Some Notes on Blaydes' Nubes. 49 



as Reiske had suggested, but as if to show his independence, 

 suggests alternatives which are characteristic enough to be 

 quoted in full. '• Vel ''~J>j z«x«)v //«/j;v rs . . . . , Vel <'>-'.r, xaxov 

 TO /.r,fj.a y.a: HsiXov rr/ a>df)a Tzoist^ (vel lis'./.oraTir/ a>oita -me:), Vel 

 oTti/ xa/.i'r^ r' £9 zoh'i -I'r^ou? xa\ dstkov w^dfta -oceJ^ Vel oTtij //wAazov 



is^ (cf. 1048. 1049.), Vel Orcr^ xa/.dv Tv-y yi)miiVMiv^ (vel 



?.i>n/j.fy<iv^ y.ai. fJej/oi/ avrJ^uz -ouT^ Vel dz'.r^ yuvai/.u)i)ri rz y.iv. /.ay.iiv 



i^tlzdov) . . . ." And yet another; but one's patience gives 

 out. Who can call this criticism ? 



Vs. 1415. — yJ.douffi TzaJdeg Tzaripa «' 00 y.)Az.i\> iio/.zlq. 



Blaydes brackets this line as spurious, wrongly as it 

 seems. Metrical difficulty there is none. The additions in 

 various MSS. are attempts to complete the tetrameter, but 

 the poet purposely inserts the trimeter to make the parody 

 more apparent; and in view of the metrical scolium there can 

 be no doubt that the trimeter is intended. 



More reasonable is the* objection to ^oy.zi^ in this sense 

 (hence Cobet (^o ypifvai^ Herwerden ^J^zcF? TzpuffTjzztv)^ but in my 

 opinion the close resemblance to Euripides' verse excuses it, 

 and any addition makes the resemblance less close. 



To cast out the verse is surely wrong, but it is in line 

 with Blaydes' treatment of another parodic passage, vs. 30, 

 where on the traditional rt ypia^ e^Ja //-, he remarks "An xpi<"^ 

 (debitum)?" a suggestion which robs the passage of half its 

 force. 



