A Report upon the Herculaneum Manuscripts

alone could these despondent relics of old Greece and Rome have had recourse for the vindication of their merits and even for the protection of their existence. To the Prince of Wales alone could they, with any hope of success, offer their supplications in the language of a former and similar occasion, in these expressions:

Original Greek: Μαθήμασι νῦν δε Παλαιῶν Ἑλλήνων, ὦ 'ναξ, ἄρκεσον οἰχομένοις.

But in estimating their claim upon your Royal interference, it should be recollected that these manuscripts relied not only upon the two classical languages in which they are written, but also upon their age itself, which outruns the date of any other manuscripts upon earth. Why should I say their age? In truth, the date of their very loss exceeds by centuries the age—however great it may be—of all other books and autographs.