ON WAXEN TABLETS WITH FABLES OF BABRIUS. 
 
 293 
 
 ■*=r 
 
 co 
 
 ON WAXEN TABLETS WITH FABLES OF BABRIUS (TABULAE 
 CERATAE ASSENDELFTIANAE). 
 
 [Plates XIII.— XIX.]. 
 
 Some six months ago Mr. A. D. van Assendelft cle Coningh presented the 
 Leiden library with a set of seven waxen tablets, forming a small book. 
 They were acquired at Palmyra in 1881 by his brother, Mr. H. van 
 Assendelft de Coningh, officer in the Royal Dutch Navy. Mr. H. van 
 Assendelft de Coningh died soon after his return to his country ; we know, 
 however, that the tablets were found at Palmyra from a fragment of a letter 
 which he wrote some days before his death. It runs as follows : ‘ During my 
 brief visit to Palmyra I acquired these wooden tablets/ The tablets came 
 into the possession of Mr. A. D. van Assendelft de Coningh and were put 
 aside with other souvenirs of his brother’s travels. They happened to be 
 shown to me and I easily saw that they contained Greek writing. The 
 tablets were then presented to the Leiden library, the principal librarian of 
 which, Dr. W. N. du Rieu, gave them the name of Tabulae ceratae graecae 
 Asscndclftianae, in honour of the generous giver and his deceased brother. 
 
 The seven tablets are covered with writing on both sides, except the 
 first one, of which the recto-side is plain wood. Of the others the wooden 
 surface is sunk to a slight depth, leaving a raised frame at the edges ; they 
 are of beech-wood, 1 like most waxen tablets preserved in the British 
 Museum. The wood is coated with wax of a very dark colour, probably due 
 to pitch being added to the wax in order to prevent melting and to make 
 the writing clearly visible. They measure 14’5 by 12 cm. (5 - 7 by 4'7 
 inches). The plates appended to this article will supersede a more detailed 
 description; they are very successful and in most cases they are legible to 
 the same degree as the original. Only where the coating of wax has 
 perished, the sharp stilus sometimes has marked through on to the wood 
 behind the wax, so that on the original some letters are still visible. 
 
 The tablets, as they arrived at the Leiden library, were bound together 
 with common string, which could lay no claim whatever to antiquity ; it was 
 quite obvious that they were put together without any order. A minute 
 
 1 Bliiinncr ( Tcchnologie und Tcrminologie der not cite beech-wood as a material out of which 
 Gcwcrbe und Kiinstc dcr Griechen und limner, writing-tablets were made. 
 
 Lcipsio 1875 — 1886, ii. 245 and iv. 556) does 
 
ON WAXEN TABLETS WITH FABLES OF BABRIUS. 
 
 2 1)4 
 
 examination of the way in which the text went on showed that II., III., I 
 formed a series and V., VI., VII. another. Moreover it seemed high 
 ]Wobable that VII. verso formed one of the covers of the book, as the waxt 
 coating of this tablet is levelled to the surface of the frame and the fran 
 itself severely damaged. The other cover was I. recto. It is however to l 
 noticed that, if we thus have restored the right order of succession, tl 
 writing of VII. verso stands upside down. 
 
 
 V? 
 
 The contents of the tablets are : — 
 
 J. verso. Hesiod, Opera et Dies 347. 
 
 II. recto. T io? /cal Xecov yeypap,p,evos (Babrius 2 fraym. 138, Knoell 
 135, Coray 2 3 4 n. 264 and p. 393, Furia 5 187, Halm 6 349, Gitlbauer 7 142). 
 
 II. verso. Tio? /cal Xicov y eypanp,evo<; ( continued ). KoXcuo? deTo 
 pupovp,evo<; (Knoell 110, Coray n. 203 and p. 370, Furia 3, Gitlb^her 156) 
 Kopa£ vocrwv (Babrius 78, Knoell 63, Coray n. 132 and p. 334, Furia 87 
 Halm 208). 
 
 & 
 
 q\ 
 
 \t> 
 
 A 
 
 X 
 
 
 G 
 
 
 
 III. recto. K opatj voawv. 
 
 III. verso. Aicov /cal Tavpos (Babrius 97, Coray n. 227 and p. 377 
 Furia 92, Halm 262). 
 
 IV. recto. Uep8i% /cal yecopyos (Knoell 122, Coray n. 164 and p. 353 
 Furia 172, Halm 356, Gitlbauer 163). 
 
 IV. verso. A vi ro p,vpprj/co<; /cal 'E p/G}? (Babrius 117, Knoell 95 
 Coray n. 364 and p. 410, Furia 363, Halm 118). Tavpo? /cal rpayos 
 (Babrius 91, Knoell 72, Coray n. 277, 382, Furia 181, Halm 396). 
 
 V. recto. Taupe? /cal rpayos (continued)/ A ewv /cal aXbo7rr)f- (Babrius 
 103, Knoell 73, Coray n. 137 and p. 336, Furia 91, Halm 246, Pseudodosi- 
 theus 7 * p. 42, 99). 
 
 V. verso. A earn /cal dXan (continued/). Aecou /cal pv<; (Babrius 107, 
 
 Knoell 77, Coray n. 217 and p. 373, Furia 98, Halm 256, Pseudodositheus 
 p. 40, 96). | 
 
 VI. recto. Aecov /cal p.u? (continued). Fewpyo? ical oefris (Knoell 42, 
 Coray n. 170 and p. 357, Furia 130, Halm 97, Gitlbauer 147, 215). 
 
 VI. verso. v O uo? ical Xcovt/) (Knoell 99, Coray n. 258, Furia 141, 
 Halm 333, Gitlbauer 218). ’'EXai^o? ical Xecov (Babrius 43, Knoell 34, Coray 
 n. 181 and p. 365, Furia 66, 209, Halm 128, Gitlbauer 43, Pseudodositheus 
 p. 40, 95). 
 
 2 Babrii Fabulae, ex recensioue A. Eberhard, 
 Berlin, 1875. In the following pages this 
 edition is referred to, when no name of editor is 
 cited. 
 
 3 Fabularum Babrianarum paraphrasis Bocl- 
 Icana, ed. Pius Knoell, Vienna, 1877. 
 
 4 Mvffuv Altrcvwficov (ruvayccyrj ( Parcrga Btb- 
 lioth. Hellcn. ed. Coray, Paris, 1810). 
 
 5 Fabulae Aesopicac, ed. F. de Furia, Leipsic, 
 
 1810. 
 
 6 Fabulae Aesopicac collcctac , ex recognitione 
 C. Halm, Leipsic, 1889. 
 
 7 Babrii Fabulae, recensuit M. Gitlbauer, 
 Vienna, 1882. Gitlbauer’s edition is only cited 
 in those cases where he has tried to give a 
 restitution of Babrian fables not found in our 
 manuscripts. 
 
 7 * Hermencumata Pseudodositheana ( Corpics 
 rjlossariorum Latinorum iii, Leipsic, 1892). 
 
ON WAXEN TABLETS WITH FABLES OF BABRIUS. 
 
 295 
 
 VII. recto. 'EA-a^o? /cal Xecov {continued). "O pvis y pvaoro/co ? (Babrius 
 fragrru. 123, Knoell 112, Coray n. 136 and p. 335, Furia 153, Halm 343, 
 Gitlbauer 123). "O pvcs ical acXovpos (Knoell 111, Coray n. 152 and p. 347, 
 Furia 14, Halm 16, Gitlbauer 121). 
 
 VII. verso. Hesiod, Opera et Dies 347. 
 
 It will be remarked that the order in which the fables are placed is not 
 Kara aroiyelov, as in our manuscripts. Although I agree with those scholars 
 who believe the alphabetical order to be the work of a Byzantine scribe, it 
 would be rash to allege the testimony of the tablets, the work of a schoolboy, 
 to support that hypothesis. — Of these fables nine are in choliambics, the 
 three others (the lion and the mouse, the lion and the fox, the man and the 
 viper) in prose. 
 
 As to the general character of the text, it is easy to see that it is very 
 corrupt aud full of errors, additions and omissions. This condition of the 
 text will not surprise us, if it is borne in mind that this waxen book was a 
 schoolboy’s copy-book. That it was such evidently results from what we 
 know about the use of waxed tablets, alike from the testimonies of ancient 
 authors and from the waxen tablets which have survived to the present clay. 
 Concerning the employment of waxen tablets in schools, it will suffice to 
 refer the reader to Wattenbach’s Schriftwescn (p. 74 of the second edition), 
 and Becker-Goll’s Charikles (ii., p. 66), where he will find an ample discussion 
 of the question and a copious list of authorities. To the testimonies cited 
 by these authors we now may add the following lines from Herodas (iii. 14 
 ff. cf. 22—30) 
 
 K?) pev t dXaiva heXr os, i)v i' ya> /cdpvw 
 KTjpova’ k/cdcjTOV pyvos, opcf/avg Kelrai 
 irpo rgs yapevvy s tov eVi Tolyov epplvos, 
 K/)v py/coT avrr) v olov ’AtSyv /3Xey]ras, 
 ypn-fryi pev ovSev KaXov, e/c S’ oXyv £vayi. 
 
 We know that Lucian when a boy made no better use of his waxen tablets. 
 In his autobiography he tells us : 67r6Te...d<pedec7]V v7to twv SiSaa/cdXcov 
 uTToi-ecov av tov icppov i) /3oa<; 'ittttovs r) /cat vp At’ dvOpd/irovs dveirXaTTOv 
 { Somnium 2). Waxen tablets with school exercises in the British Museum 
 are mentioned by Mr. Thompson in his Handbook of Greek and Latin Palaeo- 
 graphy (London, 1893, p. 23 ff.) and a charming illustration of the way in 
 which they were used is seen on a Berlin cup, the work of the famous Duris. 
 The schoolmaster or his assistant is represented correcting the writing 
 exercise and the boy stands before him expecting his verdict. 8 A text to 
 this scene is found in an author of a much later date, in Pseudodositheus’ 
 Hermeneumata, where many interesting details concerning ancient school 
 life may be gathered, which would deserve a special treatment, e.g. : dnep- 
 yopai els rpv ayoXrjv. elag\dov ...tTriBlScoal poi 6 7rat9 6 epos Kapn-rpocf/opos 
 
 8 Archiiol. Zcitung 31 (1874), p. 1 ff'. and Plate I. 
 
296 
 
 ON WAXEN TABLETS WITH FABLES OF BABRIUS. 
 
