Note on Heraclitus, Fragment 124

Author(s): John B. McDiarmid

Source: The American Journal of Philology, Vol. 62, No. 4 (1941), pp. 492-494
Published by: The Johns Hopkins University Press
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/291615
Accessed: 22-01-2020 16:49 UTC

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492 H. W. PARKE.

with
with their
theirlocal
localoracles.
oracles.This
This
gave
gave
Vergil
Vergil
some
some
material
material
with with
which
which to
todecorate
decoratehishis
narrative,
narrative,
andand
he chose
he chose
particularly
particularly
to to
paraphrase
paraphrasethe
theoracular
oracularresponses
responses
recorded
recorded
by his
by authority.
his authority.
The The
reason
reason may
mayhave
havebeen
beenpartly
partly
that
that
they
they
werewere
already
already
in verse,
in verse,
but
but also
alsothat
thatasasprophecies
propheciesthey
they
could
could
with
with
rather
rather
less inappro-
less inappro-
priateness
priatenessbebeputputinto
into
the
themouth
mouthof Aeneas,
of Aeneas,
eveneven
before
before
the the
foundation
foundationof ofSyracuse,
Syracuse,
Camarina,
Camarina,
or Gela.
or Gela.
H. W. PARBE.
TRINITY COLLEGE, DUBLIN. W. PARKE

NOTE ON HERACLITUS, FRAGMENT 124.

All the manuscripts of Theophrastus' Metaphysics in which

this fragment is found give the following reading: aXoyov 8o
.0 'XOT O' N It - et E
KCKelvOLS 8odeL
(v TacEL KaU X,
apXaLgs PtJOCv
f)Orlv "HpaKXE
Bartholomaeus
read El for elK
caro si confuso
The perplexit
may be seen fr
Bergk changed
Bernays to o
KexvLELvov fo
Wimmer. In t
Fobes edition o
tion is: " (ovarep c
[O] K6ap0.o^ 3
It would be te
current interp
of the more re
and Fobes render as follows: " The most fair universe," as

17 a 10-15. The only variation in the manuscripts is that 2 has

&Travrd r' for aravr'.
2 W. Kley, Theophrasts Metaphysisches Bruchstiick und die Schrift
7repl a7gLeCiv in der lateinischen Cbersetzung des Bartholomaeus von
Messina.
3 Diels-Kranz, Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker, 5th ed., I, p. 178, 10-
15; Theophrastus Metaphysics, ed. W. D. Ross and F. H. Fobes (Oxford,
1929).

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 NOTE ON HERACLITUS, FRAGMENT 124. 493

Heraclitus says, " is like a rubbish heap of things thrown toget

anyhow." And Frankel, using the same text: "The most pe
fectly organized universe is like a heap of garbage dumped
random (scil. when compared to the less obvious organizat
behind and beyond the manifest regularity of sun, stars,
life) ." 4
An examination of the context will prove, however, that the
manuscript readings must be kept. In the immediately preceding
part Theophrastus has raised the question whether the principles
should be shapeless and as it were potential, or possessed of shape
like those of Plato in the Timaeus. Some thinkers, he says,
maintain that all the ruling principles are possessed of form;
others posit material principles only; a third group adopts both
kinds of principles on the assumption that complete reality is
dependent upon both since being as a whole is composed of
contraries.5 The members of this division are respectively Plato
and the Pythagoreans, the majority of the Presocratics, and the
Peripatetics.6
It is in the criticism of the second group that the fragment
under discussion appears. The objection that Theophrastus raises
is that urged by Aristotle against the Atomists in particular: 7
the materialists had characterized the phenomenal world by order
and at the same time denied any similar order to the first princi-
ples. Theophrastus' motive for quoting Heraclitus is to wrest from
his own words an admission of an antithesis between the orderli-

4 H. Friinkel, "A Thought Pattern in Heraclitus," A. J. P., LIX (1938),

pp. 319-320.
5 Theophrastus, Metaphysics 6 b 23 ff.
6 Ibid., 7 a 6-10. Of the first class Theophrastus mentions only Plato,
but from the continual association of Plato and the Pythagoreans it
is safe to assume that they are meant here too. The Atomists might be
included in this group but Empedocles, although his principles were in
a sense definite, would be placed in the second group. Earlier (6 b 25-26)
Theophrastus gives as an example of the second class those who made
fire and earth principles. He probably is not thinking of particular
philosophers but is using fire and earth merely as symbols of all the
early physical doctrines (see Ross-Fobes ad loc. and Aristotle, Meta-
physics 987 A 17). The loose writing of Theophrastus here obscures the
meaning, since for the Peripatetics form and matter are not opposites
(see Aristotle, Physics, A, chap. 9).
7See Aristotle, Physics 196 A 24-B 5 (cf. Simplicius, Phys., p. 331,
16 ff.) and De Part. Animal. 641 B 15-23.

