CHAPTER VI.

Platonic Canon, as Recognised by Thrasyllus.

Platonic Canon--Ancient and modern discussions 264

Canon established by Thrasyllus. Presumption in its favour 265

Fixed residence and school at Athens--founded by Plato and transmitted to successors _ib._

Importance of this foundation. Preservation of Plato's manuscripts. School library 266

Security provided by the school for distinguishing what were Plato's genuine writings 267

Unfinished fragments and preparatory sketches, preserved and published after Plato's death 268

Peripatetic school at the Lykeum--its composition and arrangement 269

Peripatetic school library, its removal from Athens to Skêpsis--its ultimate restitution in a damaged state to Athens, then to Rome 270

Inconvenience to the Peripatetic school from the loss of its library _ib._

Advantage to the Platonic school from having preserved its MSS. 272

Conditions favourable, for preserving the genuine works of Plato _ib._

Historical facts as to their preservation _ib._

Arrangement of them into Trilogies, by Aristophanes 273

Aristophanes, librarian at the Alexandrine library _ib._

Plato's works in the Alexandrine library, before the time of Aristophanes 274

Kallimachus--predecessor of Aristophanes--his published Tables of authors whose works were in the library 275

Large and rapid accumulation of the Alexandrine Library _ib._

Plato's works--in the library at the time of Kallimachus 276

First formation of the library--intended as a copy of the Platonic and Aristotelian [Greek: Mousei=a] at Athens 277

Favour of Ptolemy Soter towards the philosophers at Athens 279

Demetrius Phalereus--his history and character _ib._

He was chief agent in the first establishment of the Alexandrine Library 280

Proceedings of Demetrius in beginning to collect the library 282

Certainty that the works of Plato and Aristotle were among the earliest acquisitions made by him for the library 283

Large expenses incurred by the Ptolemies for procuring good MSS. 285

Catalogue of Platonic works, prepared by Aristophanes, is trustworthy _ib._

No canonical or exclusive order of the Platonic dialogues, when arranged by Aristophanes 286

Other libraries and literary centres, besides Alexandria, in which spurious Platonic works might get footing _ib._

Other critics, besides Aristophanes, proposed different arrangements of the Platonic dialogues 287

Panætius, the Stoic--considered the Phædon to be spurious--earliest known example of a Platonic dialogue disallowed upon internal grounds 288

Classification of Platonic works by the rhetor Thrasyllus--dramatic--philosophical 289

Dramatic principle--Tetralogies _ib._

Philosophical principle--Dialogues of Search--Dialogues of Exposition 291

Incongruity and repugnance of the two classifications 294

Dramatic principle of classification--was inherited by Thrasyllus from Aristophanes 295

Authority of the Alexandrine library--editions of Plato published, with the Alexandrine critical marks _ib._

Thrasyllus followed the Alexandrine library and Aristophanes, as to genuine Platonic works 296

Ten spurious dialogues, rejected by all other critics as well as by Thrasyllus--evidence that these critics followed the common authority of the Alexandrine library 297

Thrasyllus did not follow an internal sentiment of his own in rejecting dialogues as spurious 298

Results as to the trustworthiness of the Thrasyllean Canon 299