Scottish Text Society publications > New series > Kingis quair; together with A ballad of good counsel

XXXVI
INTRODUCTION.
frequently surprising, but his remarks are often acute, and
he certainly made a most gallant attempt to better the text
in the face of great difficulties. In his introduction to the
second edition (1824), p. ix, he has this remarkable utter¬
ance : “ Whoever, therefore, shall hereafter aspire to the
honour of editing the King’s Quair, will neither satisfy his
own wishes nor the public expectation, unless he brings to
the task a mind prepared by habits of strict analysis, by a
mature acquaintance with the English writers of the four¬
teenth century, by considerable experience in decyphering
ancient manuscripts, and a thorough (personal) collation
of the Seldenian Quair,” i.e. with the MS. This is just;
and this is why I first of all put aside all previous editions,
and started afresh with a transcript from the Selden MS.,
and a subsequent collation of the proof-sheets with the MS.
itself, so as to make sure of every letter and every stroke.
The result was, as I expected, that the MS. has not had
justice done to it; the large number of small inaccuracies
in the old editions has caused many needless difficulties,
which are now cleared up; and it is at last possible to con¬
sult all the notes and comments given in the editions with¬
out being misled by them, which is a material point. I will
only add, that the very common practice of reprinting old
printed texts, without consulting the MSS. from which those
texts were printed, is most reprehensible, as it often ensures
the needless perpetuation of the strangest blunders. It is
the more unsafe, because many examples are known in
which editors had no familiarity either with MSS. or with
the grammar of the language which they professed to inter¬
pret ; but the story of their incompetency is a melancholy
one, nor is this the place for discussing it.