208 ROLFE— SUETONIUS AND HIS BIOGRAPHIES. [April 17, 



rections and interpolations of the scholars of that period. The 

 emendation of a text disfigured by lacunae and errors began in fact 

 at an earlier period and had tended to disguise the readings of the 

 archetype as early as the twelfth century. 



We have a few manuscripts of admitted superiority, the Mem- 

 mianus of the ninth century, the Gudianus of the twelfth, and Vati- 

 canus ipo4, of about the same date as the latter, but unfortunately 

 coming to an end in the third chapter of the " Life of Caligula." Of 

 these the first is comparatively free from emendations, but it has 

 numerous errors and lacunas, including the extensive gap at the be- 

 ginning of the "Life of Julius." The missing portion of this "Life" 

 was apparently still in existence in the sixth century, when Johannes 

 Lydus used a codex'^ containing the missing dedication to C. Sep- 

 ticius Clarus, prefect of the praetorian guard, and hence presumably 

 the opening chapters of the "Life of Julius." These must there- 

 fore have disappeared between the sixth and the ninth centuries. 

 To the evidence for their existence, which has been questioned by 

 some, we may add a statement of the commentator Servius'^ ; " Sue- 

 tonius ait in vita Caesaris responsa esse data per totum orbem nasci 

 invictum imperatorem." This remark, if we may trust Servius for 

 its genuineness, must have been made in the missing portion of the 

 " Life of Julius." Moreover, the general plan of the biographies 

 obliges us to assume a lacuna, and the arguments against it are 

 wholly unconvincing. 



The rest of the manuscripts fall into two classes, each repre- 

 sented by numerous codices, of which the second contains more 

 errors and emendations than the first. Individually the manuscripts 

 are of comparatively little value, but their archetypes, whose read- 

 dings may be recovered from their agreement, are more important, 

 especially that of the first class, which seems to be derived from the 

 same original as the Vaticaniis. 



There is comparatively little difference of opinion as to the value 

 and relationship of the earlier manuscripts. Ihmand Preud'homme, 

 as the result of careful and independent investigations, arrived at 



' " De Magistr.," 2, 6, p. 102 Fuss. 

 'On Verg. "^n.," VI., 799. 



