PREFACE OF THE EDITOR

if you find that their collations differ from mine, be persuaded that what I have placed there is what I had seen with my own eyes to truly exist in books inspected repeatedly.

However, it was not permitted to throw away the other codices of the same family besides N and L. Among these, the following are eminent in age:

Palat.Palatinus Heidelbergensis 1568 (Palat.) is written on parchment of octavo format in single columns in the eleventh century. It holds Florus between Solinus, who has great authority among his editors, and the Sayings of Paul Orosius on the position of the world from leaves 83 to 145. It is recommended most of all by the fact that it has preserved that prologue drawn out by Elias Vinetus from the Bordeaux book1). For it contributes almost nothing to the editing of the epitome itself, since it has many things in common with L and elsewhere leans toward the inferior readings of the Parisinus 5802 and the Monacensis.

The Bernensis 249, formerly of the martyrs Marcellinus and Petrus Florentinus and Hylarius, is of parchment, of maximum format, from the end of the eleventh century, as it appeared to me. Besides Florus (fol. 1–39), it contains the seven summaries of Livy's books (fol. 39v–42v) with the same words as in L, with which it is joined by the closest bond of kinship in the epitome, ending (patriae restituti sunt p. 14, 3 ed. Iahn). Therefore, I have brought forward nothing from it. After II 20, 3 (duas legiones operuerunt they covered two legions), the greater part of one page and an entire leaf are empty, but nothing is missing.

Harl.Harleianus 2620 (Harl.), formerly Cusanus, which in the catalog is attributed to the tenth century2), and by Baehrens to the eleventh or twelfth3), appeared to me to be of the thirteenth century. Its parchment is of quarto format and in two columns. Besides Florus (fol. 1–42v), it contains the seven summaries of Livy (fol. 43–46v), but it was judged of more value than it deserved by Baehrens, who had excerpted very few things from it. Therefore, I have mentioned it only very rarely. You will find other things...

1) cf. below p. XXVIII.
2) It is known that many Harleian books in the printed catalog are reported as older than they truly are.
3) v. Beck 'observations on the epitome of Florus' p. 9.