limachum, Dionysium de situ orbis, Lycophronem; et exit quidem sub tuo nomine, cum pro meâ erga te incredibili benevolentiâ, quòd sis apprimè doctus, et (quod paucis admodùm datum est,) acutissimo homo ingenio acerrimoque judicio. Sunt enim multi ingeniosi quidem, sed vel parvo vel nullo judicio; contra, nonnulli acri quidem judicio, sed minimo ingenio: tu æquè et ingenio et judicio vales plurimùm : testimonio sunt tua scripta absolutissima vel carmine vel prosâ oratione ; nam et hâc et illo certas cum Antiquitate, quemadmodùm et Petrus Bembus noster, decus eruditorum ætatis nostræ, et magnæ spes altera Romæ. Sed hæc parciùs; ne videar assentari, id quod à me maximè est alienum. Deus est mihi testis, nec dicere me quicquam, nec scribere unquam, nisi quod sentio, quodque verum mihi esse videtur. Εχθρὸς γάρ μοι κεῖνος ὁμῶς ἀιδαο πύλῃσιν, Ὃς γ' ἕτερον μὲν κεύθῃ ἐνὶ φρεσὶν, ἀλλὰ δὲ εἴπῃ· " Αὐτὰρ ἐγὼν ἐρέω, ώς μοι δοκεῖ εἶναι ἀληθῆ. Tum etiam volui, ut sub tuo nomine exiret Pindarus ex Academiâ nostrâ, quia sic delectaris hoc poetâ, ut sæpe eum tuâ manu accuratè descripseris, puto, ut tibi magis fieret familiaris, tum ut edisceretur à te faciliùs et teneretur memoriâ tenaciùs. Id quod describendo Thucydidem fecit Demosthenes, qui, ut Lucianus ait ngis áπaideurov, octies illum descripsit, idque ad suam ipsius utilitatem. Nam haud facilè dixerim, quantùm suam adjuvet memoriam, qui vel notet in margine singula quæque, scitu et memoratu digna, quæ legerit; vel describat suâ manu integros libros, quos sibi velit fieri familiares, Græcos præsertim ; cùm propter alia multa, tum propter accentus et orthographiam, quæ si quis aut ignorat aut negligit, non habetur doctus. Quare, meo quidem judicio, non hortandi solùm sunt juvenes, ut suâ manu sibi describant, quibus studeant, libros, sed etiam compellendi; et si omnes non queant, at optimum quemque et candidissimum. Commentaria autem in Pindarum et ceteros, quos ei adjunxi comites, nec non in Hesiodum, Sophoclem, Euripidem, Æschylum, Theocritum, Oppianum brevi daturi sumus uno volumine: Quibus est animus facere indicem eorum omnium, quæ scitu digna in iis ipsis habentur commentariis. Quam quidem rem in omnibus libris, qui ex ædibus nostris exibunt, in manus hominum facturi sumus, si saxum, quod tot annos volvo, alter Sisyphus, in montis cacumen perduxero. Nunc verò premuntur torcularibus horum oratorum orationes; videlicet, schinis, Lysiæ, Dinarchi, Andocida, Isæi, Antiphontis, Gorgiæ, Demadis, Alcidamantis, Lesbonactis, Antisthenis. Post hos dabuntur, Deo volente, Platonis opera: Tum Xenophontis et deinceps ceterorum illustrium. Tu, mi Nauagerî, intereà tuum Pindarum lege, et nos, ut amas, amā. Vale. Venetiis, in ædibus Aldi et Andreæ Asulani soceri, mense Januario, MDXIII. From the Leaf of a Lucretius in the Library of J. Bryant.' In Juvenem optimum et amicissimum.---S. N. COLL. Regal. Cantab. Alumnum, quem ex animo amavi, quique præmaturo obitu anno 1737. decessit. Jam mihi canities capiti superingruit, et jam In memori semper pectore vivus ades. Heu! pietas, virtusque brevis, moresque caduci, Cura manet, semperque mihi recidiva manebit; SIR, ON THE IAMBIC METRE USED BY ANACREON. TO THE EDITOR OF THE CLASSICAL JOURNAL. of Ir is sufficiently obvious, on the first perusal, that many the Odes which are attributed to Anacreon, are the productions of less skilful poets. To determine those that are genuine, may be deemed a yain attempt; there are, however, I think, two considerations, which may be of material service in forming a successful conclusion, these are an attention to the metre, and to the poetical spirit of each ode. I shall confine my observations to the first sixty-four odes in Fischer's edition: it will appear that of these, twenty-three are written according to one form of Iambic metre, which I shall distinguish by the letter A, and twenty-four according to another form of Iambic metre, which 1 shall distinguish by the letter B. There will then remain three odes of different metres, and fourteen which I consider to be spurious. 