Page:Dio's Roman History, tr. Cary - Volume 1.djvu/29

MANUSCRIPTS

(a) There are eleven Mss. containing the larger part of Books XXXVI-LX. The two of greatest importance are: —

Laurentianus (or Mediceus) 70, 8 (L), eleventh century, containing XXXVI, 18, 1— L, 6, 2.

Marcianus (or Venetus) 395 (M), eleventh century, containing XLIV, 35, 4 — LX, 28, 3; but numerous leaves and even whole quaternions have been lost.

Of importance for parts of the text where these Mss. fail are also: —

Vaticanus Graecus 144 (V), fifteenth century, containing XXXVI-LIV.

Parisinus 1689 (P), fifteenth century, containing XXXVI-LX. Used by Stephanus in his edition of 1548.

Laurentianus (or Mediceus) 70, 10 (L'), fifteenth century, containing XLII-LX.

It has been conclusively shown by Boissevain that V is a copy of L, made, however, while L was in a completer state than at present; that L' is in the main a copy of M, but with additions from L; and that P is derived from L for the earlier books and from L' for the later. The other six Mss., not here specified, are derivatives of P (in one case of P and M) or of V. It is clear, therefore, that only L and M are of value except where passages now lost in one or both appear in the derived Mss. Thus V and P are our only Mss. for XXXVI, 1-17; V takes the place of L for the greater part of L-LIV; and similarly L' serves instead of M for LII, 5, 2-20, 4; LX, 17, 7-20, 2, and LX, 22, 2-26, 2, being the sole Ms. to give the last two passages. Unfortunately M has several extensive gaps in books LV-LX which cannot be filled out from the later Mss.