PREFACE TO THE FOLLOWING ECLOGUES AND FLORILEGIA
428 We have often seen Chrysostom at prayer, received with the grateful murmurs and frequent applause of the assembly, especially when he would bring forth something sudden and unexpected for the instruction of morals. Nor did such a discipline fail to please those who read it after the life of the holy man had ended, especially those who performed the office of preaching. Thus it came about that certain persons collected into one the passages scattered through various homilies that concerned the same subject and, according to the structure of the material, arranged and transcribed many homilies, which they called eclogues. We certainly know well that the matter was so approved by the Greeks that innumerable copies of these eclogues were adorned and were held in high regard even in the imperial court. For in the Coislinian Library there is a most elegant codex, number LXXIX, whose inscriptions and initial letters are golden: it was written in the eleventh century and was in use under Emperor Nicephorus Botaniates, who is represented in four illustrated plates at the beginning.
In the first plate, the crowned emperor sits upon a throne and listens to Sabas the monk, a reader, who without doubt is reading these eclogues excerpted from Chrysostom. In the second plate, the crowned emperor stands holding a scepter, and at his left stands Empress Maria, also crowned, and she holds a scepter; Christ truly, from above, places his right hand upon the head of the emperor, and his left upon the head of the empress, signifying that he covers both with his protection. In the third plate, the emperor sits upon a throne and has Truth at his right and Justice at his left, rising up above the throne; below are positioned four of the principal ministers of the imperial court; all of which are explained in greater detail in the *Bibliotheca Coisliniana* published in print. In the fourth plate, the emperor is represented holding this book, having Chrysostom at his right, touching the same book, and Saint Michael Choniates at his left.
The codex is of the eleventh century, as is argued by its script. Yet it was not written for Nicephorus Botaniates, but for another emperor who had preceded him. For the earlier pictures, which had been painted on both sides of two leaves, were cut out: so that the entire border of the former picture remained, and in place of the former panels, which displayed a different emperor, these new ones of Nicephorus Botaniates were glued. This Nicephorus did not hold the empire for long; for he was crowned in the year 1078, and in the year 1081 he was deposed and reduced to the order of monks.
Hence you may see how highly these eclogues were esteemed among the Greeks. Furthermore, after the first ones had been issued, others were added by various hands, and those original ones were often changed and increased by many more, and from this, a great variety occurs in the codices. These collections were patched together not only from the genuine works of John Chrysostom, but also from others that either falsely bear the name of Chrysostom or are rightly rejected among the highly doubtful works. Furthermore, in these eclogues, many things said before are repeated; this is especially true of those which Savile committed to the light, who also, as he himself confesses, raked these together from everywhere even to the point of nausea. Therefore, I confess that I hesitated for a long time whether I should provide those eclogues as they are contained in the Morellian edition, numbering 31, omitting the Savilian ones, which reach the number 48. But, having considered the matter more maturely, it seemed best to add those Savilian eclogues which do not appear in the Morellian edition, so that nothing of this kind, whatever it may be, would seem to be missing.
429 The eclogues which were issued in the Morellian edition, under the care of Fronto Ducæus, had been published in Mainz by Balthasar Etzelius of Bremen, of the Society of Jesus, with his own Latin translation, except for certain ones which had been printed and translated into Latin by Matthæus Cromerus and Lælius Tifernas, as we shall note in its proper place. They say that the assembler of these eclogues was Theodorus Magister, as is reported in the Vatican codex, who was also called Theodorus Daphnopates, as you may see in Lambecius and in
my *Greek Palaeography*, page 92. Etzelius, however, says that he took these eclogues from a very ancient codex in the library of St. James at Mainz. These eclogues, edited by Etzelius, contain only 31 homilies, as we have said. In the codex of Nicephorus Botaniates, mentioned above, there are 33. Savile, however, who scraped everything together from everywhere, published forty-eight homilies, and in his notes he prefixed this A *Monitum*, Vol. VIII, page 920.
