Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner.  Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

Textual observations on Philogelos
Dawe, R D
Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies; Fall 1997; 38, 3; ProQuest
pg. 307

Textual Observations on Philogelos 
R.D.Dawe 

A
TER THE EXCELLENT EDITION with commentary by 
Andreas Thierfelder (Munich 1968), which itself was able 

to profit from the fundamental work of Boissonade 
(Paris 1848) and Alfred Eberhard (Berlin 1869), there is not a 
great deal left for an editor to do. The manuscript tradition, and 
the editorial role of Minas Minoides in the last century, have 
been clarified by B. E. Perry, and the collection's linguistic 
usage by Gerhard Ritter. 1 The two main versions of the various 
jokes that comprise the collection do not contain serious 
divergences within themselves. The present paper is therefore 
devoted only to the proposal of a handful of conjectures. In the 
excerpts printed below (a) versions are represented by the 
manuscripts ACM and (b) versions by EPV, or as many of 
them as are extant for any particular item. 

6 (a) AM r.xoAaO"'tt1(O~ iorov 'tOY lCa'ta. O"uv,,8nav au'tou ia'tpov 
EPXOJ.lEVOV nEptEO"'tEAAE'tO aU'tolt o<p81lvat. EnEpOYt118E1.~ Of napa. 
'ttVO~ au'tou hatpou, Oux 'tt au'to nOtEt, anElCpi811' nOAU~ Xp6v~ 
EO"'tI.V a<p' o{) oU!C EvoO"l1O"a, !Cal. Ev'tpEnoJ.lat au'tov. 

(1U10 1 101110 Minas 

1tEPlO'tEAA£lV ("bedecken") gives roughly the necessary idea, 
but, as Thierfelder notes, the following infinitive oq>8ftval reads 
strangely without J.lll. But there is a simple remedy that obviates 
such solutions as Boissonade's imoo'tEAAE'tO, namely to insert 
('t 0) after 1tEPlEO'tEAAE'tO. For the construction compare Clem. 
AI. Strom., PC VIII 1285B: ot)'to<; 8' Civ £tTl " J.lll 1tEPlO'tEA­
AOJ.lEVO<; 'tOY 8lCOYJ.lOV. 

1 B. E. Perry, Classical Studies in Honor of W. A. Oldfather (Urbana 1945-
46) 157-166; G. Ritter, Studien zur Sprache des Philogelos (Zurich 1955). 

307 



Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner.  Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

308 TEXTUAL OBSERVATIONS ON PHILOGELOS 

8 AM + EPV LXOAUO'tlKO<; 9EArov 7tUXOUl jl.UV ouvEXro<; 'ta 
PlPAiu uu'tou 'tproyoV'tu KPEU<; OUKcOV tv 'tlll oKo'tiul EKa9loEv. 

90 .. rov 1tlUO"al J,luv AM: J,luv t90 .. rov (90 .. rov V) 1tlUO"al E P V 
O"UVEXro~] 'tOy AM tv 'till] tv EPV O"xo'tElal M txu9T]'to AM 

The variation of word order is best explained on the supposi­
tion that J.l:uv was written above the line in a common ancestor, 
having first been accidentally omitted. How omitted? If by 
haplography, then the most likely place for J.l.UV would be after 
SEArov, and this gives what is in any case the most appealing 
order on stylistic grounds: the same word order SEArov + object 
+ infinitive is found in the next item (rXoAaO'tlKO~ SEArov 
au'tou 'tOY OVOV BtBu~at) and the same in no. 161. No contrary 
examples are found in Phi/age/os. 

But there is a second point to consider. Why should the 
scho/asticus chew meat? The meat must be for the mouse, so 
read Ba!CE'lv, with E!CUStOEV active: he put down the meat for the 
mouse to chew. Only on some such supposition may we hope 
to avoid the incongruous explanation whereby the scho/asticus 
has meat between his teeth, imitating a mousetrap-"was mir 
selbst fur diesen schwachen Witz zu dumm vorkommt" 
(Thierfelder). The anecdote seems unfinished-and it is by no 
means the only one in the collection to have suffered that fate. 
In the missing part there was doubtless some role for the 
darkness to play: otherwise it would hardly have been 
mentioned. 

23 AM LXOAUCHlKO<; Ku'ta 7tpw't1lv iiVOl~lV 'tOU pUAuvEiou 
EioEA9wv, !CUt jl.1l0EVU EUPcOV EOro, Ar'Yfl 7tpo<; 'tOY OOUAOV 
uu'tou' 'E~ 6>V PAE7tro, jl.il ou AOUfl 'to puAavEiov. 

J,ll]O' Eva M J,ll] del. Thierfelder AUEl M post ~aA.aVElOV notam 
interrogationis M 

The final 'to j3aAUVEtOV sounds superfluous, and comparison 
with 130, which ends !Caew~ j3AE7tro, ou AOUEt, confirms this 
suspicion. llYo'UV J.l.vTlIla in 26, and llt'tEt 'tTtV ocpa'lpav, deleted in 
33 by Thierfelder, are other intrusions in the vicinity. 

36 AM LXOAUO'tlKO<; 'tOlY a7tuv'twv'trov 'ta ijl.a.nu Etljl.ilto. 
'tou'tou OE 'tOU 7tu'tpo<; 7tUpa. 'tlVroV 'tOU'to aKououv'tO<; !Cut 
E7tl'tljl.roV'tQ<; UU'trol' na'tfp, Ei7tEV, U7tO OlupoAll<; 7tE7tflOUl 'tou'to, 
KUt toro<; oUS' U7tO av9pw7tou. 'tou OE Ei7tov'to<;' '0 OElva jl.Ol 
£lP1lKE, Kut au, Eq>1l0EV, EK£lvrol 7tPOOEXfl<;, 0<; ouOE 7tEV't"TlKOV'tu 
Opu;(jl.rov ijJ.&.nov EXEl; 



Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner.  Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

R. D. DAWE 

nvrov A: 'tlV()() M 1tun:p, d1tEV A: d1tE, 1t(l-tEP M uv9po)1to'll A: 
aVO'\l M h:dvrot A: h:e'1.vo M 

309 

ouo' \)1tO uv8pol1toU ("and perhaps not even by man"') has 
elicited some contorted explanations from the commentators. 
Of our two manuscripts here, one, M, writes uv8po)1tou as 
livou, but without a line above it which would indicate a 
compendium was intended. Read EVVOU: the father's informant 
was either out to cause mischief, or was possibly crazy. 

40 (a) AM l:xoAao"ttl(O~ ~tl(POV utov U1tOAEOa~, 8£<XOa~EVO~ 
1tOMOU~ E1tl "to lCiloo~ u1tavnloaV"t~ OUl. "tl,V u1touo{av au"tou 
n.t"{EV· A iooullal IlllCPOV 1talO{ov Ei~ "tOoou"tov 0XAOV ElCqlEpWV. 

u1troA.t(Ja~ M £1t1. 'tTjv 1CTj~dav M 

Unfortunately the (b) version has nothing that would throw 
any light on the motive given in (a) as 01.(1 't~v u1toucriav. 
E~oucriav (Eberhard) and 1tfplOucriav (Bois son ad e) are both 
sensible, but so might the bare oucriav be, "property.'" But the 
original text may once have been more explicit, with the 
adjective 1tAoucriav, followed by a noun now lost. 

