ARS SOPHOCLIS INTERPRETANDI : WITH SPECIAL 

 REFERENCE TO THE TRACHINIAI. 



B\^ Hendrik Geldenhuys Viljoex, B.A., D.Litt. 



The task of the textual critic is twofold : (i) recension and (2) 

 emendation. In the case of our author, Sophokles, our recension 

 is about as complete as possible, for the present at least, unless 

 the sands of Eg^^pt have still a surprise in store for us. Lately 

 the Indagatores of Sophokles was found in Eg^^pt, and we may 

 cherish the hope that more of Sophokles' works may come to 

 light. 



With respect to emendation, much must still be done for 

 Sophokles. It is not onl}' a question of emendation, but very 

 often a question of interpretation. From what I have seen of 

 emendation, it appears to me that scholars are too apt to rush 

 into publicity with the most impossible emendations. Boeck, the 

 founder of the idea of the Altertamswissenschaft and the great 

 rival of Godfried Hermann, whom Goetlie stj'les the aristocrat of 

 classical philology, has aptly said : " Im Allgemeinen kann man 

 behaupten, dass von 100 Conjecturen, welche die Kritiker machen, 

 nicht 5 wahr sind." 



In the case of Sophokles this is, according to my experience, 

 quite true. In the first three instances I have attempted to show 

 that the hand of the emendator is not required. It is a case of 

 interpretation. In the other passages I have tried to point out 

 that the accepted remedies are too violent. The physicians have 

 either applied the remedy in the wrong place or they have entirely 

 ignored the diagnosis, which in the case of textual criticism depends 

 upon a first-class knowledge of paleograph}' and the various errors 

 into which the scribns dormitantes fall. 



Trachiniai of Sophokles 674 sG[q- '■ 



h) y<tf) TO)' iVOVTl](ia /TfTTAOl' aj)Tll>H^ 



TOVT i}(p(n'i(TTa(, ciajjo f)ov irpo^ ovdtvoi; 

 7i~iv tvodv. aW idicrrov it, avTov (pfjivn^ 



Kill Xpy Ki'V (IKpUQ (Tn-tAttOOvC. 



Jebb, in his note to v. 678, says : — " ;//»/ is not elsewhere in- 

 transitive (cp. 698), and hence has been suspected here .... 

 K-ar' uKpaij crTTjAaSo^, down from the top of a flat stone, or slab, 

 in the uvX)) of the house. Schol. : ux; oOv twi XiOov Oe/niin] 

 avTo TovTo ^»/(7J. On coming into the courtyard from the room 



