INTRODUCTION 



Seasons, etc. 

 The risina: of the Pleiades (10 May) marked the 

 beginning of summer. Their setting (11 Nov.) 

 marked the beginning of winter. See II. §§ 123. 125 

 and XVIII. §§222, 223, 225, 248, 309. 313. The 

 rising of Arcturus was " eleven days before the 

 autumnal equinox " (II. § 124), the setting was on 

 13 May fVIII. § \81\ 



MaxVuscripts and Editions. 

 The chief manuscripts for Books XX-XXIII 

 are : — 



F Leidensis, Lipsii n. \TI ; XI century. 

 G Parisinus latinus 6796 ; XI century or earlier. 

 V Leidensis Vossianus fol. n. LXI ; XI century 

 or earlier. 



G and V (with D) are supposed to have been once 

 one codex. 



d Parisinus latinus 6797 ; XIII century. 

 X, the better parts of Luxemburgensis (X), a 

 manuscript composed from two sources. 



These belong to one family; to the other family 

 belong : — 



E Parisinus latinus 6795 ; X or XI century. 

 R Florentius Riccardianus, written about 

 A.D. 1100. 

 There are, besides these, one or two subsidiary 

 authorities, for which see Mayhoff vol. III. pp. viii- 

 xii. 



In the critical notes " codd." signifies that all, or 

 very nearly all, the manuscripts have the reading 

 just given; " vulg." the text of the oldest editions. 



xxiv 