 ( puer scrinictrius ) irevaKiBas, OrjKgv ypacpelon 1 , 7rapaypa<plBa (praeductorium, 
 probably a ruler, not a stilus for drawing lines as is the explanation given 
 by most dictionaries), tm epa> tottw KaOypevos \eaivw Trapaypacfxo 7 rpo? 
 tov virofpappov 7 pd-ty-a$ Be Bet/cvvco tu> BiBacncdXw, iBubpdooae, e^dpa^e’ 
 iceXevet pe dva<ytvd>(T>ceiv etc., etc. ( Corpus Gloss. Led. iii. p. 646, cf. pp. 
 225, 377). 
 
 There is a perfect harmony between the use of the tablets in the school 
 and the text found on them. Mr. Rutherford, in the excellent introduction to 
 his edition of Babrius, has pointed out that Babrius was a favourite school 
 author, nay, that he probably wrote his fables ‘ for the use of schools and 
 colleges,’ where Aesopic fables were used as a progymnasma for rhetorical 
 training. Crusius 9 supposes that the fables of Babrius are a verse transla- 
 tion of Nicostratus’ Beicapvdla. 
 
 There are still other peculiarities which prove the tablets to be a 
 schoolboy’s book ; such are the repetition in cursive of a fable (III. recto) 
 and of an epimythium (YI. verso) ; hence too the verse of Hesiod on the 
 inner sides of the covers, which probably was set down as a writing exercise 
 (uTTorypappos). It may be compared to the verses in the style of Menander 
 found on a set of tablets now preserved at New York , 10 or to the following 
 lines which are read three times on a waxen tablet lately acquired by the 
 British Museum (Add. 34186) : n 
 
 ao(f>ov Trap ’ dvBpos irpoaBe^oo avp/3ov\lav. 
 
 py Traaev el/cf) T045 0/A.ot? Tnaieberai. 
 
 In discussing the date of the tablets we have first to examine their 
 palaeographical characteristics. Most of the tablets are written in that kind of 
 uncial writing which Thompson calls the literary or book-hand ; 12 on III. one 
 fable and part of another is written in cursive ; there are also specimens of 
 cursive on VI. verso and V. verso. This book- hand, however, is strongly 
 influenced by the cursive, as is the case, though in a smaller degree, with the 
 writing of a document lately discovered in the Fayoum, the writer of which, 
 1 as if more accustomed to write a cursive hand, mingles certain cursive 
 letters in his text .’ 13 Perhaps in our case a special reason may be given to 
 account for this peculiarity : it seems from some characteristics of the 
 writing, which will be discussed below, that our tablets were copied from an 
 original in cursive. The cursive writing on the tablets belongs manifestly to 
 that period of Greek cursive writing, called by Wilcken 14 the Roman period. 
 A closer examination of some of the more frequent letters may perhaps help 
 
 9 Crusius, dc Babrii actate, p. 228 in Lei'pzigcr 
 Studicn 2 (1879). 
 
 10 Proceedings of the American Acad, of Arts 
 and Sciences, iii. p. 371. 
 
 11 On a waxen tablet preserved at the Bodleian 
 library (Gr. Inscr. 4) we find : 6eb s oa5’ av6po>~ 
 
 Tros"Op.ripos. 
 
 u Thorrpson ( Handbook , etc.) p. 118 ff. ; 
 
 Mahafi'y, On the Flinders Petrie Papyri, Dublin, 
 1891, p. 31 ; Wilcken, Tafeln zur alter en 
 gricchischen Palacographic, Leipsic and Berlin, 
 1891, p. Vb. 
 
 19 Thompson, p. 126, where a facsimile of 
 some lines is given. 
 
 1,1 Wilcken, Tafeln, etc., Via. 
 
ON WAXEN TABLETS WITH FABLES OF BABRIUS. 
 
 297 
 
 us to a more definite date. I begin with III. (cursive). On III. recto alpha 
 has an ordinary cursive form, but on the verso side, the writing of which is 
 more negligent, the letters being frequently joined, alpha is much more open 
 and takes a form near to the w-like shape , 15 without however assuming it 
 exactly. Epsilon has the uncial shape, only in ligature with iota it has the 
 more negligent form. Eta (III. recto eov\r)9ri, pcr/Tep ; III. verso 'KpocnroLf]- 
 0ei<;) presents an intermediate form between the uncial eta and the /i-shaped 
 eta of the Byzantine period. In ligature (III. recto p-r/rpc) it has already 
 the late form with long limb . 16 Lambda never descends below the line, nu 
 has a very regular uncial shape, in twv (III. verso) it has the form of a 
 capital eta. Xi ends in a horizontal stroke (III. recto Kcpag), but in ligature 
 it degenerates into a mere flourish (III. verso tv). Omikron is generally 
 much smaller than the other letters, although the difference is not so striking 
 as in the tablets with book-hand writing. Pi does not present the loose, w- 
 like form of col. 8 — 11 of Thompson’s Table of Alphabets. A brief survey of 
 the writing on the other tablets will show that the great difference which at 
 first sight is remarked between the book-hand and the cursive consists 
 not so much in the different forms of the single letters as in the general 
 aspect of the whole. The letters of the book-hand writing are written on 
 ruled lines, carefully drawn by the stilus ; they stand rigidly and the scribe 
 has endeavoured to give an equal size to them all. Beta is closed above and 
 slightly opened at the bottom, sometimes it ends in a point (V. recto 1, e7c/3a? ; 
 V. verso 9, fiXeireiv ; IV. verso 2, ^vdbarjf). Eta has been alluded to above : 
 besides the ordinary uncial shape it has a form that denotes a transition to 
 the cursive. The different forms may be easily studied on one of the most 
 legible tablets, V. recto, where 7 — 15 afford specimens of the various shapes. 
 The forms of xi vary very much ; specimens: IV. verso 14, r-u£a?; V. recto 
 2, e%(i)9eb, 12, aXanrri ^ ; V. verso 12, i^ijryeipe. Omikron is very small; on 
 VII. verso it is a mere dot. It is to be noticed that very often omikron is 
 written like alpha: II. recto 10, fiovKoXyipea, 14, 7 roTe, 15, 7 roppw, 21, tovtco ; 
 III. verso in fine, to 9vp,a; IV. verso 8 , opuov ; V. recto 15 ,-))ppboaev ; V. verso 
 11, ecf)r)WaTO ; VII. recto 22, a r no9vr\<iKw ; VII. verso 1, 7 roSe?, 9, amove. 
 Alpha written as omikron is found on VI. recto 22, ica/covs. I think this 
 peculiarity can be best explained by supposing that the tablets were copied 
 from an original in cursive. In cursive writing alpha is often hardly distin- 
 guishable from omikron-, so that a scribe could be easily led into error. The 
 same hypothesis may account for the fact that omikron is twice written 
 instead of ov (VII. recto in fine, ok a r Ko9vy](TKw, V. verso 17, ok eXXaTrovo 9 , 
 perhaps also VII. recto 5, TrpohwKev) and twice instead of epsilon (VII. recto 
 23, enrov, VII. recto 9, TroTToi0r)aL<;), the cursive forms of ov (with v written 
 over 0 ) and e being much more liable to be confused with omikron than the 
 uncial forms. The error made in I. verso = VII. verso, t eiper) for reip, 779 , may 
 be explained in the same way, viz. by the cursive ligature of 7 ;? ; this often 
 
 15 Thompson, p. 149, Table of Alphabets, 10 Thompson, p. 149, Table of Alphabets, 
 col. 8 — 11. col. 9 and 10. 
 
 H.S. — VOL. XIII. 
 
 X 
 
298 
 
 ON WAXEN TABLETS WITH FABLES OF BABRIUS. 
 
 appears on II. recto where cursive forms are most frequent: II. recto 2, 
 7rpeer/3im;9, 23, etaEvags. Sigma has a very long horizontal dash, that 
 sometimes occupies the space of several letters (IV. verso 12). 
 
 From this rapid review it may be gathered that there occur on the 
 tablets no forma of letters which would force us to give them a later date 
 than a.d. 300. A minute study of the general character of the writing 
 compared to that of papyrus writing and to the writing on the waxen 
 tablets which I saw this summer at the British Museum makes me suppose 
 that our tablets belong to the third century of our era. 
 
 The faults in orthography and in language cannot be of much use in 
 assigning a date to the tablets. The most frequent orthographical fault in 
 our text is confusion between cu and e. Examples : yevgre IT. recto 5, 
 e\ev/ceve II. recto 12, ypacf)e<; II. recto 13, tee II. recto 13, K\eovag II. verso 
 15, atroSovve VI. recto 8, tcepSeveiv VII. recto 17, e\ovpo<; VII. recto 19, 
 aivbOTe VII. recto 9, aiaOXou I. verso 4, VII. verso 4, IV. verso 1. 
 
 We know that in inscriptions this fault is of frequent occurrence from the 
 end of the first century of our era downwards (Meisterhans, Gramm, der ait. 
 Inschr. p. 26). Iota when long is regularly written et,. Examples : r etp,rj 
 I. recto 2, VII. verso 2, epeipoupgu II. verso 13, tcpeiveiv IV. verso 4, VI. verso 
 20, VII. recto 7, OTreia^veiTo, V. verso 18, coSetvetv VII. recto 3. We know 
 that this was done according to a school precept, 17 dating from a time when et, 
 and l were identical in pronunciation. It was a dead rule, the difference 
 between i and i no longer existing ; accordingly our schoolboy sometimes 
 transgresses the law and writes ggrpet (III. verso 2). In axepTWv for a/etp- 
 tcov (VI. verso 4) we have a very early example of the modern Greek law 
 that unaccented i before a liquid becomes e. 18 Twice, perhaps three times, 
 there is confusion of rj with v and oi : gpcov for v/j-wv (IV. verso 15), 19 
 (j)T)p.vr)<; for 7 rotp,vg<; (II. verso 7), and ig^vols (?) for (VI. verso 1). 
 
 It is known that in inscriptions of Greece proper no instances of a confusion 
 of this kind are found before the ninth century of our era, whereas v and 
 oi are often confounded with each other. 20 We must, however, not attach 
 too much importance to these errors, which stand by themselves; these two 
 or three words wrongly written, when compared with the numerous words in 
 which u is written correctly (there are more than fifty of such words in our 
 text), have little demonstrative force. Moreover the spelling of cfrypvy ? 
 gives an argument for the earlier date of the text, for 0 written instead of 
 
 17 This rule is stated by Quintilian (i. 7, 15). 
 See Sophocles, History of tlic Greek Alphabet 
 and Pronunciation, Cambridge U.S., 1854, 
 p. 63, and Blass, Palacographie, p. 315 (Iwan 
 Muller's HandbucJi, i., second edition). 
 