43 AM l:XOAaOnlCO~ UlCm)(m~ 1tapa nvwv ()-Y;l '0 1t(oywv oou 
iloll epXE"ta l, U1tEA8rov Ei~ "tl,V 1tUAllV E~EOEXE"tO au"tov. E"tEPO~ 
Of "tl,V 1tpOqlaOlV Epw"tTtOa~ lCat yvou~' E ilCO"tro~, fi1tE, IlWPOt 
VOlllCo1lE9a' 1t09EV yup otoa~ Ei OlU "tll~ hEpa~ 7tUAT\~ epXE"tal; 

hEPOU ... EpOYtTtoav"to~ M 

Minas' motives in conjecturing (OUK) EPXf'tal are obvious. 
Thierfelder believes that the same sense can be obtained 
without any alteration of the text by invoking Kuhner-Gerth II 
533 §589.14. Those who believe that the examples cited there do 
not justify the translation here, "How do you know if it is not 
coming through the other gate?," may care to construe differ­
ently, taking the d clause not as an indirect question but as an 
ordinary conditional: "If it comes through the other gate, how 
do you know?" One might perhaps have expected a potential 
optative with liv instead of the plain indicative otoa~, but one 
can say the same of VOI.l.lCOllf8a. Philogelos does not indulge in 
the potential optative. The only exceptions are at 28 «(iv £tTl) 
and, if I am right in suggesting it, another «(iv) £tTl just two 
items before, at 26. Boissonade rightly compared olKaic.o~ Ilc.oPOt 
KaAoullf8a (15) and ll(J)p~ dill (52). 

47 AM l:XOAaO"tlKO~ OlU Xpovou Ei~ "tOY uypov 1tapaYEvoIlEVO~ 
E9EaOa"tO "tu 9pE~~a"ta E~lov"ta E1tl ~60K1l0lV. Kal ro~ Elro9E 



Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner.  Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

310 TEXTUAL OBSERVATIONS ON PHILOGELOS 

~AllXOIlEva iowv ,;po)'ta 't1,V ahiav. 'tOU Of oiJcovo~ou 
npocmai~av'to~ Kat. Elnov'to~ 'Acrmi~oV'tai crE, Titv EIl"V crOl 
cr<O'tllpiav, <t>llcriv, EIlOU EVEKa apyiav au'tOl~ OO~ Kat. 'tPEl~ 
ftllepa~ 11ft E~aya'Y1ll~ au'ta El~ VOIl"V. 

XpOvov M ~ATlXOJlEVU A: YAUKOJlEVU M (JOl om. Moe, add. M t 
apyiuv in ras. scr. Mt uu'tTl 00<; M E~uyaY£l<; M 

Bleating, given us by A, the most complete manuscript, and 
the most highly esteemed, of Philogelos, is something you hear, 
not something you see, and so Thierfelder adds (KUt OKlP'tWV­
'tu). But M, which we invoked on 36, has the extraordinary 
variant yAUKOJ.lEVU. Now Philo Carpasianus, Cant. 206 has 
Ku8cl1tEP YAUKUVE08ul i30UAOJ.lEVOU;; (where Migne would 
prefer yAUKUivE08ul), "to enjoy sweetness." The same stress 
would fit well here too, of flocks full of joie de vivre. Read 
yAUKUVOJ.lEVU. 

1tpoo1tui~uv'tO<; looks as though its tense has been assimilated 
to that of El1tov'tOC;. Read 1tpo<J1tai~ov'toc;. 

48 AM LxoAucrnKoc; KaLVa i.moo"lla'ta unEo"cra'tO. 'tPl~OV't<OV 
o;)v au'trov Enlcrxwv Mit 'tpi~E'tE, dnEv, End 'ta crKeAll ft~rov 
tlCAacrll'tEt. 

lCEVU M 'l1tob~(JU'tO M oilv uu'to)V in ras. seT. M1 'tpi~E'tal AM: 
eorr. Minas TtJlCov M: UJlrov A 

Thierfelder has a long and imaginative note considering the 
possibility that "die Schuhe unausgesprochen mit Heu­
schrecken (Grillen) verglichen werden," UJ.lWV and KAaoE'tE 
(Minas) giving us grasshoppers breaking their own legs with 
excessive rubbing. Less far-fetched and more humorous would 
be oKAa~E'tUl. The scholasticus does not wish it to be thought 
that he has creaking joints. 

51 (a) AM LxoAacr'tlKOC; iowv EV 'trol ayprol mhou <t>peap ~a9u 
,;pW1:a El KaAov ~v 'to uorop. 'trov Of YE<OPYrov Elnov't<Ov on 
KaAov' Kat. yap oi. yOVEl~ crou EV'tEU9EV El1lVOV, Kat. nllAiKou~, 
<t>llcriv, dxov 'tpaX"AOUC; on Ei~ 'tocrou'tov ~a9~ nivElv i)ouvav'to; 

(b) E P V LxoAacrnKo~ EV 'trol ioi<Ol ayprot E~lWV ,;pona 
l1lElV uo<op, Ei KaAOV EV 'trot au'to9t <t>pean. 'trov Of <t>llcrav't<Ov 
on KaAov' Kat. yap Kat. oi. yOVEl~ crou E~ au'tOu EnLVov, Kat. 
1t11AiKOU~, E<t>1l, dxov 'tpaX"Aou~ 'tva ano 'tocrou'tou ~a9ou~ nivElv 
,;OUvuV'to; 

(a) ~u9u om. A EV'tuu9u M 
(b) 1tll:'iV]1tOlE'iv EP ac, eorr. p 2 'trov b£ (YEOlpyroV) Thierfelder 
KUt yap Kut] KUt yap P 



Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner.  Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

R. D. DAWE 311 

In the (a) version the scholasticus asks if the water is good. 
For ~v we should expect Eo'tl, or an ellipse of Eo'tl: hence [~v] 
bracketed in the forthcoming Teubner text. In the (b) version 
something different is said: the man asks to drink water if it is 
good, the "if" being this time not interrogative but conditional. 
Here ~v so far from being either superfluous or incorrect in 
tense, is positively welcome, and is easily supplied before Ev. 
The waters are, however, muddied again by the AEYOV'tO<;; o'tt 
OUle ~v Olle<XLOv 1tpo~<x't<X ocpa~EOe<Xl discussed below on 129. 

59 AM ~XOAUOnK:O~ (b(ouou~ tlVO~ ott lCUAT)V OPVlV EWAOV 
OttEutT)V Eod1tvT\OE, 1tPOOEA9rov tan OttEU'tUPlWt eAE'YEv' 
"EroAOv j.l.Ot opvw 9uoov. 

Ol't£U'tCOPtO)l M 

The joke hinges on EOlAOV, and the word order le<XATtV OPVlV 
EOlAoV (il'tEUtTtV, adj. + noun + adj. + noun used adjectivally, 
putting the most important word in the least important 
position, is unpleasing. Read on le<XAllv OPVLV O"l'tEu'tllv EOlAOV 
EOtl1tVll0E, to make it clear that EOlAOV is not on the same plane 
as le<XATtV, but describes the condition of the fine fattened bird 
when eaten. 

62 A ~XOAUo"tt1(O~ tftt EtT\PlOt, il 0\(1. XtAlroV EtWV uYE'tUt EV 
• PWj.l.T\t, T)'t'tT\9EV'tU U9AT\'titv lCU1. OUlCPUOV'tU iowv, 1tUpU­
j.l.U90UJlEVO~ Mit AU1tOU, e<pT\, tT)V yap UAAT\V XtAtEtT\PlOU au 
VtI(110E~. 

hatptlh A: corr. Minas 

The scholasticus did not see an athlete having been beaten 
(aorist) and crying (present), but a defeated athlete crying. 
Delete le<Xl. As close as 64 we shall find an intrusive BE, and at 
107 and 214 Eberhard plausibly deletes another le<Xl ostensibly 
linking two participles. See also below on 81 and 111. 

