The Fragments of the Histories

But before we embark on the attempt to restore the histories, we must look around at what learned men have achieved so far and what is left for us to do.

Ludovicus Carrio first collected the relics of Sallust's histories in 1574; then G. Corte1) From the edition of Corte, fragments were often published, as by Paschalius 1737, Haverkamp 1742, Foulis 1749, 1777², and others. first arranged them in a certain historical order in 1724. De Brosses2) Charles de Brosses, "History of the Roman Republic during the course of the 7th century by Sallust" 1777, which book Schlüter published in German 1810/21. entered upon a new and excellent way to restore the histories; being of a most splendid genius, he proposed to himself to collect and arrange not only the fragments of Sallust but all the material that was narrated in the histories, intermingling the words of Sallust that have been preserved. However, he could not execute his well-conceived plan, for he clearly lacked critical art and philological diligence. Yet the force of French genius was so powerful that Fr. Dorotheus Gerlach, who later edited the fragments of the histories, followed de Brosses for the most part after Corte; however, the few things he added from his own were of almost no value. Therefore, Fridericus Kritz,3) Kritz, "On the fragments of C. Sallustius Crispus digested into order by C. de Brosses and illustrated by a woven narrative of events" 1829. "Sallust's works" vol. III, 1853. 1856². having clearly rejected the method of de Brosses, strove above all to explain, emend, and refer each fragment to a certain event as accurately as possible, and then to arrange them in their proper order. He achieved this purpose in such a way that he left little to be corrected or added in the establishing of both facts and words. The last to edit the histories, Rudolphus Dietsch,4) R. Dietsch, "Sallust's surviving works" vol. II, 1859. a follower of Kritz, although he seems to have approached Sallust not without some profit, was nevertheless by no means equal to this great task. Furthermore, Kreyssig5) "Commentary on the fragments of book III of Sallust" 1835². "Letter to Fr. Kritz on the relics of book II of Sallust's histories" 1852. deserves great credit regarding the relics of the histories, who...