Изображения страниц
PDF
EPUB

Χαλκῶν ἀνατήσας Πυθοῖ τὸν Εὔνομον,
Αὐτῇ κιθάρᾳ, καὶ τὸν συναγωνισὴν Λοκρε
Ὁ δὲ καὶ ἑκὼν ἐφίπταται, κἄδει εκών.

Clemens had a poetical genius, had studied the poets, and is perpetually borrowing their expressions, and made some poems himself, and, in his Cohortatio, particularly, writes in a poetical style, and gives us what one would be tempted to call prose on horseback, running too much into iambic measure; as p. 83.

Ο Χρισός έσι πανταχε σωτήριος.

This is said without any intention to reflect upon our editor of Clemens, or to detract in the least from his learned and useful labours. It is impossible to attend equally to every thing, in so large a work, and it is no wonder, if he has left a gleaning for those who come

after him.

Pædagog. i. 6. p. 127.

Θρέψαι δ ̓ ἐν βροτοῖσι πολλάκις

Πλείω πορίζει φίλτρα τὸ φῦσαι τέκνα.
Aluisse inter homines sæpe affert

Plura amoris incitamenta, quam procreasse liberos. The first verse wants the first foot. Write,

τὸ θρέψαι δ' ἐν βρολοῖσι πολλάκις

Ib. ii. 2. p. 8.

Φιλε πολλὴν γλῶταν ἐκχέας μάτην

*Ακων ἀκούειν ἅπερ ἑκὼν εἶπεν κακῶς.

Demensque lingua multa cum profuderit, Invitus audit que volens dixit male. From this poet perhaps Terence borrowed,

Si mihi pergit, que volt, dicere; ea, quæ non volt, audiet.

Ib. ii. 2. p. 186.

τοτό με ἐςὶν τὸ αἷμα, αἷμα τῆς ἀμπέλα, gc.

This passage shews that Clemens knew nothing of

transub

transubstantiation. See the editor. But there is a passage still stronger in Augustin against this unintelligible doctrine. Non enim Dominus dubitavit diceré, Hoc est corpus meum, cum signum daret corporis sui. For our Lord scrupled not to say, This is my body, when he gave the sign of his body. August. Contr. Adim. c. 12.

Haud pauca sunt vocabula, que, non dicam obscuram, sed nullam plane potestatem subjectam habent; non secus quam Aristophanicum φλατ[οθρατζολατοθρατ). Hoc observare est potissimum in vocabulis quibusdam, quæ grandia occultare dicuntur mysteria; qualia sunt vocabula Transubstantiationis, Præsentiæ corporis, non naturalis, sed sacramentalis, Ubiquitatis humanæ naturæ Christi, &c. Quæ adferimus, non quasi sola, sed ut eximia quæedam exempla vocabulorum nihil significantium. Clericus Art. Critic.

Ib. ii. S. p. 211.

τὸ δὲ πλεκτὸν σέφανον ἐξ ἀκηράτε λειμῶνος κοσμήσαντας, οἶκοι σε papéger, & Cappórwr. Ex puro autem prato contextam coronam pro ornamento domi circumferre, non est sobriorum hominum.

Hæc poetica sunt, says the editor. Poetical they are, to be sure, for they are taken from these elegant lines of Euripides,

Σοὶ τόνδε πλεκτὸν σέφανον ἐξ ἀκηράτε

Λειμῶνος, ὦ δέσποινα, κοσμήσας φέρω,

3

Ενθ ̓ ἔτε ποιμὴν ἀξιοῖ φέρβειν βολα,
Οὐδ ̓ ἦλθε πω σίδηρος, ἀλλ ̓ ἀκήρατον

Μέλισσα λειμῶν ἠρινὸν διέρχεται.

Tibi hanc coronam contextam ex illibato

Prato, o domina, floribus ornatam fero;

Ubi neque pastor vult

pascere suos greges,

Quo neque venit adhuc ferrum, sed illibatum
Pratum vernum apis peragrat.

Hippol.

Hippol. Στεφαν. 73. where ἀξιοῖ is ill translated cult. The meaning is, Where the shepherd presumes not to feed his flocks.

Instead of ἠρινον, in the last verse, I should like ήρινος. Μέλισσα ηρινός, the vernal bee.

Ib. p. 211.

ἄμφω γδ μαραίνετον (μαραίνεσθον) καὶ τὸ ἄνθος, καὶ τὸ κάλλος. Ambo enim flaccescunt, et flos, et pulchritudo.

See the same thought in an epigram of the Anthologia, L. vii. p. 616. Ed. Brod.

Πέμπω σοι, &c.

Ib. p. 213.

Οὐ γὰ μετέχεις μόδων τῶν ἐκ Πιερίας. Non es rosarum Pier riarum particeps.

