PL 2 · cols. 1165–1172

Appendix I: Carmina Tertulliano adscripta, De Jona et Ninive

Editors' preface

CARMEN DE JONA ET NINIVE, CUM ADNOTATIONIBUS FRANCISCI JURETI.

POEM ON JONAH AND NINEVEH, WITH THE NOTES OF FRANÇOIS JURET.

ARGUMENTUM.

ARGUMENT.

Carmen hoc, nunquam antea visum nec lectum repertum fuit in vetusto codice manuscripto, cujus copiam mihi fecit P. Pithoeus i. c. saluti priscorum auctorum natus. Tertulliani vero genuinum esse opus, duae res docent: primum, quia in eodem v. c. Tertulliano tribuitur, quemadmodum etiam aliud carmen de Sodomis quod postremum olim prodiit in lucem sub nomine divi Cypriani, sed nuper assertum Tertulliano, ex conjectura, a Jac. Pamelio viro multae lectionis et judicii. Unde obiter confirmabo sententiam ipsius Pamelii, et monebo studiosos ne amplius addubitent de vero auctore carminis de Sodomis. Deinde prorsus redolet phrasim Tertullianicam, ut obscuram et asperam, sic etiam eruditam. Illud dolendum est quod in membranis imperite opus descriptum exstitit ab antiquario. Proposui igitur bona fide lectionem v. c. et conjunctim emendationes, ne cui fucum facerem, donec aliud exemplar manuscriptum erui possit, unde caeterae labeculae eluantur. Quod attinet ad titulum,

This poem, never before seen or read, was found in an old manuscript codex, the use of which was granted me by P. Pithou, jurisconsult, a man born for the preservation of the ancient authors. That it is a genuine work of Tertullian two things show: first, that in the same old manuscript it is ascribed to Tertullian, as is also another poem, on Sodom, which some time ago came out, placed last, under the name of St Cyprian, but has lately been claimed for Tertullian, by conjecture, by Jac. Pamelius, a man of wide reading and judgement. From this I shall confirm in passing the opinion of Pamelius himself, and advise students to have no further doubt about the true author of the poem on Sodom. Secondly, it altogether breathes Tertullian's phrasing, which is as learned as it is obscure and rough. This is to be lamented, that in the parchment the work was copied unskilfully by the scribe. I have therefore set out in good faith the reading of the old manuscript and, joined with it, my emendations, so as to deceive no one, until another manuscript copy can be unearthed by which the remaining small blemishes may be washed out. As for the title,

Editors' notes and page, col. 1165

Footnotes

(printed under page 587) (87) Cinerum senio signata. Ita correxi, pro quo erat in v. c. cinerum senios ignara. Conjecturam meam confirmat aperte alter ejusdem Tertulliani versus de Sodomis, ubi sic: Tota rogus regio est, hinc atro horrore favillae. Inde situ cano cineres incendia signant. Sic enim obiter lego ex vestigiis v. c. in quo: hinc de situ; vulgo est: Hincque situ.

(87) Marked by the age of the ashes. So I have corrected it; in its place the old manuscript had cinerum senios ignara. My conjecture is plainly confirmed by another line of the same Tertullian on Sodom, which runs: "The whole region is a pyre; hence, in black horror of the embers, the ashes, by their hoary decay, mark the fires." For so I read in passing from the traces of the old manuscript, which has hinc de situ; the common reading is Hincque situ.

(printed under page 587) (88) Facti mortem maris. Intelligit mare Mortuum, de quo ipsemet in carmine de Sodomis: Nec mare vivit ibi, mors est maris, illa quieti.

(88) The death of the sea that was made. He means the Dead Sea, of which he himself says in the poem on Sodom: "Nor does the sea live there; that stillness is the sea's death."

(printed under page 587) (89) Pene alios ignes. Placet haec emendatio, ducta conjectura P. Pithoei: accedit enim prope ad vestigia scripturae v. c. in quo: Pane alio ignes superis decesserat imbris.

(89) Almost other fires. This emendation, taken from a conjecture of P. Pithou, is satisfactory, for it comes close to the traces of the writing in the old manuscript, which has: "Pane alio ignes superis decesserat imbris."

(printed under page 587) (90) Justique fuerant. Varias recipit conjecturas; dubium enim est an auctor scripserit justique forem, vel justi fines, ut censet idem Pithoeus: statim scripsi, transgressa Ninive pro quo v. c. transgressi Ninivitae.

(90) And of the just they had been. This admits various conjectures, for it is doubtful whether the author wrote justique forem or justi fines ("the bounds of the just"), as the same Pithou thinks. Immediately after I have written transgressa Ninive ("Nineveh, having transgressed"), where the old manuscript has transgressi Ninivitae ("the Ninevites, having transgressed").

(printed under page 587) (91) At bonus. V. c. at boni.

(91) But the good. The old manuscript has at boni.

(printed under page 587) (92) Mente prophetam. Forte prophetas, ut conjungatur, cum voce praesagos.

(92) In mind, the prophet. Perhaps prophetas ("prophets"), so that it may agree with the word praesagos ("foreseeing").

(printed under page 587)

Editors' prose

- The work's title, printed across the page (read across cols 1165–1166), and the opening of Juret's ARGUMENTUM ("ARGUMENTUM. Carmen hoc, nunquam antea visum … Quod attinet ad titulum,"), in the lower part of col 1165, are set in the part with a note line naming the Argumentum editors' matter (not Tertullian's). Its end stands at the head of the lower part of col 1166 and is set in that part.

