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Filius Dei, descendens ad inferos, omnes quos inferni carcer detinuit inde liberasset, credulos et incredulos, laudatores Dei simul et cultores idolorum: et multa alia horribilia de prædestinatione Dei contraria fidei catholicæ affirmat."

As a general rule, I think, these speculative tendencies are in that age associated with Irish culture. Dunstan, for example, the Archbishop of Canterbury, had imbibed a somewhat novel taste for science and for Christian philosophy as well, from intercourse with Irish monks and the perusal of their treatises : (see Wright's Biograph. Britan. 1. 457). But he in whom such tendencies had reached their very highest point was a distinguished layman, John Scotus Erigena, the friend of Charles-leChauve. He is the earliest Keltic scholar who had studied Greek successfully; and I may add, the first who was acquainted with the Greek Fathers. His achievements in this new field of literature astonished his opponents: "Mirandum est quoque," writes the bibliothecarius of the Roman Church, "quomodo vir ille barbarus, qui in finibus mundi positus, quanto ab hominibus conversatione, tanto credi potuit alterius linguæ dictione longinquus, talia intellectu capere [alluding to the work of the Pseudo-Dionysius], in aliamque linguam transferre valuerit:" Ussher's Vet. Epist. Hiber. Sylloge; Works, Iv. 483. On many subjects, it is true, Erigena departed widely from the doctrines of the Church, and, as Neander proves at length (Ch. Hist. VI. 163 sqq.), his principles, if logically carried out, would have resulted in gigantic errors, in " an altogether pantheistic system of the world." Yet owing to his Christian training he stopped short of this conclusion. Witness the deep reverence which he always manifested for the Scriptures. In the Preface to his translation of the Pseudo-Dionysius, he addressed his friend the emperor in the following terms: "Toto vestræ mentis intuitu totaque cordis devotione Sanctarum Scripturarum secreta, ducente Deo et rationis lumine, investigatis investigantesque diligitis. Et non solum Latialis eloquii maximos sanctissimosque autores perquiritis; verum etiam in augmentum ædificationis catholicæ fidei, novis modernisque editionibus, in laudem Christiani dogmatis, Hellados patres pio affectu addidistis consulere." (Ussher, as above, pp. 476, 477). And at the close of his elaborate treatise, De Divisione Naturæ, (Oxon. 1681) is a very striking passage which I quote at length because it may be taken as the best

exponent of his views respecting the authority and depth of Holy Scripture, and the way in which it should be studied. "Non enim solummodo in parabolis, verum etiam in multis Divinæ Scripturæ locis talis formæ locutionis divinum nectar eructat, facilemque interpretationis viam studiosis mysticorum sermonum theoriæ præstant. Non enim alio modo sanctorum Prophetarum multiplex in divinis intellectibus contextus potest discerni, nisi per frequentissimos non solum per periodos, verum etiam per cola et commata, transitus ex diversis sensibus in diversos, et ab eisdem iterum in eosdem occultissimas crebrissimasque reversiones. Sæpissime enim unam eandemque expositionis speciem absque ullo transitu in diversas figurationes sequentibus aut error aut maxima difficultas innascitur interpretandi: concatenatus quippe est Divinæ Scripturæ contextus, dædalicisque diverticulis et obliquitatibus perplexus. Neque hoc Spiritus Sanctus invidia intelligendi, quod absit existimari, sed studio nostram intelligentiam [? exercendi] sudorisque et inventionis præmii reddendi: præmium quippe est in sacra Scriptura laborantium pura perfectaque intelligentia. O Domine Jesu, nullum aliud præmium, nullam aliam beatitudinem, nullum aliud gaudium a Te postulo, nisi ut ad purum absque ullo errore fallacis theoriæ Verba Tua, quæ per Tuum Sanctum Spiritum inspirata sunt, intelligam." (p. 306).

C. HARDWICK.

Juvenal VI.

Madvig's transposition of Juv. vi. 307, 308 is confirmed not only by three MSS. cited in Jahn's critical note, but also by an early MS. in the Library of Shrewsbury School.

