[A] Former student of the Medersa of Algiers, bookbinder, lutemaker, and copier of manuscripts, Qaddour ben Omar ben Beuyna, best known among his coreligionists as Qaddour el Hadby (the hunchback), who died during the winter of 1897-1808, has sung for thirty years about all the notables of his city.

Alterations may have crept in by the carelessness of copiers; sentences may have been added to it by later prophetsas, of course, the grand account of Moses' death, which probably was at first the beginning of the book of Joshua.

It is a mark of originality and intelligence, and stamps its possessor not a copier but an originator, not a follower but a leader, not a slave, to have his thinking foisted upon him by others, but a free and independent intellect, unshackled by the bonds of ignorance and convention.

He is but a copier at best, and will never arrive to practise by the life; for bar him the imitation of something he has read, and he has no image in his thoughts.

It is in his ninth Book, where Juno, speaking of the Trojans, how they survived the Ruins of their City, expresses her self in the following words; Num copti potuere copi, num incense cremorunt Pergama? Were the Trojans taken even after they were Captives, or did Troy burn even when it was in Flames?]

Yet the author who imitates his predecessors only by furnishing himself with thoughts and elegancies out of the same general magazine of literature, can with little more propriety be reproached as a plagiary, than the architect can be censured as a mean copier of Angelo or Wren, because he digs his marble from the same quarry, squares his stones by the same art, and unites them in the columns of the same orders.

Yet such will be the effect of his reputation, while he suffers himself to indulge in any favourite fault, that they who have no hope to reach his excellence will catch at his failings, and his virtues will be cited to justify the copiers of his vices.

Where we may see what errors have been made Both in the copiers' and translators' trade; How Jewish, Popish interests have prevail'd, 250 And where infallibility has fail'd.

This difference yet the judging world will see; Thou copiest Homer, and they copy thee.

Among the professed copiers of Murray, there is not one to whom the foregoing remarks do not apply, as forcibly as to him.

Though a thousand of our great men may have helped a copier's weak copyist to take "some practical advantage" of the world's credulity, it is safe to aver, in the face of dignity still greater, that testimonials more fallacious have seldom mocked the cause of learning.

And, as neither "the Compiler," nor any of his copiers, have paid any regard to their own principle, neither their doctrine nor their practice can be of much weight either way.

In these examples, the terms are transposed by interrogation; but that circumstance, though it may have helped to deceive this author and his copiers, affects not my assertion.

But, admitting that neither the author nor the numerous copiers of this false sentence ever meant to deny that gender has respect to nouns, they do deny that it has respect to any other pronouns than these; whereas I affirm that it ought to be recognized as a property of all pronouns, as well as of all nouns.

The principles of his main text, to which his copiers all confine themselves, then took the following form: "The quantity of a syllable, is that time which is occupied in pronouncing it.

COPIER, faire une copie; imiter.

The style of Shakespeare was in itself ungrammatical, perplexed, and obscure; his works were transcribed for the players by those who may be supposed to have seldom understood them; they were transmitted by copiers equally unskilful, who still multiplied errours; they were, perhaps, sometimes mutilated by the actors, for the sake of shortening the speeches; and were at last printed without correction of the press.

The second age comprises Pacuvius, Cecilius, Accius, and Plautus, unless it shall be thought better to reckon Plautus with Terence, to make the third and highest age of the Latin comedy, which may properly be called the new comedy, especially with regard to Terence, who was the friend of Lelius, and the faithful copier of Menander.

It is in his ninth Book, where Juno, speaking of the Trojans, how they survived the Ruins of their City, expresses her self in the following words; Num copti potuere copi, num incense cremorunt Pergama? Were the Trojans taken even after they were Captives, or did Troy burn even when it was in Flames?]

These Copiers of Men, like those of Authors or Painters, run into Affectations of some Oddness, which perhaps was not disagreeable in the Original, but sits ungracefully on the narrow-soul'd Transcriber.

To this accusation he makes reply in these words, quoted by d'Alembert: "On croit voir partout le même genre de style dans mes comédies, parce que le dialogue y est partout l'expression simple des mouvements du coeur: la vérité de cette expression fait croire que je n'ai qu'un même ton et qu'une même langue; mais ce n'est pas moi que j'ai voulu copier, c'est la nature et c'est peut-être parce que ce ton est naturel, qu'il a paru singulier.