other codices, stir the suspicion that the codex was faked by Barthius, who is known to have been not unfamiliar with such fraud.

*) See novantt. lectt. ep. 6. 14. 27. 35. 42. 47. 56. 67. 82. 89. 125.