68 A M ~XOAUOttlCO~ ypa\j1U~ OllCT\V 1.l1tEp tlVO~, OT\JlOOlUt 
1tPOUVQlVroOK:E. to\) of: OUVT\YOPOUJlEVOU Ei1t6Vto~ on u't01tOV 
1tOtEt, ta U1t0PPT\tU tft~ OlK:T\~ 'tOt~ UVnOlK:Ot~ <PUVEpa 1tOtrov, 
Ka9upJlu, EhE, JlT) yap n trov OUVElCnK:rov AEYW; 

OtlcrlV {lltEP Minas: Ota9i]1CTJv {mo AM 

Eberhard felt that a'to1tov requires a noun or pronoun to 
agree with, and suggested a'to1tov (n), which nicely fore­
shadows 'tt 'tWV (JUVEle'ttleWV. But palaeo graphically easier, and 
with no loss of style, would be on ('tt) ato1tov. The evidence, 



Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner.  Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

312 TEXTUAL OBSERVATIONS ON PHILOGELOS 

however, of Kuhner-Gerth I 268 should make us stay our hand. 

69 AM ~XOAUO'tU'O<; a1to9uvoV'to<; OU/.LCpOl'tT\'tOU Em:01cE1t'tE'tO 
'tou<; yov£u<;. 'tou oE 1tu'tpo<; uu'tOu 6oupo~£vou Kul A£yOV'tO<;· 
T £KVOV, ";1t0PT\ou<; ~E .... 

Prima facie this would mean that the scholasticus, on the 
death of his companion, visited his own parents. mhou should 
follow or precede tou<;; ,{ovEae;, and be omitted after 1t<ltpoe;. 
The error may well have been facilitated by 70: LxoAaattl(o<;; 
voaouvta cpiAoV u1tfjA8Ev E1tt<J1(E\jIaa8al. tfje; YUValKO<;; 0' autou 
d1toual1e; .... 

71 A ~XOAUO'tU(O<; U1tOOElY~u AUProv ~fl'(Qu<; Kul 1tAa'tou<; E1tl. 
'ton aKpo1t'tuXU EioKO~lOUl, ~T\'tfiOUl E1tuv9avE'to 1to'iov Eon 'to 
~fiKO<; Kul1to'iov 'to 1tAa'to<;. 

Thierfelder accepts Eberhard's version of UlCp01ttUxa as 
"genus quoddam amiculi vel lintei in mensa ponendi," but 
confesses that the UlCpO- part of the word remains baffling. But 
af3po- would not be. In what follows Thierfelder deletes 
~l1tftaal as a gloss on dalCo/ltaal. But it is dalCo/liaal that is 
inexplicable. It must either be ejected, or another word found, 
which could reasonably be glossed by ~l1tfjaal. Such a word 
does not immediately come to mind, but since the joke is 
concerned with matching dimensions we may wonder if the da­
may not conceal part of taoe;: e.g. taa lCo/liaaa8al, or tal1v if 
af3p01ttuxa is a feminine singular. 

74 A ~xoAuonKrol Ae1t'tOV 'l1t1tOV fxovn 1tPOOEA9rov n<; '0 'l1t1to<; 
oou, f!pT\, el<; A'loou 0pUl. Kul 0 OX0AaO'tlKO<;' Kayro PM1tW. 

It is not just symmetry that suggests E~ A'{oou f3A.E1tEl. The 
figurative use of f3AE1tW preponderates in such expressions of 
how some one or some thing looks: cf LS] S.V. f3AE1tW II with 
its entry s.v. opaw I.5. 

81 AM ~XOAaO'tlKO<; EV 1tAOlWl XEl~U~O~£vwv Kul KAUlOV'tWV 
'trov OU~1tAE6V'twv, Ti yap, f!pT\, ~lKpoA6YOl EO't£; EYro OE O£KU 
'AulKCt<; 1tAelOVU<; ~hoou<; KlVOUVWl 'tou KUPEPVl)'tOU 1tA£W. 
KAtoV'tWV A oUJlltAt6v'twv A: EV 'ton 7tAolWl M EO't<l l M o~ 
Thierfelder: OOU~ AM KUPEPVl'tOU AM: corr. Minas 

The sense can hardly be "said on a ship," or "his fellow sailors 
storm-tossed and crying on a ship" as if the scholasticus were 
himself somehow exempt from the storm. Read XEl/la~O/lEVO)l 
and compare the first sentence of 80: LXOAaatllCOU 1tAEOVtoe; 
ElClVOUVEUEV U1tO XEl/lwvo<;; to 1tAo'ioV. The scholasticus finds 



Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner.  Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

R. D. DAWE 313 

EKlVOUVE'\)EV 1mO XEtI.1.roVO<; 'to 1tA01.0V. The scholasticus finds 
himself on a storm-tossed ship, and with his fellow-sailors 
crying. It is possible, but not necessary, to delete the Kat before 
KAat.Ov'tCJ)v as a connective wrongly introduced after the corrup­
tion to X£tJ.1.a~oJ.1.€vCJ)v. 

96 AM Il uo 0X0A.a.(J'tliCOt OnAOt, (, J.LEv EKpUIjIEV Ei~ <PPEUp ui:nov, 
(, Of Ei~ KUAUJ.LrovU. XUAuoav'tCllv o~v Kpavo~ 'troY otpunro­
'troY btl 'to uOrop apuouo9at, VOJ.LtOU~ OtpuncOtllV KunEVUt 
iKE'teurov EAtl<p911. ro~ Of E<puouv oi o'tpunro'tut on ei 
EO H.01tllOe , nUPllA90v (Xv UUtOV, (, EV 'trot KUA.a.J.Lrovt KPU~OJ.LEVO~ 
OUKOUV, dnev, EJ.Lf 1tUpEA9u'te· Otro1tro yap. 

000 om. M cout6v M Ei om. M (, OE EV M 

Minas' text begins with the word order LXOAaO'tlKOt OUo 
OElAOt. This may well be right: it is the uniform practice else­
where in Philogelos to put Ouo after the initial noun: see nos. 13, 
20,39, 152, 178,211. 

What makes the two cowards hide themselves, and who are 
"the soldiers"? Something must have fallen out of the text: e.g. 
Ouo oxoAao'ttKOt OElAOt (EOt<OKOV'tO 1mo 1tOA€J.1.tCJ)V, Kat) 0 
J.1.€v .... Later in the story the participle vOJ.1.toa<; has no point of 
attachment. We need (0 J.1.Ev £'tEPO<;) vOJ.1.toa<;, where 0 J.1.€v is 
contrasted with 0 EV 'trot KaAal.l.rovt. KPU~OI.l.€vo<;. 

96 bis A ~XOA.a.O'tlKO~ E1tt Oetnvov KA1l9e\~ OUK ilo9tev. EPOJ.LEVOU 
O~v 'tWO~ trov KeKAllJ.LEvrov OUl. tt OUK Eo9tOt, (, oi: "Ivu J.LT! tOU 
<PUYEtV EveKu Oo~ro 1tupetvut. 