Page

running head: 1165 APPENDIX I. — DE JONA ET NINIVE. 1166 [printed "APPENDIX" with damaged type, as "APPBNDIX"]
marginal letters: (none in this unit's part of col 1165; A and B stand beside the preceding poem in col 1166; C ‹inscribebatur in v. c. de Ninive› and D ‹Ni prius admoneat› stand beside col 1166)
old-edition numerals: (none in this unit's part; the bold 1108 stands before 'Elige quid velis' in the preceding poem, another unit)
other: The upper part of the page (col. 1165 'Sic nimium sapere ...' to 'Sed te correctum forsan matura senectus', col. 1166 'In melius revocat ...' to '... quem poenitet ante fuisse.') is the close of the preceding poem, Ad senatorem (another unit), with its Commentarius (85 end), (86); not set here. The title is printed across the full page width and is set once here. The driver's description gave the title as 'Q. SEPT. FLOR. TERTULLIANI ... LIBER'; the page actually prints 'CARMEN DE JONA ET NINIVE, CUM ADNOTATIONIBUS FRANCISCI JURETI.', set as printed. EDITORS' PROSE: Juret's ARGUMENTUM fills the lower left column (col. 1165, 'Carmen hoc, nunquam antea visum ...' to '... Quod attinet ad titulum,') and continues at the head of col. 1166 ('inscribebatur in v. c. de Ninive ... in sacris Bibliis exstat.'); set by QA Q2 (2026-10-19) under the editors'-prose rule (Ray 2026-10-17). Commentarius notes (87)-(92) at the foot are set above.

PL 2:1166

inscribebatur in v. c. de Ninive. Sed cum tota narratio pertineat ad Jonam, visum est inscribere etiam: de Jona. Suspicio tamen est Tertullianum expressisse carmine integram histori⟨a⟩m Jonae, ut in sacris Bibliis exstat.

it was headed in the old manuscript De Ninive ("On Nineveh"). But since the whole narrative concerns Jonah, it seemed good to head it also De Jona ("On Jonah"). There is, however, a suspicion that Tertullian set out in verse the whole history of Jonah, as it stands in the Holy Bible.

Post Sodomum et Gomorum viventia funera in aevum, / Et cinerum senio signata incendia, poenae, / Et frustra solis oculis nascentia pauca, / Et pariter facti mortem maris et solis illic / Si quid ⟨h⟩omo est poenam mutato corpore servans: / Pene alios igues superi decusserat imbris, / Urbs aequi justique fuerant transgressa Ninive.

After Sodom and Gomorrah, funerals living on for ever, / and conflagrations marked by the decay of ashes, punishments, / and the few things born in vain for the eyes alone, / and likewise the death of the sea that was made, and, of the sun there, / whatever is a man keeping its punishment in a changed body: / almost other fires of the rain from above had it shaken down, / the city that had transgressed [the bounds] of equity and justice, Nineveh.

Nam quis subversae menti metus omnia vulgo / Poenarum documenta vacant, ubi possidet error.

For what fear [is there] for a mind overturned? All / the lessons of punishments are commonly void, where error holds possession.

At bonus, et nostri patiens, et plectere serus, / Omnipotens Dominus nullam jaculabitur iram, / Ni prius admoneat, durataque pectora pulset, / Praesagos agitans angusta mente, prophetam / Namque Ninivitum meritis mandarat Jonam / Praefari exitium Dominus; sed conscius ille

But the good, both patient with us and slow to punish, / Almighty Lord will hurl no wrath, / unless He first admonish and strike hardened hearts, / stirring the foreboding [ones] with anxious mind, a prophet; / for the Lord had charged Jonah, for the deserts of the Ninevites, / to foretell destruction; but he, conscious

Editors' notes and page, col. 1166

Footnotes

(87) ‹anchor: cinerum senio signata› · call in col 1166

Cinerum senio signata. Ita correxi, pro quo erat in v. c. cinerum senios ignara. Conjecturam meam confirmat aperte alter ejusdem Tertulliani versus de Sodomis, ubi sic : Tota rogus regio est, hinc atro horrore favillae. Inde situ cano cineres incendia signant. Sic enim obiter lego ex vestigiis v. c. in quo : hinc de situ ; vulgo est : Hincque situ.

"Marked by the age of ashes." So I have corrected it; in its place the old manuscript (v. c.) had "cinerum senios ignara". My conjecture is plainly confirmed by another verse of the same Tertullian on Sodom, which runs thus: "The whole region is a pyre; hence the black dread of embers. From a hoary site the ashes mark the burnings." For so I read it in passing from the traces of the old manuscript, which has "hinc de situ"; the common text has "Hincque situ".

(printed under page 587)

(88) ‹anchor: facti mortem maris› · call in col 1166

Facti mortem maris. Intelligit mare Mortuum, de quo ipsemet in carmine de Sodomis : Nec mare vivit ibi, mors est maris, illa quieti.

"The death of the sea made." He means the Dead Sea, of which he himself says in the poem on Sodom: "Nor does the sea live there; that stillness is the sea's death."

(printed under page 587)

(89) ‹anchor: Pene alios ignes› · call in col 1166

Pene alios ignes. Placet haec emendatio, ducta conjectura P. Pithoei : accedit enim prope ad vestigia scripturae v. c. in quo : Pane alio ignes superis decesserat imbris.

"Almost other fires." This emendation, drawn from a conjecture of P. Pithou, is satisfactory, for it comes close to the traces of the old manuscript's writing, which has: "Pane alio ignes superis decesserat imbris."

(printed under page 587)

(90) ‹anchor: justique fuerant› · call in col 1166

Justique fuerant. Varias recipit conjecturas ; dubium enim est an auctor scripserit justique forem, vel justi fines, ut censet idem Pithoeus : statim scripsi, transgressa Ninive pro quo v. c. transgressi Ninivitae.

"And of the just had been." This admits various conjectures; for it is doubtful whether the author wrote "justique forem" or "justi fines", as the same Pithou thinks. Just after, I have written "transgressa Ninive", where the old manuscript has "transgressi Ninivitae".

(printed under page 587)

(91) ‹anchor: At bonus› · call in col 1166

At bonus. V. c. at boni.

"But the good." The old manuscript: "at boni".

(printed under page 587)

(92) ‹anchor: mente prophetam› · call in col 1166

Mente prophetam. Forte prophetas, ut conjungatur, cum voce praesagos.

"In mind, the prophet." Perhaps "prophetas", so that it may be joined with the word "praesagos".

(printed under page 587)

Editors' prose

- The end of Juret's ARGUMENTUM ("inscribebatur in v. c. de Ninive … in sacris Bibliis exstat."), at the head of the lower part of col 1166, is set in the part before the poem, with a note line naming it editors' matter (set by QA Q2, 2026-10-19). Its heading and opening, below the work's title printed across the page, stand in col 1165 (page 587, left) and are set in that column's part with the title.