The lines stand in most MSS.

I nunc et dubita, qua sorbeat aera sanna
Tullia quid dicat notæ collectea Mauræ,

Maura Pudicitiæ veterem quum præterit aram.

By transposing the last two lines Madvig (Opusc. II. p. 196 seq. after Achaintre and Ruperti) has restored the sense.

J. E. B. MAYOR.

Adversaria.

Value of Roman Money.

GRONOVIUS's estimate of the value of Roman money is vitiated by two principal errors: his doctrine that 100 denarii went to the pound weight of silver, a doctrine connected with his theory that the proper and direct meaning of sestertium is two pounds and a half of silver, but which is contradicted both by testimony and by the denarii, which like the bricks in Richard II. are alive to this day to witness to the contrary; and his confounding the pound Troy with the Roman pound. The errors tend to balance, one making the denarius too little in value, and the other making our currency of too small value: but his result is of course mere haphazard, to say nothing of his neglecting the question of alloy.

The basis of the calculations in the Dictionary of Antiquities is much more satisfactory, but the calculations themselves are wrong. The articles Sestertius and Denarius do not take into account that our shilling circulates as a counter above its intrinsic value. The value of the denarius is determined by comparing its weight of fine silver with that of the shilling. Now as our coinage since 1816 is at the rate of 66s. to the pound, the result is the same as if the price of silver had been taken to be 66d. per ounce standard, which certainly is not its real price. The rate of coinage was purposely fixed above the variations of the bullion market to prevent melting. Sixty-two pence is the price commonly assumed in calculating the par of exchange, and is rather a large average price. Taking the data given in the article Denarius, and this price of silver, the denarius of the end of the Republic is worth (not 8.6245d. as it is there made) but 8.099d, or in round numbers not 84d. but 8d.

The error will be nearly the same in the value of the later denarius.

The value of the sestertium resulting from the value of the denarius which I have quoted is £8. 19s. 8d., though by some error of calculation it is reduced to £8. 17s. 1d.; the real value is £8. 88. 8 d., so that the two mistakes, like Gronovius's, tell against one another.

It is curious that the later value of the denarius gives the sestertium £7. 7s. 7 d., a sum in 7 as the other in 8.

In the article Aureus the writer says that the sovereign contains 113.12g. of fine gold. It really contains (neglecting the third place of decimals), neither more nor less than 113 grains. The result is that he gives the aureus as £1. 1s. 1d. and a little more than a half-penny, instead of as nearly as possible £1. 1s. 2d. The following is an outline of my calculation:

29

30

Required the price of 60 grains of silver ths fine, at 62d. per ounce standard.

(1 ounce = 480 gr.)

[blocks in formation]

x = 8.099d. + value of early denarius,

250 denarii 1 sestertium,

=

[blocks in formation]

=

= £8. 8s. 8d.4 + or £8. 88. 8d. nearly.

The later denarius is 52.5 gr. or 8.75 of the earlier, and the sestertium is in the same proportion.

R. L. ELLIS.

Classical Illustrations of St Matthew's Gospel.

Τί

V. 29 and 30. Max. Tyr. xI. (al. xxx.) § 4: Tí yàp ei kaì rà μόρια τοῦ σώματος φωνὴν λαβόντα, ἐπειδὰν κάμνῃ τι αὐτῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἰατροῦ τεμνόμενον ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ τοῦ ὅλου, εὔξαιτο τῇ τέχνῃ μὴ φθαρῆναι; οὐκ ἀποκρινεῖται ὁ Ἀσκληπιὸς αὐτοῖς, ὡς οὐχ ὑμῶν ἕνεκα, ὦ δείλαια, χρὴ οἴχεσθαι τὸ πᾶν σῶμα, ἀλλ ̓ ἐκεῖνο σωζέσθω, ὑμῶν ἀπολλυμένων; Cic. Phil. VIII. § 15: In corpore si quid ejusmodi est quod reliquo corpori noceat, uri secarique patimur; ut membrorum aliquod potius quam totum corpus intereat.

