Aeschyli Tragoediae, Volume 1 (Cambridge Library Collection - Classics)

Cambridge Library CoLLeCtion Books of enduring scholarly value

Classics From the Renaissance to the nineteenth century, Latin and Greek were compulsory subjects in almost all European universities, and most early modern scholars published their research and conducted international correspondence in Latin. Latin had continued in use in Western Europe long after the fall of the Roman empire as the lingua franca of the educated classes and of law, diplomacy, religion and university teaching. The flight of Greek scholars to the West after the fall of Constantinople in 1453 gave impetus to the study of ancient Greek literature and the Greek New Testament. Eventually, just as nineteenth-century reforms of university curricula were beginning to erode this ascendancy, developments in textual criticism and linguistic analysis, and new ways of studying ancient societies, especially archaeology, led to renewed enthusiasm for the Classics. This collection offers works of criticism, interpretation and synthesis by the outstanding scholars of the nineteenth century.

Aeschyli Tragoediae The classical scholar and philologist Gottfried Hermann (1772–1848), professor of classics at Leipzig, was especially influential in the fields on Greek grammar and poetical metres. He was among the leading scholars who argued that an accurate knowledge of the Greek and Latin languages was crucial for understanding the intellectual life of the ancient world, and should be the chief aim of philology, the study of the development of languages. Only seven of the plays of Aeschylus, the father of Greek tragedy, survive in complete form, and Hermann’s was the first critical edition to contain all of them. It was published in Leipzig in two volumes in 1852, four years after his death. Volume 1 contains the texts of all of Aeschylus’ tragedies and of Prometheus Bound, of which the authorship is attributed to Aeschylus, and an appendix of notes.

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Aeschyli Tragoediae Volume 1 E di t ed by G ot tfried Hermann

C A m b R I D G E U N I V E R sI T y P R E s s Cambridge, New york, melbourne, madrid, Cape Town, singapore, são Paolo, Delhi, Dubai, Tokyo Published in the United states of America by Cambridge University Press, New york www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9781108016216 © in this compilation Cambridge University Press 2010 This edition first published 1852 This digitally printed version 2010 IsbN 978-1-108-01621-6 Paperback This book reproduces the text of the original edition. The content and language reflect the beliefs, practices and terminology of their time, and have not been updated. Cambridge University Press wishes to make clear that the book, unless originally published by Cambridge, is not being republished by, in association or collaboration with, or with the endorsement or approval of, the original publisher or its successors in title.

AESCHTLI TRAGOEDIAE. RECENSVIT

GODOFREDYS HEMANNYS.

TOMVS PRIMVS.

LIPSIAE APYD WEIDMANNOS. A. MDCCCLII.

PRAEFATIO MAVRICII HAVPTII. Godofretlus Hermannus quum ingravcscente in dies morbo mortem, quatn suinma animi tranquillitate exspcctabat, appropinquare sentiret, mihi discipulo et genero suo mandavit ut Aeschyli tragoedias a se emendatas ederem, singillatim autem praecipere noluit qua ratione officium exsequerer, sed confidere se dixit me pro amore erga se meo diligenter omnia curaturum esse. Ipse paucis ante mensibus Supplices, quam fabulam reliquis quae exstant Aeschyli tragoediis antiquiorem esse existimabat, accuratissime retractaverat, eratque earn tragoediam cum commcntariis suis evulgandam librariis traditurus, quum aegrotare coepit et augesccnte celeritcr morbo animum ab his curis atque cogilationibns abducendum esse intellexit. Quod si licuisset ei codem quo Supplices modo ceteras etiam fabulas retractare, dubitari non potost quin non solum commentarios suos in aequabileni formam redacturus, sed ipsa etiam poelae carmina novis et praeclaris inventis ad emendationis perfectionem multo propius adducturus fuisset. Neque enim senectute imminutum erat illud ingenii acumen quo obscura perspiciebat, non debilitatus erat ille contemptor humilium animus quo Aeschyleae poesis magniiicentiam cogitando felicissime assequebatur. Itaque et ultimo illo vitae anno, 'quum Supplices, ut dixi, perpoliret, nonnulla in quibus antea voluntati ipse suae minus satisfecerat egregie emendavit, et quotiens accuratam fabularum, Aesehylearum lectioncm repeteret, correctioni earum aliquid incremeuti accedcre gaudebat. Atque haec ipsa inventorum accessio praecipue fecerat ut edendi

IV

PRAEFATIO.

libri a plurimis expetiti tempus ex die in diem differret: nam quo saepius aliquid quod antea minus bene successisset feliciter perfecisse sibi videbatur, eo magis sperabat fore ut inagnam partem eorum quae non essent cerla emendatione restituta paullatim ad pristinum nitorem reduceret. Ego vero ut ea quae ipse Hermannus nondum absoluta esse putavit nullo niodo perficere aut compensare potui, ita nc aequabilitatem quidem commentariorum efficere me posse existimavi. Nam etsi aperta detenorum librorum menda omittere fortasse poteram (quamquam ne hoc quidem ubique tuto facturus esse mihi videbar), at ea quae Hermannus uberius disputavit contrahere et ad commentariorum quos in Supplices conscripsit brevitatem accommodare arrogantis atque impii hominis fuisset, ridiculi autem et absurdi, si quae Hermannus brevissime signiflcavit et quasi adumbravit exponere meisque ratiuiiculis confirmare voluissem. Quae quum ita essent, et pietatis oflicio ct utilitati lectorum ita satisfaciendum esse putavi ut diligenter componerem quae Hermannus per longam annorum seriem adnotavisset, omitterem tantum ea quae ipse aut delenda esse indicavisset aut inventis postea quae meliora essent reiecisset, mearum opinionum nihil admiscerem, denique rem ita instituerem ut hie liber, quoniam talem edere non possem qualem Hermannus odidisset, tamen non meus fieret, sed totus esset Hermanni. Quam rationem ibi quoque tenui, sicubi quid deprehendi quod mutaturum fuisse Hermannum non dubitarem. Vejuti quamquam' egregio plane acumine intellexisse mihi videtur qualis fere fuisset pristina forma alternorum Xerxis et *chori versuum quibus Persae fmiuntur, unain tamen carminis emendationem, et earn quidem, ut puto, certain et necessariam, praetermisit. Neque enim dubito quin recte primum Butlerus, deinde alii versuum 1008. et 1016. sedes ita permutandas esse censuerint ut Xerxi iubenti dlcuve, diaive Tir^ia, nqbg ddftovg TaxvtjQSi, 7tEf.i\paT£ novtovd^'" evd-a ds Xa.ika.TCi Xeif-UOVOTVTtqj, fiQOWfj GTEQOltfj T , 6f.i^QOcpoQototv % dvei-ioig aygtetg albg avvrjoavTEg oXotvto, Xexrqtov div -d-if-tig

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