{"id":99,"date":"2026-06-15T17:05:24","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T16:05:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/chapter\/lucretius-de-rerum-natura-book-vi-219-378-de-fulmine\/"},"modified":"2026-06-17T14:34:32","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T13:34:32","slug":"lucretius-de-rerum-natura-book-vi-219-378-de-fulmine","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/chapter\/lucretius-de-rerum-natura-book-vi-219-378-de-fulmine\/","title":{"raw":"Lucretius, De rerum natura, Book VI, 219\u2013378 (De Fulmine)","rendered":"Lucretius, De rerum natura, Book VI, 219\u2013378 (De Fulmine)"},"content":{"raw":"
\n
1. Introductory Context: Lucretius through the Modern Lens<\/span><\/h6>\n<\/header>\n

Einstein on Causal Connectedness<\/h3>\nIn his 1924 foreword to the Diels edition, Albert Einstein offers a striking characterization of Titus Lucretius Carus as an \u201cindependent man\u201d and a \u201cspectator\u201d of the intellectual follies of his contemporaries. Einstein, writing with a clarity that bridges the gap between ancient atomism and modern theoretical physics, expresses a \u201cfirm confidence\u201d in Lucretius\u2019s vision of the \u201ccausal connectedness of everything.\u201d He observes that the poet, acting as a faithful disciple of Democritus and Epicurus, imagined a world predicated on the regular motion of immutable atoms, ascribing only geometric-mechanical qualities to these fundamental particles. For Einstein, Lucretius\u2019s didactic intent\u2014the liberation of humanity from \u201cslavish fear\u201d induced by religion and superstition\u2014remains a profound objective, even if the poet\u2019s secondary motive was to persuade a \u201cpractically oriented Roman\u201d audience of the necessity of an atomistic-mechanical worldview.\n

Attenborough and the Aldine Legacy<\/h3>\nThe enduring physical life of Lucretius\u2019s text is championed by the broadcaster and naturalist David Attenborough, who identifies the 1515 Aldine edition as one of his most cherished possessions. Attenborough conceptualizes the printed book as a \u201cmeme\u201d\u2014a vital vehicle for the transmission of human experience, knowledge, and wisdom across six centuries. He reserves particular praise for the craftsmanship of Aldus Manutius, noting the \u201cwonderfully elegant italic script typeface\u201d and the portable octavo format that democratized classical literature in the early 16th century, effectively serving as the Renaissance precursor to the modern paperback.\n

The Diels Influence<\/h3>\nThe scholarly weight of this module is anchored by the work of Hermann Diels (1848\u20131922). Einstein himself remarked that Diels\u2019s translation possesses such a natural fluidity that the reader \u201cforgets it is a translation,\u201d allowing the speculative curiosity of the original hexameters to shine through without the interference of a heavy-handed modern idiom. Diels\u2019s 1923\u00a0Praefatio<\/i>\u00a0provides the foundational scholarship for the manuscript tradition presented in this OER module.\n

2. Parallel Text: Book VI, Lines 219\u2013378 (Diels 1923 Edition)<\/h2>\nPhilological Note:<\/b>\u00a0Upon a rigorous review of the provided Source Context (the\u00a0lucretius_clean.txt<\/code>\u00a0archive), it has been determined that the repository contains only the text of\u00a0De rerum natura<\/i>, Book I (lines 1\u2013550). In accordance with the principles of philological integrity and the mandates of the Regius Chair, this module declines to substitute the requested Book VI text (De Fulmine<\/i>) with unrelated verses from Book I. To do so would constitute a \u201cfranken-text\u201d and an affront to the didactic purpose of this OER. Consequently, the structural headings for Book VI are provided below as a framework for future archival expansion, pending the availability of the appropriate ground-truth text for lines 219\u2013378.\n

[218a] DE FVLMINE<\/h3>\n(Textual lacuna: Book VI absent from Source Context)<\/i>\n

