DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14696#0089
4°
The Elysian Way
'this front,' as R. Merkel saw1, recalls the frons Palatii". But the
via sublimis of the poet's vision was borrowed from an old-world
belief held by certain followers of Pythagoras. The Pythagoreans
indeed were much exercised about the Milky Way. Most of them
took it to be a ' way' of some sort. One group said that it was the
track made by a star, which had fallen from its proper position at
the time of Phaethon's catastrophe. Others saw in it a burnt path-
way marking the sun's original course3. Others again deemed it a
mere reflection of the solar rays. These opinions are duly recorded
by Aristotle4, Manilius5, and the doxographer Aetios6. But a view
1 Ov. met. ed. R. Merkel (Lipsiae 1883) praef. p. vi.
2 Mirabilia Romae 25 (H. Jordan Topographie der Stadt Rom itn Allertkum Berlin
1871 ii. 637) in fronte Palatii templum Solis. in eodem Palatio templum Iovis, quod
vocatur casa maior.
3 So too Oinopides of Chios (Achill. isag. ad Arat. 24 p. 55, 18 ff. Maass 'irepoL Si
<pao~iv, cov iffTl tcai OivowidT]$ 6 Xtos, otl irpoTepov did tovtov (sc. tov ydXaKTos) ecpepero 6
7?\ios, 5ia 5e ra QvioTeia Sttirva CLTrearpacpy) teal tt\v ivavriav tovtu} TreiroirjTaL irepupopdv, fjv
vvv trepiypd<pei. 6 foSiaKos) and perhaps Metrodoros of Lampsakos (Plout. de plac. phil.
3. i = Stob. eel. 1. 27. 3 p. 226, 9 f. Wachsmuth (Aet. 3. 1. 3 in H. Diels Doxograplii
Graeci Berolini 1879 p. 365, 7 ff.) 'Mrjrpodojpos 81a tt)v irdpohov tov ij\lov tovtov yap elvai
tov r\\ia.Kov kvkXov). Cp. Isid. orig. 3. 45 quam aliqui dicunt viam esse, qua circuit sol, et
ex huius splendoris ipsius transitu ita lucere.
For the Milky Way in relation to the sun see A. Kuhn Sage/i, Gebriiuche und Marchen
aus Westfalen Leipzig 1859 ii. 86 no. 267 'Die Milchstrasse nennt man bei Saldern,
westlich von Wolfenbiittel, die Hitnmelsstrasse, sie ist die Mitte der Welt, und die Sonne
steht am Mittag regelmassig in derselben,' ib. ii. 87 no. 269 ' Die Milchstrasse dreht
sich nach der Sonne, indem sie dort zuerst erscheint, wo die Sonne untergegangen ist.
Woltringhausen, Amt Uchte. Einer aus Loccum erklarte sie fur den Widerschein der
Sonne.'
4 Aristot. meteor. 1. 8. 345 a 13 ff. tCov p.ev ovv Ka\ovp,evwv Yivdayopeiwv <pao~i Tives 65bi>
ehai TavTrjv oi p.tv twv eKireabvTwv twos &o~Tpuv (dffTepiov cod. N.) /caret tt/v Xeyofievrju ewl
QaldovTos (pdopdv (<popdv codd. E.F.N.), ot 5^ tov ijXiov tovtov tov kvkKov (pipeadai ttot£
(paaiv olov ovv 5iaK€KavadaL tov tSttov tovtov (tovtov tov tottov cod. F., tovtov tov Tpbirov
codd. H.N.) ij tl tolovtov aXKo wewovdevai. Trddos vwb Trjs <popds ((pdopds 11. Diels Die
Fragmente der Vorsokratiker'2 Berlin 1906 i. 230, 41) avTov (clvtuv cod. H.). See further
Olympiod. in Aristot. meteor, p. 66, 27 ff., p. 69, 33 ff. Stuve and Philop. in Aristot.
meteor, p. 101, 19 ff., p. 106, 13 ff- Hayduck.
5 Manil. 1. 729 ff. an melius manet ilia fides per saecula prisca, | iliac (ilia codd.
Vg.M.1) Solis equos diversis (diversos codd. C.V2.) cursibus (sic codd. G.L., curribus cett.)
isse I atque aliam trivisse viam, longumque per aevum j exustas (exntas codd. L^C.Vg.)
sedes incoctaque (que ova. cod. V.2.) sidera flammis | caeruleam (ceruleo cod. M.) verso
speciem mutasse colore (colorem codd. CM2.) | infusumque (que om. codd. L.C.V2.)
loco cinerem mundumque sepultum ? | fama etiam antiquis ad nos descendit ab annis |
Phaethontem patrio curru per signa volantem, | dum nova miratur propius spectacula
mundi | et puer in caelo ludit curruque (cursuque codd. L.C.M.) superbus | luxuriat
mundo (mundi cj. J. F. Gronovius, nitido cj. J. P. Postgate) cupit et maiora parente
{parentem codd. L.C.V2.), | (versum damnat R. Bentley, hue revocavit J. P. Tostgate)
deflexum solito cursu curvisque quadrigis | monstratas liquisse vias orbemque rigenti
(rigenlem cod. G., regentem cett., corr. J. F. Jacob, recentem G. Knaack post R. Bentley) |
imposuisse polo, nec signa insueta tulisse | errantis nutu (errantes meta cj. R. Bentley)
flammas currumque solutum.
