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‘ Ocellus Lucanus:’ Text und Kommentar Harder von

Richard. (Neue Philologische Untersuchungen, Hrsg. v.
Werner Jaeger, erstes Heft.) Pp. xxv + 160. Berlin:
Weidmann, 1926. 9 M.

J. L. Stocks

The Classical Review / Volume 41 / Issue 01 / February 1927, pp 40 - 40

DOI: 10.1017/S0009840X00031644, Published online: 27 October 2009

Link to this article: http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S0009840X00031644

How to cite this article:

J. L. Stocks (1927). The Classical Review, 41, pp 40-40 doi:10.1017/S0009840X00031644

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 THE CLASSICAL REVIEW
ample, thoroughly misleading to render yvi>jiav The tract of Ocellus Lucanus on the Eter-
by ' original basic form' or ' root-number.' No nity of the World is described in the histories
doubt the translator can point to Boetius's of philosophy as a neo-pythagorean forgery of
' radix et fundamentum,' which is equally mis- the first century B.C.; as old as Varro, for he
leading. The objection is the greater because was the source of Censorinus who mentions it,
Boetius also uses ' radix' for an improper frac- but later than Andronicus, since it repeats whole
tion in its lowest terms, which Nicomachus calls sentences of Aristotle's De Gen. et Corr., which
TTvdfiTjv, and for which the translator has ' root-before Andronicus was unknown. Harder gives
number' and 'root-form.' 'Base' or 'basic us a carefully restored text, based on a thorough
form' would seem better for tnO/^qv, while for examination of the MSS., and subjects the
yvaifj-mv we should say ' gnomon' simply, since treatise to minute examination in a commentary
that word is, or should be, familiar to mathema- of some 120 pages. In date he would take it
ticians generally. back to the second century, on the evidence of
A useful glossary of Greek words, a select its connexion with the Plato-Archytas letters
bibliography, and an index complete the volume, (Diog. Laert. VIII. 80, 81). He shows that
which can be thoroughly commended. the tract is composite, being modelled probably
T. L. HEATH. in the main on ' Philolaus' irepi ijnixv'ta forgery
of that period, but drawing in detail chiefly
from peripatetic sources, in particular, (a) Aris-
Philodetnus: Over den Dood. Door T. totle's dialogue ntpi <j>i\o(ro<f>las (accounting for
KUIPER. Pp. xvi+ 165. Amsterdam : H. J. certain apparent echoes of the De Anima),
Paris, 1925. and (b) a lecture-commentary on the De Gen.
MR. KUIPER'S study of Philodemus' n-epl et Corr. The supposition that the author
davarov is a doctoral thesis from the University attended lectures at the Lyceum avoids the
of Amsterdam. It is a full commentary on the difficulty that this, with the other treatises, was
treatise, translating the text, discussing the not known to the public before the time of
argument and the language, dealing with textual Andronicus. Harder deals admirably with the
doubts and difficulties, and adducing parallels long section based on this source, and shows
from other authors. An appendix prints a text, conclusively that it was a commentary similar
based on that of Bassi (1914) but incorporating in method and style to those of Alexander
the results of a new cpllation of the papyrus Aphrodisiensis and his successors. If this is
and the transcripts by Dr. J. Kampstra. This right, our history of the schools of philosophy
collation, however, in the main merely confirms must in future reckon with three not unimpor-
Bassi's report. The text is not quite complete, tant results: (1) Aristotle's physical treatises
omitting all passages which were so fragmen- were the subject of detailed exposition by lec-
tary that the commentary could take no account ture in the Lyceum of the second century;
of them. The portions printed contain many (2) an interest in Pythagoreanism developed
new restorations by Vogliano (communicated at the same place and time ; (3) the absolute
by letter), by the author's 'promoter' W. K. gap in the history of Pythagoreanism between
(the full name seems not to be given), by the the third and first centuries is partiallyfilledby
author himself, and by others. There is a the new evidence. There is also the very
useful introduction, setting the views of the interesting implication that the method ot
Epicureans in relation to those of other schools exposition followed by Alexander is shown to
and dealing concisely with the literature of be not a new departure, but the continuation of
consolation, to which, as Buresch showed, the a long-established tradition.
rrept davarav belongs. The translation and
commentary seem to be careful and trustworthy, Mr. Hardens work merits the careful atten-
and can be confidently recommended to anyone tion of Aristotelians. J L. STOCKS
who has to deal with this tract. We learn from
Mr. Kuiper's introduction that a new edition of Sallustius Concerning the Gods and the Uni-
the text is in preparation by a pupil of Professor verse. Edited with Prolegomena and Trans-
Jensen (Kiel). J. L. STOCKS. lation by ARTHUR DARBY NOCK. Pp.
cxxiii + 48. Cambridge University Press,
1926. 12s. 6d. net.
' Ocellus Lucanus': Text und Kommentar von IT gives the reviewer unalloyed satisfaction to re-
RICHARD HARDER. {Neue Philologische cord this piece of necessary work well done. Sal-
Untersuchungen, Hrsg. v. WERNER JAEGER, lustius, or however exactly his name ought to be
erstes Heft.) Pp. xxv + 160. Berlin: spelled, wrote his little work probably in Julian's
Weidmann, 1926. 9 M. time ; it survived no one knows how, and per-
THIS work deserves further treatment than the haps attracted the attention of some Byzantine
C.R. is able to give room for. We note, first, of the times of Michael Psellos, who was on the
that it marks the end of the very valuable series look-out for authorities on the allegprisation of
of Philologische Untersuchungen, which Wila- myths ; hence it passed ultimately, in a MS. of
mowitz (at first with Kiessling) has for so many the year 1300 or thereabouts, into the hands of
years edited, and the inauguration of a new series Renaissance scholars, and so was printed; and
(Neue Philologische Untersuchungen) edited by no one had troubled to examine the MS. from
Jaeger. We shall confidently hope to find the which they made their copies, much less to
best traditions of the old series continued in the print a text based upon it, till quite recently.
new; and this first volume, by the editor of G. Muccio pointed out not long ago that the
Gnomon, a pupil of Jaeger's, confirms the hope. thirteenth or fourteenth-century codex already