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494 JOHN B. McDIARMID.

ness
nessof
ofthe
the
world
world
of perception
of perception
and theand
disorder
the disorder
of the principles
of the pr
from
fromwhich
whichthethe
world
world
is formed.
is formed.
Certainly
Certainly
Theophrastus
Theophrastus
is doing
violence
violence toto
Heraclitus'
Heraclitus'
theory,
theory,
for whatever
for whatever
the KeXvpe'va
the KeXvp
were
they
theywere
werenotnot
principles
principles
in an in
Aristotelian
an Aristotelian
sense; but,
sense;
although
but,
these
theseconsiderations
considerationsmay may
throwthrow
suspicion
suspicion
on Theophrastus'
on Theop
understanding
understanding of the
of the
fragment,
fragment,
they dothey
at least
doclarify
at least
theclarify
func- th
tion
tionofofthe
thequotation
quotation
in the
inargument
the argument
and make and
themake
manuscript
the ma
readings
readings intelligible.
intelligible.
The translation
The translation
must be:must"But even
be: "But
those eve
who
whoposit
positmaterial
material
principles
principles
must (i.
must
e. if they
(i. e. considered
if they consid
the
matter
matterrightly)
rightly)
think
think
it unreasonable
it unreasonable
if, whileif,
thewhile
whole the
heaven
whole
and
andeach
eachofof
its its
parts
parts
are in
are
order
in order
and planand
in respect
plan in ofrespect
shapes, o
powers,
powers, and
andperiods
periods
of time,
of time,
in the in
ruling
the principles
ruling principles
nothing
of
of the
thesort
sort
is present,
is present,
but as
but
Heraclitus
as Heraclitus
says 'the says
fairest
'the
manfair
is
is flesh
fleshcomposed
composed of parts
of parts
scattered
scattered
at random'
at random'
so is the cosmos."
so is the c
Since
Since7a-ncp
7a-ncp must
must
be taken
be taken
with (pr7ov
with 'HpadKXELTO
(pr7ov 'HpadKXELTO
8 the actual8 th
quotation
quotation is: is:
aCap
aCap
CLKVCLKV
KEXVpIVOWV
KEXVpIVOWV6 KadXXLaro.
6 KadXXLaro.
The contextThe
maycon
lead
leadone
onetoto
suspect
suspect
thatthat
Heraclitus
Heraclitus
had in some
had inwaysome
connected
way co
O
O KcOAXtaro
KcOAXtaro andand
o Kor/ao,
o Kor/ao,
and that
andTheophrastus
that Theophrastus
is quoting is
directly
directly only
onlypart
part
of one
of of
one
Heraclitus'
of Heraclitus'
sayings framed
sayingsin framed
the
familiar
familiar ABAB: BC
: BC
thought
thought
pattern.9
pattern.9
The original
The could
original
possibly
could
have
haverun:
run:
" The
" The
fairest
fairest
man is
man
flesh
is composed
flesh composed
of parts scattered
of parts sca
at
at random;
random;men
men
are are
but scattered
but scattered
parts ofparts
the cosmos."
of the cosmos."

JOHIN B. MCDIARMID.
THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY.

A NOTE ON THE LOCATION OF THE

CENA TRIMALCHIONIS.

The problem of where the Cena Trimalchionis took plac

provided material for a great deal of learned discussion.'
8 Ross-Fobes' interpretation requires that &airep be taken with bo
adip/a and q<raiv. This impossible construction, which is implied by
of the current interpretations, is obviated by the observation that wE
*. .. q7aZv 'HpadKXeLros go together and enclose the quotation and
this whole phrase is predicate to 6 K6T/LoS.
9 E. g. frags. 79, 82, 83. Cf. Frankel, loc. cit.
1For the literature on the subject see Schanz-Hosius, Geschichte d
r6mischen Literatur4, II, p. 512. Cumae, Tarracina, Naples, Pute
and Misenum have all been suggested. At present Cumae appears
the favorite.

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