Excerpt from The Text Tradition of Ammianus Marcellinus

In 1898, while a Fellow in the American School of Classical Studies in Rome, I took up the problem of the relation of the Ammianus mss. To each other and to the editions. My idea was at first to gather merely sufficient material for a thesis; but the generosity of the Prussian Academy of Sciences, which voted me, on Mommsen's motion, a subvention of 1500 marks, and the liberality of Yale University, in giving me a year's leave of absence and a substantial sum of money, enabled me to make all necessary collations for an exhaustive critical edition of Ammianus. This will be published in the near future by Weidmann in Berlin. Mean while, this thesis, accepted for the doctor's degree by Yale University in June, 1903, will serve, I h0pe, to throw light on the vexed question of text transmission and on the relative value of our mss. And editions.

I desire to express my deep sense of obligation for unwearying aid and encouragement to my friend and Mentor, Prof. L. Traube of Munich; and to add my mite of grateful homage to the tributes paid to Theodor Mommsen. His kindly interest in my work manifested itself in constant assistance; and he had planned to give the edition the benefit of his authoritative revision. Last July he made a careful criticism of this thesis, in consequence of which I have made some modification in details. I wish also to thank Prof. M. Petschenig of Graz for warm encouragement and for the permission (seconded by Prof. F. Vollmer) to consult his monumental concordance to Ammianus, now entrusted to the Thesaurus compilers. My grateful acknowledgments are due also to the courteous gentlemen who furthered my researches in various Continental libraries; and particularly to Father F. Ehrle of the Vatican, Prof. H. Omont of Paris and Dr. Franz Boll of Munich. The uniform kindness which has always been shown to unknown American students by Continental scholars is a grateful testimony to the democracy of the republic of learning.

Finally, I would thank my colleagues for kindly criticism and manifold assistance; and Yale University and one of its most honored sons for their generosity, which has made possible the publication of this thesis.

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