 18 Hatzidakis, Einleitung in die ncugr. 
 Gramm., Leipsic, 1892, p. 333, Wilhelm 
 Meyer, Simon Portius Gramm, ling. gr. vulg., 
 Paris, 1889, p. 81. Meyer cites as the first 
 example of this law x e P‘> X € P<L in a papyrus of 
 160 B. c., but it is conceivable that the form 
 
 owes its existence to the analogy of x^peA. All 
 other examples cited by Hatzidakis and Meyer 
 are of a much later date. 
 
 lu In most manuscripts ryj.eis, iyxds is 
 
 often written instead of bfiels, vySiv, vpas, but 
 the contrary is rare. I have tried to explain 
 this in the Byzantinischc Zeitsclirift, i. (1891), p. 
 382 If. 
 
 20 Foy, Griechischc Vocalstudicn, p. 57 [Bcz- 
 zenberger’s Bcilrdge, 12, 1887). 
 
ON WAXEN TABLETS WITH FABLES OF BABRIUS. 
 
 299 
 
 7 r carries us back to a period in which was not a spirant but an aspirate. 
 It would be rash to draw conclusions from a single writing like this, especi- 
 ally as the tablets come from a region where Aramaic was doubtless more 
 spokeu than Greek, and are written by a boy to whom Greek was probably 
 not his mother tongue. Faults like opvitj (VII. recto 18 and 21), and KrelveL 
 for cvnoQvr](XKe.i (II. verso 12), ehrov for et7re'(III. verso 14, VII. recto 28), 
 seem to confirm this supposition. Some peculiarities of morphology and 
 syntax are treated in the notes ; they are of no value for determining the 
 date of the tablets. 21 
 
 Palmyra was destroyed in 272 or 273 A.D . 22 Was it sacked completely 
 and for all time, or was it partly restored ? Prof. Mommsen says : ‘ Dem 
 kurzen Autieuchten Palmyras und seiner Ftirsten folgte unmittelbar die 
 Oede und Stille, die seither bis auf den heutigen Tag iiber dem kiimmer- 
 lichen Wiistendorf und seinen Colonnadenruinen lagert.’ 23 It seems 
 however, that the eminent historian in speaking so absolutely has indulged 
 his taleut for making fine periods. For we are informed that Diocletian 
 founded a military station at Palmyra and that Justinian furnished the 
 place with an aqueduct and built the wall of which ruins are still visible; 24 
 we read that Palmyra was a bishopric and that about 400 A.D. it was the 
 station of the first Illyrian legion. In later days it was a Moslem fortress 
 and received a considerable Arab colony ; it sent a thousand horsemen to 
 aid the revolt of Emesa. The town was still a wealthy place, with con- 
 siderable trade as late as the 14th century. 25 We shall leave the question 
 of the revival of Palmyra under Moslem sway undiscussed, but it is worth 
 while to examine the testimonies concerning the rebuilding of Palmyra 
 under Piocletian and Justinian. Probably these emperors had only a 
 military interest in partly restoring the town. We may gather from 
 Procopius 26 that it was deemed important to have a strong post on the 
 disputed marches of the Arabs of Hira and Ghasan. As to Palmyra being 
 a bishopric under the Christian Empire, we have no proof that a bishop 
 actually resided in the town. 27 Mommsen has pointed out that on the site 
 
 21 Other faults of orthography are : a for at, 
 K\ae (II. verso 15); tj for i, ttj (II. recto 10), 
 tjk€0 (IV. verso 10) ; i for ft, Aeovnats (III. 
 verso 7), trrpatp is (III. verso 11 ), ir eiro id-pats 
 (VII. recto 9), em (V. recto 3) ; i for at, Zp-qptav 
 (IV. verso 18) ; u for o, okioAu ><// (II. recto 21) ; 
 <r for f, av'yKXiiawv (II. recto 10), v for oi, <ru 
 (VII. recto 21 ) ; 0 for it, Ppeafius (II. verso 1 ). 
 Often a letter is wrongly doubled : ov vvt,iv (II. 
 verso 6 ), crvtr<rx ( ^ (ls (V. recto 7), e^rjAAaTo 
 (V. verso 11), tAAanova (V. verso 17), 5eiei£as 
 (II. recto 17). N 7 instead of 77 , etc. often 
 occurs: ovvyvwpLr\v (V. verso 15), <rm)Avvya 
 (IV. verso 18), avx ivolav (V. recto 13) ; in the 
 same way we find : iv^(Rr\Koros (IV. verso 4), 
 cruvirAaKtis (VI F. recto 4). The boy, aspiring 
 at etymological orthography, even writes ovpaot 
 
 (II. recto 16)! — There is no punctuation in 
 our text. Iota subscriptum is never found. 
 
 22 Mommsen, Rom. Gesch. v. p. 441 note. 
 
 23 Mommsen, Rom. Gesch. v. p. 441. 
 
 24 Sachau, Reise in Syrien und Mesopotamicn, 
 Berlin 1883, p. 45. 
 
 25 I am indebted for these details to Prof. 
 W. Robertson Smith’s masterly article on 
 Palmyra in the Encyclopaedia Britannica, 
 where authorities are cited. 
 
 2S Procopius, deaedif. ii. 11 (p. 243 ed. Bonn) 
 and v. 1 (p. 309 ed. Bonn). Robertson Smith, 
 l. 1. 
 
 27 Lo Quien ( Oriens Chrislianus, Paris 1740, 
 ii. p. 846) gives the names of three bishops : 
 Marinus 325, Joannes I. 451, Joannes II. 518. 
 They are taken from the Acta Conciliorum. 
 
 x 2 
 
300 
 
 ON WAXEN TABLETS WITH FABLES OF BABRIUS. 
 
 of Palmyra no inscriptions have been found younger than 271. 28 This is, 
 indeed, a very strong argument in favour of the supposition that Palmyra 
 was only rebuilt as a fortress and that, after the sack of the town, Greek 
 civilization disappeared from the site of-Zenohia’s splendid reign. So in 
 dating the tablets we may assume the year 273 as a final limit. 
 
 After Crusius’ careful and acute examination of the time in which 
 Babrius lived, 29 we may take it for granted that the poet lived in the first 
 half of the third century of our era. 
 
 So, if we are right in our conclusions, we have on the tablets a text of 
 Babrius which dates from a time very near to the period of the author’s life. 
 That, nevertheless, the text is so corrupt may be explained by the use made 
 of Babrius as a school author. Here we may refer to the excellent remarks 
 which Rutherford has made on the irrepviapara and eVt/taTTii/rara which 
 disfigure our text of Babrius. 30 Our tablets, however, although equalling the 
 manuscripts in corruptness, present many traces of better readings, which 
 make it probable that the schoolboy, knowing little Greek, has disfigured a 
 text which in many respects was superior to that of the Athoan or the 
 Vatican codex. Of these primitive readings vx jgas (IV. verso 14), e/c/3«? 
 (IV. verso 22), and the absence of a suspect verse in the 7th Fable, furnish 
 excellent examples which may be considered as real corrections of the text. 
 On the other hand, there already occur on our tablets faults in Greek and in 
 metre which are commonly ascribed to the much-abused Byzantine magistri 
 or magistclli , 31 who are supposed to be accountable for the pitiful state in 
 which Babrius’ text has been handed down to us. There are but two lines 
 on our tablets which are also found in Suidas: 1 Fable 9 and 7(9 = Suidas sub 
 {3ovKo\gcra<; ; in the Etymologicum Magnum {sub ireirpcDgevov) the epimy- 
 thium of the first fable is preserved in a better state. The more primitive 
 character of the text of our tablets is best seen in IV. verso, in the fable of 
 Hermes, the shipwrecked man, and the ants. It is the only fable which is 
 common to the Athoan, the Vatican, and the tablets. The Bodleian para- 
 phrase, which sometimes agrees with the tablets in leaving out spurious or 
 suspect verses (cf. Fab. 3, 4, 7), in this case accords with the manuscripts. 
 
 For the obscure and intricate question of the origin and affinity of the 
 prose versions of the Aesopic fables, 32 the texts here published are not with- 
 
 28 Mommsen, Rom. Gesch. p. 441 note. Le 
 Has and Waddington, Voyage Archiol. iii. p. 
 592 — 611 ; C. /. G. 449 ; de Vogue, Inscript. 
 Scmitiqucs, Paris 1868, n. 116. 
 
 - ,J Crusius (de Babrii aetatc) sees in the 
 /3 acnAevs 'A\e£av5 pos of the second proem 
 Alexander Severus. K. J. Neumann (Rhein. 
 Museum 35 (1880) p. 301 ff. ), although agreeing 
 with Crusius in the date he assigns to Babrius, 
 believes that the allusion is to Caracalla, who 
 liked to be compared to Achilles and Alexander. 
 Accordingly Babrius dedicated his work to 
 Elegabalus, who after Caracalla’s death passed 
 for his son. It seems that Crusius has adopted 
 
 Neumann’s views (Philol. Anzeiger 14 (1884), 
 p. 176). Werner, the latest author on the 
 subject, assumes that Babrius lived in Egypt 
 in the 1st century, but his arguments are ex- 
 ceedingly weak ( Quacstiones Babrianac, Berlin, 
 1891, p. 22, 24). 
 
 30 Rutherford, Babrius (London, 1883), 
 lxxxvi. — xc. 
 
 31 E.g. Bergk in Philol. 47 (1889), p. 386. 
 
 32 A clear survey of the various prose versions 
 is given by Fedde (Ucber eine noch nicht cdirte 
 Sammlung asopischer Fabeln, Progr. Gymn. zu 
 St. Elisabct, Breslau 1877, p. 1 — 3) ; Pius 
 Knoell (Die babrianischen Fabeln des cod. 
 
ON WAXEN TABLETS WITH FABLES OF BABBIUS. 
 
 301 
 
 out importance. If we are right in assigning so early a date to the tablets, 
 the supposition that all prose versions are based on the text of Babrius is 
 considerably weakened. 33 Indeed, it is difficult to believe that some fifty 
 years after the author’s death paraphrases circulated which differed so much 
 from Babrius’ text as is the case with our fables of the lion and the mouse 
 and the lion and the fox. As Babrius edited Aesopic fables in choliambics, 34 
 others composed editions in prose ; the number of such editions may have 
 been very large, and it is not to be wondered at that we find traces of such 
 prose versions along with the more artistic and elaborate text of Babrius. 
 We have in the Vatican codex 35 another example of a collection of Aesopic 
 fables in which verse fables are found together with prose versions. It 
 should also be noticed that for schoolboys or scribes who had to copy Babrian 
 fables, or to write them down from memory, it was tempting, where memory 
 or inadequate copies failed, to fill up the lacunae with fragments of a better 
 known prose version or with a translation of the text made on purpose. 
 Thus we may account for many metrical corruptions of our text. 
 
