Moralia, entitled "Plutarchi Opuscula lxxxxii.," with an "Index moralium omnium et eorum quae in ipsis tractantur." In this edition the life of Otho is found between Στωικὰ ἐναντιώματα and Πότερα των ζώων φρονιμώτερα τὰ χερσαία ἢ τὰ ἔνυδρα, after which follows the life of Galba. The date of publication is given thus at the end of the book, "Venetiis in aedibus Aldi et Andreae Asculani Soceri : Mense Martis M.D.IX.”

....

In 1517 appeared from the press of Philip Junta at Florence the editio princeps of the Parallel Lives, which followed the usual MSS. order and arrangement into three books, except that Books II. and III. are transposed, and so the order of Lives is 1-9, 18-22, 10-17, 23, and then follow Otho, Galba, and last of all Isocrates' Life of Evagoras. Philip Junta in his dedicatory letter to Marcellus Vergilius, state secretary to the republic of Florence, says, "cum . . . . esset mihi impedimento quod optimo exemplari carerem, tu ob egregium tuum in litteras amorem.... codicem tuum ad communem studiorum utilitatem castigatissimum nobis commodasti." R. Schöll has proved (Hermes, v., p. 114 foll.) from traces of printer's marks in the MSS. corresponding exactly with the lines in the Juntine edition, that this was printed from two MSS. now in Florence, Cod. Abbatiae Flor. 206 and 169. But Otho and Galba are not contained in these, and I believe that they are taken from the Aldine edition of 1509. I do not profess thoroughly to have collated the two, but I have examined them with some care, and in every case that I can find where the Aldine edition of the Lives of 1519 has in any way

altered the text of the first edition, Junta (1517) and Aldine (1509) agree against Ald. (1519). The following instances will suffice: (1) in Ald. (1509) and Junt. (1517) Otho comes before Galba: in Ald. (1519) the chronological order is followed. (2) Ald. (1509) and Junt. (1517) show lacunae, (a) in Galb. 7 rodd. . . . TŴV ἀπὸ στρατοπέδου; (β) in Galb. 24 διὰ τῆς Τιβερίου . . . . Kaλovμévηs oikías; in Ald. (1519) these lacunae do not appear. (3) In Galb. 18 ad fin., Ald. (1509), and Junt. (1517) read arrepúvovv ä§tos; Ald. (1519) reads ἀντεφώνουν εἰ ἄξιος. The date of the Juntine edition is given as follows at the end of the book, "Florentiae in aedibus Philippi Juntae, anno virginei partus humanaeque salutis M.D.XVII., die XXVII. mensis Augusti."

Two years after the appearance of the Juntine edition came the Aldine edition of the Lives (1519). "Plutarchi quae vocantur Parallela," the three last Lives being Galba, Otho, and Isocrates' Life of Evagoras. A number of obvious mistakes in the Juntine edition are corrected in this, although the new readings are due entirely to the acumen of the editor, probably Marcus Masurus, and not to any fresh employment of a MS. It is from this edition that the modern order of the Lives dates, arranged as it is according to the chronology of the Roman characters, whose Lives are given. Thus Franciscus Asulanus says in his dedicatory letter to Petrus Bembo, "Sed quae paulo ante Florentiae nullo ordine velut tumultuaria opera in lucem exierant, equidem ut plures numero invenire non potui, ita multum et scripturae

castigatione et ordine hoc quem a Plutarcho etiam servatum fuisse contenderim propter seriem temporum Romanorum," etc. That this order is not Plutarch's is certain, and, as we have seen, it was with few differences anticipated by the Latin Translation published in 1470. The date of the Aldine edition is thus given at the end of the book: "Venetiis in aedibus Aldi et Andreae Soceri; mense Augusto. M.D.XIX."

In 1533 was published the editio Basiliensis, Grynaeus discharging the office of editor, and the text being based on the Aldine edition of the Lives.

Nine years later, in 1542, was published the editio Basiliensis of the Moralia, Galba, and Otho being included between the Στωϊκὰ ἐναντιώματα and Πότερα τῶν ζώων φρονιμώτερα κ.τ.λ.

In 1572 appeared for the first time at Geneva the complete works of Plutarch, edited by Henricus Stephanus, in thirteen volumes, who based his edition. on the editiones Basilienses, and so indirectly on the Aldines. So Reiske says, "Regnat hodie inter nos textus Stephanius, h. e. Aldinus non ex ipso Aldino fonte haustus, neque purus redditus, sed per rivum Basiliensem. . . . in nos derivatus." This edition of Stephanus gave to Plutarch's writings the form which they retained for nearly two hundred years. His text was an undoubted improvement on the earlier editions, and fully maintained the great reputation which he enjoyed among his contemporaries. Since all the MSS. are in a number of places hopelessly corrupt, conjectural emendation cannot be denied

altogether a place in the text of Plutarch, but it is of course essential that the difference between conjectures however good and MSS. readings should be clearly kept in view. Stephanus himself distinctly stated that though he had made conjectures of his own in certain places, he had admitted no reading into the text except those derived from MSS. "Neque enim quicquam nisi ex illis (i.e. codicibus) petitum in contextum admittendum putavi, quum alioqui meas in quosdam locos conjecturas haberem, de quibus refragraturum mihi neminem verisimile erat." Unfortunately however there was every appearance of uncertainty in his procedure. He never specifies the MSS. from which he derived his readings, and the vague use which he makes of such expressions as "libri veteres," "veteres codices," seemed to justify the suspicion that he inserted his own conjectures as MSS. readings. While Wyttenbach merely contented himself with complaining of the uncertainty so caused, Reiske, and after him Sintenis in the preface to Vol. I. of his earlier edition, accuse him not only of arrogance and temerity, but of actual bad faith, so that he corrupted more passages than he improved. A closer examination of the Parisian codices however has now convinced Sintenis that this judgment does considerably less than justice to Stephanus, and in Philologus I., p. 134-142, he recants his previous accusation, and admits that all the readings of Stephanus were derived from one or other of the Paris MSS., although no judgment was exercised in weighing the comparative value of those which he used.

It is to be noticed that Galba and Otho appear in the edition of Stephanus not with the Parallel Lives, but in the third volume of the διάφορα συγγράμματα, placed between Περὶ τοῦ μὴ δεῖν δανείζεσθαι and the Βίοι τῶν δέκα ῥητόρων. Based on the editio Stephaniana were the two editiones Frankofurtanae of 1599 and 1620 and the Parisian edition of 1624.

In 1724 was published in London the edition of Bryan, "Plutarchi Parallela seu Vitae Parallelae," in five splendid volumes. This edition has notes, though not of any great value, and at the end it has the variant readings of the Juntine and Aldine editions, and some critical notes by Bryan himself and by Moses du Soul (Solanus), who completed the edition after Bryan's death. This edition, though faulty in many points, is a decided step in advance. The supremacy of Stephanus, though not thrown off, is to a certain extent shaken. Bryan often ventures to doubt his readings, and in some cases to prefer those of the Juntine or Aldine editions. More important still is the use made by both Bryan and du Soul of the codices at their disposal. For Galba and Otho in particular Bryan collated the Bodleian Ms. already referred to, with the Parisian edition of 1624.

In 1774 appeared at Leipzig "Plutarchi Chaeronensis quae supersunt omnia, Graece et Latine," by J. J. Reiske, who says in his preface, "Prima haec mihi proposita fuit meta ut Plutarchi orationem seu textum Graecum editio haec nostra Lipsiensis multo daret emendatiorem quam ulla alia dedisset." The edition marks the final deposition of Stephanus from