Historical Disputation on Abaris

as a thank-offering, they sent the first fruits of all their crops from everywhere to the Athenians, when indeed they say that Baris the Hyperborean came as a theoros an official observer/pilgrim to Greece to serve Apollo, and thus wrote the oracles now called the Baridae Oracles of Baris." Josephus Scaliger (η) thinks this passage needs some emendation and reads Ἄβαριν Abarin and Ἀβάριδας Abaridas instead of Βᾶριν Barin and Βάριδας Baridas. After the Greek commentator on Aristophanes, let Proclus on Plato's Timaeus (ϑ) follow, who, while mentioning a certain oration which, according to the opinion of some, Pythagoras wrote to Abaris, calls him Ἄβαρον Abarum, using these words: "And in addition to these, that the eye is analogous to fire, Pythagoras demonstrates in the oration to Abaris." Leo Allatius (ι) contends most vigorously that not only is this passage correct, but that this writing is the genuine offspring of Pythagoras, and adds that this oration written by Pythagoras to Abaris is mentioned everywhere by ancient writers as well. The very famous man Gottfried Olearius (κ) chose the opposite side of this opinion: "We find no one among the ancients," he says, "with whom Pythagoras had any commercial intercourse, called Abarus. Therefore, that it should be read Ἄβαριν Abarin, we have almost no doubt." This is also what Valesius (λ) observed. Furthermore, the same very famous man Gottfried Olearius affirms in the cited place that this oration of Pythagoras to Abaris does not exist anywhere, nor has it ever existed. "But," he says, "we must return to Allatius and Proclus, who, unless we resist, will foist this oration of Pythagoras upon us for Abaris. It is perfectly certain that none of the ancients except Proclus mentions this oration of Pythagoras. But to accept it as the genuine offspring of Pythagoras on the authority of Proclus alone, how dangerous? I add that not even from Proclus's words can such an irrefutable testimony be derived that any such writing ever existed. For what if we understand Proclus to refer to that lengthy conversation of Pythagoras with Abaris, which Iamblichus (μ) described for us fully and clearly in two places, and the discourses exchanged between them, about which..."