I confess that I fail to see
any special virtue in the inverted commas; but as Dr. Lightfoot does,
let me point out to him that he commences his quotation--upon the
strength of which he accuses me of "manipulating" a passage, and
then founding upon it a charge of unfair dealing--immediately after
the direct citation from Dr. Westcott's work, in which those inverted
commas are given. The words they mark are a quotation from Clement,
and in my re-quotation a few lines lower down they are equally well
indicated by being the only words not put in italics. The fact is,
that Dr. Lightfoot has mistaken and misstated the whole case. He
has been so eagerly looking for the mote in my eye that he has failed
to perceive the beam which is in his own eye. It is by this wonderful
illustration that he "exemplifies the elaborate looseness which
pervades the critical portion of this (my) book." [19:3] It rather
exemplifies the uncritical looseness which pervades his own article.
Dr. Lightfoot says, and says rightly, that "Dr. Westcott's honour may
safely be left to take care of itself." It would have been much better
to have left it to take care of itself, indeed, than trouble it by such
advocacy. If anything could check just or generous expression, it would
be the tone adopted by Dr. Lightfoot; but nevertheless I again say, in
the most unreserved manner, that neither in this instance nor in any
other have I had the most distant intention of attributing "corrupt
motives" to a man like Dr.
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