 Versus Politici, properly speaking, are not found in these fables. 36 * It is 
 true that in late and Byzantine Greek verses are found where, the last foot 
 of the verse excepted, neither accent nor quantity is observed and only the 
 syllables are counted ; 36 but where no more of such lines are found together 
 than is the case here, it is difficult to say whether the number of the 
 syllables is accidental or not. In those cases where we find a verse of twelve 
 syllables instead of Babrius’ choliambics, it is probable that the schoolboy, 
 who evidently knew very little about prosody, contented himself with 
 observing two rules which seemed essential to him : the number of the 
 syllables and the spondee at the end of the verse. Perhaps the infinitive 
 whiveLv in the 13th fable is due to this practice. Verses of this kind are : 
 ovk r/v ofioiov to dv/Jba tov /xayeipov (4th fable) and TroXo? et’<? avrov itceO’ 
 ea/jibs p,vpp,r\K.wv. They resemble the political scazons of which Eberhard 37 
 speaks. 
 
 Five of the fables here published have epimythia (1, 8, 9, 10, 12). This 
 proves that these supplements are older than is generally believed, but it 
 does not prove at all that they belonged to the primitive text of Babrius. ' 
 Schoolmasters often feel it their duty to give moral lessons where they are 
 neither needed nor desired, and there is no reason why we should not suppose 
 
 Bodleianus 2906, Jahresb. iiber das Gymn. der 
 inneren Stadt, Vienna 1876) has carefully 
 examined the Bodleian paraphrase. 
 
 33 Such was the opinion of Tyr whitt, Bern- 
 hardy, Enoch, etc. (Fedde, l. 1. p. 16). We 
 must make an exception, however, of the 
 Bodleian paraphrases which closely follow 
 Babrius (Knoell, Die babr. Fabeln, etc. p. 14 IT., 
 31 f.). 
 
 34 Knoell, Wiener Sludien 3 (1881), p. 195. 
 Crusius, de Babrii aetate, p. 228. 
 
 3-1 Knoell, Neue Fabeln des Babrius in Silz- 
 
 ungsber. der Kais. Acad, zu Wien 91 (1878), 
 p. 663. 
 
 35* Perhaps we should except the first and the 
 last line of Fable 8 : Atuv [ tis ] yijpa owxefc Is 
 voaeiv Trpo<T(TroiuTO...Ai5d<rKet npLas 6 /xvdos rb. 
 /neWovra irpoPAfiretv. 
 
 30 Wilhelm Meyer, Abhandl. d. bayer. Acad, 
 de Wise. 1 cl. 17 (1885), p. 308, 325. Krum- 
 bachcr, Sitzungsber. d. bayer. Acad, der Wiss. 
 1887, p. 53 ff. 
 
 37 Eberhard, Obsereationes Babrianae (Berlin, 
 1865), p. 12, note 2. 
 
302 
 
 ON WAXEN TABLETS WITH FABLES OF BABRIUS. 
 
 that, immediately after their appearance, Babrius’ fables were interpolated in 
 this way. 
 
 I give the text as I found it, only correcting the orthography and filling 
 up the lacunae as far as it is within my power. Other conjectures or correc- 
 tions find a place in the notes. I have enclosed my additions in angular 
 brackets ; redundant words are bracketed in this way : (). Lacunae are 
 indicated by dots, but these must not be taken to indicate the number of 
 missing letters, as the nature of the writing does not allow of determination 
 of this. — Names without further explanations refer to editors of Babrius or 
 of Aesopic fables and to the corresponding passages of their editions. 
 
 I. verso = VII. verso 
 
 €/J,fjiOpeTOL 
 TeL/jLpoaTe/j, 
 popeyeirovoa 
 aia0XovXeiov 
 5 < f>aXepa ropecocr 
 
 This verse of Hesiod is also found in Stobaeus ( Floril . ii. p. 30). The 
 writing of VII. verso is cancelled. Prof, van Leeuwen, who first recognized 
 a verse of Hesiod in the writing of these tablets, suggests that the school- 
 master has written the lines on I. verso as a writing exercise and that they 
 are negligently copied by the schoolboy on VII. verso. It is, however, 
 difficult to believe that the schoolmaster would have written t etpa? instead of 
 Tet,p,rj ? ; moreover in the same word the writing of VII. verso presents a 
 trace of the ligature 779 which may have caused the fault. Probably both 
 copies were made after an original in cursive (cf. stcpra). I am not able to 
 explain what is written after aiaOXov ; perhaps it is a fragment -of an 
 explanatory note. The words on the last line only occur on VII. verso. My 
 reading is far from being certain. 
 
 Although I believe that the occurrence of this Hesiodean aphorism 
 among Babrian fables is merely accidental, I may remind the reader that 
 Pius Knoell ( Wiener Studien, 3 (1881), p. 192) has asserted that Babrius in 
 his first poem follows Hesiod. He compares Babr. Proem 12 and Hesiod 
 Opcr. 117, Babr. Proem 13 and Hesiod Oper. 120, Babr. Proem 4 and Hesiod 
 Opcr. 159 ; he even says: ‘Ankntipfend an eine Stelle Hesiods, die dem 
 Branchos, der vielleicht gerade Hesiod gelesen hatte, bekannt war, zahlt er 
 die 5 Zeitalter auf und schildert die Zustande des goldenen.’ I frankly 
 admit that I cannot see this pretended imitation ; speculations of this kind 
 are of small value. 
 
 Hesiod, Opera et Pies, 347. 
 
 ’’E/iftope TOi t ifirjf 0? t ' ep.p,ope yeiTOVos 
 iaOXov. 
 
 [a](f)aXepd copaiods. 
 
 II. recto. 
 
 viovp,ovoyevr)$eiXoaei%e 
 Trpea/3vTr)ay6vvcuovaXX60cnccu 
 0eXovTad>ipev€LVTovTovicadv 
 7 tvo vav7roXeovToa(or)0))6avovTa 
 
 1st Fable. — T/09 real Xewv yeypapp.evo<s. 
 
 Tiov /xovoyevfj Set\o9 eZ^e 7 rpea- 
 /SUT779, 
 
 yevvcuov aX\co<; /cal OeXovra 6p- 
 peveiv' 
 
ON WAXEN TABLETS WITH FABLES OF BABRIUS. 
 
 303 
 
 5 tcei<j0aipr\'nuHTVTrapyepr)T€icaiTo<pa<e 
 paaXr]0evar] 
 
 KaXXcaTOPOL/cope^eXe^aToav 
 8pcopav\p'r)XopevTprjT0pr]Xiov 
 TrXrjp'p/ca/ceiTOPVOPTrapecpvXacro-e 
 10 avp/cXeiacopecoaeyr]Tr)/ 3 ov/coXr) 
 paT'paXvTrpq 
 
 eXev/cepeTOt.yiovG7roi/aXaia 
 ypacpeo-^cocopevoiaaTracn/ceXeop 
 TaeyeypcKpeuccuSrjTroTecTTaGTOv 
 15 XeovToaouTroppcoKaKeiGTed .... 
 
 q VTOvyJrevGTrjvoveipovovp-aGi . . Tpoa 
 Beiei^aaeyeca pecppovpa .Tie ... . 
 
 Xoov . vpai/ceiai 
 
 T . 8r) . 7riaoiXoyoccnp/ceovicepyov 
 20 TroicoTocyaBeyeipaaeTrefiaXeTOP 
 XeopTaTVcpXcoacopa/ccoXcoyJrBeTov 
 TcovTro^vvaKeKadaip.waSovGT't] . 
 aaptcoqeLcr8vGr)(Tr)vvG9Trouii)v 
 
 II. verso. 
 
 0eppa8e7ravTcor)po/3pecrl3y . 
 ovT(c<TTr]<;ovicea(0(reTOV7rcu8a 
 p.eXXovTadvr)aicet,vTavTa 
 TXr)0eiyevvcuoocnccup,r)qo 
 5 (pt&VToypecoyapovcpevljei 
 
 21 
 
 TOVTOP KOL0' inrvovi VI TO XeOPTO? 
 wr)0r) 
 
 0avovTa iceiaOai, [/rat cpo(3ovpepo<;] 
 
 prf 7T&)9 
 
 5 inrap yevtjTai ical to tpaap’ dXt]- 
 0ev<rp, 
 
 kciXXigtov oltcov iijeXeipaT’ apBpcova 
 vyfrr/Xop, ei/T prjTop [/cat] i)Xlov 
 
 TrXrjprp 
 
 /cd/cel t op viop 7rapecpvXaao-e crvy- 
 tcXei^wv. 
 
 ew? eyq r t fiov/coXripa t /}? Xinrr ) ? 
 10 eXevtccuve Toiyovs Troi/clXats ypa- 
 cpals ^OOCOP, 
 
 ep ol<i diracri /cal XeoPT eyeypdcpei. 
 
 /cal Br) TTOT6 0 "ra 9 r ov XeopTO ' ? ov 
 Troppw, 
 
 1 Ka/aare 0\pip9 avrcp ecp>]\ ‘ cv top 
 yfrevGTr)v 
 
 oveipop \_Tolcnv\ oppaai[v 7ra]Tpo<f 
 Bellas 
 
 15 eyea pe cppovpa [7rept/3a]\&w yv- 
 paaceta. 
 
 t i Bp .. . 7tolm . . . to [yep Be yeipas 
 eireftaXe top XeovTa TVcpXcoacop • 
 GKoXo^fr Be tovtco . . . teal . . . /cd- 
 0aipo 9 . . . Tt ) 9 crap/cos elaBvap<; 
 pvvae ttolwp . . . 0eppa 8’ eV ’ avTu> 
 
 rjp 
 
 o Trpecrftvs ovtcos ov/c eacoae top 
 7 ralBa 
 
 peXXopTa 0ppa/cet,p 
 
 [a aoi TreirpooTai] Taina t X rjOu 
 yevpaiwi 
 
 /cal pp aocpl^ov to ypewp yap ov 
 epevi-et. 
 