Page

running head: [cut off at left] l. — DE JONA ET NINIVE. 1166
marginal letters: A In melius revocat; B Non erit in culpa; C inscribebatur in v. c. (editors' prose); D Ni prius admoneat
old-edition numerals: (none)
other: the column opens with the end of the previous work (another unit), not set here; below the title band printed across the page the unit begins with the end of the ARGUMENTUM ("inscribebatur"), then the poem at Post Sodomum
running head: 1165 APPENDIX I. — DE JONA ET NINIVE. 1166
marginal letters: C ‹inscribebatur in v. c. de Ninive› (Argumentum line); D ‹Ni prius admoneat, durataque pectora pulset› (A and B on this page stand beside the preceding poem, another unit)
old-edition numerals: (none)
misprints kept as printed: ‹igues› for ignes ('Pene alios igues (89)'; turned n; the note's lemma prints ignes). ‹histori⟨a⟩m›: the a is under an ink blot in the Argumentum, supplied in angle brackets as ‹⟨h⟩omo› in the poem.

PL 2:1167

Parcere subjectis, et debito cedere poenae Supplicibus; facilemque boni, cessabat abire, Ne vanum caneret, cessura pace minarum. Mox fuga consilium, si qua est tamen ista facultas, Evitare Deum, Dominique evadere dextram, Qua subter totus trepidans compescitur orbis, At ratus est quod agit sancto de corde prophetes.

[that God is wont] to spare the subjected and to remit the due penalty to suppliants; and, knowing Him easy to goodness, he held back from going, lest he should proclaim in vain, since the threats were to give way to peace. Soon flight was his counsel, if indeed there is any such possibility: to avoid God and to escape the right hand of the Lord, beneath which the whole world, trembling, is held in check; yet the prophet reckoned that what he was doing he did from a holy heart.

Littoris in labio portu celeberrima fido Urbs ora est Cilicum, contra libratur Joppen. Inde igitur Tharsos properus rate scandit Jonas. Ejusdem fert acta Deus, nec denique mirum, Si Dominum in terris fugiens, invenit in undis. Parvula nam subito maculaverat aera nubes, Feller sulfureo de semine concita venti, Paulatimque globus pariter cum sole cohaesit, Deceptumque diem caliginis agmine clusit.

On the lip of the shore, most renowned for its trusty harbour, there is a city on the coast of the Cilicians; it is set over against Joppa. From there, therefore, Jonah in haste boards a ship for Tarsus. God bears with his deeds, nor, after all, is it a wonder if, fleeing the Lord on land, he found Him in the waves. For suddenly a small cloud had stained the air, [Feller] stirred up from the sulphurous seed of the wind, and little by little the mass closed in together with the sun, and shut in the cheated day with a host of darkness.

Editors' notes and page, col. 1167

Footnotes

(printed under page 588) (92*) ‹anchor: debito cedere poenae› · call in col 1167 Debita cedere poenae. Ita emendavi, cum corrupte esset in v. c. debitam cedere poenam ; cedere posuit pro remittere.

"To remit the due penalty." So I have emended it, since in the old manuscript it was corruptly "debitam cedere poenam"; he has put "cedere" for "remittere" ("to remit").

(printed under page 588)

(93) ‹anchor: cessabat abire› · call in col 1167

Cessabat obire. Id est, recusabat Jonas implere officium admonendi. Plane eodem colore Prudentius excusat Jonam, hymno 7 Cathem., ubi haec historia describitur : Jonam prophetam mitis ultor excitat Poenae imminentis iret ut praenuntius, Sed nosset ille cum minacem Judicem Servare malle quam ferire ac plectere, Tectam latenter vertit in Tharsos figuram. Verum alii scriptores aiunt Jonam contemptu id fecisse. D. Hieronymus, Comment. in Jonam : « Conscius erat fugae et peccati quo Domini praecepta neglexerat. » D. Gregorius lib. VI in Job. C. 13 : « Illic gestante bellua pervenit quo ire sponte contempsit. Ecce fugitivum Dei tempestas invenit, sors litigat, mare suscipit, bellua includit, et quia auctori suo obedire nititur, ad locum quo missus fuerat, suo reus carcere portatur. » Isidorus lib. de vita et morte sanctor. cap. 45 : « Jonas ad gentium praeconia mittitur, missus contemnit, contemnens fugit, fugiens dormit, » etc.

"He held back from going." That is, Jonah refused to fulfil the duty of warning. Prudentius excuses Jonah in plainly the same colours, in hymn 7 of the Cathemerinon, where this story is told: "The gentle avenger rouses Jonah the prophet to go as herald of the punishment hanging over them; but he, knowing that the threatening Judge would rather save than strike and punish, secretly turned his hidden flight [as printed: 'figuram', 'figure'] towards Tarsus." But other writers say that Jonah did this out of contempt. St Jerome, Commentary on Jonah: "He was conscious of his flight and of the sin by which he had neglected the Lord's commands." St Gregory, Moralia on Job, book VI, chapter 13: "There, carried by the beast, he came where of his own will he had scorned to go. See, the storm finds God's runaway, the lot disputes, the sea receives him, the beast shuts him in; and because he strives to obey his Maker [as printed: 'obedire nititur'], the guilty man is carried in his own prison to the place to which he had been sent." Isidore, book On the Life and Death of the Saints, chapter 45: "Jonah is sent to preach to the gentiles; sent, he scorns; scorning, he flees; fleeing, he sleeps," and so on.

(printed under page 588)

(94) ‹anchor: Qua subter› · call in col 1167

Qua subter. Erat in v. c. super.

"Where beneath." The old manuscript had "super" ("above").

(printed under page 588)

(95) ‹anchor: At ratus est› · call in col 1167

At ratus est. Corrupte rursus in exemplari, an rati. Statim reposui de corde, pro quo v. c. de corpore. Removet auctor a propheta culpam, ut excuset factum.

