296

Incertarum fabularum fragmenta (fr. 62)

Stob. 4.20.10
(περί Αφροδίτης) Άναξανδρίδου·-
(Concerning Aphrodite) Anaxandrides:-
Metre lambic trimeter.

Discussion Morelius 1553. 109; Grotius 1623 11.242—3; 1840 III. 199; 1847. 592;
Bothe 1855. 433; Meineke 1857 V.clxxix-clxxx; Herwerden 1878. 67; Kock 1884
II. 161; Blaydes 1896. 126; Edmonds 1959 11.78—9; Webster 1970. 50; Kassel-
Austin 1991 11.273; Sanchis Llopis et al. 2007. 272
Citation context The fragment is cited near the beginning of the Stobaeus’
chapter On Aphrodite’ (4.20), in a section dominated by Euripides; Aristarch.
Trag. TrGF 14 F 2 precedes, and E. fr. 269 follows.
Interpretation The lines are probably best taken as the expression of a com-
monplace; for the thought, see on 1. They could easily have been spoken by
some love-struck person, but might also be part of a moralizing speech (‘some
lessons cannot be taught’). The context suggested by Herwerden 1878. 67,
defending the transmitted reading σκαιοϋ against Meineke’s proposed Κείου,
seems overly literal: ‘haec dici potuisse ab amatore aliquo adulescenti, qui in-
epti, ut ipsi videatur, magistri voce correptus, iram non cohibens ista reponat’.
1 Έρως For Eros as a teacher, cf. E. frr. 430; 661; Alex. fr. 290 (where
έρωτος ought to be capitalized) with Arnott 1996 ad loc.·, Nicias SH566.142 For
Eros in comedy, see Zagagi 1980. 92-6; in general, Hermary et al. in LIMC
III. l.850-942. Cf. Alciphr. 4.7.4, 7 (= adesp. com. frr. 121-2 K.), where hetairai
claim to be better teachers than sophists.
σοφιστού In the context of teaching, the sense (often with a negative
connotation) of σοφιστής as one who teaches for a fee is clearly uppermost;
the point is thus that Eros offers a greater education than one who claims to
have expertise (whether or not this claim is acknowledged by others). For the
word and the sophists in comedy, see on fr. 16.6; Dover 1968 on Ar. Nu. 331;
Arnott 1996 on Alex. frr. 20.1-2; 27.1-2; cf. Barrett 1964 on E. Hipp. 921.
1-2 διδάσκαλος / ... προς τον ανθρώπων βίον E.g. [A.] PV109-11
πυρός / πηγήν κλοπαίαν, ή διδάσκαλος τέχνης / πάσης βροτοϊς πέφηνε;

142

Cf. also Ε. Med. 843-5 τα Σοφία παρέδρους ... ’Έρωτας / παντοίας άρετάς ξυνερ-
γούς with Page 1938 ad loc.·, Nonn. D. 7.110 σοφός αύτοδίδακτος Έρως.