 1st Fable. The redaction most resembles the Bodleian paraphrase 
 (Knoell 135). Many verses are corrupt or have metrical faults. 5. cpo(3p0el<; 
 Be prj Knoell. 7rc»9 is the only example of a monosyllable at tfie end of a 
 Babrian verse. Eberhard ( Observationes Balrianae, Berlin 1865, p. 6) : 
 ‘ monosyllabis in extremo versu Babrius abstinuit : 50, 20 subditicium est.’ 
 G and 21. Babrius very rarely admits a trochee at the end of a verse, 
 (Eberhard, l. 1. p. 8, Crusius, Philol. Anz. 14 (1884). p. 178). 8. Probably 
 
 avy/cXelacop stands for avy/cXei^cop, a late and incorrect form for avy/cXeiwp. 
 
304 
 
 ON WAXEN TABLETS WITH FABLES OF BABRIUS. 
 
 9, 10. Suidas ( sub /3ovKoXyaa i i) : yoiri t>9 e\y ti fiovKoXyga r Xvrryi, 
 avedyKe roiyoi<; rroiKiXa^ ypacfoas ^dnov. In our text ew? has become a final 
 particle. Goodwin ( Moods and Tenses, § 614. 2) cites five passages of the 
 Odyssey where ea>? has an unusually strong final force, showing that it began 
 the same course by which ocfopa, d>? and 677-0)9 became final particles ( Od . 
 4, 799; 5, 385; 9, 375; 6, 79; 19, 367). 10. iXevicaive, he made bright. 
 The word sadly disturbs the metre. The Bodleian paraphrase gives the 
 right word : egopcfocoBy. Between 11 and 1 2 a verse is lost. Perhaps : 6 be 
 t av0’ opcov Kal gaXXov el%e ryv Xvr ryv, for the Bodleian paraphrase has : 6 be 
 ravra gaXXov opcov 7 rXeico ttjv Xvr jyjv el%e. 13. w kcikuttov QypLov, eirre 
 (Knoell). 14 .. rrarpo<;. Before a mute with X or p Babrius sometimes 
 leaves a syllable short, although as a rule he does not admit the eorreptio 
 Attica (cf. Eberhard, Observ. p. 11 and Babrius 95, 43; 106, 3; 106, 15; 
 130, 13 etc.). 15. The prose versions have eveKXeiadyv (Knoell) and Kare- 
 KXetadyv (Coray) cfopovpa. After 15 the text, although manifestly written in 
 choliambics (to/^o), rvcjoXboacov), is so corrupt that I am not able to propose a 
 plausible restoration of the verses. 22. may be restored in this way : 
 geXXovd ’ vtto Xeovros y eypaggevov dvyaKecv. Knoell has : 6 be Xecov Katrrep 
 yparrrb? tov rovrov civypyKei gybev rep tov rrarpb<; wcfoeXydevra crotfiiagari. 
 23. The Etymologicum Magnum (sub rrerrpcogevov) has preserved the 
 epimythium in a better state : a <joi rr err poor ac, ravra rXydi yevvatox; | Kal 
 gy aocfot^ov • ro % pecov yap ov cjoev^y. 21p. In our editions of Babrius the 
 2nd pers. sing, of fut. med. is written with g. Our text however has the 
 Attic form and we need not see an orthographical fault in this writing. 
 
 II. verso ( continued ). 
 
 ovvv^ivapqcrapvaXirrapov 
 eKcfoygvycrg . . . rracaivbeirry 
 rrvovaeroabcogeivrobavro 
 rrpa^eivKaiKoXotoacoyOy 
 10 Kaibyrrorerrraaapvocrecr^edy 
 vcorotabiKyvXqyonapeL ... a 
 £ LcocrKrecvcoriyapKoXoioacov 
 aerovaegeigovgyv 
 
 2nd Fable. — K oXotos ilerov gipovgevos. 
 
 'Ovvijtv ctpas dpva Xtrrapov £k 
 rroigvy^ 
 
 ^[ye] rraicrlv beirrvov aero 9 bobaeiv. 
 ro 6’ avro rrpdfjeiv Kal KoXoib’i 
 cpydy, 
 
 Kal by 7 Tore rrra<; dpvo<; ecr^edy 
 vobrots' 
 
 5 biKyv Xayco aipelrai 
 
 dj'ta )9 Kretvoy 
 
 ri yap koXolo 9 (bv derov 9 egi- 
 govgyv ; 
 
 2nd Fable. — Here too the Bodleian collection (Knoell 110) has an 
 almost literal paraphrase. 2. We may restore the metre by writing roU 
 rraicrlv yye. aero 9 is the form which came up in the Alexandrine age for the 
 classic aler6<; of the Attic inscriptions (Meisterhans, Gramm, der Att. Inschr. 
 p. 25). 3. The original reading is preserved by Knoell : dopgyOy ; in the 
 same way the Bodleian paraphrase rightly gives Kararrrd 9 in the following 
 line. Between 5 and 6 one or two lines are missing : oi be 7raiSes rovrov 
 Kparyaavres yKi^ov. 6 be koXoio<; ecpy (Knoell). In 6 Kreivco is a strange 
 
ON WAXEN TABLETS WITH FABLES OF BABRIUS. 
 
 305 
 
 blunder for 0v/]gicco. Knoell has the last verse in its right form : tc yap 
 /co\oio? wv aerov ipup.ovpvr)v, although in deT09 alpha is always long ; Babrius 
 wrote ateTo? and the diphthong could be shortened before the vowel (cf. 
 Blass, Ausprache des Griechischen, p. 51, note 159 of the third edition). 
 
 3rd Fable. — Kopa£ voaobv. 
 
 Kopag voapaas eXeye pcgrpl tcXac- 
 ovcrr)' 
 
 ‘ p.rj /cXale, gprep, aXXa roe? Oeols 
 
 yf y 
 
 61 >X 0V - 
 
 r/ 8’ ei7T6 ‘ Te/cvov (/ cal ) to? ere tcov 
 O eoov acbaei ; 
 
 7roto? yap /3oop,b<i viro gov ovk iav- 
 X/jdp ; ’ 
 
 3rd Fable. — It appears from the order of succession of the tablets that 
 the cursive writing on III. recto is copied from II. verso. The failing of -yu,o? 
 on II. verso 4 is of no importance; the copyist could easily supply the 
 failing letters of the word. Many letters on III. recto have disappeared ; as 
 far as we can see there are no differences in the readings on the two tablets, 
 except /Sea on II. verso for /SeoyU-o?. The Athoan manuscript has one line 
 more : after ev%ov we read : voaov pee Seivfp ? /cai irovoov avaGcforjXac. This 
 verse is not found in the Bodleian collection (Knoell 63) ; moreover it is 
 confused and Babrius regularly uses ev^eaQai without an object : 10, 8 ; 20, 
 8; 63, 11; 20, 7. If the verse is spurious, as I think it is, it proves that 
 Prof. Naber was not right when asserting that the ‘poeta Athous’ tried to 
 make TerpaGTcya ( Mnemosyne , 4 (1876), p. 408). 1. ei7re Athous. 3. /cal 
 T/9 g€, (fyrjGi, tcov 0eoov t e/evov acoaei Athous. Eberhard has first placed 
 Te/cvov before cpr/aL The redundant /cal of our text seems to be a rest of 
 the idiomatic /cal res <xe, preserved in the codex Athous. The Athoan 
 rm>9 yap in ro gov /3copcb<; ov/c 6GvXrj0r] corrects the metrical fault of our 
 text ; instances of confusion between 7roto9 and to? are not rare in classic 
 Greek, in late Greek they are very frequent (Hatzidakis, Einleitung, p. 207). 
 
 II. verso ( continued ) — III. recto. 
 
 ♦ 
 
 /copa£voar]GaaeXeyep,gTpeL 
 15 /cXeovaq gp KXaegrjTepaXX . . . 
 G0eoiGev^ovr)Sei7reT6Kvovicai, . . . 
 aeTCt)v0ecovacoaerjroioayap/3co 
 
 VTTOGOVOVK^GVXrjOrj 
 
 III. verso. 
 
 Xe(ovTtG67re/3ov\evevaypL(o 
 TavpwKaLTrpOGTroirjdeLGgrjTpeL 
 TWvOecovOveivTov . avpoveX0ecv 
 e7TLTo8ei7n’ovripooTa/caiceivo<; 
 
 5 g^eivec trev v ... . qaa 
 . . . dcovde/fqiG .... 7 ti0v .... 
 
 . . . OVTIOLGCOG 
 
 . . . XXa^aX/c r . . 
 
 8e0v .a 
 
 4th Fable. — Aecov /cal ravpo<;. 
 
 Aecov Tt9 eTrej3ovXevev dypico Tavpco, 
 /cal 7rpoG7roir]0el<i prjTpl tcov 0ecbv 
 0V€lV 
 
 rov raiipov eX0eiv eVt to belirvov 
 r/pcora, 
 
 /cd/ceivo<; r)%eiv elirev [ov% vttott- 
 Teo]cra9• 
 
 •7 [e]\#&>D be /cal <r[Ta9 e]7ri 0v[pais 
 Xe^ovTecois 
 
306 
 
 ON WAXEN TABLETS WITH FABLES OF BABBIES. 
 
 co s [elBe deppov 7ro]Wd ^akta 
 
 [irknPV]’ 
 
 (Vpo? t$] (Be) 6v[pa Be pr/B]ev aWu 
 Beapcorgv . . . 
 
 arpacfrels cpxero evdvs els opos 
 <f>evyei,v. 
 
 6 B' epepcper avr'ov varepov avvav- 
 Tijaas 
 
 10 [6 S’ ‘ r)X\dov, eiire, real to crvp/3o- 
 \ov Booaw 
 
 ov/c rjv opocov to dvpa tov pa- 
 y e[lpov], 
 
 4*tli Fable. — 1. \ecov 7 tot Athous. < 2. Lachmann and most editors after 
 him have written rfj 6eco v, but A. Hecker (Philologies, 4 (1850), p. 495) has 
 defended the Athoan reading, which is also that of our text. J+. oi>x 
 vTroTTTevaas and the other bracketed words are supplied by the codex Athous. 
 5. ends may be followed by eVt c. dat. as well as by iv ; only it is not right 
 to say, as does Desrousseaux, that mas ‘ n’indique pas un mouvement.’ 
 Between G and 7 the Athoan manuscript has : atyaylBas, pea^alpas /3ovBopovs 
 veoaprjicTovs. 7. a\\' ij Athous, corrected by Schneidewin, whose emenda- 
 tion is confirmed by our text. 8. aXeKTopla/cov, <*>X eT ' 615 dpos (f>evya>v 
 Athous. In our text the verse is hopelessly corrupt, After BeapcoTgv the 
 name of the victim is required ; we may read : aXetcTop’. evOvs <fx eT ' o/ 30 ? 
 
 cfievycov. 9. ipepefred' 6 Xecov Athous. 11. ov/cr/v opocov to dvpa too payelpco 
 Athous. Boissonade and after him nearly all editors write ovk rjv opocov 
 8vpa too payecpecco. Rutherford changes ‘ summa cum fiducia’ ovk rjv into 
 coprjv, but I must confess that his reading makes the passage unintelligible 
 to me. The meaning of the verse is clearly expressed in one of the para- 
 phrases (Coray, p. 377 ), opco yap KaracrKevpv ovx cos els irpoftaTov (here ‘ as 
 for a cock ’) dXX ’ cos els ravpov ijTocpaapevrjv. Perhaps : dvopocov rjv to 
 dvpa too payecpecco. 
 
