On the Latin Language

of Fragments in 1907, and Wessner will soon, as we hope, insert them into the collection of all of Varro’s remains. For we felt that these fragments could be added to the surviving books on the Latin language just as well. We have briefly illustrated in our annotations how our own effort stands in relation to both Funaioli’s revision and the foundations so famously laid by Wilmanns, and we do not intend to discuss this part more fully in the prolegomena. Because we have frequently used the numbering of Wilmanns—which we have inscribed in these parentheses ( ) and the Funaiolian ones in these [ ]—we have provided a table of numbers on page 242.

We had conceived great hope because the most learned and benevolent men, Georg Wissowa and Franz Skutsch, had inclined their minds to take upon themselves the task of proofreading the sheets. Hence, on the first pages, some excellent comments from both appear (under the sigla Wi and Sk). But since, besides their customary duties, one accepted the dignity of rector and the other that of dean at the very time the sheets were coming from the presses, they were forced to desist from this help. We have lamented and still lament this, and the readers, along with us and above all our Varro, will complain. Nor could Paul Wessner (We), who wished to return the favor we had bestowed upon his Donatus in some way, provide the help he had hoped for, due to a simultaneous change of place and duty. Finally, when Adolfus Groth learned from the Teubner announcements that we were to edit these books, he shared with us what he had once noted for himself regarding many passages. Because we have mentioned only a few of them, we have followed his own instruction. Nevertheless, we give thanks from the heart to these men and to all who were of use to us besides—among whom we mention here our colleague Ernst Diehl, and below we praise our friend Hieronymus Vitelli—and at the same time, we ask for pardon, because although we have spent much time on this entire edition and the correction itself, we have not been able to avoid errors, which we have noted as far as possible in the Addenda and Corrigenda.

Given at Jena and Heidelberg, November 1909.