The Manuscripts
P = codex Puteanus, Paris, Bibliothéque
Nationale 5730, 5th century, our principal source for the text of XXI-XXX.
But as it is defective at the beginning, so
it fails us at the end of the decade. In
the closing words of XXX. xxxviii. 2
this MS. comes abruptly to an end, the
remainder having been lost as early,
apparently, as the 11th century, possibly
earlier. There is a serious lacuna also
between xxx. 14 and xxxvii. 3 of the
same book.
From the Puteanus are descended the following:
- C = Colbertinus, Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale
5731, 10th century.
- R = Romanus, Vatican Library, 9th century.
This fails us at XXX. v. 7.
- M = Mediceus, Florence, Laurentian Library,
10th century, ending at XXX. xxvi. 10.
- B = Bambergensis, Bamberg, 11th century.
- D =Cantabrigiensis, Trinity College, Cambridge, 12th century, ending at XXX.
xli. 3.
- A= Agennensis, British Museum, 13th century.
- N=Laurentianus Notatus, Florence, 13th
century.
Arabic numbers in parentheses indicate the agreement of MSS. derived from
P. Thus (1) =
CRMBDA, and (3) = three or more of the same
list.
A different text tradition was represented by a
codex Spirensis, 11th century, now lost with the
exception of one leaf. This codex was copied from
a MS. of which some leaves were loose and separated
from their context. It is known to us from the single
extant leaf and from many citations of its readings.
Thus in Books XXVI-XXX we have in addition to
deal with another tradition of the text:
- S = Spirensis, 11th century; now only a single
folium at Munich, covering XXVIII.
xxxix. 16 to xli. 12.
- Sp = readings of S cited by Rhenanus in Froben's
2nd edition, 1535 (Sp? if not expressly
cited).
- Ta two folia no longer extant of book XXIX
from a Turin palimpsest of the 5th
century; cf. Vol. VII, p. x. Insignificant as these fragments are, they carry
us back six centuries earlier than S.
Some of the MSS. derived from
P were altered or
supplemented by scribes who had compared another
MS. descended from
S. Hence
A3 and
N3 will
indicate changes thus made (14th and 13th century
respectively).
Corrections thought to be by the original scribe
are marked
e.g.: P1, those by later hands:
p2,
P3,
etc.; corrections which cannot be thus distinguished:
Px (chiefly deletions); and so for other MSS.
Of MSS. partly derived from
P and partly from
S
two are cited, both of the 15th century and in the
British Museum:
J = Burneianus 198, and
K = Harleianus
2781.
Further to be noted are:
- x = an inferior MS. or MSS., 15th century, or
rarely 14th. But for the meaning of
Px, Ax etc., see above.
- y late correction or addition in a MS., e.g.
Ay.
- z = early editor or commentator. Aldus and
Froben are usually cited expressly,
Froben (sic) standing for the agreement
of his two editions.
- For details the Oxford text of Conway and Johnson, Vol. IV, should be consulted.
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