AND BYZANTINE GREEK. 23 



From Theophilus Antecessor. 2, 4, 3 ^Atrod^evvvTai, he 6 ovffov(ppovKTo<; t^ reXevTy tov 



ovaov^povKTOvapiov Koi Tai<; Svo wairtTt? SefiivovTioari, ttj /j,eja\7} km t»; fieo'tj, km tm non uteildo 

 rpoTrep prjTw km uipicrfievq) ^/joi^w • a riva iravTa "jrepieyeTai, Biara^et, rov ijfierepov /3a<j-tXe<o<:. 

 'Ofioia'i aTrocT^evvvTat, o ovcrov^povKTO^ eav o ovaov^povKTOvapio'i t&> TrpoTrpieTaptw tov ovaov- 

 <})povKTOv Trapa'^cup'^ar] • e^arcKm yap irapa'X^copcov ovBep -rrpaTTei.. 



From the Aeofiatv aptov of Joannes Moschus (A. D. 620±). XXXVII Tt? twv 



yepovTccv Sit^yriaaTo rj/uv ave\6ovcnv ev ©rjjSaCSi, on yepccv eKade^ero efw t^? TToXew? AvtivS), 

 fiiya^, TTOiricra^ eU KeWiov avrov Itt; vepo to, e^SofirjKovTa. El-^ev 8e fiadriTUS BeKa • era he ecr'^ev 

 Tvavv dfieXovvra eavTov. 'O ovv yipwv TroWaKi,'; evovderei km irapeKoXei, avTov \eyo3V, ABeX<f)e, 

 SpdvTi^e T^? eavTOv '^vyi]'; • e^^et? airoOavelv km ei? KoXainv aireXdelv. Be aBe\(f)o<i Travrore 

 irapriKovev tov ye'povTO<; fir) Be^yo/j.evo'; ra Xeyofieva vir avrov. Svvej3r] oiiv fiera jiva ■y^povov 

 T€\evT-!]C7ai TOV dBeX<f6v • ttoXu Be eXvirridr] eir avTW 6 yepcov ' rjBet, yap oti ev TroXXt] a6vp,ta Kai 

 dfieXeia e^rjxOev tov Koafiov tovtov. Kal yp^aTO 6 yepcov evyecrOai kul Xeyeiv, Kvpie Irjcrov 

 XpccTTe 6 dXrjOtvo'i 'r)/j,cov 6eo<;, cnvoKokv^ov fioi to, irepi Tri<; '^v)(7]<; avTOv tov aBeXtjyov. Km Bi] 

 deapel ev eKCTTacrev yev6p,evo<; TroTa/xov Trvpo'i ku), TrXrjOo'i ev avTa> Tm irvpX km fieaov tov aBeX(j)ov 

 jSe^airTKTfJbevov «»? Tpa')(r\Xov. Tore Xeyei avrm 6 yeponv, Ov Bia TavTrjv T'^i' Tifiapiav TrapeKaXovv 

 ere iva ^povTiarj'i t?}? lBia<; ■>f~i'X»5', tIkvov ; ATreKpiOr} 6 aBeX(f)o<; Kat, elirev rep yepovTL, EvyapiaTco 

 Tco dea>, Trarep, oti kuv i] Ketj^aXri fj,ov aveaiv eyei • Kara yap ra? evya'i crov eiravui Kopv(f)7]<; uara- 

 fiau eTnarKOTTOv. 



§ n- 



Second Epoch. From A. D. 622 to 1099. 



We put the year of the Hegira at the head of this epoch, not because the flight of 

 the Arabian prophet from Mecca to Medina was in any way connected with the decline 

 of the Greek language, but because his successors played a very conspicuous part in 

 the history of the Byzantine empire. 



Learning was now at a very low ebb, and a good scholar was so rare a phenomenon, 

 that his literary attainments were likely to be regarded as the result of his proficiency 

 in magic.'^ Tlie language lost much of its original character by the prevalence of 

 ignorance and the intermixture of foreign elements. The grammatical inflections were 

 for the most part Attic, but hosts of new words and phrases were daily coming into 

 use ; to say nothing of new meanings given to ancient words. The syntax also under- 

 went important changes. With very few exceptions, the learned of this age were 



5^ It was believed by the superstitious that Photius, the great scholar of this epoch, had received lessons 

 in the black art from a Jewish sorcerer. Theoph. Cont. 670. 