 10 evaXXaBecrpcoT 
 
 . Tpacf>L(ycoxeToev8vaeiao . . . . 
 . evyecvoBepepcpeToavT . 
 vvarepovavvavrgcraa 
 . . . dovecircov KacToav p- 
 
 15 vBcoacoovKrjvop 
 
 . . . t odvpaTOvpaye 
 
 IV. recto. 
 
 TTepBcrcaTcayecopyocrov 
 TedrjpevKecdvecvepeXXey 
 eairepaa . . . BecirvgcrcovTov 
 
 Bi/ce Tever iroLrj . . . 
 
 5 oa . eatrjaco 
 
 . Trjrjarjaov 
 
 7 rae . avaarex & 
 
 rca . airarcov 
 
 ea ... . TTTeCVO 
 
 10 vae . . . avrgvKaL’jr .... 
 
 c oa . . . Tovaavva 
 
 XovaeveBpeveca 
 
 5th Fable . — UepBcg teal yecopyos. 
 TlepBiKa tis yecopyos ov t edrjpevKec 
 dveev epeXXev eenrepas [ tc ] Benr- 
 
 VTjCJCOV. 
 
 tov B’ ircereve 
 
 tovs c rol avv[aBeXcpovs real <pc]Xovs 
 eveBpevecs- 
 
ON WAXEN TABLETS WITH FABLES OF BABRIUS. 
 
 307 
 
 5th Fable. — Of this fable just enough is left to establish what have 
 been the contents. The text was not so large as to occupy the whole tablet; 
 in the midst is a lacuna. Such is the state of the writing on this tablet 
 that I must give up all attempts at restoring the text, the more as in this 
 case even the Bodleian paraphrase varies so much that it would prove to be 
 of no help at all. 1. redypevKei. ‘ Babrius very rarely omits the augment 
 of the pluperfect except after a long vowel, in which case it may be regarded 
 as elided ’ (Rutherford ad 4, 1). 2. eanepas re (or Se) Senrvijocov does not 
 
 agree with the following verse. Perhaps: Te henrvyaeiv. The exigencies of 
 the metre may have engaged the author (or the copyist !) to use the two 
 constructions of the infinitive after peXXco in the same line. A difference 
 cannot be stated between them (Rutherford, The New Phrynichns, p. 
 420-425). The Bodleian otl rovs avvydei? ical </>/Xoo? aoi eveSpevaai deXeis 
 allows us to restore the verse too? gol avvydeis Kal (fiiXovs eoeSpeoer?. 
 
 IV. verso. 
 
 vai(OG7rorauToiaav 
 8paac/3vdtayaiBoovriaa 
 SiKwaenrevrovadeovaKp 
 eivivevoaaae/3ovaev/3e 
 5 ByKoroaTrXouorroXXov 
 aavvavrcopydevatnova 
 dvyaKei 
 
 KCUTOVTOp,OV\€ l yOVTp<tOl 
 
 aavp/3aivei-7roXvae7ravr 
 10 . vyKedeapoapvppyKeov 
 vcpevoabehy^deLaavverrarii 
 . erovaaXXova 
 eppyaSemaraarcorepa 
 / 38iw v . !j aaei . . . Koiecrova 
 15 . eo . aypcoveivaiSiKaaraa 
 . rroioaeiavpvppyKtov 
 
 6th Fable. — Ay%del$ in to pvppyKO<; 
 
 Kal 'Epp-f??. 
 
 Now? 7 tot’ aoTot? dvBpdai[v] Bv- 
 dia delay ?, 
 
 cBcbv r i? dSixt a? eirrev rovs deoix; 
 Kpiveiv 
 
 eoo? [/y«p] «o-e/3oo? eyfieByKOTOS 
 TlXoltp 
 
 7roX\oo? avv avra> pydev alrtovs 
 dvyaKeiv. 
 
 6 Kal ravd’ opov Xeyovros, ola avp- 
 /3acvet, 
 
 7 roAo? et? avrov Ued' eap'os pvp- 
 p yKcov 
 
 v(p’ eoo? Se 8y%del<{ avverrdryae 
 too? aAXoo?. 
 
 'Eppys S’ e7nara<; rq> re pafibup 
 oo£a? 
 
 * elr ovk o’iei [av ’ (pyai ] ‘ too? 
 deoix; vpwv 
 
 elvai SiKaaras O7roto? el av pvp- 
 pyKcov ; ’ 
 
 6th Fable. — Both the Athoan and the Vatican manuscript have this 
 fable. 1. eXeyev aSt/ca Athous, uSt/ca)? e\eye Vaticanus and Knoell. 3. yap 
 Athous. 7 h Concerning the writing pydev see Meisterhans, p. 216, 217. 
 6. ttoXXmv eV’ ai/rov eapo ? yXde pvppyKcov. In our text the verse is corrupt; 
 7roXA.au/ e? avrov only partly restores the metre. Between 6 and 7 we read 
 in both manuscripts arrevBovre<i (arrevBcov r a?, Vaticanus) a^oa? rrvplva ? 
 urrorpwyeiv. These words or what might be their equivalent are not found 
 in Knoell. 7. avverrdryae too? i rXe/oo? Athous. avverrdret too? rrdvras 
 
308 
 
 ON WAXEN TABLETS WITH FABLES OF BABRIUS. 
 
 Yaticanus. Pius Knoell (Neue Fabeln dcs Babrius, Sitzungsber. der Kais. 
 Akad. in Wien, 91 (1878), p. 676) has pointed out that the Vatican ndvras 
 is better than 7tA .elovs. I prefer rov<; aXXovs to both readings. 8. nalcov 
 Athous, Vaticanus. vv%a<; is much more appropriate: Hermes did not beat 
 the man, but he gave him a slight push with his staff in order to attract his 
 attention, and then put his ironical question. Cf. e.g. Odyssey xiv. 484 : /cal 
 tot eyoov ’OSvaga npocrgvSwv iyyvs eovTa | ciy/cwvi vv%a<;, and the proverb 
 A MovTa 1)11(7(7615. 9. elP ovtc aveijrj cfigal Athous. Perhaps I am not right in 
 
 adding av ; it may be that the boy simply replaced ave^y by o’lei without 
 minding the metre. 10. 0 I 05 Athous, Vaticanus, Knoell. o 7 roi 05 is a gross 
 fault. 
 
 IV. verso ( continued ). 
 
 XeovTacpevycovTavpocreicr 
 epgpuavevcnryXvvyaicaTe 
 . . . 7TOtp.6l)(Ol)Op6i(f)OLT . VO 
 20 TrovTpayoGTLcreKTOcTacTroXo 
 
 . yeivas 
 
 \ 
 
 V. recto. 
 
 T0VTCLVp0V6K.f8aC7T0L(7IC6 
 
 paaive^coOeioSeLnevova 
 6T0vX€0VTa€K(f)6Vy(O67rL 
 7rapeX0(lTCDp,6K(UTOT€ 
 
 5 yvcoaemoaovTpayovyeTa 
 
 ^VKCUTOGOVTaVpOV 
 
 7th Fable. — In this fable we have another proof that our tablets are a 
 sadly corrupted copy of an original which in many respects was superior to 
 the Athoan and Vatican codices. Gross errors like the redundant ev ( 2 ) and 
 the failing of 8’ (5) are compensated by the excellent reading e’/c/3a? (4). 
 3. x w P^ Athous. d. iyfiavTa Athous. top Tavpov eyfialvovra /cepacriv 
 Lachmann, eyficivTa Tavpov (Miihly, Jahrb. f. Phil. 87 (1863), p. 319), eyftavTa 
 tovtov M. Schmidt {Rhein. Mus. 26 (1871), p. 202 ) and Desrousseaux, e’/z/Sa? 
 most editors (Eberhard, Seidler, Sclmeidewin) after Bergk, who also proposed 
 avTa ( Index led. aest. Marburg (1845), p. ix.), a conjecture afterwards made by 
 Rutherford and deemed certain by Crusius ( Philol . Anzeiger, 14 (1884), p. 
 180). 5. Rutherford: ‘Athous igcodej in textu prae se fert, sed i/c/cXhco in 
 
 margine.’ The Athoan reading seems preferable, for e/ccfievyco means I escape, 
 and the sense required is I fly. Bergk’s conjecture e/c/cXlvcov is accepted by 
 Desrousseaux. Between 5 and G the codex Athous has dve^oyao <rov pu/cpa 
 Tr /5 enypelgs. The following line shows that this verse (not to be found in 
 Knoell) is spurious. In Greek an assertion may be followed by in el with an 
 imperative denoting what may happen in order to prove the truth of what is 
 sustained, e.g. vocrov yap 6 naryp . . . vo<rei, gv ovS’ av eh yvolg . . . el yg 
 
 7 th Fable. — TaOpo? ical t pay 05. 
 
 Aeovra cfievycov t avpos eh ipgyalgv 
 (ev) angXvyya icaTeSv noiyevwv opei- 
 (JjoItcov, 
 
 ottov Tpdyo^ T15 i/CTO? ainoXov 
 yelva<; 
 
 tov Tavpov e/cfias Toh /cepacriv 
 e^coOei. 
 
 5 o S’ eiirev ‘ ov ae, tov XeovTa [ 8 ’j 
 e/c<f)evy(0. 
 
 enel irapeXdaTU) ye, ical Tore yvcoaei 
 
 tcogov Tpdyov yer ci^v /cal noaov 
 Tavpov.’ 
 
ON WAXEN TABLETS WITH FABLES OF BABRIUS. 
 