Taken from Sappho. The fragment, which makes us regret the loss of the poem, is thus:

Κατθανοῖσα δὲ κείσεαι,

οὐδέ ποτε μναμοσύνα σέθεν
Εσσεται, ἀδέποκ ̓ ὕσερον
οὐ γὰ μετέχεις ρόδων

Τῶν ἐκ Πιερίας· ἀλλ ̓ ἀφανὴς

Καν ̓Αΐδα δόμοις φολάσεις.

Whence Horace might borrow, Carm. iv. 9. sed omnes illacrimabiles

Urgentur, ignotique longa

Nocte, carent quia vate sacro..
ii. 10. p. 235.

Τί γὰρ φρονιμόν

These verses are set right, pag. 254.

iii. 2. p. 257.

Τράπεζα πλήρης, και κυλίκες ἐπάλληλοι.

Versus Iambicus.

I take it to be prose. If it be verse, it is a Scazon.

Ib. p. 259.

Ἐνυβρίζει τῷ ναυσάθμῳ ὁ βάρβαρος· ἀδικία κρατῆ, καὶ τὸ παν

Διός

Διὸς ἐκείνα τὸ ὄμμα της Θρᾷκας βλέπι. Classi insultat Barbarus dominatum obtinet iniquitas, et ficti illius Jovis oculus Thracas respicit.

He speaks of the Trojan war, ἀδικία κρατεῖ—that is, The perjured Trojans prevail, and Jupiter casts his eyes upon the Thracians; for,

Ζεὺς δ' ἐπεὶ ἦν Τρωάς τε και Εκβορα νηυσὶ πέλασσε,

Τὰς μὲν ἔα παρὰ τῇσι πόνον τ' εχέμεν καὶ οϊζὺν Νωλεμέως· αὐτὸς δὲ πάλιν τρέπεν ἴσσε φαεινώ, Νόσφιν ἐφ ̓ ἱπποπόλων Θρηκῶν καθορώμενος αἶαν. Homer Il. N. 1.

Heinsius for oil reads olix, and indeed Clemens uses that expression, Strom. ii. 493. ἤδη γῆν και το ποιητική Διὸς τὴν αἰγίδα γράφεσι. which somewhat favours the emendation.

Ib.

Εὐγενές αἷμα βάρβαρα πίνει πόδια. Ingenuus sanguis barbaros potat campos.

The blood drinks the fields, says the translator. One would rather think that the fields drink the blood. Ingenuum sanguinem barbari bibunt campi.

*

Ib.

p. 294.

Τὸ δ ̓ ὅλον οὐκ ἐπίσαμαι ἐγὼ ψιθυρίζειν. ὐδὲ κατακεκλασμένος, πλά γιον ποιήσας τὸν τράχηλον περιπατεῖν· ὥσπερ ἑτέρας ὁρῶ κιναίδος ἐνθάδε πολλὲς ἐν ἄσει, καὶ πεπιτλοκοπημένες. In summa, nescio ego susurrare, neque fractus in obliquum reflexo collo ingredi, quemadmodum alios hic cinados multos video in civitate, vulsosque ac picatos.

Cujusdam Comici verba, says the editor. True; and therefore they should be written thus:

τόδ ̓ ὅλον, οὐκ ἐπίσαμαι

Ἐγὼ ψιθυρίζειν, ἐδὲ κατακεκλασμένος,

Πλάγιον ποιήσας τὸν τράχηλον, περιπατείν,

Ωσσερ

Ωσσερ ἑτέρας ὁρῶ κιναίδες ἐνθάδε

Πολλὲς ἐν ἄσει, καὶ πεπιτοκοπημένες.

Ib. p. 312.

Clemens concludes his book with an hymn to Christ:

Στόμιον πώλων ἀδαῶν, &c.

Videtur mihi, says Bull, hic hymnus desumptus ex Canticis sacris in primæva Ecclesia usurpatis, vel certe ad eorundem imitationem compositus. Def. Fid. Nic. p. 189.

But it is undoubtedly the composition of Clemens: the style shews it, and the expressions, which he had used in the Pedagogus. Clemens was perhaps the first Christian who was capable of making such poems as this, and that which follows it.

[blocks in formation]

This is an imitation of the verses of Euripides which are cited above.

Ib.

Ως ἐργάτις μέλιτα χωρίων απο

Βλάςην τρυγώσα, χρησὸν ἐκ σίμβλων πόνον
Κηρὸν δίδωσι τὸν γλυκύν τῷ προςάτῃ.
Εἰ καὶ βραχὺς δ ̓ ἐγώ τις, οἰκέτης γε σός.
Ut artifex apicula, quando gramina
Vindemiat campis, labore ex utili

Ceram e favis domino suo dat optimam:
Nam sim licet minimus, tuus sum servulus.
So Horace Carm. iv. ii. 27.

ego apis Matinæ

More modoque, &c.

VOL. I.

There

G g

« ПредыдущаяПродолжить »