"But he thought." Again corrupt in the copy: "an rati". Just after, I have restored "de corde" ("from the heart"), where the old manuscript has "de corpore" ("from the body"). The author removes the blame from the prophet, to excuse the deed.

(printed under page 588)

(96) ‹anchor: Littoris in labio› · call in col 1167

Littoris in labio. Similis phrasis Sisennae apud Nonium Marcel. : « Sistitque in labro summo fluminis. » Et M. Tullius os portus similiter dixit ; nam sic de suppliciis in Verrem : « Nam in ipso aditu atque ore portus. »

"On the lip of the shore." A similar phrase of Sisenna in Nonius Marcellus: "And he halts on the topmost lip of the river." And Marcus Tullius likewise said "the mouth of the harbour"; for so in the speech against Verres on the punishments: "For at the very entrance and mouth of the harbour."

(printed under page 588)

(97) ‹anchor: Tharsos› · call in col 1167

Tharsos. V. c. Tharros properus rate conscendit.

"Tarsus." The old manuscript: "Tharros properus rate conscendit" ("in haste he boards a ship for Tharros").

(printed under page 588)

(98) ‹anchor: Concita venti› · call in col 1167

Concita venti. Puto, vere ita correxi, pro quo v. c. conotia venti.

"Stirred of the wind." I think I have rightly corrected it so, where the old manuscript has "conotia venti".

(printed under page 588)

(99) ‹anchor: Deceptumque diem› · call in col 1167

Deceptumque diem. Pro ereptum posuit.

"And the day deceived." He has put it for "ereptum" ("snatched away").

(printed under page 588)

(1) ‹anchor: Fluctifrago› · call in col 1168

Fluctifrago. Alias v. c. fluctivago.

"Wave-breaking." Elsewhere, the old manuscript: "fluctivago" ("wave-wandering").

(printed under page 588)

(2) ‹anchor: Antemna stridens› · call in col 1168

Antemna stridens. Non hic dicam produci ultimam, in antemna, propter pentemimerim, sed potius observandam monebo veterum consuetudinem, qui vocalem longam faciebant cum sequerentur duae consonantes. Quem morem tamen neotérici nec intellexerunt nec viderunt, qui saepe locos in auctoribus corruperunt contra fidem et consensum omum v. c. Id ego prolatis et restitutis testimoniis docui ad Paulinum, Sedulium, Marium Victorem, Juvencum et caeteros. Addam tantum verba vetustissimi grammatici Terentiani Mauri, cap. de carmine heroico : Spondaeum geminae possunt firmare sonorae; Exemplis an prava sequar, vel recta, probabo. Quisque scire cupit, vel quisque scribere curat, Antestare decet cum dico, et separo verbum. Ante Stesichorum vatem natura creavit.

"The creaking yard-arm." I shall not say here that the last syllable of "antemna" is lengthened because of the penthemimeral caesura; rather I shall advise that the custom of the ancients be observed, who made a vowel long when two consonants followed. Yet the moderns neither understood nor noticed this custom, and they have often corrupted passages in the authors against the faith and agreement of all [as printed: 'omum'] the old manuscripts. I have shown this, bringing forward and restoring the evidence, on Paulinus, Sedulius, Marius Victor, Juvencus and the rest. I shall add only the words of the very ancient grammarian Terentianus Maurus, in the chapter on heroic verse: "Two sounding [consonants] can make a spondee firm; whether I follow the wrong or the right, I shall prove by examples. Whoever wishes to know, or whoever takes care to write: 'Antestare decet', when I say it and separate the word; 'Ante Stesichorum vatem natura creavit'."

(printed under page 588)

(3) ‹anchor: labor horret ab alto› · call in col 1168

Labor horret ab alto. P. Pithoeus subolet voce laboris hic significari vexilli seu veli speciem. Sane Gregorius Nazianzenus, Oratione in Julian., ait vexillum esse quod a Latinis dicatur labor, quia vim habeat solvendorum laborum. Exstat in cod. Theodos. l. VI, tit. 25, de praepositis laborum, « ubi sic praepositi laborum nostro et stipendiorum sudoribus promoventur. » Sed et in cod. Justinian. lib. XII, tit. 18, constantissima fide in omnibus libris manuscriptis inscribit : De Praep. laborum. Quae tamen scriptura quibusdam insolens visa fuit, adeo ut Accursius notet fuisse sua aetate qui pro laborum, reponerent labiorum, ridicule. Nunc alii putant legendum potius labarorum, exemplo quo Constantinus imperator vexillum illud nobile quo utebatur in bello, labarum appellavit. Ego non temere discedendum arbitror a scriptura veterum codicum.

"The banner bristles from on high." P. Pithou suspects that by the word "labor" some kind of standard or sail is meant here. Indeed Gregory of Nazianzus, in the Oration against Julian, says that the standard is what the Latins call "labor", because it has power to end labours. In the Theodosian Code, book VI, title 25, there is a title on the officers of the labores, "where thus the officers of the labores are promoted by our sweat and that of the soldiers' pay." And in the Code of Justinian too, book XII, title 18, it is headed with the most constant fidelity in all the manuscript books: "On the officers of the labores." Yet to some this reading seemed unusual, so much so that Accursius notes that in his day there were those who put "labiorum" ("of the lips") in place of "laborum", absurdly. Now others think "labarorum" should rather be read, after the example by which the Emperor Constantine called that famous standard which he used in war the labarum. I judge that one should not lightly depart from the reading of the old manuscripts.

(printed under page 588)

(4) ‹anchor: Geminus clamor› · call in col 1168

Geminus clamor. Primam in clamor contraxit Tertullianus, non solus inter priscos. Nam Paulinus, libris de vita Martini, ea licentia usus....... Clamor autem in tempestate marina locum habet, Ovidius lib. II Metam. Quippe sonant clamore viri, stridore rudentes, Undarum incursu gravis unda. Sed et ipse Tertullianus paulo post subdit : Sunt miserae voces ad singula fragmina Ponti.

"A double clamour." Tertullian shortened the first syllable of "clamor", and not alone among the ancients; for Paulinus, in his books On the Life of Martin, used that licence....... And a clamour has its place in a storm at sea; Ovid, Metamorphoses book II: "For the men resound with shouting, the ropes with creaking, the heavy wave with the onrush of waves." And Tertullian himself adds a little later: "There are wretched cries at every breaking of the sea."

