The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1891-06-13
a rost work OF Aristotle Recovered.

authors who quote it TO Aristotle, is a
literary event Of the rarest and most in
teresling kind. There has been nothing
OF like Importance in its way since tho
memorable discovery Of five books Of
Che annals Of Tacitus in the library Of
German monastery in the sixteenth CEN
tury. Aristotle's great work on "Poli-
tics, still extant, was based, not on
theory, but on o study Of the constitu-
tions in existence in his day. Unlike
the French reTolutionists Of century
ago, Aristotle was not content to evolve
beautiful political principles out OF his
own head. He preferred basis tested
by actual human experience. He ac-
curdingly, before taking his great work
in hand, drew up himself, or had drawn
up by others under his direction, careful
descriptions of the institutions Of 1853
different states, most Of them Greek,
but some Of them barbarian, " the Car
thaginians and tho Brahmins Of India
being included in his list
The treatise on the constitution OF
Athens, now recovered in q remarkable
manner by the British Museum after
being lost for over thousand years, is
supposed to have been the first and
most important as well as the fullest
In the collection. That it is genuine
work Of tho Stagirite is indicated partly
by the character Of the manuscript,
partly by the circumstances Of its find
ing, and in part by the text Papyrus
rolls are made by laying strips Of ma
terlsl derived from the papyrus plant,
one across another at right angles, so
that on one side of the shed the hbers
,run horizontally and on the other per-
pendicularly. The side used first by a
writer-called the recto--is the side on
which tho fibsrs run horizontally, as on
that side the pom runs easily, because it
russ with the grain. The rscto Of the
newly discovered manuscript Is occupied
with the accounts--the receipts and ex-
penaituren--of tho bailiff of o private
estate in Egypt, dated month by month,
in the eleventh year Of the Emperor
Vespasian. This was the FIRST use to
which the papyrus was put.
Subsequently about the
end of the first century after Christ
the text Of Aristotlo's treatise was writ
ten on the other side Of the papyrus in
four distinct hands. That the accounts
and part at least of the text were written
by ehe same hand is indicated by the
fact that the abbreviations used in the
one are used also in the other, and by
the further fact that a peculiar forma-
tion Of certain letters appears in both.
When the accounts had been "passed"
by the employer as correct" the bailiff,
itappears, being thrifty person, utilized
the paper they were written on for his
own literary delectat on. Further proof
of the esnuineness Oh the manuscript is
to he had in the tact that when the
British Ausoum acquired it in Egypt
neither the seller nor the buyer had any
idea Of It's nature. 1t was bought along
with lot Of other rolls whose character
remained to be determined by subse-
quent inspection. Now that the latter
have been deciphered, their contents
fortigy, it is stated, the presumption Of
| the genuiness Of the treatise.
An important part of the evidence
| that it is really Aristotle's work is the
substantially exact correspondence Of its
language with the quotations made from
| lub VI AANhSAAo " NAAbOl5 VI
antiquity. OF the 81 fragments attributed
by scholars with more or less probability
to the treatise on the Athenian constitu-
ton, some SO of which probably really
refer 10 it, as many as 78, says the Lon
don Times, are found in the manuscript
in its present condition A part of the
opening chapters and part of the closing
chapters are in badly mutilated con-
didon OF wanting. Taking account Of
| this circumstance it is held that, with
TIVE possible exceptions, all the quota
tioRs made by ancient writers are sa tis-
facterily verified At Berlin there are
two scraps Of pspyrus containing frag-
mentS of passages which have been re-
ferrod by some German scholars TO the
treatise In question. It is interesting tc
nete that boIh passages are found in the
British Museums papyrus.
The museum has thus, it appears, had
the luck OF acquiring for q song and by
On accident one OF the oldest Greek
manuscripts in the world Happily
there is promise in the circumstances Of
its finding that other discoveries of like
interest may be made by and by. Egyp'
tian graves and ruined buildings have
possibly still richer treasures in reserve.
The discovery Of manuscripts Of CLASH
cal Greek authors written on papyru;
began but 90 years ago In that time
four OF five nearly completS orations o.
the great Athenian orator, Hypsrides
have been recovered; also fragments Of
Euripidss and Of Aloman. There have
also been obtained besides carly copies
Of portions Of Homer, Thucydides
Plato, Demoathenes, Isocrstes, and 9th
ers. The work of Aristotle, just recov
cred, does not, Of course, radically altei
the main lines Of Greek history as 70
cited by Herodotua and Thucydides, bu
it throws new light on the early con
stitutional history OF Athens, and mus
change our point Of view as to certain
details.
Some new information is given as t,
the part Tnsmistocles took in over
throwing the Areopagus-informati
that adds to his reputation as a shift.
and unserupulous politician. Draco an
Golen are placed ia a new light, and th
baneful eject Of the methods Of popula
government Introduced by Periclss ar
traced in n most striking manner. Aris
totle evidently thinks less Of Pericle
than Thucydidos did In fact he OK
presses the opinion that the decline G
Athens began ia Pericles's time, and b,
came rapid as soon as his guiding han
was removed. Baltimore Sun.
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