Textus Originalis

X PRAEFATIO.

Libri tertii decimi ineuntis verba (XIII 1, 2): γράψειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ περιλήψεσϑαι χρόνον πλείονα τῶν in codice F deesse quamquam Dindorf adnotavit, tamen nequaquam suspecta ei fuisse videntur. Postquam ipse ex Bergmanni collatione cognovi eadem verba in codice P quoque desiderari, iam pro certo habui etiam plures codices hoc loco mutilatos esse. Atque G. Schneider pro sua liberalitate et doctrina me certiorem fecit illa septem verba in codice Claromontano margini esse adscripta, in codice Veneto VII 8 prorsus omissa. Quibus verbis sublatis orationem hiare apparet; sed ne illis quidem insertis eam planam esse contendo. Nonne absona est sententia 'non solum res gestas scribere sed etiam spatium mille centum annorum amplecti'? Quod unus sensisse videtur Reiske, qui inter τὰς et πράξεις interposuit κοινάς (cf. I 1, 1. 3. 3, 2. 4, 6). Itaque et codicum auctoritate et verborum sententia efficitur hunc locum corruptum esse. Mihi mendum inesse videtur in vocabulis μὴ μόνον, pro quibus fortasse scribendum est μνημονεύσειν. Quamquam enim non ignoro verbo μνημονεύειν in genere activo Diodorum uti solere ad sententiam reminiscendi vel recordandi exprimendam (I 21, 3. XIII 32, 3. XIV 46, 3. XIX 1, 4), tamen coniecturam meam adiuvant loci hi: I 2, 8 αἱ πράξεις ἅπαντα τὸν αἰῶνα μνημονεύονται, XI 61, 7 οὐδέπω μνημονεύονται τοιαῦται πράξεις γενέσϑαι, cf. V 21, 2. XIII 98, 5. XIV 1, 3. XV 57, 3. XIII 19, 2 ἀπέκτειναν μὲν μυρίους ὀκτακισχιλίους, ἐζώγρησαν δὲ ἑπτακισχιλίους, ἐν οἷς καὶ τοὺς στρατηγοὺς Δημοσϑένην καὶ Νικίαν (scil. Syracusani victoria de Atheniensibus reportata). Verba ἐζώγρησαν δὲ ἑπτακισχιλίους, quae non solum in PF desunt, sed etiam in Veneto desiderantur (teste Schneidero, quamquam nihil adnotavit Wesseling), toti loco tam apte accomodata sunt (cf. XV 14, 2), ut ea inde movere nolim, etsi nullus dubito quin ad lacunam archetypi explendam coniectura docti cuiusdam interpolatoris nata sint. Videntur autem deprompta ex Thucyd. VII 87, 4: ἐλήφϑησαν δὲ οἱ ξύμπαντες, ἀκριβείᾳ μὲν χαλεπὸν ἐξειπεῖν, ὅμως δὲ οὐκ ἐλάσσους ἑπτακισχιλίων.

Traduzione

X PREFACE.

The words at the beginning of the thirteenth book (XIII 1, 2): γράψειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ περιλήψεσθαι χρόνον πλείονα τῶν (to write, but also to encompass a longer time than the...), although Dindorf noted that they are missing in codex F, nevertheless seem by no means to have been suspected by him. After I myself learned from Bergmann's collation that the same words are also lacking in codex P, I now held it as certain that even more manuscripts are mutilated in this place. And G. Schneider, with his characteristic liberality and learning, informed me that those seven words are written in the margin in the Claromontanus codex, and are entirely omitted in the Venetian codex VII 8. With these words removed, the speech appears to gape; but I contend that even with them inserted, it is not smooth. Is not the thought 'not only to write the events but also to encompass a span of one thousand one hundred years' incongruous? Reiske alone seems to have perceived this, who inserted κοινάς (common) between τὰς and πράξεις (cf. I 1, 1. 3. 3, 2. 4, 6). Therefore, both by the authority of the manuscripts and by the sense of the words, it is established that this passage is corrupt. It seems to me that the error lies in the words μὴ μόνον (not only), for which perhaps μνημονεύσειν (to be mentioned) should be written. For although I am not unaware that Diodorus usually uses the verb μνημονεύειν in the active voice to express the idea of remembering or recollecting (I 21, 3. XIII 32, 3. XIV 46, 3. XIX 1, 4), nevertheless these passages support my conjecture: I 2, 8 αἱ πράξεις ἅπαντα τὸν αἰῶνα μνημονεύονται (the deeds are remembered for all time), XI 61, 7 οὐδέπω μνημονεύονται τοιαῦται πράξεις γενέσθαι (such deeds are not yet recorded to have happened), cf. V 21, 2. XIII 98, 5. XIV 1, 3. XV 57, 3. XIII 19, 2 ἀπέκτειναν μὲν μυρίους ὀκτακισχιλίους, ἐζώγρησαν δὲ ἑπτακισχιλίους, ἐν οἷς καὶ τοὺς στρατηγοὺς Δημοσθένην καὶ Νικίαν (they slew eighteen thousand, and took seven thousand alive, among whom were the generals Demosthenes and Nicias) (scil. the Syracusans after their victory over the Athenians). The words ἐζώγρησαν δὲ ἑπτακισχιλίους (and took seven thousand alive), which are lacking not only in PF, but also in the Venetus (according to Schneider, although Wesseling noted nothing), are so aptly fitted to the whole passage (cf. XV 14, 2) that I would not wish to remove them from there, although I have no doubt that they arose from the conjecture of some learned interpolator to fill a lacuna in the archetype. They seem, however, to be taken from Thucyd. VII 87, 4: ἐλήφθησαν δὲ οἱ ξύμπαντες, ἀκριβείᾳ μὲν χαλεπὸν ἐξειπεῖν, ὅμως δὲ οὐκ ἐλάσσους ἑπτακισχιλίων (the total number captured, it is difficult to state exactly, yet it was not less than seven thousand).

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