On Nicomachus's Introduction to Arithmetic

This page is a duplicate of page 5 in the provided source text.

Samuel Tennulius published an edition of the book of Iamblichus, which is inscribed On the Arithmetic Introduction of Nicomachus original: "Περὶ τῆς Νικομάχου ἀριθμητικῆς εἰσαγωγῆς", in the year 1668. It is scarcely credible that this edition is inferior in negligence to the Arcerian copies themselves, and equal in the authority of the booksreference 1: regarding this, what I have discussed elsewhere in Studi Italiani di Filologia Classica Italian Studies of Classical Philology I, pages 233 and following, should suffice. If you exclude one or two words—which I shall note in their proper places as having been attempted by Ast, Nesselmann, and Heiberg—the Florentine Codex alone serves as an aid for correction. For the readings that Arcerius collated (cf. Studi Italiani I, pages 37 and following) and those which other interpreters supply in the Vatican books (ibid., 38 and following) are worthless. Therefore, I myself examined the best codex more than once with all the diligence I could muster. H. Vitelli, both the author and my partner in this labor, saw many things, and N. Festa reread it again, comparing individual proofs of the printed book. Trusting primarily in their help, I do not doubt that I shall obtain greater faith from readers, even when I am silent, than others have received through their own verbose testimonies. For R. Hercher had already collated our codex (Hermes VI, 59 sqq.), and Rutgers had corrected whatever Hercher had falsely noted or omitted (ibid. VII, 247 sqq.); yet he did not always present the truth.reference 2

1) Arcerius copied his book from the Memmian Codex, that is, Paris. 2093 (see Omont, Inventaire sommaire des Manuscrits Grecs de la Bibliothèque Nationale Summary inventory of Greek manuscripts of the National Library, second part, p. 193).

2) Hercher erred, for example, and Rutgers provided no remedy.