V. 37. Auson. Epist. xxv. 38 seq.: Sic fama renatum Pytha

goram docuisse refert: quum multa loquaces Ambiguis sererent verbis, contra omnia solum Est respondebat, vel Non. O certa loquendi Regula! Cf. Idyl. xvii.

V. 45. Sen. De Ben. 1. 1 § 9 seq.: Non est autem quod tardiores faciat ad bene merendum turba ingratorum. Nam primum, ut dixi, nos illam augemus: deinde ne deos quidem immortales ab hac tam effusa benignitate sacrilegi negligentesque eorum deterrent. Utuntur natura sua et cuncta interque illa ipsos munerum suorum malos interpretes juvant. Hos sequamur duces, quantum humana imbecillitas patitur: demus beneficia, non feneremus. Quam multi indigni luce sunt! et tamen dies oritur. Cf. De Clem. I. 5 § 7, Prudent. contr. Symm. II. 780 seq., Orell. ad Opusc. Moral. I. p. 583.

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VI. 2. Sen. De Ben. I. 7 § 3: cumtulit, et placere non ei cui dedit, non mihi.

Sed superbe dedit, sed cir

præstabat voluit: ambitioni

VI. 3. Sen. De Ben. II. 10 g 2: Si, quo genere accipienti maxime profuturum erit, dabis, contentus eris te teste: alioquin non benefacere delectat, sed videri benefecisse. Compare the whole of chapters 9 and 10.

VI. 9. Epictet. III. 24 §§ 15, 16: Ηδει γὰρ ὅτι οὐδείς ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος ὀρφανός, ἀλλὰ πάντων ἀεὶ καὶ διηνεκώς ὁ πατὴρ ἔστιν ὁ κηδό μενος· οὐ γὰρ μέχρι λόγου ἠκηκόει, ὅτι πατήρ ἐστιν ὁ Ζεὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅς γε καὶ αὑτοῦ πατέρα ᾤετο αὐτὸν καὶ ἐκάλει, καὶ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἀφορῶν ἔπραττεν ἃ ἔπραττε. Compare St John xiv. 18.

VI. 20. Diodor. Exc. Vat. p. 19, Mai: Ὁ Χίλωνος λόγος βραχὺς ὢν ὅλην περιείληφε τὴν πρὸς τὸν ἄριστον βίον ὑποθήκην, ὡς καὶ τῶν ἐν Δελφοῖς ἀναθημάτων βελτίω ταῦτα τὰ ἀποφθέγματα· αἱ μὲν γὰρ χρυσαῖ Κροίσου πλίνθοι καὶ τὰ ἄλλα κατασκευάσματα ἠφανίσθη καὶ μεγάλας ἀφορμὰς παρέσχε τοῖς ἀσεβεῖν εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν ἑλομένοις, αἱ δὲ γνῶμαι τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον σώζονται ἐν ταῖς τῶν πεπαιδευμένων ψυχαῖς τεθησαυρισμέναι καὶ κάλλιστον ἔχουσαι θησαυρόν, πρὸς ὃν οὔτε Φωκεῖς οὔτε Γαλάται προσενεγκεῖν τὰς χεῖρας σπουδά

σειαν.

VI. 24. Demophil. Sentent. Pythag. 44 (Orell. Opusc. Moral. I. p. 42): Φιλήδονον καὶ φιλοσώματον καὶ φιλοχρήματον καὶ φιλόθεον τὸν αὐτὸν ἀδύνατον εἶναι.

VI. 30. Diodor. II. 49 : τοῦ δὲ κόστου καὶ κασίας ἔτι δὲ κιναμώμου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν τοιούτων χόρτοι καὶ θάμνοι βαθεῖαι τοσαῦται πεφύκασιν ὥστε τὰ παρὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις σπανίως ἐπὶ βωμοὺς θεῶν τιθέμενα παρ' ἐκείνοις καὶ κριβάνων ὑπάρχειν ἐκκαύματα.

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