There can be occasions when the omission of a verb of saying, 
as in 3 or 22 for example, can be stylish. This does not seem to 
be one of them, and comparison with the very similar 32 oUl 'tt 
OUK EOStEt<;; £CPT} "Iva J.1.Tt suggests we either replace 0 Of by £q>11 
or else-a more gentle remedy-insert (EcpT}) after J.1.11. 

99 AM ~XOA.a.OnK(ln 'tt~ AEYEt XPlloov J.Lot ~ippov J.LEXP1~ aypou. (, 
Of MEXPl o<pupou, dnev, Exro· J.LEXpt Of aypou OUK Exro. 

I:xoAacrtl1(6~ M ~lPPOV A: ~ M 

Will anyone dispute that this joke would end much more 
pungently without the repetition of EXCJ)? viz. J.1.€Xpt. Of uypou 
ou. The question is similar to the one posed of 'to ~aAaV£1.0V in 
23 above. 

107 AM "AAAO~ oJ.Loiro~ J.LeyuAuUXOUJ.LEVO~, 'tEAdro~ Of 
1tEVll'tEurov [KUt] Kuta. 'tUXllV VOOtlOU~, 't1l~ Of <piAll~ UU'tou 
ui<pviOwv EnnoeA9ouoll~ Kut d.lPOUOll~ uutOV E1tt IjIla90u 



Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner.  Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

314 TEXTUAL OBSERVATIONS ON PHILOGELOS 

Kd~evov, EV'tpa1te1.<; TtLnii'to 1:Ou<; ia'tpou<; A£YO)V' Oi. KaAOI. 
ia'tpol. Kal. OOKLJ.lOL -ril<; 1tOAeo><; EK£Aeuouv ~e 'lna8Lo8"vaL. 

'tEAdcoe; 'tE A [lCul] Eberhard Ui.cpviJOpLOv M 

The grammar of oi. KUAOt iutpot KUt MKll10l tl1<; 1tOA£CJ)<; is 
bizarre. Straightforward would be oi. KUAOt iatpot KUt <oi.) 
OOKll10l tl1<; 1tOAECJ)<;. True, the text says only the doctors were 
blamed. But the anecdote is about a I1EYuAaUxouI1EVO<;, who 
might well wish to boast about his important connections. 

108 AM 'AAa.~iov EV ayopiiL 1ta'iOa Eau'tou 8ea.ou~evo<; EK 'tou 
uypou vecoo'tl. EATjAU8o'ta tI1te' Ti 1tOWUOL 'ta 1tpo~a'ta; 0 oE 
£t1te' To J.lEV Ka8euoEl, 'to OE 'lo'ta'ta.L. 

'to. IlEV .,. 'to. oE M 'lO"'tUV'tUl M 

"One is asleep and one is standing." So Eberhard's explanation 
in his apparatus, but he writes (76): "Yotutal vix ac ne vix 
quidem sanum est; expectem £onatUl, KdpEtat vel tale quid." 
"Mir unklar der Grund seiner Bedenken," says Thierfelder, but 
the feebleness of 'one is standing' speaks for itself. £onatat is 
clever, but the story is likely to be couched in terms whereby 
the 1tu'i<; is excusing himself for not being on watch, not con­
fessing that something terminal has happened to half the 
"flock." I suggest to I1EV Ku8EuOn, to OE (Eq»iotutal. One is 
asleep, the other is <doing what I oU.$ht to be doing, viz. > 
watching over him. C{. Ar. Vesp. 955 olo<; tE 1tOAAo'i<; 1tpo~uti­
Ol<; Eq>Ecrt&.VUl. Only these 1tpo~&.na are not 1tOAA&,. 

111 AM 'Ev 'A~01\POL<; ovo<; Aa.8iov et<; 'to yu~vuowv etOllA8e Kal. 
'to EAawv E~£Xeev. oi. oE ouveA8ov'te<; Kal. J.le'ta1teJ.lljluJ.levoL 
1tuV'ta<; 1:Ou<; EV 't" L 1tOAEl ovou<; Kal. ei<; Eva ouvayayov'te<; 
't01tOV, 1tpo<; 'to uo<paAioao8aL Evromov au't&v 'tov OVOV 
EJ.lao'ti yrooav. 

IlE'tUIlEIl'lfUIlEVot A 'toue; ovo'Ue; 'toue; EV TIilItOA.EL A EIlUO"'tiycoO"EV M 

Who are ot at the beginning of the second sentence? "The 
citizens of Abdera" will be the reply. But this is as awkward as 
saying "In London a horse ran amok, and they came together." 
Secondly, what is the point of "they came together and sent 
for ... "? Doubtless people might cluster round, but what does 
"coming together" actually do in the telling of the story, and 
why does it appear to stand on the same plane as "sending for"? 
All difficulties disappear if we consider what sort of people 
would naturally be in a gymnasium, and read oi. OE ouva8AOUV­
t£<; [KU \.] I1EtU1tEI1'V&'I1EVOl. 



Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner.  Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

R. D. DAWE 

115 AM 'A~01lpit1l<; EUVOUXov iooov yuvalKt O~J.lAOUVta lJpOn:a 
aAAov d apa YUVT! autou Ecnl. tOU OE dnovto<; EUVOUXOV 
yuval.Ka exElV flT! OUvaaSal E<P1l' OUKOUV SUYUt1lP autou Eanv. 

npooof1tA.o\)V'ta M 9uYU'tllP om. M 

315 

The Abderite infers that the woman might be the eunuch's 
daughter. Why? She could be anyone. What we need is a 
second question, indicating that the Abderite has failed to grasp 
the full significance of the answer he has just been given: "Is she 
then his daughter?" 

123 A 'A~01lpi't1l<; tOV natEpa tEAEUt1laav'ta Kata tOV VOfloV 
Kauaa<; opaflOOv Ei<; t~v oiKiav npo<; t~V Jl1ltEpa autou 
voaouaav dnEv' 'OAiya En nEplttEUEl ~uAa' EaV o1)v ~OUA1ll 
Kat ouvaaal, tOt<; aUtOt<; KataKaUS1ln. 

vO,IDv Minas: cbf10V A 

A strange invitation to a sick woman: "If you are willing and 
able, get burnt up." The only reason why the woman might 
consent to be burnt is that in this way she might put an end 
once and for all to her pain. But we have heard nothing about 
her pain. We need some such reference. For j30UAllt Kat. 
8uvacrcu read j30UAllt Ill) (or 1l1lKEU) 68uvucr8at. 

129 A llSOVto<; P1ltrop flEta ouo haiprov OU:AEyE'tO. tOu OE EVO<; 
AEYOVtO<; on OUK ~V oiKatoV npo~ata a<pu~EO'Sal Ola to <PEPElV 
YUAa Kat EPtOV, Kat tOU aAAOU dnov'tO<; on fl1l0E ~OUV 
(npoa1lKEl) uvalpEtaSal YUAa napExouaav Kat UpOtplroaav, 0 
P1ltrop E<P1l fl1l0E XOtpov dval OiKalOV a<pU~EaSal ~nap 
napEXOVta Kat oMap Kat vE<ppia. 

(npocr';KEl) Eberhard YUAa napcxov'ta Kat UPO'tplOuv'ta A: corr. 
Boissonade ~1tap napcxoucrav Boissonade 

(1tpOcrl)K£t) Eberhard, which Thierfelder would like to alter 
to 1tpocrl1KEv. But it would be more rational to change OUK ~v 
8lKatov to OUK Ecru 8lKatov. The present tense is what is offered 
in the closely similar version that appears as 103, itself the 
source of Eberhard's supplement. 

