OPPIAN 



€v vedroLS TrXarajjicoatv , dpr) pores €v aTTiXdheaaf ^i 

 /cat a(f)Lai /cat ttvoitjv <f)dris e/jb/jbevat, oca /cat ctAAot?, 

 oaaa TToXvppaddyoLaLv ivl amXaSeaai (jivovrai. 

 atifja 8' eTTot^as Spendvr^ rdfie x^'-P^^ '^^X^'-'U 

 ware ris a/JL'qrrjp OTToyycov Sejxas, ovSe tl [xeXXeL 

 Brjdvviov, axolvov Se 6ocos Kivrjaev, iralpois 65 



OTjfiatvcov KpaiTTVCos pLiv dveXKepiev atfia yap exBpov 

 ainiK dno (jTToyyoiv pad ajxil,eT at, dp,(f)l 8' dp* dv^pl 

 etAetrat, TTvoifj §e Sucraet TroAAa/ct (fjcbra 

 ka^eae fivKTijpeaaLv eviaxop-^vos ^apvs i-X^P- 

 rovveKa XanjjTjpcag dvaBverai (Lare voTj/xa 6( 



eXKOfjievos' rov /xeV Tt? iSci;!^ -npoc^vyovTa daXdaarjs 

 dp.(f)iji) yriQ-qaeie /cat olKreipcov aKaxoiro' 

 <58e yap rjTreSavoicn irapiepbevov neXeeaai j 



Set/xart /cat Kafidrco OvfxaXyeC yvla XeXvvraL. 

 TToXXaKL 8' ixdianrjs re rvxd)v /cat dTrrjveos dyprjs Qt\ 

 dXpevog is irovroio ^advv rropov ovKer dveax^, 

 hvap,opos , dvridaas hvahepKei drjpL TreXcopoj' 

 /cat /o' o fiev ots erdpoiaiv eTnaeiiov Oajxd Secrfxov 

 /ce/cAerat ay ipveiv, ro Be ol Sefjias rjp^iBd'LKrov 



" Oppian is thinking of the sensibihty of the Sponge : 

 A. 487 b 9 5oK€( 5^ Kai 6 (nrdyyos ^xeti' riva atffdrjjiv' ffrj/jLeiov S^ 

 6ri ;:^aXe7ra;repoi' aTrocnrarai, &v fxi) •yivr^Tai. Xadpaius ij Kiyrjais, ws 

 (paaiv ; cf. Plut. Mor. 980 c ; Plin. ix. 148 intellectum inesse 

 his apparet quia, ubi avulsorem sensere, contractae raulto 

 difficilius abstrahiintur. 



* The best commentary on all this passage is Plin. ix. 152 f. 

 Cum caniculis (Dog-fishes) atrox dimicatio. Inguina et calces 

 omnemque candorem corporura [Ael. xv. 11 says that for 

 this reason divers blacken the soles of their feet and the 

 palms of their hands] appetunt. Salus una in adversas eundi 

 ultroque terrendi. Pavet enim hominem aeque ac terret, et 

 sors aequa in gurgite. Ut ad summa aquae ventum est, ibi 

 periculum anceps adempta ratione contra eundi dum conetur 

 eraergere, et salus oranis in sociis. Funem illi religatum ab 



512 



