Textus Originalis
DE CODICIBUS LIBRORUM XIII—XV.
Diodori libri XIII—XV quamquam eisdem codicibus quibus libri XI et XII continentur, eisque de codicibus iam in praefatione voluminis alterius actum est, tamen paucis verbis illuc est redeundum; ibi enim in medio reliquimus, utrum eidem codices in his atque in illis libris eiusdem generis eiusdemque auctoritatis essent necne. Diodori quidem libros ita distributos fuisse, ut singula quaeque volumina quinos libros complexa sint, ea ipsa ex re efficitur, quod libri VI—X et XXI—XL i. e. quinquies quini libri interierunt. Atqui libri XI—XV tertiam effecerunt pentadem; ergo horum quinque librorum codices eiusdem stirpis esse veri simillimum est. Neque tamen neglegendum est, cum quod codex Venetus M in extremo tertio decimo libro (XIII 111) desinit*), tum quod optimus ipse P sex libros (XI—XVI), non pentadem, complectitur. Porro quoniam in codice A loci quidam pleniores inveniuntur quam in P et in F, denuo quaerendum videtur, num recte dixerimus: 1. codicem P singulari virtute omnibus ceteris libris praestare (II p. XV), 2. ubicumque cum P sive AHL sive FJKM consentiant, hanc lectionem ex archetypo profectam, diversam ex coniectura, nonnumquam ingeniosa et vera, ortam esse (II p. XXVIII). 1. P haud paucis quidem locis, qui in ceteris omnibus codicibus integri exstant, corruptus est et mutilatus**), saepius tamen unus servavit genuinas
Note a pie di pagina
1 *) In libro decimo quinto alter codex Venetus R adhibitus est ab Wesselingio. Codex R longe abhorret a codice M; ille enim codici A, hic codici F est simillimus.
2 **) Multis locis singuli versus desunt, ac totus fere quaternio in extremo libro XIV intercidit (p. 382, 20 — p. 360, 1). In universum autem librarium codicis P parum
Traduzione
English — scholarly
ARETHE Knowledge Engineering DivisionON THE MANUSCRIPTS OF BOOKS XIII—XV.
Although Diodorus' Books XIII—XV are contained in the same manuscripts as Books XI and XII, and those manuscripts have already been discussed in the preface of the second volume, we must nevertheless return to that point briefly; for there we left it open whether the same manuscripts in these books as in those earlier ones were of the same family and the same authority or not. Indeed, that Diodorus' books were so distributed that each individual volume comprised five books, is itself evident from the fact that Books VI—X and XXI—XL, i.e., five times five books, have perished. Now Books XI—XV constituted the third pentad; therefore it is most probable that the manuscripts of these five books are of the same stock. Nevertheless, it must not be overlooked, both that codex Venetus M ends at the very end of the thirteenth book (XIII 111)*), and that the excellent codex P itself comprises six books (XI—XVI), not a pentad. Furthermore, since in codex A certain passages are found more fully than in P and in F, it seems necessary to ask anew whether we were correct in stating: 1. that codex P by its singular excellence surpasses all other books (II p. XV), 2. that wherever either AHL or FJKM agree with codex P, this reading derives from the archetype, and the divergent one arose from conjecture, sometimes ingenious and true (II p. XXVIII). 1. In not a few places, indeed, which are preserved intact in all other manuscripts, P is corrupt and mutilated**), yet more often it alone preserved the genuine
Commentario Arethe
Diodori libros ita distributos fuisse, ut singula quaeque volumina quinos libros complexa sint
The 'pentad theory': Diodorus originally organized his 40-book Bibliotheca in groups of five (pentads). Evidence: Books VI–X (one pentad) and XXI–XL (four pentads, i.e., 'quinquies quini libri') have perished as units. Books XI–XV therefore formed the third pentad. This matters for textual criticism because manuscripts within a pentad are likely copied from the same exemplar — so the codex families established for XI–XII should hold for XIII–XV. Vogel now tests this hypothesis.
codex Venetus M in extremo tertio decimo libro (XIII 111) desinit
Codex Venetus M (Marcianus graecus VII 8, 15th century) breaks off at XIII 111 — the very end of Book XIII. This terminus is diagnostically important: it means M is not available as a witness for Books XIV–XV, removing one member of the f-family (FJK[M]) from those books. Vogel parenthesizes M in the siglum 'f = FJK(M)' precisely for this reason.
optimus ipse P sex libros (XI—XVI), non pentadem, complectitur
The Codex Patmius (P), the most important manuscript of Diodorus for these books, contains six books (XI–XVI), not the expected pentad of five. This is anomalous: if the pentad theory holds, P's exemplar must have been unusual — either a deliberate expansion or a product of a different organizational tradition. P dates to the 10th or 11th century and was discovered on the island of Patmos. It remains the codex optimus (best manuscript) for Books XI–XV, but as Vogel will show, it has more corruptions in XIII–XV than in XI–XII.