6 Plout. de plac. phil. 3. i^Stob. eel. 1. 27. 2 p. 226, 1 ff Wachsmuth (Aet. 3. 1. 2
The Elysian Way
'this front,' as R. Merkel saw1, recalls the frons Palatii". But the
via sublimis of the poet's vision was borrowed from an old-world
belief held by certain followers of Pythagoras. The Pythagoreans
indeed were much exercised about the Milky Way. Most of them
took it to be a ' way' of some sort. One group said that it was the
track made by a star, which had fallen from its proper position at
the time of Phaethon's catastrophe. Others saw in it a burnt path-
way marking the sun's original course3. Others again deemed it a
mere reflection of the solar rays. These opinions are duly recorded
by Aristotle4, Manilius5, and the doxographer Aetios6. But a view
1 Ov. met. ed. R. Merkel (Lipsiae 1883) praef. p. vi.
2 Mirabilia Romae 25 (H. Jordan Topographie der Stadt Rom itn Allertkum Berlin
1871 ii. 637) in fronte Palatii templum Solis. in eodem Palatio templum Iovis, quod
vocatur casa maior.
3 So too Oinopides of Chios (Achill. isag. ad Arat. 24 p. 55, 18 ff. Maass 'irepoL Si
<pao~iv, cov iffTl tcai OivowidT]$ 6 Xtos, otl irpoTepov did tovtov (sc. tov ydXaKTos) ecpepero 6
7?\ios, 5ia 5e ra QvioTeia Sttirva CLTrearpacpy) teal tt\v ivavriav tovtu} TreiroirjTaL irepupopdv, fjv
vvv trepiypd<pei. 6 foSiaKos) and perhaps Metrodoros of Lampsakos (Plout. de plac. phil.
3. i = Stob. eel. 1. 27. 3 p. 226, 9 f. Wachsmuth (Aet. 3. 1. 3 in H. Diels Doxograplii
Graeci Berolini 1879 p. 365, 7 ff.) 'Mrjrpodojpos 81a tt)v irdpohov tov ij\lov tovtov yap elvai
tov r\\ia.Kov kvkXov). Cp. Isid. orig. 3. 45 quam aliqui dicunt viam esse, qua circuit sol, et
ex huius splendoris ipsius transitu ita lucere.
For the Milky Way in relation to the sun see A. Kuhn Sage/i, Gebriiuche und Marchen
aus Westfalen Leipzig 1859 ii. 86 no. 267 'Die Milchstrasse nennt man bei Saldern,
westlich von Wolfenbiittel, die Hitnmelsstrasse, sie ist die Mitte der Welt, und die Sonne
steht am Mittag regelmassig in derselben,' ib. ii. 87 no. 269 ' Die Milchstrasse dreht
sich nach der Sonne, indem sie dort zuerst erscheint, wo die Sonne untergegangen ist.
Woltringhausen, Amt Uchte. Einer aus Loccum erklarte sie fur den Widerschein der
Sonne.'
4 Aristot. meteor. 1. 8. 345 a 13 ff. tCov p.ev ovv Ka\ovp,evwv Yivdayopeiwv <pao~i Tives 65bi>
ehai TavTrjv oi p.tv twv eKireabvTwv twos &o~Tpuv (dffTepiov cod. N.) /caret tt/v Xeyofievrju ewl
QaldovTos (pdopdv (<popdv codd. E.F.N.), ot 5^ tov ijXiov tovtov tov kvkKov (pipeadai ttot£
(paaiv olov ovv 5iaK€KavadaL tov tSttov tovtov (tovtov tov tottov cod. F., tovtov tov Tpbirov
codd. H.N.) ij tl tolovtov aXKo wewovdevai. Trddos vwb Trjs <popds ((pdopds 11. Diels Die
Fragmente der Vorsokratiker'2 Berlin 1906 i. 230, 41) avTov (clvtuv cod. H.). See further
Olympiod. in Aristot. meteor, p. 66, 27 ff., p. 69, 33 ff. Stuve and Philop. in Aristot.
meteor, p. 101, 19 ff., p. 106, 13 ff- Hayduck.
5 Manil. 1. 729 ff. an melius manet ilia fides per saecula prisca, | iliac (ilia codd.
Vg.M.1) Solis equos diversis (diversos codd. C.V2.) cursibus (sic codd. G.L., curribus cett.)
isse I atque aliam trivisse viam, longumque per aevum j exustas (exntas codd. L^C.Vg.)
sedes incoctaque (que ova. cod. V.2.) sidera flammis | caeruleam (ceruleo cod. M.) verso
speciem mutasse colore (colorem codd. CM2.) | infusumque (que om. codd. L.C.V2.)
loco cinerem mundumque sepultum ? | fama etiam antiquis ad nos descendit ab annis |
Phaethontem patrio curru per signa volantem, | dum nova miratur propius spectacula
mundi | et puer in caelo ludit curruque (cursuque codd. L.C.M.) superbus | luxuriat
mundo (mundi cj. J. F. Gronovius, nitido cj. J. P. Postgate) cupit et maiora parente
{parentem codd. L.C.V2.), | (versum damnat R. Bentley, hue revocavit J. P. Tostgate)
deflexum solito cursu curvisque quadrigis | monstratas liquisse vias orbemque rigenti
(rigenlem cod. G., regentem cett., corr. J. F. Jacob, recentem G. Knaack post R. Bentley) |
imposuisse polo, nec signa insueta tulisse | errantis nutu (errantes meta cj. R. Bentley)
flammas currumque solutum.
6 Plout. de plac. phil. 3. i^Stob. eel. 1. 27. 2 p. 226, 1 ff Wachsmuth (Aet. 3. 1. 2