²²⁰ There may be here some echo of the words (John xvii. 3), "This is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God," etc.; but there is certainly not sufficient similarity to found a direct reference on, as has been done by Orelli and others.

²²¹ i.e. souls.

²²² This passage presents no difficulty in itself, its sense being obviously that, as by God's grace life is given to those who serve Him, we must strive to fit ourselves to receive His blessing. The last words, however, have seemed to some fraught with mystery, and have been explained by Heraldus at some length as a veiled or confused reference to the Lord's Supper, as following upon baptism and baptismal regeneration, which, he supposes, are referred to in the preceding words, "laying aside," etc. [It is not, however, the language of a mere catechumen.]

²²³ These "thin plates," laminae, Orelli has suggested, were amulets worn as a charm against serpents.

²²⁴ ms. Phyllis.

²²⁵ So the edd., reading instit-oribus for the ms. instit-ut-oribus, "makers."

²²⁶ Lit., "that colds and violent suns may not," etc.

²²⁷ Lit., "of."

²²⁸ Lit., "is set before."

²²⁹ So the ms., first ed., Gelenius, Canterus, Hildebrand, reading ex commodi sensu, for which all the other edd., following Ursinus and Meursius, read ex communi-"from common sense," i.e., wisely.

²³⁰ Perhaps, as Orelli evidently understands it, "prefer Him to our own souls"-animis praeponimus.

²³¹ So Oehler, reading ea for the ms. ut, omitted in all edd.

²³² Lit., "by your own and internal exertion."

²³³ Lit., "of things."

²³⁴ Lit., "wings will be at hand."

²³⁵ The ms. reads di-cimus, "say;" corrected du, as above.

²³⁶ The first four edd. read res, "things above," for which Stewechius reads, as above, sedes.

²³⁷ Sponte.

²³⁸ Here, as in c. 7, p. 436, n. 3, the edd. read Phaedone, with the exception of the first ed., LB., Hildebrand, and Oehler, who follow the ms. as above.

²³⁹ Lit., "to the end of promising."

²⁴⁰ Meursius suggests numini, "deity," on which it may be well to remark once for all, that nomen and numen are in innumerable places interchanged in one or other of the edd. The change, however, is usually of so little moment, that no further notice will be taken of it.

²⁴¹ So the ms., according to Rigaltius and Hildebrand, reading vitae aeternitate, while Crusius asserts that the ms. gives vita et-"with life and eternity."

²⁴² The ms. reading is, mortalis est qualitatis. The first five edd. merely drop est-"of mortal, of neutral," etc.; LB. and the others read, es et, as above.

²⁴³ Lit., "heard from."

²⁴⁴ So the ms., according to Crusius, the edd. reading cred-id-imus-"have believed."

²⁴⁵ Lit., "if we believe that."

²⁴⁶ So the ms., reading ad modum obsecutionis paratum-"prepared to the mode of compliance;" for which the edd. read adm. executioni-"quite prepared for performing," except Hildebrand, who gives adm. obsecutioni-"for obedience."

²⁴⁷ So the ms., according to Crusius, but all edd. read sequ-a-tur (for i)-"Is there anything which He has willed which it does not follow," etc.

²⁴⁸ So all edd., reading mutabiles, except the two Roman edd. and Oehler, who gives, as the reading of the ms., nu.-"tottering."

²⁴⁹ Lit., "in the doubtful condition of their lot."

²⁵⁰ Lit., "which may have been of a name."

²⁵¹ LB., followed by the later edd., inserted si, "if they are," which is certainly more consistent with the rest of the sentence.

²⁵² The ms. reading is utterly corrupt and meaningless-immortalitatis largiter est donum dei certa prolatis. Gelenius, followed by Canterus, Oberthür, and Orelli, emended largi-tio...certe, as above. The two Roman edd. read, -tatem largitus...certam-"bestowed, assured immortality as God's gift on," etc.

²⁵³ i.e., who must therefore have received it if they have it at all.

²⁵⁴ Lit., "out, reduced to nothing with annihilation, not to be returned from."

²⁵⁵ Lit., "they are held in a lasting bond," i.e., of being.

²⁵⁶ Plato makes the supreme God, creator of the inferior deities, assure these lesser gods that their created nature being in itself subject to dissolution, His will is a surer ground on which to rely for immortality, than the substance or mode of their own being (Timaeus, st. p. 41; translated by Cicero, de Univ., xi., and criticised de Nat. Deor., i. 8 and iii. 12).

²⁵⁷ The ms. and both Roman edd. read neque ullo ab-olitio-nis unintelligibly, for which Gelenius proposed nexusque aboltitione-"and by the destruction of the bond;" but the much more suitable reading in the margin of Ursinus, translated above, ullo ab alio nis-i, has been adopted by later edd.

²⁵⁸ Lit., "be gifted with a saving order." So the ms., reading salutari iussione, followed by both Rom. edd.; LB. and Orelli read vinctione-"bond;" Gelenius, Canterus, Elmenh., and Oberthür, m-issione-"dismissal."

²⁵⁹ Lit., "that to the gods themselves the natures are intermediate."

²⁶⁰ Lit., "supreme"-principali.

²⁶¹ Cf. i. 48. On this passage Orelli quotes Irenaeus, i. 21, where are enumerated several gnostic theories of the creation of the world and men by angels, who are themselves created by the "one unknown Father." Arnobius is thought, both by Orelli and others, to share in these opinions, and in this discussion to hint at them, but obscurely, lest his cosmology should be confounded by the Gentiles with their own polytheistic system. It seems much more natural to suppose that we have here the indefinite statement of opinions not thoroughly digested.

²⁶² Lit., "a generation of."

