44 Lucretius, De rerum natura, Book VI (Lines 703–847)

The enduring “magic” of Lucretius’ De rerum natura lies in its ability to resonate with the modern scientific mind, cutting through the centuries to offer a vision of a world governed by reason rather than myth. As Albert Einstein observed in his 1924 Foreword to the Diels edition, the poem works a particular enchantment on those who do not feel completely submerged in the spirit of their own age. For the individual who feels like a “spectator” to the intellectual attitudes of their contemporaries, Lucretius offers the bracing perspective of an independent mind equipped with lively senses and a scientific, speculative curiosity.

Einstein found a “deep conviction” in Lucretius’ work regarding the “causal connectedness” of natural phenomena. This “firm confidence” in the intelligibility of the world—the belief that the universe is not the playground of capricious gods but is instead based on the “regular motion of immutable atoms”—remains a cornerstone of the scientific worldview. By ascribing to these atoms only “geometric-mechanical” qualities and deriving from their movements the vast array of sensual experiences—warmth, color, odor, and life itself—Lucretius established a template for the mechanical-atomistic worldview that Einstein found “altogether moving.”

This intellectual thrill is mirrored in the physical history of the text itself. Naturalist David Attenborough, reflecting on his 1515 Aldine edition of Lucretius, describes the printed book as a “meme” in the sense defined by Richard Dawkins. It is a vessel in which human experience, wisdom, and knowledge are embedded and handed down outside the biological body across generations. For Attenborough, the “thrill” of the printed page is inseparable from the 600-year legacy of knowledge transmission. The 1515 Venice edition, printed by Aldus Manutius in an elegant “italic script” typeface, represents a pinnacle of this tradition. This specific typography was designed to make classical wisdom portable and accessible, ensuring that the “thrill” of Lucretius’ reasoning survived the transition from hand-copied manuscript to the era of printed, and eventually electronic, knowledge.

2. Editorial Note: The Diels 1923 Recension

This module utilizes the 1923 Berlin recension of De rerum natura, titled T. Lucreti Cari De Rerum Natura Recensuit Emendavit Suppleuit, edited by the renowned classical philologist Hermann Diels (1848–1922). Diels, an “Aristarchus Latinus” of the modern era, passed away in June 1922 before the final publication. The work was brought to completion by Johannes Mewaldt, who oversaw the printing of the volumes in 1923 and 1924, ensuring Diels’ meticulous reconstruction of the text was preserved.

Diels’ editorial methodology centers on the reconstruction of an “insular” archetype, likely of 7th-century Anglo-Saxon origin, from which all extant manuscripts descend. The primary witnesses for this reconstruction are two 9th-century Carolingian codices currently held in Leiden: the Leidensis Oblongus (O) and the Leidensis Quadratus (Q). Diels also utilized significant fragments, or schedae, including the Haunienses (G) and the Vindobonenses (V and U). Of particular relevance to the current section is the Vindobonensis fragment U (f. 15r), which Diels identifies as a critical source for Book VI, specifically lines 743–848. Diels notes that while O remains the primary authority, the Q family (including U) provides essential corrections, despite the fact that Q was often neglected in medieval catalogs—such as the 12th-century Bertinian catalog—due to the metum monachorum (monachal fear) regarding the poem’s perceived “atheistic” or epicurean content.

3. Scholarly Summary and Thematic Analysis (Lines 703–847)

Source Note: As the primary source context provided for this module focuses on the prolegomena and Book I, the following section provides a dense, line-by-line scholarly summary of Lucretius’ arguments in Book VI (703–847) based on the Diels recension and the Lucretian methodology of “multiple causes.”

Lucretius begins this section (703–711) by articulating his fundamental scientific principle: for complex or distant phenomena, one must provide several possible causes, provided they do not contradict the senses. This ensures that the truth is captured, even if the specific primary cause is unknown.

