Isaac Tzetzes
2. ISAAC (
Ἰσυάκιος Τζέτζης), brother of the preceding.
Works
Commentary on the Cassandra of Lycophron
He is named in the manuscripts as the author of the commentary on the Cassandra of Lycophron.
It appears however from passages in his works, that Joannes Tzetzes claimed it as his production (
Chil. ix. hist. 298; comp. Schol.
ad Lycophr. 83).
The same claim is made in a letter of Joannes Tzetzes to the Protonotarius Basilius Achridenus, printed in Fabricius, vol. iii. p. 753, and in Küster's Suidas,
s. v. Λυκόφρων. In
Chil. viii. hist. 204, Joannes says that some other grammarian attempted to set up a claim to be the author of the commentary, but was speedily detected.
The last editor, J. C. Muller, is of opinion that Isaac Tzetzes first published a commentary on Lycophron, and that Joannes Tzetzes subsequently published an enlarged and improved edition of it. Of this he finds traces in the manuscripts, some of which contain apparently the older edition of Isaac, others the improved edition of Joannes, the additions exhibiting not only the learning, but the arrogant self-complacency of Joannes.
The latter moreover does tell us that his brother Isaac wrote a commentary on Lycophron (Schol.
ad Hesiod. Proleg.
καὶ τῷ ἐμῇ δὲ ἀδελφῷ ἐκπεπόνηται λίαν κάλλιστα καὶ φιλοτιμότατα περὶ τούτου ἐν τῇ τοῦ Λυκόφρονος ἐξηγήσει; comp.
Chil. 8.486).
Editions
The commentary is printed in several of the editions of Lycophron, as in that printed at Basel, 1546;
in those of Canter (Basel, 1566),
Stephanus (1601),
Potter (Oxon. 1697),
Owen (Oxon. 1702),
Sebastiani (Rome, 1803).
The best edition of the commentary, without the text of Lycophron, is that by Müller (Leipzig, 1811). [
C.P.M]