132 AM llSOVtO<; npaYflatEUtl]<; flEta hEPOU roOEUE. 't11<; oE 
yaatpo<; uvaYKa~OUa1l<; flU(POV unoAEl<pS11vUl npOaanEJlElVEv. 0 
oE auvoool7tOPo<; u<P11KEv autov, ypu\jfa<; EV tlVl [KioVl] trov 
JllAirov· Tuxuvov, <pSuaov flE. 0 OE, 00<; UVEYVro, EnEypa\jfE 
KUtroSEV' Kat auto<; flEtVOv flE. 

U1tOA.T\~TlVat M 'tlVl] 'tTl M [KtOVl] Eberhard npo~acrov M f1Elvov 
f1E A: J.U:t VOfU:V M 



Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner.  Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

316 TEXTUAL OBSERVATIONS ON PHILOGELOS 

Travelling with "another," or travelling with a friend, 
hcxipou? In many of these entries in Philogelos the tale is told 
of X and an hcx'lpo<;;, though once (39b) it is necessary to make 
the reverse emendation from hcx'lpo<;; to E'tEpO<;;. Here the 
nature of the story itself, and the use of OUVOOOt1t0p0<;; 
("travelling companion"') favours something more intimate than 
the bare "'another." 
1tpOOCX1tE~£tV£V is an unbelievable compound. 1tpoo(ro) 

a1tEIl£lV£V seems an inoffensive solution. 

136 A l:~86VlO<;; ypal-lI.lo:tllCO<;; ,;pro'ta 'tOY ~h8uolCaAov' 'H 
~ev'talCo'tuAo<;; MlCU90<;; 1tOOOV xoopei; <> 8E' oIvov AEyn<;; 11 
eAalOV; 

7t£v't(l1(6vo\)A.o~ A: corr. Minas 

In these stories it is the Sidonian who is stupid. Eq ually at 140, 
196, and 197 it is the 'YPCXllllo.'ttlCO<;; who is the butt of the joke. A 
stupid PURil is not funny: a stupid master is. It follows that the 
answer Otvov AE'Y£t<;; ~ £Ao.toV; is spoken by the Sidonian 
schoolmaster. Thierfelder's diagnosis OtOaOlCo.Aov] llo.8r\'"CTtv 
vid. opus esse is then unlikely to be correct, likewise Cataudel­
la's OtOo.01(OIl£VOV. We shall have to recast the sentence more 
drastically. l:t86vtov 'YPo.IlIlCX'ttlCOV tlPOl'W 6 OtOCXOKO~£VO<;; is 
only one of any number of possibilities. It will be noted that in 
the similar 92 the question 'R 1t£V'WKCl'tUAO<;; ATtKU8o<;; 1tOOOV 
Xrop£'l; is in the same way addressed to the more authoritative 
figure, there the father of the scholasticus. 

137 M It80v{oo~ fla'Yeipoo~ AEyn 'tl<;;. ~uvnoov flOt flUxatpav 
e<o<;; IflUPVTJ<;;. <> 8E E<pT\' QUK EXOO flUXatpav e<o<;; h:ei <p9u~ouoav. 

l1aY£lpo~ M 

The request made to the cook rather presupposes a condition 
not mentioned in the joke. Something like (ev 'trov cx-\nrot 1tAoirot 
1t0PEUOIlEVO<;;) may have fallen out after n<;;. 

150 A Eu'tpu1teAo<;; 8uo ~uo'tpoov 1tap' au'tou EV ~aAave{oo~ 
E1tl~TJ'touflEvoov, imo EVO<;; flEV ayv oop {o'tOu, imo 8E E'tEPOU 
yvoop{flOU flEV aAAu lCAE1t'tOU, <> eu'tpu1teAo<;; E<pTJ' IE flEV (fl~) 
yvoop{~oov ou 80000' oE 8E [fl~] YVOOPl~OOv ou 80000. 

( 11 TJ) et [I1TJj Thierfelder 

Thierfelder rightly finds the anecdote clumsily written. He 
has vastly improved the point of the story by moving ~Tt from 
the second to the first yvrop{~rov. But in addition 6 Einpam:Ao<;; 
in front of ECPll needs to be deleted, or more likely replaced by a 



Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner.  Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

R. D. DAWE 317 

resumptive (, o£ such as we find in nos. 67, 196, 225. We are left 
with the inept beginning. "Zwei Leute wollten sich von ihm 
den Kamm leihen" is plainly the sense required, but on the face 
of it the text appears to be talking about two strigils. Possibly 
there has been a kind of semi-haplography taking place in an 
original A YTOyynO.1 YO, and we should read ~ua'tprov 1tap' 
au'tou U1t(, ouo EV ~aAavdCJ)l E1tl~ll'tOUJ1£vCJ)v. We have to resist 
the temptation to write ouo'iv, a form not found in Philogelos: 
see Thierfelder on 196. Whether the further alteration to 
~ua'tpou ... E1tl~ll'tOUJ1£VOU is called for is more disputable. The 
learned Thierfelder refers us to the plurality of strigils at Pers. 
5.126 and Juv. 3.163. 

151 bis (b) EV El)'tpu1tEAO~ ioffiv ia'tpov VEctVlOa imaA.eiCllov'ta 
ropaiav eCllT\' Mil ~v O\j1tv 9Epa7tEurov 'to f3u9~ CIl9EipT\l~. 

Thierfelder would like to add (ocp8aAJ1lWaav) after v£avtoa. 
That damage has occurred seems likely from the anomalous 
position of wpatav, which ought to be put in front of vwvtoa: 
the phonetic equivalence of al and £ may explain the error 
arising from wpatav v£av-. 

162 AM KUllairov 1tOAtv 'tElXl~OV'troV et~ 'trov 1tOAl'troV AOA­
Alavo~ KaAouIlEvO~ OUo Kop'tiva~ ioiOl~ heiXlOEv uvaAcOllaOl. 
1toA.ellicov OE E1ttO'tUV'tcov 6pYl09EV'tE~ Ot KUllatOl OUVECIlcOvT\Oav 
'{va 'to AOAAlavou 'telX~ llT\od~ CIlUA.U~T\l o'AA' EKEtVO~ Ilovo~. 

('tTtv) ltOAtV Eberhard AOAtuVO~ M A()\)AHlvo\) M <!)'\)AO:gt M 

The Cymaeans are angry, presumably with Lollianus. Thier­
felder very reasonably asks, "Warum?" We need to be told, and 
a lacuna after 6pYla8£vn~c; seems inescapable. 

169 A '0 a{no~, nvo~ alnrol ei1t6V'to~ on 'EouAT\ou~ IlE' Ml1 
imoo'tpE\j1CO (EtnEV) ev9EV a1t Elllt , ei EouAT\Oa. 

(EtltEV) Boissonade 

The explanation of haplography recommends Boissonade's 
£kv rather than his alternative £CPll, which Thierfelder strangely 
prefers. At the end d (a') EaUAllaa or d EauAllau (a£) is what 
we might expect to see. 

