Complete Works of Euclid, Vol. 7 (Optics and Catoptrics)

For whereas I previously attributed some authority even to the remaining codices, among which some are sufficiently ancient, I am now persuaded that Vat. 204 alone is the foundation of the recension. I understood this upon discovering the emendation of the passage which is at p. 146, 16, where I received κατά corrected from the inferior codices and Vat. 204, although it did not please me (see p. 147 note); but with the reading of the codex Vat. 204 preserved, by a very slight change, the meaning turns out to be excellent: καὶ τὴν αὐγὴν εὐθεῖαν οὖσαν (the line connecting the middle of the lamp and the slit of the tablet and the light or illuminated point of the other tablet being a straight line). Hence it is apparent by how great a distance Vat. 204 excels the others;*) therefore, with it, one must write:

p. 146, 26 ἐμάστευσαν
p. 148, 9 πολλά] πολλάκις
p. 148, 17 ἅμα] to be omitted
p. 160, 11 before ὄμμα insert τὰ δὲ παράλληλα τὰ ΞΛ, ΠΝ, ΒΔ
p. 162, 10 μεῖζον — 11 ΗΞ] to be omitted (also v)
p. 162, 13 καὶ οὕτω] to be omitted (also v)
p. 162, 14 τὰ μεγέθη] to be omitted
p. 164, 22 ΔΚΖ] ΔΚΗ
p. 166, 20 ὧν — p. 168, 8 φαίνεται] οὐκοῦν τῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ Β ὄμματος πρὸς τὸ ΓΚ ἐπίπεδον προσπιπτουσῶν ἀκτίνων μετεωροτέρα ἐστὶ(ν) ἡ ΒΓ ἤπερ ἡ ΒΖ· ὁμοίως δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἑξῆς. οὐκοῦν τὸ μὲν Γ τοῦ Ζ μετεωρότερον φανεῖται, τὸ δὲ Ζ τοῦ Δ, τὸ δὲ Δ τοῦ Κ. For thus cod. Paris. 2342 (except that it has ἀκτίνων μετεωροτάτη ἐστί), with the addition of τοῦτο ζήτει ἄλλως ἀπὸ ἄλλου ἀντιγράφου ἐν τῷ ἑτέρῳ μέρει ἐν σημείῳ ⩩, and it is gathered for certain from the traces that V had it thus. Then in the figure, with cod. Paris. 2342, Z and Δ must be interchanged; p. 166, 20 for ΒΔ, ΒΖ, ΒΚ (thus Paris. 2342) one would expect ΒΖ, ΒΔ, ΒΚ, but see p. 168, 13, where I think ΒΓ, ΒΔ must be received from V.
p. 168, 14 ὧν — 21 ὁρᾶται] οὐκοῦν ταπεινοτάτη τῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ Β ὄμματος πρὸς τὸ ΔΖ ἐπίπεδον προσπιπτουσῶν ἀκτίνων ἐστὶν ἡ ΒΔ, καὶ ἀπώτερον φαίνεται τὸ Δ· τὸ Δ ἄρα ταπεινότερον φαίνεται τοῦ Γ, τὸ δὲ Γ τοῦ Ζ. Thus also Paris. 2342.

*) At the same time it is apparent that the hand of the recension is of no moment, as it either intrudes the readings of the inferior codices or interpolates of its own accord.