MText parsing issue

I'm currently using BricsCad v17.2.09 on a late 2015 iMac. Often, when I try to edit large strings of Mtext (which I use for specifications and general notes) the program drops the command, with the error message "Error occurred in mtext editor: MText parsing issue (#)". I didn't have this problem near as often in Bricscad v16, and I sometimes revert back to it to edit large areas of mtext, though I sometimes get the same message in v16 as well. Some of the mtext I use was created in Autocad before I began using Bricscad, so not sure if that has something to do with it, but I only have this problem on very long strings of mtext (usually multiple paragraphs long), not small single paragraph mtext. I'd like to find out what causes this problem and/or how to solve it, without having to explode the mtext. I'm not sure if this is still an issue in v18 and v19, but I have not upgraded yet due to the forum comments I've seen about frequent crashes on the newer platforms (I have an "all-in" maintenance agreement, so I could upgrade, but I like the stability of v17). I have attached a file with example mtext....one string I can edit in v17 and one (longer string) I cannot. On a related note, I noticed limited ability to change text colors within mtext in v17 (unless forced color is continuous) while this is not an issue in v16. Thank you.