²⁶³ Canterus, Elmenhorst, Oberthür, and Orelli omit ut, which is retained as above by the rest.

²⁶⁴ Lit., "obscene."

²⁶⁵ Elmenhorst endeavours to show that Arnobius coincides in this argument with the Epicureans, by quoting Lucr. v. 165 sqq. and Lact. vii. 5,where the Epicurean argument is brought forward, What profit has God in man, that He should have created him? In doing this, it seems not to have been observed that the question asked by Arnobius is a very different one: What place has man in the world, that God should be supposed to have sent him to fill it?

²⁶⁶ i.e., so far from this being the case.

²⁶⁷ i.e., from one horse to another-desultores.

²⁶⁸ Rationibus et constitutionibus.

²⁶⁹ Lit., "it should be believed."

²⁷⁰ Lit., "unless there were joined."

²⁷¹ So the ms., reading contentio, which Orelli would understand as meaning "contents," which may be correct. LB. reads conditio-"condition," ineptly; and Ursinus in the margin, completio-"the filling up."

²⁷² So the later edd., from the margin of Ursinus, reading quod temeritatis est maximae for the ms. quem-"whom it shows the greatest rashness to speak of."

²⁷³ Lit., "goddesses."

²⁷⁴ So Gelenius (acc. to Orelli), reading as in the margin of Ursinus, terrenae circumscriptionis, for the unintelligible reading of the ms., temerariae, retained in both Roman edd., Canterus, and (acc. to Oehler) Gelenius. LB. reads metariae-"a limiting by boundaries."

²⁷⁵ Lit., "motions."

²⁷⁶ Cf. Lucr., v. 229 sq. The same idea comes up again in iv. 21.

²⁷⁷ Lit., "in."

²⁷⁸ According to Hildebrand, the ms. reads dissimular-ent circumscribere, so that, by merely dropping nt, he reads, "to dissemble and cheat;" but according to Crusius, iri is found in the ms. between these two words, so that by prefixing m Sabaeus in the first ed. read m-ent-iri as above, followed by all other edd.

²⁷⁹ Lit., "to roll...in the mind."

²⁸⁰ Rigaltius and Hildebrand regard decipere as a gloss.

²⁸¹ So the ms., reading formari, followed by Hildebrand and Oehler; but all the other edd. give the active form, -are.

²⁸² Lit., "from."

²⁸³ The condition, i.e., of freedom.

²⁸⁴ LB., seemingly received by Orelli, though not inserted into his text, reads poscerent eos for the ms. -entur, which Hildebrand modifies -ent ea as above.

²⁸⁵ Lit., "certain."

²⁸⁶ Lit., "by error."

²⁸⁷ Lit., "the sad necessity should be laid upon them, that," etc.

²⁸⁸ Lit., "for the want of daily things," diurnorun egestati, for which Stewechius would read diurna egestate-"from daily necessity."

²⁸⁹ Lit., "of."

²⁹⁰ Lit., "poured forth all their blood."

²⁹¹ Lit., "of their labour."

²⁹² Lit,, "at last by force of."

²⁹³ So the ms. and edd., reading vilitatem, for which Meursius proposed very needlessly utilitatem-"and at an advantage."

²⁹⁴ So, adhering very closely to the ms., which gives e-t sanguine supputandis augere-t insomnia milibus, the t of e-t being omitted and n inserted by all. The first five edd. read, -tandi se angerent insania: millibus-"harass themselves with the madness of reckoning; by miles should extend," etc.,-the only change in Heraldus and Orelli being a return to insomnia-"harass with sleeplessness," etc.

²⁹⁵ So restored by Cujacius, followed by LB. and Orelli, reading in grat-i-am (ms. wants i) voluptatemque, while the first five edd. merely drop -que-"to the grateful pleasure," etc.

²⁹⁶ Lit., "most cruel."

²⁹⁷ Lit., "among," in oris, the ms. reading, and that of the first four edd., for which the others have received from the margin of Ursinus moribus-"(indulging) in so fierce and savage customs."

²⁹⁸ Lit., "tables."

²⁹⁹ Lit., "they should live."

³⁰⁰ Lit., "lessen."

³⁰¹ In the ms. this clause follows the words "loss of their purity," where it is very much in the way. Orelli has followed Heraldus in disposing of it as above, while LB. inserts it after "tips of their ears." The rest adhere to the arrangement of the ms., Ursinus suggesting instead of his-"with these," catenis-"with chains;" Heraldus, linis-"with strings (of pearls);" Stewechius, taeniis- "with fillets."

³⁰² So LB. and Orelli reading, con-fic-iendis corporibus for the ms. con-sp-iendis, for which the others read -spic-, "to win attention." A conjecture by Oudendorp, brought forward by Orelli, is worthy of notice-con-spu-endis, "to cover," i.e., so as to hide defects.

³⁰³ Lit., "passages of ways."

³⁰⁴ Lit., "substitute."

³⁰⁵ So the later edd., reading botulos; the ms. and early edd. give boletos-"mushrooms."

³⁰⁶ For his, Heinsius proposes hiris-"with the intestines."

³⁰⁷ Lit., "in a frozen condition." As to the meaning of this there is difference of opinion: some supposing that it means, as above, preserved by means of ice, or at least frozen; while others interpret figuratively, "as hard as ice." [Our Scottish translators have used their local word, "iced haggises:" I have put puddings instead, which gives us, at least, an idea of something edible. To an American, what is iced conveys the idea of a drink. The budinarius, heretofore noted, probably made these iced saucisses.]

³⁰⁸ Lit., "things"-res.

³⁰⁹ Scabilla were a kind of rattles or castanets moved by the feet.

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