176 A KUllato~ ia'tpo~ O,1teyvCOO/lE/lOV approo'tOv EVT\IlUnoev, 
EKEAEUOE OE 'tu EKKEXCOplO/lEva iOEtV. 'tOu OE oei~av'to~ Kat 
ei1t6v'to~ on 0,1tE9aVEV, 0 ia'tp~ /lE9' OPKOU O,1tEKpiva'to' ofno~, 
Ei 1111 EKAUo9T\, EAUKT\OEV av. 
EVE'llf!IXnOEv A: corr. Boissonade h:1CEXWPllf!EVIX A: COH. Eberhard 
oino; Kurtz: ou'tw~ A 



Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner.  Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

318 TEXTUAL OBSERVATIONS ON PHILOGELOS 

Who is 'tou at the start of the second sentence? There must be 
an antecedent, e.g. (8EpCl1tov'ta) after £1(fA,EUO'E of. Eberhard's 
£K1(EX())ptO'llfva has been called "fraglich," but the parallel of 
Arist. Hist.An. 551a7 is a good one, even if it does rest on a 
conjecture by Dittmeyer, for 'til IlEV £1(1(EX())PlO'IlEV())V there 
would form a perfect contrast with 'til oE En oV't())V £V 'tOle;; ~c.OOle;;. 

178 AC KUllalol OVo icrxuowv lCEpullla OVo brptcxv'to. 'to\HWV Or 
o E'tEPO<; 'tOY E'tEPOV Aav9uvwv OUlC elC 'tou iotou aAA' elC 'tou 
£'tEPOU lCa't1lcrEhEV. Co<; Or 'tOlS aAMAwv lCatEXP1lcrav'to, ElCacr'tos 
En:t 'to tOLOV Emcr'tpE\jIa<; Et>PEV au'to lCEVOV. 

'tOt~] 'til~ C lCU'tEXiY'lcrU'tO C 

If the meaning is "not from his own but from the other one," 
the text is not to be altered. But since E'tEpOe;; ... E'tEPOV has so far 
referred to the Cymaeans, we should perhaps read "not from 
his own, but from the other fellow's," i.e., O,A,A,' £1( ('tou) 'tOU 
E'tEpOU. 'tOle;; O,A,A,ijA,())V seems to support this suggestion. 

181 A K ullalol ds \jIll<po<popiav an:av't1lcrav'tES lCat yvOV'tES 
n:OAAOUS ElC 'trov aAAWV n:OAEWV an:oAEl<p9EV'ta<;, ai'tlWflEVOUS 
'tl,V a'tpan:ov, M~ IlroPOl, e<pacrav, EaV lCat i)flElS ds 'to flEAAOV 
OUlC EPXOflE9a; 

ulncOllEvol A: corr. Thierfelder r<pucruv Eberhard: rcpT) A 

There seems to be no point in this story. "Waren wir etwa 
dumm, wenn wir in Zukunft auch nicht kamen" (Thierfelder) is 
meaningless, and in any case where is the Greek equivalent of 
"waren wir?" There must be a lacuna, e.g. (cpavEl0'8E), after 
EcpaO'av. "Won't you look stupid if in future we too don't turn 
up?" 

182 AC KUflalos (ia'tpos) 'tE'tPWflEVllV lCE<paA~v tEflVWV un:nov 
9dS 'tOY n:ucrxovta uowp eis 'to cr'tOfla EVE~a.AeV tva tOlll Ola 
'tou XElPOUPYl19EV'tOS 'to n:6'te ElCpEucrn. 

(lU'tpO~) Thierfelder 'tE'tPlllllt.vT)V C rpuAEv C 'to 1t6tE A: 01t6tE C 

Poured water in to see when it would come streaming out? 
Stop-watch in hand? And why the corruption from 1tOU or 
01tO'tE to 'to 1tO'tE? A more obvious experiment would be to see 
whether liquid poured into the mouth would come streaming 
out of the hole made by surgery. Read tva tOlll (d) Olll 'tou 
XElPOUPY1l8fV'tOe;; 't01tOU E1(PEUO'El. The omission of (ei) after 
tOlll and before OUl is even easier than its necessary insertion 
after £p())'t1l8eie;; (Eberhard) in 250, and gives a more plausible 
word order than that scholar's (d) 1to't' here. XElPOUPYll8fV'tOe;; 



Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner.  Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

R. D. DAWE 319 

urgently needs a noun to go with it if it is not to yield the vapid 
sense "through the person operated on." For 't6lto~ referring to 
a part of the body see 217 and LSJ S.v. I.3. 

190 (a) A !luOIcoAoU 'tauAU;ov'tO~ lCa'tE1tf'taUUE U~ ap"'(oc; 
lCafhlllEvoc;. b BE SUIlOUIlEvoc; ~P~UEV au'tov' nOla<; 'tEXVTJC;; lCat 
Bux 't l ap"'(E l~; lC. 't. E. 
1(Cl'tEltt'tClut A: corr. Minas 

The genitive 1tOla~ 'tEXVT\~ without so much as an d is 
inexplicable. The (b) version offers the unobjectionable 
~ pc.l)'tTlo£v d 'tEXVTlV oi.o£v. We either need a word that will fulfil 
the same function as oio£v but explain both the genitive case and 
the reason, e.g. haplography, for its own omission: e.g. ltOla~ 
(Elta'i£t~) 'tEXVTI~; or else, less adventurously, with the (b) 
version as our guide, we should write ltOlaV oio£v 'tEXVTlV; 

194 (a) A Cll)UlCOAOC; UlCeXAaV lCa'ta~alvcov u<paAdc; lCa'tE1tEUE. 
'tOU BE OilCOlCUPOU d1tov'toC; TlC; EVl ElCEl; a1tElCplva'to' 'E"'(cO 
EvOllClOU 1l0U EA.alCTJUa. 'tl1tpOC; UE; 

(b) E V !lUUlCoAoC; a1to olCeXAac; lCa't(t~alvcov E1tEUE. 'tOU BE 
auSEv'tOu d1toV'toc; 'ElCEl 'tlC; E1tEUEV; E<Pll 'E"'(cO EVOllClOU 1l0U. 'tl 
1tPO<; UE; 

(a) dmSv'tO<;Ol1C01CUPOU A: ordinem corr. Boissonade (b) ~UU1(OAD<; n<; V 

Thierfelder explains 'tOU EV01KlOU as a genitive of price, 
keeping EVOlKlOV in its most common meaning "rent." "Wenn 
ich meine Miete bezahle, kann ich in meiner Wohnung machen, 
was ich will." But what we expect to see is simply" ich kann in 
meiner Wohnung machen, was ich will" without the "wenn ich 
meine Miete bezahle," and that alleged genitive of price must be 
the strangest one ever to be so classified. We must assume the 
sense to be "I can do what I like inside my own house," and 
accept the admittedly rarer sense of Evolnov as "dwelling." 
Read therefore E"'(ro (fOW) 'tOU EVOllClOU j.l.ou. 

195 !luulCoAcol 'tl~ UU"'(lCATJUlCWl EAE"'(E' M llCPOV UE 1toSW iBElV 
lCat UUV'tUXElV. b BE a1tElCpiva'to' Ka"'(cO UE iBElV SEA.CO 'tu<pA.OV 
lCat XCOA.Qv. 

"I'd like to see you for a minute" or "I'd like to see you 
small." On that ambiguity rests the joke. It is ruined by the 
intrusion of Kat ouv'tUX£tV, which has no counterpart in the 
reply and has all the hallmarks of an unimaginative gloss 
intended to explain that iO£tv means "have an interview with." 



Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner.  Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

320 TEXTUAL OBSERVATIONS ON PHILOGELOS 

201 A 'Aq>UEl llav'tEl npooEA.9wv ne; E~ anoOrtlllUe; avtrov ,;pffi'tu 
nEpl 'trov oik:Eirov. (, Of dnEv' 'YytUlVOUcn nav'tEe;, lCul (, nu'tilr 
emu. 'tOU Of dnov'toe; on '0 nu'tilp IlOU OElCu'tov E'tOe; EXEl aq>' ou 
anE9uvEv. anElCplvu'tO' OUOEv yap oioue; 'tOY lCu'ta aAil9Elav 
o"ou nu'tEpu. 

