310

Incertarum fabularum fragmenta (fr. 69)

reference to the poet Numenius. The second main thrust of van Herwerden’s
argument is that the apparent allusion to S. Ai. 522 (see below) is more appro-
priate for Eupolis than Anaxandrides; in addition to emending Απολλώνιος to
Εύπολις at Stob. 2.46.21, he thus denies that Stob. 2.46.5 should be attributed
to Anaxandrides. Van Herwerden’s reasoning has some merit, but it is not
impossible either that Anaxandrides alluded to a line of Sophocles or that
he repeated a line of Eupolis. It is true that Anaxandrides does not quote or
allude elsewhere to specific lines of fifth-century comedy or tragedy other
than Euripides, but this is not unusual among the comic fragments and should
not be taken as determinative. The difficulties concerning the attribution of
the fragment are most likely simply due to the fact that it is a memorable
expression of a commonplace thought that figured in a variety of anthologies
at ever greater remove from the original source and was thus increasingly
liable to corruption.
Interpretation A cynical comment on human nature, which nonetheless
leaves open the possibility of an exception in the present case.
παρά πολλοΐς Supply άνθρώποις vel sim. Except when purely spatial,
παρά with the dative refers only to persons, so Edmonds’ ‘in favors’ will not
do. Although παρά with the dative is common in all genres, παρά πολλοΐς
is rare and predominantly prosaic (e. g. Isoc. 15.87; Pl. Lg. 10.888e; Arist. Pol.
3.1278a29).
ή χάρις τίκτει χάριν The phrase has often been understood as an al-
lusion to or reminiscence of S. Ai. 522 χάρις χάριν γάρ έστιν ή τίκτουσ’ άεί.
While the resemblance is fairly close, the sentiment is commonplace and such
formulations are not unusual; e.g. Zen. 3.28 δίκη δίκην ετικτε καί βλάβην
βλάβη (cf. Leutsch-Schneidewin 1839 ad loc. for further instances, but correct
Apostol. 7.9 to 6.9); Apostol. 7.94a ερις εριν τίκτουσα προσμνάται λόγον (Suda
ε 3008; Mant. 1.60; cf. Mant. 1.59 ερις εριν άντιφυτεύει); S. OC 779 δτ’ ή χάρις
χάριν φέροι; Ε. Hel. 1234 χάρις γάρ άντΐ χάριτος έλθέτω.158 The phraseology
may thus owe as much if not more to proverbial language as to Sophocles, and
indeed Ai. 522 itself is labeled a γνώμη by Σ™ ad loc. Admittedly, many items
in the paroemiographers may have become proverbial because they were well-

158 Lobeck 1809 on S. Ai. 522, followed by Bothe 1826 (who credits Lobeck) and
Kamerbeek 1953 (who does not), adduced Sen. Ben. 2.12 gratia gratiam parit·, un-
fortunately, such a phrase seems not to occur at Sen. Ben. 2.12 or elsewhere in
Seneca or indeed anywhere in Latin literature so far as I have been able to ascertain.
The earliest occurrence of the phrase of which I am aware is Lehmann 1630. 117
(Danck #5), where no source is given, but there may be others.