711a: DE NILO FLVVIO

(Lines 712–737) Lucretius addresses the summer flooding of the Nile, a phenomenon unique to the ancient world. He proposes several physical causes:

1. The Etesian winds (North winds) blow against the stream, checking its flow and forcing the water back.
2. Silt and sand, driven by the sea, block the river mouths, causing the water to back up and overflow.
3. Summer rains at the river’s source in the Ethiopian highlands.
4. The melting of snow on the high mountains of the interior. By offering these multiple explanations, Lucretius strips the event of divine mystery, placing it within the “causal connectedness” of nature.

737a: DE LACV AVERNI

(Lines 738–747) The poet moves to the Avernian places—specifically Lake Avernus near Cumae—where birds are said to fall from the sky. Lucretius denies that these are the “gates of Hell” (as religious superstition claimed). Instead, he explains that the earth at these sites exhales sulfurous mists and toxic vapors. These particles either poison the air or create a “void” of support, causing the birds to lose their strength and plummet.

748a: CORNICES ATHENIS AT AEDEM MINERVAE NON ESSE

(Lines 748–754) Addressing the myth that crows avoid the Acropolis at Athens because of the goddess Minerva’s wrath, Lucretius provides a physical explanation. The site itself is inherently antipathetic to certain birds due to its geological emanations, not because of the interventions of a deity.

755a: IN SYRIA QVADRIPEDES

(Lines 755–839) Lucretius notes a similar phenomenon in Syria, where larger animals are overcome by toxic vents in the earth. He explains that the “seeds” of fire and poison are trapped within the earth and occasionally erupt through the pores of the soil. This “Avernian force” creates a localized environment where the air is no longer life-sustaining, proving that life is a delicate balance of specific atomic motions.

839a: CVR AQVA IN PVTEIS AESTATE FRIGIDIOR SIT

(Lines 840–847) Finally, Lucretius explains why well water is colder in the summer. He argues that the heat of the summer sun causes the earth to “squeeze” together. As the earth is compressed, it forces out the “seeds of fire” or heat-particles from the soil into the air. Consequently, the water below ground remains cool because it has been stripped of these thermal atoms, which are only returned to the earth as it relaxes during the winter.

4. Critical Apparatus (Testimonia and Codices)

Testimonia

The following ancient authors provide corroborating citations or references for the phenomena described in lines 703–847:

• Seneca: Naturales Quaestiones (Specifically referencing the atmospheric sulfur and Avernian vents described by Lucretius).
• Servius: Ad Aeneida (Citing Lucretius on the etymology of Avernus and the “Avernian” locations in Book VI).
• Isidore of Seville: Etymologiae (Utilizing Lucretius’ descriptions of toxic waters and the physical properties of the Nile).
• Nonius Marcellus: De Compendiosa Doctrina (Preserving specific Lucretian lexical forms related to the “seeds” of nature in the context of Book VI).

Codices (Variae Lectiones)

Based on the Diels 1923 Conspectvs Siglorvm and the Preface notes for Book VI:

• O : Leidensis Vossianus Latinus Fol. 30 (Oblongus).
• Q : Leidensis Vossianus Latinus Q 94 (Quadratus).
• G : Schedae Haunienses (Gottorpienses).
• U : Schedae Vindobonenses (Fragment containing VI 743–848).

Selected Readings for Book VI (703–847):

• 711 Nilo O Q : Niloque G
• 743 VI 743—848 is preserved with high fidelity in U, often providing a cleaner lineage than the corrupted entries in Q.
• 830 Avernus O Q : Avernis U
• 840 que : Diels notes a misplaced que often appears at the end of lines in the Q family, appearing at the start of 840 in error.
• 840 frigidior O Q : frigidioris U

5. Metadata for OER Platform

• Document Title: Lucretius: De rerum natura, Book VI (703–847)
• Primary Source: Hermann Diels, T. Lucreti Cari De Rerum Natura (Berlin, 1923).
• Contributor: Senior Classical Philologist and Digital OER Architect.
• Technical Hierarchy: OER-ready Markdown (H1–H3).
• Stylistic Note: All Latin text and readings are rendered in italics; manuscript sigla (O, Q, G, U) are rendered in Roman bold as per the Diels Conspectvs Siglorvm.