INTRODUCTION 



smoothness coupled with conciseness and nobility — 

 a most difficult combination. He is particularly 

 successful in sententious sapngs and similes." 



f iki B, which is '• referta interpolationibus," is 

 given by Westermann in its most interpolated form. 

 In the main it agrees with f'ila A and we merely 

 note the discrepancies, apart from those vhich are 

 only verbal. 



1. The birthplace of Oppian is first given as 

 ••' either Anazarbos or Corycos " and afterward it 

 is referred to as Corj'cos. 



2. The Melite to which his father was banished is 

 described as an island of Italy, whereas in f'ifa A 

 it is said to be in the Adriatic. This points to a 

 confusion of the Adriatic Meleda with Malta — both 

 anciently Melite. 



3. While Fita A describes the poetrj- written at 

 Melite quite vaguely as Toiavra to. iroirffiaTa a^toXoyu}- 

 rara ovra, J ita B says, ra —oiijiJUiTa to. KaXXurra rai-ra 

 €v c' f3ifiXioL<; [i.e. the Halieidica]. 



4. While J'lta A says no more of his other writings 

 than merely: eypa^pe 6e Kal aXXa —otj/j.aTa. nva, J'^ila B 

 has ; (rvvkra^f. ^e kol aAAa TrotyjfiaTo. Oavfiaa-Ta —al^ o)v 

 cTi, TO. T£ 'I^eiTiKtt Kal KvvyjyeTiKa., cKctrcpa ev e' (sic) 

 ISi/SXioi^ —apa fxepos TrepcXa/3wv. ev toi'tois St [sc. the 

 Halieutica\ paXurra SifTrpcifiv, are 8rj irepl ■n]v aKfirfv 

 Tov <f)pov€iy yey€i'>///6i'os. 



Westermann prints also a Life of Oppian in a-rixoi 

 -oXi-LKoi by Constantinus Manasses which is merely 

 a paraphrase of P^ita A. 



I>astly, we have the notice in Suidas *. 'OTr-iavor 

 KiXi^ d— 6 KdjpvKOv — oAews, ypappariKo^ kol eTro— oto^ 

 ycyoi'ws ctti MapKov 'Avtojvivov ^acriAews. 'AAteiTtKoi 

 ev (Sij^XioLS e, Kvi-T^yeTiKa er /3i/3Xioi's r&ra-apcri. 



