Textus Originalis

PRAEFATIO.

(Γ) Venetum 375 in 4º minori saec. XI*), qui foliis 293 continet libros quinque XI—XV praemisso indice capitum. Unde aliquot lectiones prolatae sunt in Marci biblioth. codic. catalogo a Laurentio Theupolo (an. 1740) p. 179: quae quamvis sint paucae, sufficiunt tamen, ut huius libri similitudinem cum codicibus AHL cognoscamus. Quare plura comperire cupivi: at responsum est petenti illum librum pretiosiorem esse, quam ut in Germaniam transmittatur. Utinam igitur inter Italos ipsos tandem aliquis exsistat, qui codicem alienigenis invisum evolvat ac quae invenerit, publici iuris faciat. FIKM. F Laurentianus codex XII plutei LXX chartaceus saec. XIV continet foliis 278 Diodori Siculi libros decem XI—XX cum argumentis capitum unicuique libro praefixis; quem fuisse a clarissimo Cocchio cum edito collatum docent numeri marginales, qui identidem occurrunt, eius manu notati (Bandin. catalog. cod. Graec. II p. 672). Hic liber 'optimae notae' idem est, quem Wesseling in praefatione editionis suae dixit membranas integerrime emendateque scriptas, quarum luculentum specimen sibi misisset clarissimus Cocchius. Sed lectionum harum usura, inquit Wesseling, quia spissum et bibliopolae damnosum videbatur negotium, frui non licuit; id satis animadverti in plerisque eas cum Claromontanis amice consentire. Denuo hunc codicem conferendum curavit Dindorf per Franciscum de Furia, cui debemus quidquid sub nota F in apparatu critico attulimus. Animadvertendum est lectiones se-

*) Saec. XII: Morellius, Biblioth. Manuscr. p. 241.

Traduzione

PREFACE.

ings themselves, however, are for the most part such that they cannot be assigned any great weight. For the scribe of F is a man not entirely ignorant, but he dared to change many things, partly because he followed his own judgment, partly because he drew from various sources. Not infrequently he agrees with codex P, sometimes he deviates from all other books, and although he commits many errors, occasionally he presents something true which, by the agreement of the best codices, is confirmed. At the beginning of Book XI there is a large lacuna; and many leaves of the codex are transposed, as Dindorf noted in the critical apparatus. I have retained the siglum F, even though it is much later in origin, because it had been established by use, and so that the apparatus would not be disturbed by too many changes. I is the Vatican codex 130, of the 14th or 15th century, on paper, which contains Books XI—XV. This codex, unknown to previous editors, was collated for me by Dr. Paulus Jordan, a man most learned in Diodoran studies, at my request. For this valuable service I here express my heartfelt thanks. The codex, though written on paper, is well preserved and written with great care; it is of considerable value, since it often agrees with the best manuscripts, especially with P, and supplies not a few readings that correct or confirm the text. K is the Vaticanus codex 131, also of the 14th or 15th century, on paper, containing the same books XI—XV. This codex, like I, was collated for me by Dr. Jordan. It is similar to I in many respects, but seems to be somewhat inferior, as it contains more errors and lacunae. M is the Mutinensis codex III D 12, of the 15th century, on bombycine paper, which contains Books XI—XV. It was collated for me by Dr. Carolus Schenkl, to whom also I owe many thanks. This codex, though late, is not without value, as it sometimes preserves good readings that are not found in the other manuscripts of this class. These are the manuscripts that have been used for the present edition of Books XI and XII. In the following pages, I will give a detailed account of their relationships and the principles followed in establishing the text.

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