30 Lucretius, De rerum natura, BookV(1–145)

For the modern reader, Lucretius offers a unique vantage point that transcends the immediate intellectual climate of any specific era. As Albert Einstein observed in his 1924 foreword to the Diels edition:

For anyone who is not completely submerged in the spirit of our age, who feels instead like a spectator as the world goes past him, especially, from time to time, vis-à-vis the intellectual attitudes of his contemporaries — on him will Lucretius’s poem work its magic.

Einstein praised the “scientific and speculative curiosity” of Lucretius, noting that even without the results of modern science, his independent reasoning and firm confidence in the “causal connectedness” of the world make a profound impression. He specifically lauded Hermann Diels’ translation for its natural flow, which allows the reader to forget they are reading a translation. Einstein also noted Lucretius’ moving “reverence for Greek culture and language,” which the poet considered “greatly superior to Latin culture”—a sentiment Einstein found particularly noble in the context of national identity.

From a historical and digital humanities perspective, broadcaster David Attenborough highlights the 1515 Aldine edition published by Aldus Manutius. Attenborough compares the Venice printer to a “publisher who published the equivalent of Penguin in paperbacks,” producing small-format books (approx. 91 x 160 mm) designed for portability. Attenborough values the “wonderfully elegant italic script” of these volumes, describing them as “precious” historical “memes”—vessels in which human experience is embedded and handed down across generations, outside the biological body.

Scholarly Fast Facts

• Editor: Hermann Diels (1848–1922), a classical philologist and “friend of Epicurean Philosophy.”
• Publication: The Latin text was published posthumously in 1923 (Volume 1) by Weidmannsche Buchhandlung in Berlin. Following Diels’ death in June 1922, Johannes Mewaldt completed the publication.
• Methodology: Diels based his text on the reconstruction of the “archetypus insularis” (an insular archetype likely of 7th-century origin). He relied primarily on the 9th-century Codex Oblongus (O) and the Codex Quadratus (Q).
• Philological Principle: Diels favored “rusticitas” (rusticity), intentionally preserving the “inconstantiam formarum” (inconsistency of forms) typical of the Republic rather than polishing the text to Ovidian smoothness. This includes archaic spellings such as quom, quod, and the elision of the final s (e.g., manibu’ diuis).
• Digital Resource: Students may view a high-resolution 1515 Aldine edition via the IIIF Manifest link.

Parallel Text: Invocation, Praise of Epicurus, and the Refutation of Superstition

1. INVOCATIO AD VENEREM (Lines 1–43)

The invocation to the creative power of Nature.

2. LAVS INVENTORIS (Lines 62–79)

The tribute to the first Greek (Epicurus) who dared to challenge religion.

3. EXEMPLVM RELIGIONIS (Lines 84–101)

The sacrifice of Iphianassa (Iphigenia) as a refutation of divine piety.

4. DE ANIMA ET MISSIONE (Lines 102–145)

The necessity of studying the nature of the soul and the mind.

Critical Apparatus: Testimonia and Codices

Testimonia Ancient scholars frequently remarked on the “sublime” yet “difficult” nature of Lucretius’ work. Ovid famously predicted that the “sublime” poem would only perish when the world itself was destroyed (Amor. I 15, 23). Quintilian noted that while Lucretius is “elegant in his material,” he can be “difficult” (Inst. X 1, 87), and he specifically referenced the poet’s didactic style compared to Macer.

Codices The text is primarily derived from the following 9th-century Carolingian manuscripts:

• O: Codex Oblongus (Leidensis Vossianus Latinus Fol. 30). Written in beautiful minuscules at the school of Alcuin. Its provenance traces to the monastery of St. Martin in Mainz (Moguntia).
• Q: Codex Quadratus (Leidensis Vossianus Quadratus 94). Traced to the monastery of St. Bertin in St. Omer (Audomari).
• G: Schedae Haunienses (Gottorpienses). Eight leaves from a 9th-century manuscript containing lines I 1 – II 456.
• V: Schedae Vindobonenses. Fragments from a 9th-century codex (Leaves 9–14).
• U: Schedae Vindobonenses. Fragments from the same period (Leaves 15–18).

The archetypus insularis is reconstructed as a volume of 151 leaves with 52 lines per leaf. Diels’ methodology accounts for the rubricator (painter of red headings) who often filled in lines left blank by the primary scribe, occasionally introducing “minio” (vermilion) errors where the original text was misread.

Instructor Metadata and Technical Notes

The primary source for this module is the 1923 Berlin edition published by Weidmannsche Buchhandlung, edited by Hermann Diels and completed by Johannes Mewaldt.

Conspectus Siglorum