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[5] The poet evidently speaks as an inhabitant of Asia Minor or one of the islands near. This is not proved merely by his making the N. and W. winds blow from Thrace (see Monro in J. P. xiii. 288), but by his saying that they drive the sea-weed up along the shore. The idea seems to be that of a sudden ‘chopping’ squall, which the poet regards as two winds blowing at the same time, and compares with the conflicting doubts which agitate the Achaians. Βορέης: spondee as in 23.195 only; there are over twenty passages with the regular scansion. Curtius, G. Meyer, and others think that the “ε” was pronounced as a semi-vocalic “j Βορjης”: cf. “στερρός” from “στερεός”, through *“στερ-jός”. Or we may regard the first syll. as lengthened by the first arsis (see App. D), and “-έης” as one syllable by synizesis. Most edd. read “Βορρῆς”, on the analogy of the purely Attic “Βορρᾶς”, which is, in fact, given by one group of Allen's MSS. (C. R. xiii. p. 111) and in a quotation. But whichever alternative we adopt, the scansion is evidence of late origin.

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

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