XVII. 1. 25. I construct the infinit. with +hupopton+, though the
ordinary interpretation joins +to dia schematon panourgein+: "proprium
est _verborum lenociniis_ suspicionem movere" (Weiske).
2. 8. +paralephtheisa+. This word has given much trouble; but is it not
simply a continuation of the metaphor implied in +epikouria+?
+paralambanein tina+, in the sense of calling in an ally, is a common
enough use. This would be clearer if we could read +paralephtheisi+. I
have omitted +tou panourgein+ in translating, as it seems to me to have
evidently crept in from above (p. 33, l. 25). +he tou panourgein
techne+, "the art of playing the villain," is surely, in Longinus's own
words, +deinon kai ekphulon+, "a startling novelty" of language.
12. +to photi auto+. The words may remind us of Shelley's "Like a poet
_hidden in the light of thought_."
XVIII. 1. 24. The distinction between +peusis+ or +pusma+ and +erotesis+
or +erotema+ is said to be that +erotesis+ is a simple question, which
can be answered yes or no; +peusis+ a fuller inquiry, requiring a fuller
answer. _Aquila Romanus in libro de figuris sententiarum et
elocutionis_, Sec. 12 (Weiske).
XXXI. 1. 11. +anankophagesai+, properly of the fixed diet of athletes,
which seems to have been excessive in quantity, and sometimes nauseous
in quality. I do not know what will be thought of my rendering here; it
is certainly not elegant, but it was necessary to provide some sort of
equivalent to the Greek. "Swallow," which the other translators give, is
quite inadequate. We require a threefold combination--(1) To swallow (2)
something nasty (3) for the sake of prospective advantage.
XXXII. 1. 3. The text is in great confusion here. Following a hint in
Vahlin's critical note, I have transposed the words thus: +ho kairos de
tes chreias horos; entha ta pathe cheimarrou diken elaunetai, kai ten
polupletheian auton hos anankaian entautha sunephelketai; ho gar D.,
horos kai ton toiouton, anthropoi, phesin, k.t.l.+
8. 16. Some words have probably been lost here. The sense of +plen+, and
the absence of antithesis to +houtos men+, point in this direction. The
original reading may have been something of this sort: +plen houtos men
hupo philoneikias _paregeto_; all' oude ta themata tithesin
homologoumena+, the sense being that, though we may allow something to
the partiality of Caecilius, yet this does not excuse him from arguing
on premises which are unsound.
XXXIV. 4. 10. +ho de enthen helon, k.t.l.+ Probably the darkest place in
the whole treatise. Toup cites a remarkable passage from Dionysius of
Halicarnassus, from which we may perhaps conclude that Longinus is
referring here to Thucydides, the traditional master of Demosthenes. _De
Thucyd._ Sec. 53, +Rhetoron de Demosthenes monos Thoukudidou zelotos
egeneto kata polla, kai prosetheke tois politikois logois, par' ekeinou
labon, has oute Antiphon, oute Lusias, oute Isokrates, hoi proteusantes
ton tote rhetoron, eschon aretas, ta tache lego, kai tas sustrophas, kai
tous tonous, kai to struphnon, kai ten exegeirousan ta pathe deinoteta.+
So close a parallel can hardly be accidental.
XXXV. 4. 5. Longinus probably had his eye on the splendid lines in
Pindar's _First Pythian_:
+tas [Aitnas] ereugontai men aplatou puros hagnotatai
ek muchon pagai, potamoi d'
hameraisin men procheonti rhoon kapnou--
aithon'; all' en orphnaisin petras
phoinissa kulindomena phlox es bathei-
an pherei pontou plaka sun patago+,
which I find has also been pointed out by Toup, who remarks that
+hagnotatai+ confirms the reading +autou monou+ here, which has been
suspected without reason.
XXXVIII. 2. 7. Comp. Plato, _Phaedrus_, 267, A: +Tisian de Gorgian te
easomen heudein, hoi pro ton alethon ta eikota eidon hos timetea mallon,
ta te au smikra megala kai ta megala smikra poiousi phainesthai dia
rhomen logou, kaina te archaios ta t' enantia kainos, suntomian te logon
kai apeira meke peri panton aneuron.+