 309 
 
 7 Tv0oid’ tj fxcoV) iirel Toird^ere (for only try to guess it, and you will find, etc.), 
 Arist. Vesp. 71. Cf. Plato, Gorgias 473 E : ovk o’lei e^eXyXeyxdao, orav t ol- 
 avTa, Xeyp?, a ov8el ? av fyyGeoev avOpcoTrcov ; eirel epov tlvcl tovtcovo, and so 
 often in Plato eVei \e<ye poo, errel deaacu, etc. Yerse 5 contains such an 
 assertion, but the Athoan verse does not, unless an undue emphasis is given 
 to pucpd. Moreover, the interpolation may be explained in this way : the 
 idiomatic eirel with imperative was misunderstood and confused with eVetra, 38 
 therefore a verse was interpolated which might be followed by erreiTa. 
 The verse itself has nothing of the transparency which is one of the qualities 
 of Babrius’ style. 6. irapeXdcoTW. On the strong aorists with the alpha of 
 the weak, so frequent in Tate "Greek, see Rutherford, The New Plirynichus, p. 
 216 £f. and Buresch, Rhein. Mus. 46 (1891), p. 193 ff. 
 
 V. recto ( continued ). 
 
 \ewvyrjpa(TV(T<T'^edebavg 
 creiv7rpocr€7rcuei,Toa>a8iaTa 
 vry . Tr/a7r\ayr]GTa\onra 
 10 Oypoa . GeiTgvGVGKeyJnvaur . 
 vepx . pevanaTe8aTrava 
 Toiy . povva\wTrg^KaraT 
 gveavryaav^LvoLav . . . rj 
 aeraaeveSpaa kcuovt . creav 
 15 TyvppyoGevivaiccuTyvya 
 p . . . ava7r\yp(0ar]Kcu 
 . . . ove/c/pvype/CTOGTOVG . 
 
 Xe . . . eaT(oaar]<nraaaTo . . 
 \eovra 
 
 20 TroeTaavvacTLa 
 aPvppaOvppiGij 
 
 yaaucvpgrT . . . 
 
 boa 
 
 k . va ... X .. . aa . a 
 V. verso. 
 
 . . . KT . GT0VG7T T(0 
 
 . . . rjGiraGa pOGep . . . e7r 
 
 . . . air . deiGa ... ir ... . yoG8oa 
 
 . . . oppeoGgp^eT ev . at % 
 
 5 . ppeviravTcovTcoyOpp 
 ocoveoGepxopevcovopooe^e 
 p^opevcov . ovyopwhihaG 
 /cecypaGopvdoGTapeXXov 
 . . . poftXe rreiv . ppfcpG 
 
 8th Fable. — A ecov /cal dXcoTrp^. 
 
 A ecov y gpa GVG%e0el<; vogcov vpoG- 
 €7roieiTo, co? 8ta TauT?;? t?}? TrXdvys 
 tcl Xoiira dgpca co? el rgv GVG/ceyJnv 
 avrov ep^opeva Kare^airdva. too- 
 5 yapovv uXcoi Kara, t rjv eavTrpi 
 dy^Lvoiav [eVo])?cre r a? eve8pa<; /cal 
 ovtco<; kavTgv r/ppoGev '(va /cal rrjv 
 Xapov dva'nrXypu/Gy /cal \rov /clv- 
 8vv\ov i/ccf>vyy e’/CTO? tov (jjVpJXat- 
 10 [on] eGTWGa pGiraGaTO r[oi)] Xeovra 
 ([cVJto? tov G7r[y\alov ecr]r&>[Va] 
 rjG7rdGa[ro) «XX’ ov 7 r]poGep[x eTat ]' 
 e7r[e47-’] aoTgOeoGa [ft7ro r ivo?] 8ta 
 to pop eiGijpxeTO eiTrev ‘too ox vi 1 
 15 pev vavTCOv tmv Ogpcwv eoaepxope- 
 vcov opw , etjepxopevwv 8' oyy opw. 
 8 c8cig / ceo ypas 6 pv6o<; th peXXov[Ta 
 7r]po/3\e7recv. 
 
 38 Many examples of a confusion between by Dindorf at the end of bis article on eVel in 
 
 ivu and firura in our manuscripts arc gathered Steplianus’ Thesaurus. 
 
310 
 
 ON WAXEN TABLETS WITH FABLES OF BABRIUS. 
 
 8th Fable. — There is a considerable difference between our text and 
 Babrius. Of the prose collections the Bodleian version (Knoell 73) closely 
 follows Babrius ; the text of the tablets has some resemblance to that of the 
 fables edited by Coray (especially 137c), but the resemblance to the Pseudo- 
 dosithean version is much stronger. Our text is miserably curtailed and 
 corrupted. 3. After el probably a sigma has fallen out ; in late Greek d>? 
 e i? is found for et?, like co? ev, 7 rpo 9 for ev and 777)09. It is, however, 
 equally possible that &>9 el is a relic of a primitive 079 el ema/ce-fyopevoL 
 (cf. Babrius 39, 3). The absurd ava/cetyi? is in perfect harmony with 
 /careBarrdva. — The words written in cursive at the bottom of Y. recto do not 
 belong to the text. The only word to be read with fair certainty is 
 advppa. 13. For x erai there is only space if it was abbreviated ; perhaps 
 there stood 7 rpoayei, written 7 rpoaeirj. At the end of 13 a word is written 
 in very small characters ; it may be opolax;. 
 
 V. verso ( continued ). 
 
 10 pvaeiravwAeovrn 
 
 . . . evove<prfK\aro 
 
 . . . ovavTove^Tjyetpei’o 
 
 . . . ecovBpa^ .... v 
 
 . . . aipeivefiovA 
 
 15 . . . /ceivoavvyvcop/] 
 
 . . . pnaa-pr/jaaroKaLva . . . 
 
 . . . aVTOVOK . WciTTOVa . . . 
 
 . . . avoiaeivavroov7reiaxveiro 
 
 VI. recto. 
 
 e . eWe . ... a rovaov 
 
 rcoaec .... rov% 
 
 . . . p . . . raaarroBcoaeiv . . . re . . . 
 XeroarreXvaevavrovoVTT .... 
 
 5 . . . varepovv'/ro/cvvrjyaiv .... 
 
 . . . cpdeoa .... covecaBeapa .... 
 
 Tore . pvaavapvrja 
 
 ttoB .... eaVTWTTjV 
 
 . . . BrjaevBLar^avv 
 
 10 .... vaapevoaraBea 
 
 avrovovrcoTroXXa . . av . . 
 
 . . . oar . a^o^d'pvao'paao . m . . 
 . . . Lav x ovaaavve PX e 
 
 8th Fable . — Aecov /cal pv<;. 
 
 Mu? errdivw Xeot'Tof? KOipwpe\vov 
 e<f)i]\ct,TO [/cal rov in tv~\ov avrov 
 e^rjyeipev. 6 [pev \]eW Bpa^[dpe- 
 vos avTo\v [dv]aipeiv e/ 3 ovX[ero 
 5 e’J/ceA'o? av<yyvd>pri\y rrjs upa\prca<; 
 rjrrjaaro /cal v 7 r[iaxvelro rror ] 
 avrov ov/c eXdrrova [^dp4v] dvol- 
 aeiv avra> (viuaxvelro) . . . . 
 
 10 . . . ^dpira? aTToBdaeiv . . . dire- 
 
 Xvaev avrov. ov 7roX.[Ac5 3e] vare- 
 pov vi to Kwr/ycov [avXXrj^cpd el<; [0 
 et’9 Beapa [ifiX/jOr/]. rare [6] 
 13 pv 9 dvapvr)a[ 6 el<; rov a 7 r]oBovvai 
 avrcp rrjv {^ap/v 7773 0 1377- >7 ]S?7 ere Bed 
 7-379 im[/CT09 /cal X\vadpevo<; ra 
 Bea[pa eacoaev] avrov. ovreo 7 roX- 
 A.a'[/a9] an [0p ft) 77-] <39 T49 / 3 o/] 0 fj vcp’ 
 30 rjaaovwv 
 
 9th Fable. — The condition of the text is still worse than in the pre- 
 ceding fable. Coray (n. 217 and p. 373) gives a version which, though 
 varying very much from our text, yet comes closer to it than Babrius or the 
 
ON WAXEN TABLETS WITH FABLES OF BABRIUS. 
 
 311 
 
 Bodleian paraphrase. Here too our text most resembles the version of 
 Pseudodositheus. 1. /coi/ioopbevov, Coray, n. 217. 2. virvov avrov e^virvacev 
 
 Pseudodositheus. 6. ttot avrov once in his life (?) 16. I have taken 
 
 7rpov7n]8r)ae from Babrius 107, 12. 
 
 VI. recto ( continued ). 
 
 . . . iSv .... era . cpy v ■ . . 
 
 15 t ofJLrjSei overa . . eiaaSa 
 
 TcocpoveiovanoTeiv . i%apiv . . . 
 X^eiaSeecpy 
 
 Svaayve/caipuaup 
 
 aeeTTLTovTonvapj . S . . . rr)v . . . 
 
 20 KTavr)o">i8enrovaa 
 
 t ijcrecer/cavdav 
 
 oTiovSeuca/covseve 
 
 10th Fable. — Tecopyos teal e^iSva. 
 
 [”Ex]i8v[dv Tt? a[er](pv[/CTOvcra]v 
 . . . \8aic\ov(Ta.....avT(p cpoviov diro- 
 retj;[e]i ydp LV S’ eepr]. 
 
 Svaayve ical puaccp[6ve eaooaa ] ere 
 6 eirl tovtm iva /r[e] S[varr]v]ov 
 
 KTavps ; r ) S’ elirovaa 
 
 or 4 ov See 
 
 /carcovs evepyerelv. 
 
 10th Fable. — Neither Babrius nor any of the prose versions agree in 
 the least with our text. But for the last line it would be uncertain if the 
 fable has a right to the title I have given it. 
 
 VI. verso. 
 ovoaXeovTrjvia^ppi.a 
 €(pa7rXeocracre(pacricevei 
 vanraa/cpo/3epoaavdpco7r 
 oiaa/cepTcov67rr]Saa7ro 
 5 pvovo’paeioSepoaroerovvw 
 TOV(j/cipT(oveTrr\Sa/cai . a 
 TLaooveepoopaOri/cacTunrpoaov 
 
 j7rei7r<wT&)£ 
 
 7T6 . V/CWCT 
 
 1 1 til Fable. — O VOS /cal XeovT/]. 
 