The last sentence poses problems. ou8Ev in a sentence with an 
accusative object is, as Thierfelder says, "ungewohnlich," and 
Minas' OU8E "not even" or "not ... either" only makes matters 
worse. The yap is also not easily explicable except on the 
assumption that there is an ellipse of some such idea as <you say 
that, but are mistaken>. A more economical way to a mantic 
pronouncement would be ou8h lip' ol8ae; Ka'tu 'tOY Ka'tu 
<lATl8dav oo'\) 1ta'tEpa, the first Ka'tu in the sense exemplified 
by LSJ S.v. B.IV.2. 

205 A 'Aq>uile; Ilavne; EllnEorov de; nOAElllOUe; lCUI. Einrov on 
Mavne; dill ... IlEAA.oUOT\e; npoe; avnnaAoue; llaXT\e; ouvan'tEo9m, 
NtlCiloE'tE, EinE, 'tOY nOAfI,l.OV Eav 'tae; E~o1tto9EV 'tplxae; 'trov 
KEq>UArov ullrov EV 'tilt nupu'ta~Et "tile; Ilame; Ilil PAE\jIOXHV. 

lacunam indicavit Eberhard v l 1(1]0 toe t A: corr. Boissonade 
E~O)1tlOetV A UfLOOV Minas: l,fLrov A ~A.EIjf(J)(JlV Boissonade: 
lCA.tljfroOlV A 

The construction VtKTlOE'tE 'tOY 1tOAqlOV is sufficiently ab­
normal for Haupt to conjecture 'toue; 1tOAqtiO'\)e;. but a more 
plausible suggestion would be 'tOY 1tOAE~toV. notwithstanding 
the following plurals. Such a familiar use hardly needs illus­
trating, but (i~a 'tOlt TIEPOTlt ("with the Persians") at Hdt. 6.133 
or 'ton ~ap~upo)t ("the foreigners") 9.9.2 may stand for 
countless formal parallels. For an identical 1tOAE~toV (Haase for 
1tOAE~OV MSS. ) see Thuc. 2.36.4. 

209 A ClElAOe; nUlC'tT\e; OUVEX&c; uno avnOllCou lCOOlCLVt~oIlEVOe; 
WEPOT\OE' MOIlUt UlllV allU niiotv. 

In the similar 218 the last words are ()EO~at u~&v, ~Tj 1tUV'tEe; 
o~ou. which Minas adopted for 209 also. But A's version could 
point to something else: 8EO~at U~tv. (~Tj) a~a 1taioEtv "do not 
hit me all at once." For the future infinitive after 8EO~at see 
Thuc. 1.27 (with an eye on the apparatus criticus). 

212 (a) A 'OKvllprot ui,rot ElCEAEUOEV (, nu'tilp Eie; 'tOY YEl'tOVU 
anEA9Elv lCUI. xpilouo9m a~lvllv. (, Of Eq>ll' au OlOEl. 'tOU Of 
nu'tpOc; E1tlIlEVOV'tOe; anElCplvu'tO' 'Eyw Eillt (, YEl'trov lCal a~lVllV 
OUlC EXro. 



Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner.  Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

R. D. DAWE 

(b) E V 'OKV11pii'n uiii'n £1tE'ta~EV (, 1ta'tl,p a1tEA9ElV tis 'tOY 
yEi'tova lCat xpi)oao9al a~iv11v. (, oe £ep11' 'EycO dfll (, yd'trov· 
~iV11V OUlC £xro. 

(b) lacunam post E<IIl] statuit Thierfelder 

321 

Thierfelder gives us a lacuna in (b), while conceding, as we all 
must, that the joke as it stands seems devoid of any merit. 
Although positing a lacuna is not in itself going to restore 
humour to a pointless story, we surely have to assume one in 
(a) after £1ttJl£Vov''COe; to give am:KplV(X'tO something to latch on 
to, a second urging from the father: e.g. (Kal. a-uete; 'to au'to 
K£A.£UOVwe;), eliciting the not very funny reply: "I am the one 
next to you; 1 haven't got an axe." 

216 A <l>9ovEpoS iorov 'tOY yd'tova 911PLOflaxouV'ta UYEl 'tOll 
1CU~Epvi)'tl]l" "AplCO<;. 

apKOe; can stand for apK'toc;, on the evidence of Anth. Pal. 11. 
231, and some suppose that the jealous neighbour is calling for a 
bear to be produced, since this was a notoriously dangerous 
animal. There would be marginally more humour in the story if 
the cry were for the neighbour who is fighting to be left 
without any kind of protection. The verdict of Boissonade 
"narratio lacuna laborare videtur. Quod superest non potest 
intelligi" leads me suggest ( ..... ) apKUe;, the missing verb 
containing the suggestion that the neighbour's only protection 
be removed. The reference is to a retiarius; reference to a 
secutor is made in no. 87. 

217 A "AAAOS Otl]. OElAlaV E1tEypaIjlEV E1tt 'tou flE'tc01tOU' '0 
, ..... , , '1 ..... l' "" 't01tOS 'trov lCalplrov. 1taLOflEVOS ouv oUVEXroS El1tE 1tpOS 'tOY 

1taiov'ta' Mi) 'tl oi)'tos ypaflfla'ta OUlC otOEv lCal aVatpEl flE; 

1talov'ta cannot be sound, since the appeal is made to a third 
party. Thierfelder boldy alters 'tOY 1tatov'to. to 'toue; 1tapov'to.e;. 
But if ancient practice in any way resembled modern, the appeal 
would be made to a referee, who would have the power to step 
in to end the fight, in short 'tOY 1tauov'ta. The referee's role in 
governing the conditions of the fight would be analogous to 
that of the KU~Epvf)'tT\C; in the preceding anecdote. 

222 A AlflO~11POV approo'tov ia'tpos E1nOlCEljlaflEVOS ElCEAtUOEV 
uA11lCa au'trol tis 1tOfla YEvE09al" d oe fll, EUPOl aA11lCa, 
7tOllloal al)'trol (,floiros 'tpayov. (, oe AlflO~11POS £CI'11' 'Eav fll, EUPro 
'tpayov, epayro OUo Epiepm. 



Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner.  Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

322 TEXTUAL OBSERVATIONS ON PHILOGELOS 

approcrto<; A: corr. Minas 

The first instruction aA11Ko. o.ut(()t d~ 1tOllo. y£vEa80.t pre­
scribes the diet. Thereafter the joke proceeds as if directions are 
given directly to the sick man, £UPOt, £<P11, £UP(() and <pa.y(() all 
being indicators of this. It follows that 1tOlllC)"ul a:ll'tO:ll should be 
1totftao.t Eamon (or o.uton). The final words perhaps should be 
punctuated as a naive question. 

224 AC ... ~ Of dOEV d~ 1)\j10e; Oo.A,EUOVta toue; KMOOUC; Kal. 
Eo8iovta, uyavaKtTjoac; £UtE' KUtOl EOtcOe; OUK ';OUVOl EK tON 
£1tlKElj.lEvOlV KA,UOOlV <paYE'iv; 0 Of U7tEKpivato· 'EKE'iva roc; 
Kata~aivOl ·tpOOyOl. 

tiOUVO\l C 'tIDV avO) btlKEljlEVO)V C um:Kpivu'to A: etltEV C 

£1tlXEtIJ.fV(()V may be right: "plastisch-iibertreibend: die, den 
Untenstehenden gewissermassen auf die Schulter reichen." 
That this is not entirely obvious is evident from the interpola­
tion in C, trov liv(() £1tlKEtIlEV(()V. There must be at least some 
possibility that the original was U1tOKEtIlEV(()V. 

