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[792] “ἐριδ́ησασθαι, ἔν τισι τῶν ὑπομνημάτων γράφεται ἐριζήσασθαι”, Schol. T, which Död. and Bekker accept. Either form is unique, only “ἐριδαίνειν” and “ἐρίζειν” occurring elsewhere in H. with the single exception of “ἐριδμαίνωσιν” in a different sense, 16.260. The line is ill-expressed; it would naturally be taken to mean ‘it is hard to match the Achaians in speed, except Achilles,’ rather than ‘it is hard for the Achaians, except Achilles, to match him in speed.’ A yet more serious difficulty is the form Ἀχιλλεῖ, as no similar contraction of the dat. of nouns in -“εύς” is found elsewhere in H. (see on Ξ 115 and 24.61), and the few instances of contraction in the other cases can easily be removed, if not already suspicious; 15.339, etc. It occurs in Pindar (O. ix. 76, etc.), and of course is regular in Attic; but that does not support it here. We might regard the whole couplet as an interpolation of late date. But for such an interpolation there is no obvious motive, and the omission of the lines would involve 793 also, and make 795 pointless. Various emendations of more or less violence have been proposed, e.g. Brandreth “ποσσὶν ἐριζέμεναι Δαναοῖς, εἰ μὴ Ἀχιλῆϊ”, Lange (EI p. 559) “ποσσὶν ἐρίζεσθαι ἄλλοις εἰ μὴ Ἀχιλῆϊ”, Nauck “πρός μιν ἐρίζεσθαι ἄλλοισί γε ἢ Ἀχιλῆϊ”, Menrad “ἀργαλέος δὲ ι πόσσ᾽ ἐριδαίνεσθαι ἄλλοις εἰ μὴ Ἀχιλῆϊ”. Something of this sort may be hinted at by Schol. T, “Ἀχιλλῆι διὰ τοῦ η”, and “ἄλλοις” seems to be needed to make the required antithesis to “εἰ μή”.

The Iliad, edited, with apparatus criticus, prolegomena, notes, and appendices. Walter Leaf. London. Macmillan. 1900.

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