(printed under page 588)

(5) ‹anchor: Anima spiras› · call in col 1168 (printed there as "(4)")

Anima spiras. Erat in v. c. animas spiras. Isidorus (Etym. lib. IX, cap. 3) ait spiras funes esse quibus nautae utuntur in tempestatibus, a Sparto dictas.

"Breath ... the coils." The old manuscript had "animas spiras". Isidore (Etymologies, book IX, chapter 3) says that "spirae" are ropes which sailors use in storms, named from esparto.

(printed under page 588)

(6) ‹anchor: Oblaqueare mitram› · call in col 1168 (printed there as "(5)")

Oblaqueare mitram. Felicissima hujus loci restitutio debetur et acumini et judicio P. Pithoei. Depravate erat in v. c. Oblaquearem vibram. Isidorus lib. XIX Etym. cap. 4, scribit mitram esse funem quo navis media vincitur. Quae vox rara est et a paucis alibi electa.

"To lash the mitra." The very happy restoration of this passage is owed to both the sharpness and the judgement of P. Pithou. The old manuscript had, corruptly, "Oblaquearem vibram". Isidore, Etymologies book XIX, chapter 4, writes that the "mitra" is a rope by which a ship is bound amidships. The word is rare and chosen by few elsewhere.

(printed under page 588)

(7) ‹anchor: Pectore gyros› · call in col 1168

Pectore gyros. Corrupte erat in v. c. nigyros, et fortassis totum sic melius legetur : « Veli eluctantes impellere pectore gyros. »

"Circles with the breast." The old manuscript had, corruptly, "nigyros"; and perhaps the whole will be better read thus: "struggling to drive the sail's circles with the breast."

(printed under page 588)

(8) ‹anchor: Puteum graveolere› · call in col 1168

Puteum graveolere. Arbitror auctorem verbum hoc active usurpasse, et graveolere puteum idem valere ac facere ut puteus gravem odorem exhalet. Intelligo igitur hunc locum de sentina navis, quae tum gravius olet cum sedimentum aquae quiescentis movetur et exhauritur. Paulinus in carm. ad Cytherium : (continues)

"To make the well stink." I judge that the author used this verb actively, and that "graveolere puteum" means the same as to make the well breathe out a heavy smell. I therefore understand this passage of the ship's bilge, which smells worse when the sediment of the standing water is stirred and pumped out. Paulinus, in the poem to Cytherius: (continues)

(printed under page 588)

Page

running head: 1167 AD GENUINA TERTULLI[...] (cut off at the image edge)
marginal letters: A Parcere subjectis / Supplicibus (first lines); B Deceptumque diem; C beside the commentary line "13 : « Illic gestante bellua"; D beside the commentary note "(97) Tharsos"
old-edition numerals: 1109 before Parcere (at the head of the column)

PL 2:1168

Fit speculum coeli pelagus, niger ambitus undas Inficit, in tenebras ruit aether, et mare surgit. Nequidquam medios fluctus dum nubila tangunt Gloria ventorum quos omnes turbine miscet. Diversus furor in profugum frendebat Jonam. Una ratis certamen erat coeloque fretoque, Tunditur hinc illinc, tremit omnis silva sub ictu Fluctifrago, subter concussa est spira carinae. Palpitat antemma stridens, labor horret ab alto, Ipsa etiam infringi dubitans inflectitur arbor. Nauticus interea geminus clamor omnia tentat, Pro rate proque anima, spiras mundare morantes Oblaqueare mithram, clavorum stringere nisus, Vel reluctantes impellere pectore gyros: Pars maris interni puteum graveolere vicissim.

The sea becomes a mirror of the sky, a black circuit stains the waves, the upper air rushes into darkness, and the sea rises. In vain, while the clouds touch the midst of the billows, is the boast of the winds, all of which it churns together in a whirlwind. A many-sided fury gnashed against the fugitive Jonah. The one ship was the contest of both sky and strait; it is pounded on this side and that, the whole timber trembles under the wave-breaking blow, and beneath, the coil of the keel is shaken. The yard quivers, creaking, the banner bristles from on high, the mast itself too, wavering on the point of breaking, is bent. Meanwhile the twofold shout of the sailors tries everything, for the ship and for life: to clear the lagging ropes, to lash the mithra, to tighten the strain of the rudders, or to drive with the chest the resisting turns [of the capstan]; part in turn make the well of the inner sea give off its foul smell.

Editors' notes and page, col. 1168

Page

running head: UINA TERTULLIANI OPERA 1168 (cut off at left edge of image)
marginal letters: A Inficit, in tenebras; B below Pars maris interni, at the end of the verse; C fuit, adeo ut Accursius (in the Commentarius); D Isidorus (Etym. lib. IX (in the Commentarius)
old-edition numerals: 1110 at the head of the verse, before Fit
other: the calls (1)-(8) stand in this column; their notes are printed under page 588 and set in n1167. The page misnumbers two calls: 'spiras (4)' is note (5) and 'mithram (5)' is note (6); there is no printed '(6)'. 'undas' at the end of the first line is printed as a turnover at the end of the second line, after '[', and is set in its place in the first line.
misprints kept as printed: ‹antemma› (the note's lemma prints antemna); ‹mithram› (the note's lemma prints mitram)

PL 2:1169

Egregias rapiunt tunc merces atque onus omnes Praecipitant, certantque pericula vincere damnis. Sunt miserae voces ad singula fragmina ponti, Expenduntque manus nullorum ad lumina divum, Quos maris et coeli vis non timet, haud minus illos Puppibus obtrusos irato turbine mergens. Nescius haec reus ipse cavo sub fornice puppis Sternentem inflata resonabat nare soporem, Jam tunc in somno Domini formando figuram. Hunc simul undisecae qui cogit munia procae, Pace soporatum placida, requiete superbum Institit impulsans: Quid, ait, discrimine in isto Somniare capis, tantoque in turbine portum Solus habes? nos unda operit, spes unica divum est. Tu quoque, quisquis tibi Deus est, dic vota precesque. Exin quis culpae propriae, quis causa procellae Discere sorte placet, nec sors mentitur Jonam.