229 (a) A ME8uooc; utuxile; Uj.l7tEA,&va KtT}OUj.lEVOe; tOll 
tPUYTlt&l u7tE8avEv. 

(b) E V 'Atuxilc; j.lE8uooe; Uj.l7tEA,&va KA,TjPOVOj.lTjoae; EV 
Kalp&l tOU tPUYTltOU u7tE8avEv. 

In the (b) version the point of the story emerges more clearly: 
£V Ko.tprot tou tpuY11'tOu. trot tpuYTltrot a1tE80.v£v gives us an 
unqualified temporal dative, which takes some effort of will to 
accept: "ohne Attribut selten und vorwiegend dichterisch" says 
K.-G. (1.445.2). {all 0.) trot tPUYTltrot would give a smooth text, 
but (allo.) all1t£AroVo. Kt11aa.IlEvO~ [trot tpuYTltrot] a1tE80.v£v 
would be more pungent: the unfortunate alcoholic on acquiring 
a vineyard promptly died. 

237 A 'O~6otoj.loe; A,OUKUVlKOV om&v Kal 7tOA,U 7tpoo<puooov 
KuvEav auto U7tElpyuoato. autoc; OUVExOOe; ~OE(J)V OUK 
Emot £1) E't O. 

A.OKUV1KOV Olt'to)v A: corr. Boissonade KUVEClV A 

van Thiel (Hermes 100 [1972] 509) has cracked the main dif­
ficulty by citing the parallel Mart. 3.17. He argues convincingly 
that KUVEo.V ("merda") is not to be tampered with. But then he 
goes on to suggest that what follows a1tElpya.ao.to should be 
deleted as a mistaken addition intended to bring this story into 
line with items like 233, 240, and 241, which dwell on confusion 



Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner.  Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

R. D. DAWE 323 

over the orifice emitting the smell. I believe this diagnosis is 
close to the truth, but that the cure slightly different. Granted 
there is no contrast between the sausage and the man 'himself', 
we may prefer to consider what van Thiel deletes to be a 
separate story told of (6) au't6~, the same man. We find this 
same 6 aU't6~ introduction in 73, 84, and 169. There remains the 
question of whether the words are correctly transmitted. As 
they stand, they would most naturally mean "he was not 
believed to be continually breaking wind." It might be more 
prudent to be explicit: (6 au'to~) O'UVEXW~ ~8£o)V (~~5E'iv) OUK 
E1ttO''tEl)E'tO. 

243 AC Ad~oupo<; d<; 'tpU)'llV U1tO <piAou lCAT\9£t<; lCat tX1tAila'tO><; 
<payolV aUlCa lCat a'ta<puAu<;, U1tO 't11<; yaa'tpo<; au'tou vuX9el<; 
£Oo~£v opav .... 0 OE 1tpo<; au'tov tXVa~AE",a<; ct1t£· nUAtv 1l0l 
9EAtl<; EIl1tat~al, '{va tX1tO 't11<; au1C11<; uvro9£v S6~a<; XE~nv 'tu 
a'tprolla'ta EpT\llroaro lC.'t.E. 

aVCll9EV post X,tsEtV collocat C 

E80';EV 6pav leads into a dream. We expect therefore some 
reference to night-time. ('till vulC'ti) is inserted by Thierfelder 
after O''ta<puA&~, but a more plausible place for it would be 
before vuXed~. In the second excerptrrinted above from this 
unusually long anecdote the meaning 0 'tel O''tpwl!a'ta EP1WWO'(!) 
has to be «dirty the bedclothes." PU1twO'(!), conjectured by 
Eberhard, is accepted by Thierfelder, but the change is a violent 
one. Unlikely as it may seem, EPllI!WO'(!) can give the desired 
sense, if we may trust Ephraem Syrus I 205 B: E1tEO'EV EV 1tllAWt 
Kat. 'tl)V E,;aAAOV O''tOAl)V 1taV'toi(!)~ llPTtI!(!)O'EV. In Migne (PG 
LXV 301 A) we shall find EelV llPTtI!(!)'tat used of food that has 
spoiled-a translation that will fit all three passages. 

245 (a) AC N£avialCo<; ypata<; SUo lCa1tplroaa<; ElCuA£a£, 1tpo<; 
OE 'tov<; OilC£tOU<; OlaKovou<; £<PT\' TTtv Iltav K£puaa't£, 'tTtV OE 
9EAouaav tX<ppoolaluaa'tE. ai OE u<p , EV £i1tov' 'HIl£t<; ou Ol"'&Il£V. 

ouo ypalUl; YUUptoou<; C i:l]V flEV fllUV 1(Upacru'tE C 

For 'tOu~ otKdou~ 8taK6vou~ the (b) version has simply 'tou~ 
1tal8a~ au'tOu. 8t&KOVO~ is not found elsewhere in Philoge/os, 
and 8taK6vou~ may be a gloss on oixdou~, a word as ambiguous 
as 1tal8a~, intended to make it clear that servants, not family 
members (as in 201), are meant. Where at 123 a O'o<ptO''tTt~ speaks 
1tPO~ 'tOu~ i8iou~ oilC£'ta~, there is presumably differentiation 
from bath attendants. 



Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner.  Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

324 TEXTUAL OBSERVATIONS ON PHILOGELOS 

251 AC Oi1cooEoxowa j.1ropov OiKE-tT\V Exouoa Ej.1<paVTl Kat 
iOouoa al)'tov MPOKE<PaAoV. E1tl9uj.11)oaoa au'tou. <ptj.1apwv d~ 'to 
xpooomov ~aA.ouoa '{va j.1" E1tlyvcoo9Tlt. oUVEXat~EV au'trot. 0 OE 
£V 'trot xa{~nv ouVnOTl),,9EV au'tTlt Kat 'trot OEOXO'tT\t OUVT\9~ 
1tPOcryE)"rov rtXE· Kupt. KUpt. 'tOY 0PXT\o't"V E~{VT\Oa. Kat" 1C-i>pa 
~V Eor09EV. 

<iopo- AC <P\~ptOv Haase: <I>11~PtOV AC d~] 1tEP\ Eberhard 
oPXl.CTtiJv A £~lVll(J(l Boissonade: £~fJVll(J(l A: £~lV\(J(l C 

The mistress of the household sees her slave in a state of 
sexual arousal. Thierfelder is much exercised by EIlCPavll. but all 
problems over this word would disappear if the Kat is placed in 
front of EIlCPavll instead of after it. The servant is visibly excited. 
Later in the story we must assume the loss of some words ex­
plaining how and when (, OE01tO'tTl<; came on the scene, and 
posit a lacuna after a{nf\l. Just before then OUVEtollA8EV needs 
more than division into OUVEI.<; ~A8EV if it is to yield an intel­
ligible sense, but ouvd<; (ouv)f\A8Ev would do no violence to 
the Greek language. In the course of flirting the slave realises 
who the masked figure is, and has intercourse with her.2 

TRINITY COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE 

January. 1999 

2 I wish to acknowledge the helpful criticisms made by my colleague Dr N. 
Hopkinson on an earlier draft of this paper.