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57 1. 11 Mr Darbishire reminds me of Aen. I 786 Grais seruitum
matribus ibo. See also Claud. r. P. 11 264. I argued from
the silence of Neue and lexx.

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GENESIS.

1-165 (first published by William Morel 1560).

PRINCIPIO DOMINVS CAELVM TERRAMQVE LOCAVIT

to

TORPIDVS VT MVLTO COLLIDENS MEMBRA TREMORE.

166-1441 (first published by E. Martène 1733).

c. 9 10 (54 verses first published by Pitra in the Spicilegium Solesmense, 1852) see below.

M. H.

1

THE CREATION.

PRINCIPIO dominus caelum terramque locauit:

namque erat informis fluctuque abscondita tellus inmensusque deus super aequora uasta meabat. tum chaos et nigrae fuscabant cuncta tenebrae. 5 has dum sidereo disiungit cardine, fatur: LVX FIAT, claro et nituerunt omnia mundo: cum dominus primi complesset facta diei, condidit albentem nebulis nascentibus axem. accipit inmensus errantia litora pontus, 10 multiplices rapiens ualidis cum tractibus amnes. tertia lux faciem terrarum fulua retexit. arida mox posito narratur nomine terra. florea uentosis consurgunt germina campis pomiferique simul procuruant bracchia rami. 15 quarta die generat solis cum lampade lunam et stellas tremulo radiantes lumine fingit. haec elementa dedit subiecto insignia mundo, tempora quae doceant uarios mutanda per ortus. quinta die accipiunt liquentia flumina pisces 20 et uolucres uaria suspendunt corpora penna. sexta pater gelidos in spiras lubricat angues quadripedumque greges totos diffundit in agros, cunctaque multiplici mandauit crescere passim germine et inmensis errare et pascere terris. 25 haec ubi constituit diuina potentia iussu,

rectorem inspiciens mundanis defore rebus

haec memorat: HOMINEM NOSTRI FACIAMV'S IN ORIS VVLTV'S ADSIMILEM, TOTO QVI REGNET IN ORBE.

et licet hunc solo posset componere uerbo,

30 ipse tamen sancta dignatus ducere dextra inspirat brutum diuino a pectore pectus.

GENESIS. C f. 1 r°.

3 immensusque deus super aequora uasta meabat,
dum chaos et nigrae fuscabant cuncta tenebrae.
5 Has dum sidereo disiungiT cardine, fatur.

3 iNmensus C. In 9 i. pontus, 24 i. terris, the 5 epithet is in place; here I thought of in VeCTusque, or imPenDENsque deus, rather the former. But I find immensus ubicumque deus in Exod. 225, cf. 507, Spicileg. Solesm. I 228 ver. 147, and hold my hand. In 4 read perhaps Tum. 5 asT dum disiungi IVSSIT A cardine, futur C, wrongly. The eye 10 ran from d to d, and the gap was filled in by conjecture. sidereo is too characteristic of the author to be set down to a scribe. 6 lux fiat, et laETo nituerunt omnia mundo.

ClaRe C. As fiunt is a spondee in Exod. 1342, cf. fiat 932, I read l. f. claro et. The creative FIAT as a pyrrich 15 is wanting in majesty. cf. 282 haec ubi dicta, fiunt domini mandata uolente cet. 429 haec inter, quae multa fiunt discrimine belli. As I find this licence rarely (see Obbar's Prudentius p. 145) in contemporary poets, or in our poem (see Exod. 450 n., 774), and very slight changes are needed to correct these three 20 places and Exod. 450, 774, I read without hesitation, here (with Fabricius and Hartel as I now find):

lux fiat, claro et nituerunt omnia mundo

(which accounts for the reading laETo); in 282 haec ubi dicta, dEi fiunt mandata uolente; in 429 haec inter, quae multa 25 CA Dunt discrimine belli.

7 cumQVE DEVs primi complesset facta dici.
Read with C and Morel and Hartel cum dOMINıs

p. c. f. d.

16

et stellas tremulo radiantes lumine Pingit. Fingit C. "Longe melius est Pingit" AREVALO. I 5 am not sure. Prud. cath. v 6 is different (polum pinxeris). 20 et uolucres uaria suspendunt corporA penna.

et u. uarias suspendunt corporE pennaS C. Cf. 290. Looking at Hartel's edition I find this line thus : et uolucres uarias suspendunt aere pennas.

Here is an absurdity: 'lighter than a feather' is a proverb; that the wings should be buoyant in air, ‘in [that airy] ocean self-upheld,' is no miracle; but that they should keep heavy bodies μετέωρα.

ΙΟ

Hartel's critical note is "aere coni. Cauchius, corpore Rv. 15 uariae suspendunt aere pennae coni. Gronouius." This latter conjecture is, as those of the master critic always are, intelligent; but it involves a violent change, and leaves the sense where it was. The tradition is:

et uolucres uariaS suspendunt corporE pennaS.

Now, whether we read uariaS Suspendunt or uaria Suspendunt depends not on the reading of the ms., but on our judgement. Suppose the poet wrote, as the evidence proves that he did:

et uolucres uaria suspendunt corporA penna.

20

25

The uaria would be corrupted into uariaS and then the other corruptions corporE and pennaS would follow as a matter of course. The plural wings,' as more prosaic, would commend themselves to the penny-a-liner. That the wings add buoyancy to the body, not the body to the wings, gives no 3ɔ pang to the soul of a copyist.

Having ventured to differ from J. F. Gronov here, I must say a word on his behalf. Many years' intimate acquaintance forbid me to be silent. Hugh Munro used to tell with great glee of some baillie of Glasgow, strong in the traditions of 35 Buchanan and Ruddiman, who would lay down with Scotch emphasis and brogue: 'Learning, Sir, can never die out, so long

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