Philo About the Contemplative Life (De Vita Contemplativa)

§ 6. Within the group β the New College MS. D is, it would seem, practically copied from B; for it shares with B many peculiar readings, e.g. 471. 7 ὧν δρᾶν of which to do for ὁ δρᾶν the one to do: 472. 12 σοφῶν of the wise for σοφιστῶν of the sophists: 472. 25 εὐκόλως easily where others of the group have εὐλόγως reasonably: 472. 41 om. ἐγχώριον native: 473. 18 καὶ θείας and divine for καὶ μακαρίας and blessed: 474. 21 ἐτράφησαν γεννηθέντες they were nurtured [having been] born for ἐγεννήθησαν καὶ ἐτράφησαν they were born and nurtured: 477. 1 ἄρτι just now for ἀέρι in the air: 477. 10 τῷ κοινῷ γένει καὶ θνητῷ by the common and mortal kind for τῷ θνητῷ γένει by the mortal kind. In a few passages, however, as in πλησθέντες having been filled in 473. 26, D and M have retained the peculiar corruption of the family, while B and E are free from it, having probably been corrected. D has often been corrected from manuscripts of other families.

Of the group β the best representative is M, in which, for example, the true reading φυσικόν natural is preserved, while other members of the class have the corruption φυσικοῦ of the natural. In spite of their many blunders the manuscripts of this family exhibit a very old tradition of the text. They alone except O have retained πότε δέ but when in page 483, where all other families have the lame emendation πότον a drinking bout. In β and P alone do we find τοὺς ἄνδρας καὶ αὐτός the men, and he himself. The blunder in page 484, δι’ ἐδωδῆς because of food for δι’ αἰδῶ τῆς because of the shame of, is common to P and β, and implies some far-back affinity between them. Some of the faults of β, e.g. διενεγκόντων surpassing in page 471. 4, and ἕλκειν to drag in 474. 22, have the air of being skillful, but needless, conjectures. In 475. 10 β alone retains the true reading οὔτε γάρ for neither. Certain of the corruptions of this family arose in copying an uncial text, e.g. 477. 22 ἐξ ὠμῆς from raw for ἔξωμις tunic and 476. 31 τάχ’ ἂν perhaps for ἀχανές endless.

There are yet other significant relations between β and P, e.g. 473. 37 where β has καίουσι they burn against κείρουσι they shear of the other manuscripts.