Works (Laws, Definitions)

In editing the Laws, I preferred for the most part to represent the transmitted text, even when corrupt, rather than snatching up readings of Musurus from the Aldine edition; for they are mostly little corrections that cover up, rather than heal, the wounds. In many places, I have persuaded myself, true emendation will emerge more quickly from the errors of the books. To be sure, the discourse is not infrequently obstructed and troubled, but I have so often seen everything become clear and plain by a slight change in punctuation that it is not permissible to despair of the passages which I have not yet managed to heal. There is no need for me to give warning about the transpositions and anacoluthia grammatical inconsistencies peculiar to this kind of writing. I say only this: the particles mén, dé, oûn indeed, but, therefore, when postponed, have very often been a stumbling block to scribes and editors, as they could not digest these little words unless they were in the second position.

The Spurious Works, which I once intended to publish in the sixth volume with the so-called Platonic Supplement, I have added to this volume, changing my plan, so that I might include in five volumes everything that was anciently circulated as Platonic. I shall provide the Supplement in a larger edition, if strength allows, augmented and corrected.

The manuscript O (Vatican Greek 1, wrongly labeled with the number 796 in the past) has been recently rediscovered, but it has not yet been collated anew. See H. Rabe in Rheinisches Museum original: "Museo Rhenano" vol. lxiii. pp. 235 sqq.