Then they all seize the choice wares and hurl the whole cargo headlong, and strive to overcome the dangers by losses. Wretched are the cries at each breaking of the sea, and they spend their hands towards the lights of gods who are nothing, whom the force of sea and sky does not fear, sinking those no less, thrust upon the sterns, in the angry whirlwind. Unaware of these things, the guilty man himself, beneath the hollow vault of the stern, was sounding out with swollen nostril a sprawling sleep, even then in slumber shaping the figure of the Lord. At once he who drives the tasks of the wave-cleaving prow pressed upon him, shaking him as he lay lulled in placid peace, proud in his repose: "What," he says, "in this peril do you take to dreaming, and in so great a whirlwind do you alone have a harbour? The wave covers us; our one hope is the gods. You too, whoever is God to you, speak vows and prayers." Then it pleases them to learn by lot whose is the fault, who the cause of the storm; and the lot does not lie about Jonah.

Editors' notes and page, col. 1169

Footnotes

(printed under page 589)

(8) (continued) ‹anchor: not visible› · call on p. 588

Quo cymba multam duxerat rimis Aquam olente sentinae lacu. Quintilianus (lib. VIII) observat a Cicerone dictam reipublicae sentinam, significante foeditatem hominum ; Tertullianus vero partem maris interni vocat, quia sentinae aqua e mari est.

"Where the skiff had taken in much water through its seams, in the stinking pool of the bilge." Quintilian (book VIII) observes that Cicero spoke of "the bilge of the republic", meaning the foulness of men; Tertullian, however, calls it a part of the inner sea, because the bilge-water is from the sea.

(printed under page 589)

(9) ‹anchor: Egregias rapiunt› · call in col ? (not visible)

Egregias rapiunt. Erat in v. c. Egregiae tunc rapiunt.

"They snatch the choice." The old manuscript had "Egregiae tunc rapiunt".

(printed under page 589)

(10) ‹anchor: Nullorum› · call in col ? (not visible)

Nullorum. In v. c. ad hanc vocem recentiore quadam manu superadditum erat, multorum. Sed bene vocat nullos divos, quia gentium dii revera nulli sunt, vel quia nullius opis et auxilii. Hinc illa vox apud veteres comicos : Nullus sum. Et Paulinus : Nullus eram, et faciente Deo sum natus ut essem.

"Of no [gods]." In the old manuscript "multorum" ("of many") had been written above this word by some more recent hand. But he rightly calls them gods that are nothing, because the gods of the gentiles in truth are nothing, or because they are of no power or help. Hence that expression in the old comic writers: "I am nothing." And Paulinus: "I was nothing, and by God's making I was born so that I might be."

(printed under page 589)

(11) ‹anchor: Haud minus illos› · call in col ? (not visible)

Haud minus illos. Ita emendo, pro quo v. c. aut munus illos puppibus abstruso Siratos. Quibus verbis non dubito quin alludat ad morem veterum qui in navibus deos portabant, tanquam tutelares. Virgil. Ingentes a puppe deos..... ... Laurato fulgebat Apolline puppis. (Id. l. X Aen.) Monte nec inferior prorae puppique recurvae Insilit, et pictos verberat unda deos. (Ovidius, l. I Tristium.) Auctores appellant tutelas quasi proprio nomine, Silius Italicus : Tutelaeque deum fluitant. Seneca epist. 76, eo alludit dicens : « Navis bona dicitur, etc., nec cujus tutela ebore caelata est. » Ea imitatione dicunt etiamnum hodie Venetos sanctum Marcum attollere in puppi, suae civitatis tutelarem divum.

"No less those." So I emend; in its place the old manuscript has "aut munus illos puppibus abstruso Siratos". By these words I do not doubt that he alludes to the custom of the ancients, who carried gods in their ships as guardians. Virgil: "Great gods from the stern....." "... the stern shone with laurelled Apollo." (The same, Aeneid book X.) "A wave no lower than a mountain leaps on the prow and the curved stern, and lashes the painted gods." (Ovid, Tristia book I.) Authors call them "tutelae", as though by a proper name; Silius Italicus: "And the guardian images of the gods float." Seneca, letter 76, alludes to it, saying: "A ship is called good, etc., not the one whose guardian image is carved in ivory." In imitation of this, they say that even today the Venetians raise Saint Mark on the stern, the guardian saint of their city.

(printed under page 589)

(12) ‹anchor: Sternentem› · call in col ? (not visible)

Sternentem. Placet Philip. Roberto J. C. stertentem. Et quidem Jonae, cap. I, ubi Vulgata editio habet : Et dormiebat sopore gravi. D. Hieronymus ex Septuaginta vertit : Et dormiebat et stertebat. Divus quoque Ambrosius in Psal. XLIII : « De Jona legimus qui dormiebat in ventre navis et stertebat. » Et ipse Hieronymus in commentar. in Jonam : « Quasi securus, ait, dormiret, et profundissimum somnum ronchonare sonaret. »

"Laying low." Philippe Robert, jurist (J. C.), prefers "stertentem" ("snoring"). And indeed in Jonah chapter 1, where the Vulgate edition has "And he was sleeping a heavy sleep", St Jerome translates from the Septuagint: "And he was sleeping and snoring." St Ambrose too, on Psalm 43: "We read of Jonah, who was sleeping in the belly of the ship and snoring." And Jerome himself, in the commentary on Jonah: "As if, he says, he slept without a care, and sounded out his deepest sleep in snoring."

(printed under page 589)

(13) ‹anchor: Domini formando› · call in col ? (not visible)

Domini formando. Erat in v. c. in se formando ; locum autem intelligit Matthaei cap. VIII, ubi de Christo dormiente in navi et a suis excitato.

"In shaping of the Lord." The old manuscript had "in se formando" ("shaping in himself"); he means, moreover, the passage of Matthew 8, about Christ sleeping in the boat and woken by His own.

