It is to be observed that in Birt’s edition, and in any other that accepts his “sigla,” A B C and V stand for different MSS. according to whether they refer, or do not refer, to the “De raptu.”
Some MSS. contain scholia but none of these go back before the 12th or even the 13th century.
The chief editions of Claudian are as follows:
- Ed. princeps:
- Celsanus, Vicenza, 1482.
- Ugolentus, Parma, 1500.
- Parrhasius, Milan, 1500.
- Camers, Vienna, 1510.
- Aldine ed. (Asulanus), 1523.
- Isengrin ed. (Michael Bentinus), Basel, 1534.[37]
- Claverius, Paris, 1602.
Like Bentinus, Claverius used certain MSS. (in his case those of the library of Cuiacius) unknown to us.[xxiii][38]
- Plantin ed. (Scaliger), 1603.
- Elzevir ed. (Heinsius), Leyden, 1650.
- Amsterdam, 1665.
- Barth, Hanau, 1612.
- Frankfort, 1650.
- Delphin ed. (Pyrrho), Paris, 1677.
- Burmann, Amsterdam, 1760.
- König, Göttingen, 1808.
These last three have good explanatory notes.
The first critical edition is that of L. Jeep (Leipzig, 1876-79).
In 1892 Birt published what must be considered as the standard edition of Claudian—vol. x. in the Monumenta Germaniae historica series. Birt was the first to put the text of Claudian on a firm footing, and it is his edition that I have followed, appending critical notes only where I differ from him.[39]
The latest edition of Claudian is that of Koch (Teubner, Leipzig, 1893). Koch was long associated with Birt in his researches into textual questions connected with Claudian, and his text is substantially the same as that of Birt.