Note 37 — MANNER IN WHICH THE EARLY HISTORY OF ROME ORIGINATED.

The grammarian whose fragment on the Saturnian verse is here alluded to, is Charisius. Niebuhr transcribed it in the year 1823, from a Neapolitan MS., and his copy is intrusted to Professor Lachmann of Berlin, who is preparing it for publication. From a copy made by O. Müller, Professor Schneidewin, at Gœttingen, has had it printed in a programme of the year 1841, “Flavii Sosipatri Charisii de versu Saturnio commentariolus ex codice Neapolitano nuce primum editus,” and at the same time severely criticised Niebuhr’s remarks on the Saturnian verse. One single glance however at the fragment which is printed in his programme, shows that Müller’s copy is very defective, and it would therefore have been but seemly for Professor Schneidewin to have first instituted more accurate inquiries respecting the contents of Niebuhr’s copy, before he wrote down expressions which indeed cannot injure the memory of Niebuhr; but which do not by any means reflect very favourably on the modesty of their author.—Note of the German Editor.