Page:Philological Museum v2.djvu/480

470 4/0 Miscellaneous Observations. we are to give the same sense to the passage in the' Choeph. 573 : vixiv eiraivoH yXcocraav e'vfpr/iuov (pepeiv^ aiyav o oTTov eel Kal Xeyeiv tcl Kaipia- What can be clearer than the meaning of Clytemnestra, who wishing to offer her sacrifice^ breaks off the dispute and will not listen any longer to the words of Electra (oJ/c evcprjiua)^ but only to eviprj^ov yXwaaavy and reproaches her with not suffering this to be heard. All the obscurity of our passage disappears as soon as we observe that aiyXrj signifies a band, which is supposed to be drawn over the eyes of the sleeper ; for this is an image naturally suggested by the common and literal phrase of shutting the eyes, tegere lumina somno. A^lyXri does not signify a band in general : but primarily an ornamental band, one glittering with gold and pearls (Plin. xxxiii. 12) or other precious materials, especially for the arm or the foot, just as '^iScov derived its name from the luxurious affluence in- dicated by it, though in common speech the derivation was forgotten. The lexicographers give the following expla- nations of aiyXfj. Lex. Sangermann. (Bekk. Anecdot. Gr* p. 354) : aiyXr} — kol tov Xvyov ro Trepiiueaov — Kai ^Xtowi/ C€ TL9 ovTco^ eKaXelTo evLot oe (paai crrjfxaiveL Kal tov Trepi" TTOCLov KocTjULOv Y} TOV djuCpLcea T] airXw^ yj/eXXiov* arifxaivei ^6 Kal Trjv Treorjv r] aiyXrj C09 Trap E7n')(ap/uL(p. Pollux v. 100, of articles of female dress: l^iw^ Se Kal ire pi to7s Trocri, Trepiacpvpia^ irepiireX^iay Tre^a?, Kal aiyXrjv Kal Treorjv Kal TrepiaKeXioa^* Hesych, AlyXrj^LOwV' ^o(poKXrj^ Tfjpe'i yiTwv^ Kal Treci] Trapa ^^iri'^dpiuitp ev Ba/c^ai?. From what has been already said it is clear that this has been rightly altered into aiyXf]^ yXiScov^ and that the reading j^ltcov arose through mistake out of yi^oov^ and ought therefore to be corrected 'vXl^oov^ though it has been very lately repeated after Brunck in three different reprints of the fragments of Sophocles, none of which is worthy of the present state of literature. Pollux observes that there were several expressions in use signifying at once a band for the arm, and a band for the foot; and he specifies djiKpLSev^ and yXi^cov ; which is natural enough, since the meaning of these terms is general, not confined like that of j3pa^ioi^toi^, Tre^i;, &c. AtyXtj belongs to the same class, and this is the reason why Sophocles was
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