 'O vos Xeovrrjv carols iepaTrXebaa^ 
 ecpaa/cev elvae 7 rdai epofiepos dvGpcb- 
 7 roev 
 
 cnapT cbv eTrtjSa 
 
 [t]o Sepos Se rov vcotov ( cr/cipTWv 
 eirySci) Kal [o]crTi? dov ecpcopddr] 
 /cal 
 
 11th Fable. — The two first lines are choliambics ; then the text becomes 
 corrupt. From Sepos Se rov vcotov and /cal octtl<; a w ecpcopddri, however, we 
 may gather that the other part equally consisted of choliambics. The 
 Bodleian paraphrase (like the other prose versions) differs considerably from 
 our text, whereas it entirely agrees with Coray, n. 258«. 1. la^iois is a 
 
 very uncertain reading; the word when used of animals has a meaning 
 which is scarcely applicable to this passage. Cf. Plato, Phaedrus, 254 C : 
 rjvay/cacrd'p eis Toviriaco eX/cvcrao rfi? r/vta<; ovtco crcpoSpa ware eirl t d la^ia 
 dpccpco /cadcaae too 'Cttitoo. — Probably a form of dnoppelv is hidden in 
 airoppvov and of irpoacoiroTroLeLv in TTpoaovireeiroo. 
 
 VI. verso ( continued ). 12th Fable. — 'E Xacpo<i /cal KvvpyeTai. 
 
 10 eXacpo<; ev/cepcoa *E Xacpos . . . ev/cept »9 . . . /copeaOels 
 
 ayauc rj . /copea 
 
 Oeicni vcpveivXt Xipevr/s [vSoop en r]tve[^] rjav^a^ov- 
 
 pcv7)<T e/v . 7]crv [o'*??], 
 
 X a &V • • ■ /cd/cel iavTOv ttjv a/cidv decopr'iaat 
 
312 
 
 ON WAXEN TABLETS WITH FABLES OF BABRIUS. 
 
 15 /ca/ceiSeavTOVTrjva/ciav 
 0ew . ppaaa . pXpapeveve 
 Ke/cai7ro$wve\v7reiToe7n 
 ToiaSeiceparriyavTOVWCTKa 
 \oiae/cav%aTO 
 
 20 KpebveivppBa'Koyvoba . gvroabpa 
 \ovabppaaaivbOTe 
 
 VII. recto. 
 
 TOvBobTroBeapevobOT 
 OTrpoa0evp0vpeb8beaw£ov 
 waBpXOevebapeaaavXaao^oba 
 TaKepaTaavv7rXaKebae0ppev0p 
 5 7rpoBwKevBeavTOvobaayav7re 
 ’TTLGTeVK.eiavdpWTTOG . . . I'fieQcu 
 appBoKebKpebvebvppBairo 
 TrvobaTavTaatyaXXovabyapppaaa 
 evbOTeab7roTrob0r)GbG 
 
 5 XV^V 1 * 0‘^ v eve«e[v] /cal i roBwv iXv- 
 
 irebTO 
 
 €7Tb to?9 Be Kepaabv ( avTOV ) ci>9 Ka- 
 Aobj eVat'^aTO. 
 
 ( tepivebv 
 
 ppB' dnroyvw<; t avra,' acfadXXovab 
 yap ppas ivlore ai r Tre r rrobOpaeb<;) . . . 
 10 tov B’oi 7 roSe? pev oh > to i rpoadev 
 ijdupeb 
 
 Bbeaw^ov. &)? B'pX0ev et’? peaa<; 
 uXa? 
 
 o£bt 9 to. /cepara avp7rXaKel<; e0p- 
 pevdp. 
 
 7rpov8wrce(v ) S’ avTov ol<; dyav 7 re- 
 7 narevKeb. 
 
 dv0pw7ro<; [co]y /3ef3aba pp 86/cec 
 Kpivebv 
 
 lo ppB’ diroyvws ravra' a(f)dXXovai 
 yap ppas eviore ai TrenobOpaebs. 
 
 12th Fable. — First come two lines, which probably are a paraphrase of 
 the first line of Babrius ; then follow choliambics generally giving the same 
 text as Babrius, although badly curtailed and corrupted. 3. vBwp erTbvev 
 Athous. If,. eVet S’ Athous. 5. eve/ce Athous, like our text; for the v 
 ephelkustikon, see Rutherford, p. xcv. Eberhard and Knoell {Die Babrian. 
 Fabeln, etc., p. 19) think that a verse has fallen out after 5. 6. eVi toT? Be 
 
 Kepaabv d >9 KaXoh r dyav 7?u%et Athous. Most editors have written eVi rob 9 
 Kepaab S’, but needlessly for ‘ Babrius adopted the quantity of Kepas to the 
 demands of his verse.’ — Rutherford. Cobet {Oratio dc arte interjrretandi, 
 Leiden 1847, p. 155) cites, as specimens of the barbarisms which disfigure 
 the Athoan text, %»?X ?;9 . . eveKa, the juxtaposition of eXvnpOp and pvx ei 
 instead of pvxv ae > dyav KaXoi 9 for KaXXbarobs. A. Hecker {Philol. 5 (1849), 
 p. 490 ff.) has defended the incriminated words and turns, but without 
 success. After 6 many lines have fallen out ; instead of them there follows 
 part of the epimythium in very indistinct cursive. It is probably copied 
 from VII. verso. 10 — Ilf must be compared to Babrius 11 — 15 : 
 
 errel Be Bp avvBevBpov pX0ev els vXpv, 
 
 Kepara Odpvobs epvXaKels edppevOp. 
 nal raiiT ' e<bp’ ‘ Bvarpvos d>9 Bbeifrevadpv 
 oi yap 7roSe9 pi eaw^ov ols eTrpBovppv 
 rd Kepara Be 7 rpovSwKev oi 9 eyavpovppvl 
 
 - We have in our text almost the same words in a different order. By 
 reading Bbeaw^ov. ws Bp 8’ pX0ev we may restore verse 11 of our text. The 
 dittography will account for the disappearance of the first Bp ; d> 9 Bp Be can be 
 
ON WAXEN TABLETS WITH FABLES OF BABB JUS. 
 
 313 
 
 compared to erretBi] Be for eVet Be Brj. Babrius affects the plural of vXrj in 
 the sense of ‘ silvae ’ : Proem. I. 8 ; 12, 2 ; 46, 7 ; 92, 2 ; 95, 10, 42 (Crusius, 
 de Babrii Aetate, p. 177). 13. rrerrtarevKet : ‘ Babrius very rarely omits the 
 
 augment of the pluperfect except after a long vowel.’ — Rutherford, p. 9. 
 Ilf. ff. The Athoan codex has nearly the same epimythium in a better 
 form : 
 
 rrepl rwv aeavrov rrpayptdrwv orav /cpivrjs 
 ptrjBev /3ef3cuov vrroXd/3r]S rrpoytvcdaiccov 
 ptr/B ’ avr arroyvws, ptr/B’ drreXrrtar / <?• ovrco 
 acf)dXXovaiv r/ptds evtoO' at rrerrotOr/aets. 
 
 YI 1. recto {continued). 
 
 10 opvtdoaa . . . dr/awa^pvaart/crov 
 ar/aoBearrorr/aevopttaevevroa 
 evpr/aetv)(pvaovpteyiarovoy/cov 
 ovrrepwBetvetvdvaaaBerav 
 rr/vevperr/vt^vatvrraaataopot 
 15 avpteytarovoy/coveXrrtaaare 
 Katarrevaaaarrearepr/Or/ 
 rovrapucpa/cepBevitv 
 
 13th Fable .- — ’Opvts ^pvaoro/cos- 
 
 O pvtdos d[yai\dr/s <pa % pvaa t uc- 
 rovar/s 
 
 6 Bearrorr/s evopttaev euros evpr/aetv 
 
 Xpvaov pteytarov oy/cov, ovrrep d> Bt- 
 vetv. 
 
 Ovaas Be ravrr/v evpe rr/v (f)vatv 
 7 raaat<; 
 
 5 optotav. pteytarov oy/cov eXrrtaas 
 re teal arrevaas 
 
 drrearepr/Qr/ rod ra pti/cpct tcepBat- 
 vetv. 
 
 13th Fable. — The Athoan manuscript ends with the first line of this 
 fable. Our text fairly agrees with the Bodleian paraphrase (Knoell 112), 
 but it has many corruptions. 1. wd %pucrd Athous. Most editors (Lach- 
 mann, Schneidewin, Eberhard, Gitlbauer, Rutherford) and Miihly {Jahrb. f. 
 Philol. 87 (1863), p. 317) have written %pvo-e’ c od, but Roper {Philol. 10 
 (1854), p. 501) holds fast to the Athoan reading and proposes a>a % pvad , the 
 late form of %pvad. He compares herd, BtrrXd and similar forms ! labentis 
 Graecitatis cui ipse affinis est Babrius.’ The contracted adjectives in -ovs 
 were as early as the first centuries of our era strongly influenced by the 
 adjectives in os, which later wholly superseded them. Cf. Coray, ad Isocr. 
 278 and Sophocles, Romaic or Modern Greek Gramm., Boston 1850, p. 60. 
 3. toBtvetv is hardly intelligible although it suits the metre (see supra) ; ovrrep 
 coBtve (or wBivot, which saves the metre) would signify, which she wanted to 
 bring forth. 5. pteytarov oyKov is manifestly a repetition from 3. I propose : 
 optotav. to rrXeiarov eXrrtaas re teat arrevaas. 
 
 VII. recto {continued). 
 
 opvt^rrorr/adevr/aerr/Berrpoa 
 
 /cv^raaeXovpoaetrrertOeXetar/ 
 
 20 rtvoa^pr/^etaeycorrape^corrav 
 
 raavpovovaco^ovr/Bopvt^eirrevptvdov 
 H.S. — VOL. XIII. 
 
 14th Fable. — w O puts /cat a’tXovpos. 
 
 "Opvts rror r/a6evr/ae • rf) Be rrpoa- 
 Kv^Jras 
 
 a’iXovpos elrre ‘ rt deXets f) rt'vos 
 XPV&S > 
 
 y 
 
J. H. S. VOL. XIII (1892-3) PL. XIV. 
 
 II RECTO. 
 
J. H. S. VOL. XIII (1892-3) PL. XV. 
 
 Ill RECTO. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 library 
 OF THE 
 JMVtKJs: v U J. 
 
 
 
 
J. H. S. VOL. XIII (1892-3) PL, XVI. 
 
 IV RECTO. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 library 
 
 UNWtHsHY u ' 11 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
J. H. S. VOL. XIII (1892-3) PL. XVII. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
J. H. S. VOL. XIII (l892-3) PL. XVIII. 
 
 VI VERSO. 
 

J. H. S. VOL. XIII (1892-3) PL XIX. 
 
 VII RECTO. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 UBSAfty 
 
 
 

 T