(printed under page 589)

(14) ‹anchor: Undicseae qui cogit munia prorae› · call in col ? (not visible)

Undicseae qui cogit munia prorae. Si quid veri auguror, ita non male emendavi depravatissimam scripturam v. c. habentis : « Undis ita qui cogit moenia prorae ; » nisi malis, undisicae ; facilis autem mutatio undisis ita, undisica pro undicesae. Sed et potest retineri illud, moenia. Nam Festus Pompeius adnotat veteres dixisse moenia pro officiis.

"Who drives the duties of the wave-cutting prow." If I divine anything true, I have not badly emended so the most corrupt reading of the old manuscript, which has "Undis ita qui cogit moenia prorae", unless you prefer "undisicae"; and the change of "undisis ita" to "undisica", in place of "undicesae", is easy. But "moenia" too can be kept, for Festus Pompeius notes that the ancients said "moenia" for "officia" ("duties").

(printed under page 589)

(15) ‹anchor: Requiete superbum› · call in col ? (not visible)

Requiete superbum. Sosipater Charisius lib. I : Quies, ait, facit quietem, requies accusativo non facit, requietem sed requiem : licet Cicero dixerit requietem ad Hostilium. Idem Charisius alio loco id repetit : « Cicero, ait, aliter declinavit secutus numerum, requietem enim dixit ; « superbum autem vocat pertinacem in somno, qui quasi dedignaretur moveri clamore nautarum periclitantium, nimium securus.

"Proud in his rest." Sosipater Charisius, book I: "'Quies'," he says, "makes 'quietem'; 'requies' does not make 'requietem' in the accusative, but 'requiem', although Cicero said 'requietem' to Hostilius." The same Charisius repeats this in another place: "Cicero," he says, "declined it otherwise, following the rhythm, for he said 'requietem'." He calls him proud, moreover, as obstinate in sleep, as though he disdained, far too unconcerned, to be stirred by the shouting of the sailors in danger.

(printed under page 589)

(16) ‹anchor: Quid ait› · call in col ? (not visible)

Quid ait. Corrupte erat in v. c. « Quid aiunt discriminis in isto. »

"'What,' he says." The old manuscript had, corruptly, "What danger do they say is in this."

(printed under page 589)

(17) ‹anchor: Somniare capis› · call in col ? (not visible)

Somniare capis. Locus hic varias recipit conjecturas ; sunt verba F. Jureti ; nos vero sequimur lectionem quam exhibet collectio Pisauricensis ac Londonensis, poetarum scilicet Latinorum. EDD.

"You take to dreaming." This passage admits various conjectures; these are the words of F. Juret. We, however, follow the reading given by the Pesaro and London collections, that is, of the Latin poets. EDITORS.

(printed under page 589)

(18) ‹anchor: Nos unda› · call in col ? (not visible)

Nos unda. Vocem nos addidi, quae videtur desiderari.

"Us the wave." I have added the word "nos", which seems to be wanted.

(printed under page 589)

(19) ‹anchor: Exin quis› · call in col ? (not visible)

Exin quis. Depravatissime erat in v. c. Indicit exin quis.

"Then who." The old manuscript had, most corruptly, "Indicit exin quis".

(printed under page 589)

(20) ‹anchor: Qua sede cluis› · call in col ? (not visible)

Qua sede cluis. Valde mihi placet haec emendatio quam eruit P. Pithoeus ex vestigiis, v. c., in quo qua sede civis. Vox clue, non ignota apud veteres, quam restitui aliis auctoribus temere vulgo corruptam. Itaque non repetam.

"In what seat are you named." This emendation, which P. Pithou dug out from the traces of the old manuscript, which has "qua sede civis", pleases me greatly. The word "clue" was not unknown among the ancients; I have restored it in other authors where it was commonly and rashly corrupted. So I shall not repeat it.

(printed under page 589)

(21) ‹anchor: Qui sustulit altum› · call in col ? (not visible)

Qui sustulit altum. Redundabant verba in v. c., in quo ita scriptum reperi : « Qui coelum sustu[lit] alto. » Videbatur quidem corruptum carnem glossa, altum autem pro coelo poni scimus, ut apud Virgilium. Et Maia genitum coelo demittit ab alto. Lactantius (lib. II, c. 1) : « Oculos suos dejiciunt soloque figunt. »

"Who raised the deep." The words were redundant in the old manuscript, in which I found it written thus: "Who raised heaven on high." It seemed indeed that the verse [as printed: 'carnem'] was corrupted by a gloss; and we know that "altum" is put for "heaven", as in Virgil: "And he sends down the son of Maia from high heaven." Lactantius (book II, chapter 1): "They cast down their eyes and fix them on the ground."

(printed under page 589)

(22) ‹anchor: Quid nos› · call in col ? (not visible)

Quid nos. V. c. quos vel quod.

"What [do] we." The old manuscript: "quos" or "quod".

(printed under page 589)

(23) ‹anchor: Navemque levantes, unum› · call in col ? (not visible)

Navemque levantes, unum. Male in v. c. navem levantes unus.

"And lightening the ship, one." Wrongly in the old manuscript: "navem levantes unus".

(printed under page 589)

Page

running head: I. — DE JONA ET NINIVE. 1170 (beginning cut off at left edge)
marginal letters: A ‹Tunc rogitant: Quis›; B ‹Ast isti frustra›; C ‹officiis. (beside the footnotes)›; D ‹exin quis. (beside the footnotes)›
old-edition numerals: 1112 after facto?
misprints kept as printed: antemmae (for antemnae/antennae)

PL 2:1171

Unam animam propter, dederis, ne sanguine justi Respersisse velis, si sic tua dextera ducit.

for the sake of one soul, and do not will to have sprinkled [us] with the blood of a just man, if so Thy right hand leads.