1 Versus, inspecto libro, quem mihi dono dederat, longo pòst tempore compositi. B. A. a * These feet occur but seldom. Od. E'. 5. ΣΤ ́. 3. ΜΓ'. 7. 8. a. Examples of this occur, Od. AE'. s. AH'. 4. 10. and in the five first verses of Od. ΑΔ', Β. * Only one example. Od. az. 6. a. Two examples of this occur intermixed with the Iambics, Od. E'. 2. AH', &, The whole of Ode A'. is written in this measure. RULE I. The form A. is an iambic dimeter catalectic, admitting occasionally a tribrach in the first and second places, and a trochee in the first. RULE II. The form B. admits an iambic dimeter catalectic, with an anapæst in the first place this form also admits an Ionic à minore dimeter: but in this case the last syllable of the verse is either naturally long, or made so by position. OBSERVATION. Systems of verses composed according to the form A. never admit verses of the form B. but systems according to the form B. intermix verses of the form A. After a distribution of the Odes of Anacreon into classes, I shall add a few remarks upon the text of Fischer's edition, as far as regards the metre of the forty-seven odes, which are written according to the above forms. Odaria Anacreontis secundùm formam A. * Hoc signum denotat Odaria quæ Hermannus imperitorum putat. ΟΦ, ΜΘ'. ΝΘ'. Non peccant contra metrum. 1 Od. Ε ́. 2. Recensio lectionis secundum Ed. Fischeri, 1793. Αναμίξωμεν Διονύσω. F. metro vitiato. 6. Ρόδον, ὦ φ. α. F. tollendum est glossema . "Ρόδον Ειαρος μ. F. Ρόδον Εαρος, Cod. Vat. Nihil mutandum est, solutio fit Syll. long. in duas breves. Στέψον οὖν. F. Glossema οὖν tollendum est. Vox Διόνυσε pro Trisyllaba per Synecphonesin usurpatur, Λέγη, μὴ δεῖ σε πίνειν. Γ. μὴ δεῖ λέγη σε π. conj. Metar. Πόμα. F. πῶμα. Barnes. Τὴν ψυχήν μου κ. Γ. ψυχὴν δ ̓ ἐμοὶ κ. Barn. Ad finem vitiis laborat. Σκήπτρον ἔχω τὸν ἀσκόν Ο Νάρθηξ δ ̓ οὐδέν ἐστιν. Γ. Mallem ex his versibus unum formare et legere, Νάρθηκ ̓ ἔχω τὸν ἀσκόν. Si duo versus retinendi sunt, alter forsan legatur, Τὸ Σκῆπτρον οὐδέν ἐστιν. Nágon. Ang. A reed or cane, de quâ Plinius Hist. Mund. Lib. xiii. cap. xxii. "Ferula.... geniculatis nodata scapis. Duo ejus genera: Nartheca Græci vocant assurgentem in altitudinem; Nartheciam verò semper humilem." Elegantiâ quâdam ferulæ cave Anacreon utrem assimilat. ΜΒ'. 3. Φιλέω δ ̓ ὅταν ἐφήβου. F. φ. δ' εὖτ ̓ ἀν. Barn. Forsan nihilmutandum et poeticâ licentiâ ultima syllaba in sede secundâ, si in fine vocis exierit, metri gratiâ longa fit. Ita Od. B' 5. H'. 11, ME'. 6. 15. Νεοθηλές ̓ ἅμα κ. Γ. Νεοθηλέσσ ̓. Fab. The forms of Iambic verse, which I have given, are to be applied only to the Odes of Anacreon; independently of any theory, they are merely the result of observation, nor can the practice of any other poet, in the structure of Anacreontic verse, be admitted to interfere with them. Of the readings in Fischer's text, there are but four which require any violent alteration; conjecture may have failed in supplying the true readings, but surely this will not be an adequate reason for rejecting rules of general application. I am, Sir, your obedient servant, HOLT OKES. REMARKS ON THE ANTIQUE RING. TO THE EDITOR OF THE CLASSICAL JOURNAL. SIR, You will be pleased to accept the following explanation of the letters and devices on the Gold Ring found near Barnard's Castle, engraved in No. VII. The last globule should have been placed first in the engraving, and then the inscription will read thesus or IHESVS, a very common mode of spelling the name of Jesus in the middle ages. The rude head on the first globule is certainly that of Christ. The figure on the third globule is a representation of the Trinity, the dove not being visible on the print, though it probably is on the ring itself. The fifth globule exhibits the crowning with thorns; and the last the ecce homo. Your conjecture, that this ring has been an amulet, is perfectly just. Many such are extant, also inscribed with the name of Jesus, who is sometimes called "Rex Nazarenorum.' These and similar words were regarded as charms against the epilepsy, and other diseases. Dec. 16. 1811. Your obedient servant, F. D. VOL. v. No. IX. M |