Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-10-06

that really hxcd the dates of the others.
and the surprise and excu cment vt the in
vestigators are to be understood from the
fact that those dates gave, not the reigns
OF the later Ptolemies OF the Roman en-
perors. but the earliest kings of the dynas-
ty. the immediate successors Of Alexander.
the mon OF tho middle OF the third cen
fury Il. &.
As the handwriting showed tho literary
texts - lie of an even earlier date than
the Official documents. II followed that for
the first time modern scholars bad before
them transcripts of Plato and Euripides
dating from period almost contemporary
with those writers thcmselves. Consider
ing that all our actual texts are based upon
manuscripts that are not only post-AleN-
andrlan. but III nearly every case, late
medieval. the Importance OF discovery
Whlcn takes us AT one bound back across
many centuries can hardly be cXaggc-
rated.
While il is clearly impossible to give
here any exhaustive account OF the details
OF the new discovery. we may rapidly IN
dictate ITS extent. II includes III the first
piacc three pages of a play Of Euripidcs,
winch when once read 1t was easy 10 lden-
tliy with tue lost "Antiope," which Is
quoted by Plato in the "Gorgias." by
Lonsinus. and hy many other ancient
writers in sufficient detail to make the
plot Of the lost play fairy cor
tam. IL is enough here TO say that the
drama deals with the sufierings and the
reinstatement of AntIope, the mother OF
Amphlon, the founderyot lhcbes. ana that
( g fragments now recovered are from the
last act DIES 'riOlng the capture 81 Ming
Iycus, the prosecutor of ANTIQUE, by h"r
sons. Many IF the lines are extremely fras-
mcntary. but enough material remains 10
have enabled DR. Maha1y and ms colleagues
and or ca 10 pres nj an lntelhgioIe text
extending over more than hundred Hnes'
Next ia importance are the fragments
which Mr.. Sayce was the first 10 ldentify
a. portions OF the " phudO' OF fIato,
very carefully and beautifully written. ana
covering four or five pages OF an ORDINARY
modern text. As. for reasons which Will
presently be given. this manu. crip' j. GER
talnlv far earlier than the hic&nudrlah re-
ccnSinn on which all our modern texts are
! based. the differences between Il and them
cannot fan to throw a most Important
and somewha: painful light upon the way
III winch that rcconslOn Of the classical
| Greek writers was hahitua!iy n"He.
They confirm the elspcion which many
modern scholars have cnteriaihei' ana
upon which Mr. Rutherford has acted III
L.s ingenious edition of the Fourth Book
of 1hucydldes that the original t,N's
were regularly "ilnprovcd and touched
up by rhetorical editors IN Alexandra III
accordance with their own theories o.
style.
hen follow certain very scanty but
most important fraSmcnis from poets ana
other writers. among winch the most Gu
the beginning and ends of noNaiuctcr lines
which have been coucluslvcly ldentlned
| b, Sr Bury. of Dublin. "a portion OF
! the Eleventh Book IF the HAD. he IN
porihuce If tins passage lies III the tact
| that ont of the thlriv-hvc lines there are
| five that do not exist IN our received
| text that II L. saY. nv" That were rejected
| hv ArIsiarchus and the other grammar
! mus Are We. then, t. assume that al u"
| Iliad as !, EXISTED IN the year 800 B. c., no
| loss than one seventh was rejected 10y the
AlcXaudrlan cdIfOrsY Future discoveries,
such ~ are brought within the bounds OF
lrol ability by such an experience a. MI.
io,rle's. may olucldatc TINS point with
others Of equal interest.
A. 10 the remaining fragments. Their
historical Importance Is scarcely less OAdi
tn. literary importance Oi those that We
haye been describing. for they contain
whole series OF wills. drawn up IN Oih"ial
form and duly attestci, dealing with the
uropertv of the creek soldiers settled II
Tins district under tie earliest Htolcuiles
l. Is tney. with their precise reference, O.
the Kings and Queens, the priest, ana
prlestcsses. III whose time they were drawn
up. that enable Us t. speak with certainty
IA to the date Of the literary fragments.
Moreover. they throw vivid lightupOn the
social system of the time. uni of them
selves almost enable Us 10 reconstruct for
ourselves the hitlo world of Northern
Isvpt under the Macedonian dynasty.
They Introduce Us 10 the veterans Who
fought under Tt0lcmy fhialclphu~ go
Is. c. and Ptolemy Eucrcttes thttccn
wears later settled upon rich farms IN
what was called the Arslno.tic Nome IL
obedience TO tn" policy If those kings.
which was at once to reward their soldiers
and 10 HcllcuiZc Egypt. Their namos,
their regiments. thelr personal dcscrip-
tlons are all glvcn-tho last with such
accuracy that We can almost see tn"
Scared and brouZed faces OF the soldier
witnesses.
All these treasures come from Gurob, III
the IayOum, and We owe them t. the
acutcn.ss and skill vi Mr.. lctrle. Ii oc-
CURED t. him that the nummy-c8~oS there
were not made of wood. IL III the cemetery
Al ifawaru from which he has brought
other prccl u possessions 10 England.
bat of sort Of cart y, or paper-macho,
made Of layers OF papYru-, tom
INTO small pieces and stuck together
Without knowing that the Egyp-
tOlogist Lctrouue had pointed 10 TIM a.
"A possible source Of discovery some
sixty years ago, Mr. Pe;rle thought that
he detected writing on som" Ot the scraps
of papyrus. and forthwith attempted the
dlihcalt task OF separating and cleansing
the various fragments" only coupara-
lively few had escaped the destroying IN
tlucuce OF hm,. glue. and other substances :;
| but patience and ingenuity. Oh Nh.
Pctric's pant first. and then Oh that of Dr.
! Nanaify, Professor SAycc, and Others. have
BROUGHT about the brilliant result that We
have before Us.
The ob.ou- thought is: What may We
not ueAt discover H. Egypt, " that land ii
many WOudtrs'i The tomhS Of the Nile
| have gwen up some of their secrets, which
| have profoundly modified the view winch
| used 10 be held as to the origin and
| antiquity OF civilization. The Uuchan@t-
ablonc-s Of Egypt has been shown, not
| only b, It's human records. but 10y still more
/ surprising evidence ~ TO It's Nora, winch -
proved ohayc renamed unaltercd through
! thousand. Of wears. while mat of other
| countries change IN q century or even n
| a decade And now tigati0n Is turn
IN 10 licilcni,;!c Eeypt-fO that region
| which WAS for {, INJURIES tie focus Oi the
| civilization that most concerns Us II the
modern world, and Mr.. fctrie las proved
| that the mummN-ca~o> $. made mp 81 scraps
| and shred- OF old waste paper. may CON
tain almost the very autographs Of the
! great masters of the GiocA literature.
/ That j. to come ncNtf II "a bit q IurI-
| pldcs Las lcapci 20 hight. WHY not some Of
| the many lost play, OF SOph0c.es and
.t.schylus. or some songs Of SapphO. or the
| lyrics of some ot the other Greek poets
| whom Horace copied or trans atcd: Aud
why not greatest treasure OF AL why
not, III that centre OF llelIcmstc JUDAISM,