"The number of *Apanthismata* in the manuscripts is almost 32, 35, or 34, and certainly from our 38 earlier ones (for the others, which follow, are of a different kind); if you remove 9, 11 and 28, there remain only 35 chapters worthy of being legally adjudged the name of eclogues. Furthermore, let the reader know that the eclogue on virginity here—which is found in the Augsburg manuscript (if the title is true in book XXXIV)—is absent. The author, or more truly the assembler, of these eclogues is said in the Vatican and Palatine codices to be Theodorus Magister; others attribute almost nothing to him except the twenty-seventh, which contains the encomium of St. Paul. Furthermore, in this edition we have corrected the Mainz edition and enriched it in many places from three manuscripts (for they exist, described in almost all libraries): 1. The Oxford, 2. The London, and 3. [the one] in my library. The titles of the sections, or subsections, which were for the most part corrupt in the Mainz [edition], we have amended from other manuscripts, especially the Oxford, whose reliability is more proven to us, and by very frequently consulting the sources. Concerning the Oxford codex, it is to be noted that it differed greatly from all the others that we saw. For in it are found the same chapters and the same particles collected, but with no order and no method. Hence all the illative particles, *toinyn*, *kai*, *boule mathein*, and others, which act as cement, were missing: so that the material, which in this codex appears heaped together, appears in the others to be arranged. Those 38 which follow are from the library of the King of the Gauls, except for the last two, which, like 28, are from my Oriental papers of Slad. I am not unaware that very many things in these eclogues could be corrected from the sources, if someone were to search all the veins; indeed, even that the sources themselves could sometimes be purged from these rivulets, if someone were to bring leisure and a whole lifetime to it: this palm we leave to the industry and diligence of others who will come after us; content to have expended a moderate effort in their emendation, as far as could be conveniently be done by us. To have removed grammatical errors everywhere was not a concern, lest we seem to show in publishing these fragments a diligence which the author himself does not appear to have exercised in collecting them. For we are not editing what Chrysostom formed, but what a lethargic and listless mutilator deformed. For not a few solecisms occur, and they are so confirmed by the consensus of the codices that they appear justly to have happened not from the fault of the copyists, but from the author himself. For the grammar of that later age is known as it was: or if it is not yet explored by anyone, let them approach Georgius Alexandrinus and our biographers, or that *apanthisma* which is last in this volume in both place and value. Wherefore let not the reader expect that this work should come forth from us more corrected than it originated from the author himself; nor let the reader wonder that there are cited here some orations and treatises rejected by us as *amphiballomena*, or indeed *nothoumena*; since, as we have warned some times, these corruptions of good authors were not introduced into libraries yesterday or the day before."
And on page 928, speaking of the last ten eclogues, which he himself added with not a few others, he has this to say: "The ten following orations, generally not found in other *eklogon synagogais*, were exhibited to us by the Royal Library of Lutetia, which the literary republic could have done without without great inconvenience, since they are found elsewhere in as many words, although not in the same context, in this [work] of ours: but we preferred to err on the safer side. If there is any error in these, it did not seem worth noting. For if there is anything in these that might attract the reader, let him merely consult the titles in the margin: he will immediately be sent back to those places in our edition where he will have these same things more corrected."
Thus he did, as can be seen from the previous note; in collecting and correcting these he applied much care and industry, and perhaps more than the nature and dignity of the work demanded. There is one thing, however, which he either did not notice, or neglected to warn about, namely that the order of the homilies which have been cobbled together from such eclogues is wondrously different in the manuscript codices, and the nature of the work truly appears to demand no certain and constant order. But so that this variety of order may be clear to the reader, we place the orders of the Mainz codex, such as Etzelius followed, and of the Savilian edition, and also of the Coislin codex, which belonged to the Emperor Nicephorus Botaniates, side-by-side, and we append to the individual titles of the former Mainz codex the numbers, first of the Savilian edition, and then of the Coislin codex.
