Dios Rome, Volume 1 | Page 6

by
Mediceus B.
What knowledge has the world of the first thirty-five books of Dio's
Roman History? To such a question answer must be made that of this
whole section the merest glimpse can be had. It is here that we
encounter the name of Zonaras, concerning whom some information
will now be in order. Ioannes Zonaras was an official of the Byzantine
Court who came into prominence under Alexis I. Comnenus in the
early part of the twelfth century. For a time he acted as both
commander of the body-guard and first private secretary to Alexis, but
in the succeeding reign,--that of Calo-Ioannes,--he retired to the
monastery of Mt. Athos, where he devoted himself to literary labors
until his death, which is said to have occurred at the advanced age of
eighty-eight. He was the author of numerous works, such as a Lexicon
of Words Old and New, an Exposition of the Apostolic and Patristic
Canons, an Argument Directed Against the Marriage of Two Nephews
to the Same Woman, etc.; but our special interest lies in his [Greek:
Chronikon] (Chronicon), a history of the world in eighteen books, from
the creation to 1118 A.D.,--this last being the date of the demise of

Alexis. The earlier portions of this work are drawn from Josephus; for
Roman History he uses largely Cassius Dio; Plutarch, Eusebius,
Appian also figure. But it has already been stated that Books
Twenty-two to Thirty-five perished at an indefinitely early date; hence
it follows that Zonaras has only Books One to Twenty-one at hand to
use for his account of early Rome; besides these he has later employed
Books Forty-four to Eighty. Consequently it is possible to get many of
the facts related to Dio, and in some cases his exact words, by reading
Books VII to XII of this [Greek: Chronikon] or [Greek: Epitomê
Historiôn] by Zonaras. It is Books VII, VIII, and IX especially which
follow Books One to Twenty-one of Dio.
Parallel with this account of Zonaras and extending beyond it, even to
the extent of throwing a wire of communication across the yawning
time-chasm represented by Books Twenty-two to Thirty-five, are
certain excerpts and epitomes found in various odd corners and
strangely preserved to the present moment. These are: Excerpts
Concerning Virtues and Vices; Excerpts Concerning Judgments;
Excerpts Concerning Embassies. The so-called "Planudean Excerpts"
which used to be admitted to editions are rejected on good authority[2]
by Melber, whom I have followed. I shall attempt only a brief mention
of those excerpts, to show their pertinence.
[Footnote 2: Mommsen (Hermes VI, pp. 82-89); Haupt (Hermes XIV,
pp. 36-64, and XV, p. 160); Boissevain (Program, Rotterdam, 1884).]
The Excerpts Concerning Virtues and Vices exist in a manuscript of the
tenth century at the library of Tours, originally brought from the island
of Cyprus and sold to Nicolas Claude Fabre de Peiresc, who lived from
1580 to 1637. Apparently it is a collection made at the order of
Constantine VII. Porphyrogenitus. It was first published at Paris by
Henri de Valois in 1634. The collection consists of quotations from
Polybius, Diodorus Siculus, Nicolas Damascenus, Dionysius of
Halicarnassus, Appian, Dio, John of Antioch, and others.
The Excerpts Concerning Judgments are found in a Vatican manuscript
known as Codex Vaticanus Rescriptus Græcus, N. 73. Angelo Mai first
published the collection at Rome in 1826. They consist of many

narrative fragments extending over the field of Roman History from
early to late times, but fall into two parts: between these two parts there
is a gap of six or more pages. That the former set of fragments is taken
directly from Dio all scholars are ready to allow. In regard to the latter
set there have been, and perhaps still are, diverse opinions. The trouble
is that on the one hand these passages do not end with the reign of
Alexander Severus, where Dio manifestly ended his history, but
continue down to Constantine and (since the manuscript has lost some
sheets at the close) possibly much farther: and on the other hand the
style and diction differ considerably from Dio's own. It was once the
fashion to say that as many of the fragments as come before the reign
of Valerian (A.D. 253)[3] came from Dio's composition, but that the
remainder were written by an unknown author. Now, however, it is
generally agreed that all the excerpts of the second set were the work of
one man, whether John of Antioch, or Peter Patricius, or some third
individual. Still, though not direct quotations from Dio, they are
regarded as of value in filling out both his account and that of
Xiphilinus. The words are different, but the facts remain undoubtedly
true.
[Footnote 3: This would give Dio a considerably longer life than is
commonly allowed him.]
The Excerpts Concerning Embassies