Jamque illic imo exoriens de gurgite cetus Squamosum e conchis evolvere corporis agmen. Urgebat proprios concusso marmore fluctus Sponte sua praedam rapiens, quam puppis ab arce Provolutatam limosis faucibus hausit, Viventemque dapem longam percepit in alvum, Cumque viro coeli rabiem pelagique voravit. Sternitur aequoris unda, resolvitur aetheris umbra. Hinc fluctus, illinc flatus redduntur amici, Securam viam placida signante carina, Candida caeruleo florent vestigia sulco. Nautae num Domino laeti venerando timorem Sacrificant grates . . . . . . . Navigat et vates alio susceptus Jonas Navigio fluctumque secat sub fluctibus imis, Sisara velificans, anima inspirata ferina, Conclusus, neque tinctus aquis, maris intimus exter Inter semesas classes resolutaque corpora putri Digesta, sua jam vel va... funera discens. In signum sed enim Domini quandoque futurus, Non erat exitio, sed coeli gloria factus.

And now there a whale, rising from the lowest gulf, rolls out from among the shells the scaly train of its body. With the sea's marble surface shaken it was driving on its own waves, of its own accord seizing the prey which, rolled forth from the height of the stern, it drank down with slimy jaws; and it took the living feast into its long belly, and together with the man it devoured the rage of sky and sea. The wave of the deep is laid flat; the shadow of the upper air is dispersed. On this side the waves, on that the winds are rendered friendly, the placid keel marking out a safe way, white footprints bloom in the blue furrow. The sailors, joyful now, sacrifice fear and thanks to the Lord Who is to be revered . . . And the prophet Jonah sails too, taken up into another vessel, and cuts the flood beneath the lowest floods, Sisara sailing, breathed into by a beast's breath, enclosed, and not wetted by the waters, the innermost outsider of the sea, among half-eaten fleets and bodies dissolved and digested in rot, already learning either va... his own funerals. But since he was one day to be a sign of the Lord, he was not [destined] for destruction, but was made the glory of heaven.

Editors' notes and page, col. 1171

Footnotes

(24) ‹anchor: ne sanguine justi› · call in col 1171

Ne sanguine justi. Sic lego, pro quo v. c. justum, idque confirmatur textu biblico.

"Lest with the blood of a just man." So I read, where the old manuscript has "justum"; and this is confirmed by the biblical text.

(printed under page 590)

(25) ‹anchor: Sponte sua› · call in col 1171

Sponte sua. Ut expleretur hiatus v. c. addidi sua, nisi malis sponte novam.

"Of its own accord." To fill the gap in the old manuscript I have added "sua", unless you prefer "sponte novam".

(printed under page 590)

(26) ‹anchor: neque tinctus aquis› · call in col 1172 (upper part, set under col 1171's rail)

Neque tinctus aquis. Videbatur posse legi tactus, quod minus est. Nam et Paulinus in carm. ad Cytherium de eodem Jona loquens: Mensus aequore intactus undis fluctuat. Sic Sedulius de eodem : . . . . . ceto sorbente voratus In pelago non sensit aquas. Sed tamen illud, tinctus retinui quia scio familiare esse Tertulliano uti eo verbo, et tinctionem usurpare pro baptismi aquis.

"And not wetted by the waters." It seemed that "tactus" ("touched") could be read, which is a lesser thing. For Paulinus too, in the poem to Cytherius, speaking of the same Jonah: "Measured [as printed: 'Mensus'] in the sea, untouched by the waves he floats." So Sedulius of the same: ". . . . . swallowed by the gulping whale, in the open sea he did not feel the waters." But I have nevertheless kept that word "tinctus" ("dipped"), because I know it is habitual with Tertullian to use that verb, and to use "tinctio" for the waters of baptism.

(printed under page 590)

(27) ‹anchor: maris intimus exter› · call in col 1172 (upper part, set under col 1171's rail)

Maris intimus exter inter semesas classes. V. c. habebat classes. Sed superiora ut reponi debeant non satis liquet. Placet doctissimo Phil. Roberto ut legatur : « Maris inter et exter. Semesa, » etc., nisi, mutato ordine, malis : « Maris exter et inter Semesas, » ut versus sibi cohaereant. Sic autem Paulinus exterum maris, Jonam intra mare eleganter dixit : Nam liber undis intra mare exter maris.

"The innermost outsider of the sea, among half-eaten fleets." The old manuscript had "classes". But how the preceding words ought to be restored is not clear enough. The most learned Phil. Robert would have it read: "Maris inter et exter. Semesa," etc., unless, changing the order, you prefer: "Maris exter et inter Semesas," so that the verses hang together. Thus, moreover, Paulinus elegantly called Jonah, within the sea, outside the sea: "For, free of the waves within the sea, outside the sea."

(printed under page 590)

(28) ‹anchor: Vel va› · call in col 1172 (upper part, set under col 1171's rail)

Vel va. Robertus legit vel vatis. Quid si potius : vel vivus? Haec quidem quae ad emendationem corruptissimi exemplaris proferre potui.

"Or va[...]." Robert reads "vel vatis" ("or of the prophet"). What if rather "vel vivus" ("or alive")? These, then, are what I have been able to offer towards the emendation of a most corrupt copy.

(printed under page 590)

Page

running head: 1171 AD GENUINA TERTULLIANI OPERA 1172 (spanning the page)
marginal letters: A ‹Unam animam propter› / ‹Candida caeruleo› (between the columns); B ‹pare pro baptismi aquis› (Commentarius, between the halves); C ‹Est locus ex omni› / ‹Vertice de summo› (below the band, next work); D ‹Sed bis vicenis› / ‹Nec prius hoc› (below the band, next work)
old-edition numerals: 1113 before ‹Navigio›; 1114 before ‹Inter semesas› (both in col 1172)
other: after ‹Sacrificant grates› the page prints a row of asterisks (a lacuna, about seven), set as a row of points; the work ends at ‹gloria factus.› above the rule and the title band DE LIGNO VITAE printed across the page
other: 'justi (24)' at the end of the first line is printed as a turnover at the end of the second line, after '['; likewise 'arce' (after 'puppis ab'). Both are set in their places.
other: the closing sentence "Haec quidem quae ... proferre potui." is printed as its own paragraph after note (28); it is set with (28).

PL 2:1172

Editors' notes and page, col. 1172

Footnotes

(68) ‹anchor: manabant undique frondes› · call in col 1172 (De ligno vitae; Variae lectiones)

Frontes Oberth. -

Oberthür: "Frontes" (for "frondes").

(printed under page 590)