Odyssey, which Mr. Kenyon refers to the early first century.1 The loops of B are distinct from each other. In the upper curve often meets the cross-stroke, giving the letter much the appearance of a modern English e; sometimes the lower curve also meets the cross-stroke, when the letter is indistinguishable from 8. In n7 the cross-stroke passes well to the left of the left vertical, while the right vertical has become a short but decided curve hanging from the right end of the cross-stroke. In o and the letters of similar outline- c 0—the form is rather oval, the axis pointing not straight up, but decidedly to the left, until it sometimes becomes almost horizontal. This is indeed the prime characteristic of the hand, and in it and all the vertical strokes of the angular letters share. x is small, p and being the only letters which go below the line. and έ do not occur. The letters are all completely formed, but they are often joined together. Whether the dative was written in the papyrus is not quite clear. Only in Bpbooúvn 839 should we expect it, and here it was not originally written; but it seems to have been supplied, together with a point-perhaps by another hand—just above ŋ. The stroke above ∞ of прάŋ 832 is probably similarly intended, and is doubtless due to the same corrector, who thought of πрwi and wished pony spelled etymologically. Yet it is just possible that in 832 an acute accent is meant, in which case it must come from another hand than the rest of the accents in the fragment; and that in 839 some scholiast wrote 'I' above 7, with reference to a scholium in the margin. Didymus has a comment on this line, but it does not concern βριθοσύνῃ; it reads: διὰ τοῦ δὲ αἱ ̓Αριστάρχου ἄνδρα δ ̓ ἄριστον. 2 L The papyrus has a fair array of points and accents, generally from the first hand. The rough breathing occurs twice-836 and 840. The acute appears frequently, in the case of diphthongs standing over both vowels. It stands usually on antepenults, but oú 827 and Toin 828 also have it. A feature somewhat less common is the marking of a-long: α'ρηα 827, α'ρηϊ 829, 841, ερύσασ (épúoaoa) 836. In 824, on the other hand, the initial a of "Apna is short and is, of course, unmarked. epúσão was probably marked to prevent confusion with pvoas, although the apostrophe would have done as well. The diaeresis is used with its modern force, 1 Kenyon, Palaeography of Greek Papyri, pl. XV, p. 84. 2 La Roche, Ilias, p. 159. and elision is sometimes indicated by the apostrophe. The high point is the only punctuation-mark-828, 830, 838, and possibly 839. In 830, modern editions have a comma; in the other lines they have a colon. The fragment furnishes few interesting readings. Naturally, it is the Vulgate text that is represented. yvwokwv 824 is probably an error for ywvwσkw. It is unsupported by the manuscripts, and the editors read γιγνώσκω or γινώσκω, which the sense obviously requires. σbeveλos 835 is equally unintelligible, and seems to have no support, editors and manuscripts reading éveλov. Yet the superior iotas in 832 and 839 shew that the papyrus has had at least one corrector, and one wonders why he was not thoroughgoing. In the case of yvwokov, indeed, it is probable the was marked for excision. There is an additional stroke in the middle of it, which may be thus interpreted. The stroke with which the corrector deleted the a of μaxhoaobaι 833 is hardly more noticeable. But σevedos shews no trace of the corrector's hand, while the line can hardly be restored in such a way as to justify the nominative. The corrector has again asserted himself in 833, where he writes above the penultimate a of μaxýσaobaι. In this he has the approval of most modern editors, who print paxocobat. There are a number of manuscripts, however, which have the reading of the first hand. The papyrus betrays no consciousness of Aristonicus' rejection of 838, 839; but the margins might tell a different story. The reading in 840 is not quite certain. Apparently the first hand wrote μaoraya, in which the corrector deleted the .. In the following transcription the lacunae are supplied from the text of Leaf, except that, in view of the usage of the papyrus, the dative iotas are omitted. Accents, breathings, points, and marks of quantity are printed only where they occur in the papyrus. A point under a letter means that the reading is not quite certain; a line, that the corrector has marked the letter as wrong. E 824-841: 825 γινωσ]κων γαρ αρηα μαχην ανα κοιρανέοντα αλλ αγ ]επ α' ρηϊ πρωτω [εχε μωνυχας ίππους 835 840 εμμεμαζνια θεα μεγα δ' εβ[ραχε φήγινος αξων βριθ]οσυνη δε[ι]νην γα[ρ αγεν θεον ανδρα δ αριστον 824 γινωσκω Leaf; γιγνώσκω Dindorf, La Roche, Van Leeuwen. το γε; τόν γε J (supr. τό), OQT (R supr.), Vrat. a', Eust.; τόνδε S Lips. Mosc. 3; τὸν Μ. 827 831 τυκτον; στυκτον Van Leeuwen. 832 πρωην man. prim. Dindorf. πρωτην corr. Leaf ; πρώην La Roche, Van Leeuwen c. AEG. 833 μαχήσασθαι man. prim. HLOP(?)QR, Vr. A, Mosc. 3. μαχήσεσθαι corr. Dindorf, La Roche, Leaf. μάχεσθαι G (supr. ασ); μαχέσασθαι Vr. a. μαχέσσεσθαι Van Leeuwen. αταρ; αὐτὰρ JMOR. 835 σθενελος; Σθένελον Dindorf, La Roche, Van Leeuwen, Leaf, etc. 836 ερύσασ ; έρύσασα D. 838, 839 ἀθετοῦνται Aristonicus. 839 Van Leeuwen puts this verse in the margin. 840 δε; δὴ G; γὰρ Η. μαστειγα man. prim., μαστιγα corr., Dindorf, La Roche, Van Leeuwen, Leaf, etc. The great papyrus representative of the fifth book of the Iliad is CCXXIII of the Oxyrhynchus Papyri,' written early in the third century on the verso of the long document known as the 'Petition of Dionysia to the Praefect.' The verso preserves eleven complete columns and considerable parts of seven others-in all, 1 Grenfell and Hunt, Oxyrhynchus Papyri, II, pp. 96-114. |