_Barlaam and Josaphat_ (Vol. iii., pp. 135. 278.).--I do not know of any
English translation of this work. If any Middle Age version exists, it
should be published immediately. A new and excellent _German_ one (by Felix
Liebrecht, Muenster, 1847) has lately appeared, written, however, for
Romish purposes, as much as from admiration of the work itself. It would be
well if some member of our own pure branch of the Church Catholic would
turn his attention to this noble work, and give us a faithful but fresh and
easy translation, with a literary introduction descriptive of all the known
versions, &c.; and a chapter on the meaning and limits of the asceticism
preached in the original. In this case, and if published _cheap_, as it
ought to be, it would be a golden present for our youth, and would soon
become once more a _folk-book_. The beautiful free _Old Norwegian_ version
(written by King Hakon Sverresson, about A.D. 1200) mentioned in my last
has now been published in Christiania, edited by the well-known scholars R.
Keyser and C. R. Unger, and illustrated by an introduction, notes,
glossary, fac-simile, &c. (_Barlaams ok Josaphats Saga._ 8vo. Christiania,
1851.) The editors re-adopt the formerly received opinion, that the Greek
original (now printed in Boissonade's _Anecdota Graeca_, vol. iv.) is not
older than the eighth century, and was composed by Johannes Damascenus. But
this must be decided by future criticism.