Since therefore no reason for a true order can be assigned, thinking that I could follow at will the order which might please [me] more; I have first set out those thirty-one homilies as they are in the Mainz codex, with the interpretation of Etzelius and others who are mentioned in the titles, with the titles corrected according to the Savilian edition, and with those added in some homilies which were missing in the Mainz codex. And afterwards I have added those which Savile had either inserted or appended, having provided them with a Latin interpretation;
SYNOPSIS
[EDIT. SAVILI, Vol. VII, p. 665 ff.]
...the philanthropist. Of malice and holding a grudge. Who else should we bring into the middle. Of vainglory. Wishing those who are puffed up. Of covetousness. A certain one among you has arrived. V. Of fortitude and strength. The cowardly and unmanly soul. VI. Of virtue and vice. There are some of those here. VII. Of infirmity and physicians. When you fall into infirmity. VIII. Of rule, power, and glory. The blessed Constantine is spoken of. IX. On the holy feast of Palms. Six days before the Passover. X. Of gluttony and drunkenness. Do you wish that we should see. XI. On the holy birth of Christ. Of all the feasts it has arrived. XII. Of women and beauty. Those intending to take wives. XIII. Of instruction and admonition. Formerly we complained. XIV. Of almsgiving and hospitality. The discourse on almsgiving. XV. Of good fortune. Most of mankind. XVI. Of prayer. Great good is prayer. XVII. Of death. Much indeed one hastens to learn. XVIII. Of grief and despondency. Despondency has inserted.
[BIBLIOTH. COISLINIANA CODEX LXXIX]
Of despondency. Init. If you wish. Discourse on almsgiving. Philanthropist. Despondency. Formerly we complained. V. Of sin and confession. A certain one has arrived. VI. Of rule and power. The blessed Constantine is spoken of. VII. Of the future judgment. Many of those among us. VIII. Of virtue and vice. There are some of those here. IX. Of fortitude and strength. The cowardly and unmanly. X. Of oaths. Not that which is of the soul. XI. Of death. Much indeed one hastens. XII. Of the rearing of children. I ask and beseech. XIII. Of longsuffering. Who else to bring into the middle. XIV. Of prayer. Great good is prayer. XV. Of repentance. Because of this continuously. XVI. Of fasting and temperance. Do you wish to learn. XVII. Of humility. When sin happens. XVIII. Of the soul. The works resemble those. XIX. Of not despising the Church of God. Few to us today. XX. Of providence. For what reason not from the beginning. XXI. Of wealth and poverty. When you see being rich. XXII. Of gluttony and drunkenness. Do you wish that we should see. XXIII. Of infirmity and physicians. When infirmity happens.
[EDIT. MORELLI]
...the philanthropist. Savil. 1 Coislin. III. II. Of prayer. init. Great good is prayer. XVI. XIV. continuously. XX. XV. temperance. Do you wish to learn how much. XXIII. XXIV. I. Of good fortune and misfortune. Most of mankind. XV. XVI. VI. Of instruction and admonition. Formerly we complained. XIII. IV. VII. Of humility. When sin. XXXIV. VIII. Of the soul. The works resemble those. XXXVIII. IX. Of not despising the Church of God. Few to us today. XXXVII. XIX. X. Of providence. For what reason not. XXXI. XX. XI. Of wealth and poverty. When you see one being rich. XXX. XXXI. XII. Of gluttony and drunkenness. Do you wish that we should see. X. XXII. XIII. Of infirmity and physicians. When infirmity happens. VII. XXIII. XIV. Of women and beauty. Most of those with harlots. XII. XXIV. XV. Of covetousness. For what reason from. XXIX. XVI. Of arrogance and vainglory. Wishing to. XVII. XVII. Of envy. Nothing so puffed up. III. XXVI. XVIII. Of hatred and enmity. If anyone from the neighbor. XXII. XXIX. XIX. Of grief and despondency. Despondency has inserted. XVII. XXX. XX. Of wrath and anger. Do you wish to learn how much. XXIV. XXXI. XXI. Of rule and power. The blessed Constantine is spoken of. VIII. XXII. Of patience. If you wish. XXIII. Of almsgiving. Let us propose the discourse on almsgiving. XXXV. I. XI.