NEW CLASSICAL TEXTS

]...ψι..[

]....εοπρο[

]ο̣.φ̣.ενακ̣[

].μ.ντεια. α. [

]..ιας̣ α̣[.]..[

]παντ᾿ ειδεν.[

]νδρασανιστ̣[

].[.]η.αλα[

]θεοισιφι[

]αιπει[.]ωμ[.]θακ[

].εγγυτεροι..ν̣[

]καλλιστεφανου[

]αστυδεδωκετο̣[

]οντεσερινεον[

]..νησοναφικом̣[

]γλαυκώπ[.]δος[

1 Feet only, penultimate letter o?
2 Three high horizontals before εο, third may be cross-bar of θ, ]θεθ̣, M. L.
3 First letter may be ω
4 Short vertical before μ, tip of a after it High convex curve after εια
5 A broken vertical linked by high horizontal to right-facing curved vertical, this linked by high horizontal to ι (probably not ]πι; but ].ci, ]τει, ]γει, ]πει are possible) ; then preferably α, but δ, ο possible ; then preferably c, but ε possible ; then τ or υ or κ ; then α or δ or λ ; a letter lost ; then rough breathing above traces (presumably vowel, which may be followed by c.[, or may be ὐ followed by χ or τ?)
6 All early copies, including my own, give ερδεν. But M. L. West has pointed out that the loop of ρ is suspect as too round and watery, and an infra-red photograph confirms that ειδεν should be read After ειδεν, high dot of ink excludes ε and makes ο unlikely
8 At ].[, a vertical trace After η, a short vertical preceded by another apparently added later higher in line, from which an oblique slopes down from left to right ; the resulting ηναλα or ηιχαλα is very crowded, and the whole line, as in 9, is confused by overwriting in a different hand. A faint trace of tail of λ excludes γαια
9 Writing in other ink above
11 end, πν[ or γεν[
15 ]oc cannot be verified

2 θεοπρο[πίαι prophecies, θεοπρό[πια prophecies, θεόπρο[ποι ἄνδρες prophetic men (i.e. the Spartan Pythioi official delegates to Delphi), θεοπρο[πέων of those prophesying.
4 μαντείᾰς ἀν[αξ ἑκαεργός the Lord who works from afar [Apollo] of the oracles (for short -ᾰc, cf. δημοτᾶς ἄνδρας men of the people (fr. 3b, 5), χαϊτᾶς long-haired (P. Berlin 14); or with μαντείᾱς, ἀν[έφηνε revealed (fr. 3a, 10) or ἀπ[ένεικε carried away (fr. 3b, 1–2).
5 ἀcπ]αcίαc welcome (or -oc), θεcπ]εcίαc divine/wondrous are possibilities; for the ending, τ᾿ ἀ[φ]ελ[ών taking away could be reconciled with the traces.
6 πάντ᾿ ειδε ν[ he saw all or εἶδ᾿ ἐν[- he saw in or? εἰδέναι to know. Not ἔρδεν to perform, as I originally thought, and therefore there is no connection with fr. 3a, 7 (Diodorus) καὶ ἔρδειν πάντα δίκαια and to perform all things just.
7 ἄ]νδρας ἀνίcτ[αμένους men rising seems indicated by the internal aspiration. Men rising to their feet to speak is the most obvious interpretation.
9 ]θεοῖcι φί[λ- dear to the gods is reminiscent of fr. 4 ἡμετέρωι βαcιλῆϊ, θεοῖcι φίλωι Θεοπόμπωι to our king, Theopompus dear to the gods.
10 ]αι πει[θ]ώμ[ε]θα κ[ let us obey rather than πει[ρ]ώμ[ε]θα let us try, cf. 11, 12.
11 ἐγγύτεροι γεν[έει nearer by birth or γένεος of lineage (cf. Plato, Apol. 30 a; Aesch. Suppl. 388) or γενεῆι by birth. Tyrtaeus urges obedience to the Heraclidae, to whom Zeus has granted Sparta, E. Schwartz, Hermes 1899, p. 465. The lines, with their reiteration of the source of the royal authority, evidently contain