[224a] IGNIS EX FVLMINE NATVRA<\/h3>\n(Textual lacuna: Book VI absent from Source Context)<\/i>\n

[245a] FVLMINA IN CRASSIORIBVS NVBIBVS ET ALTE GIGNI<\/h3>\n(Textual lacuna: Book VI absent from Source Context)<\/i>\n

[284a] DE TONITRIBVS ET TERRAE MOTV<\/h3>\n(Textual lacuna: Book VI absent from Source Context)<\/i>\n

[356a] AVTVMNO MAGIS FVLMINA ET TONITRV A FIERI<\/h3>\n(Textual lacuna: Book VI absent from Source Context)<\/i>\n

3. Critical Apparatus: Testimonia and Codices<\/h2>\n

The Manuscript Tradition (Codices)<\/h3>\nThe recovery of Lucretius\u2019s poem depends upon a tradition stemming from a single archetype, likely a 4th-century capital-script codex. The primary witnesses identified by Diels in his\u00a0Praefatio<\/i>\u00a0are as follows:\n
    \n \t
  • Codex Oblongus (O):<\/b>\u00a0A 9th-century manuscript consisting of 192 leaves. It is written in a refined Alcuin-style minuscule and originated in the monastery at Mainz.<\/li>\n \t
  • Codex Quadratus (Q):<\/b>\u00a0Also of the 9th century, this codex contains 69 leaves and originated from the monastery of St. Bertin (St. Omer). It represents a distinct family within the tradition, frequently marred by lacunae caused by the displacement of the archetype\u2019s leaves.<\/li>\n \t
  • Schedas (G, V, U):<\/b>\u00a0These fragments represent the \u201cSchedules\u201d or partial remains of the tradition:\n
      \n \t
    • Gottorpienses (G):<\/b>\u00a0Eight leaves from a 9th-century codex now held in Copenhagen.<\/li>\n \t
    • Vindobonenses (V, U):<\/b>\u00a0Fragmentary remains in Vienna. V consists of six leaves (f. 9\u201314) and U consists of four leaves (f. 15\u201318), showing a close relationship to the Q lineage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Conspectus Siglorum<\/h3>\nTo assist the student in navigating the textual variations and editorial emendations, the following sigla are employed in the Diels apparatus:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
      Siglum<\/td>\nDescription<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      O<\/b><\/td>\nCodex Oblongus (Leidensis Vossianus Lat. Fol. 30)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      O*<\/b><\/td>\nOriginal, uncorrected text of Codex Oblongus<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      O1<\/b><\/td>\nCorrection in O by the original scribe or a contemporary<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Os<\/b><\/td>\nCorrection in O by the \u201cSaxon\u201d scribe using an insular source<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Q<\/b><\/td>\nCodex Quadratus (Leidensis Vossianus Quadratus 94)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Q*<\/b><\/td>\nOriginal, uncorrected text of Codex Quadratus<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Q1<\/b><\/td>\nCorrection in Q (typically 15th-century Italian influence)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      G<\/b><\/td>\nGottorpienses fragments (Copenhagen)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      V<\/b><\/td>\nVindobonenses fragments (Vienna, f. 9\u201314)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      U<\/b><\/td>\nVindobonenses fragments (Vienna, f. 15\u201318)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      L<\/b><\/td>\nCodex Laurentianus 35, 30 (the apograph of Niccol\u00f2 Niccoli)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      F<\/b><\/td>\nCodex Laurentianus 35, 31 (noted for acute scholarly emendations)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      It.<\/b><\/td>\nReadings from various 15th-century Italian codices or editions<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

      Historical Testimonia<\/h3>\nThe historical reception of Lucretius is reconstructed through the \u201cDe Vita et Arte Lucreti Testimonia,\u201d providing a glimpse into the poet\u2019s stature in antiquity:\n
        \n \t
      • Cicero (<\/b>Ad Quintum Fratrem<\/b><\/i>\u00a0II, 9, 3):<\/b>\u00a0Writing in February 54 B.C., Cicero acknowledges the complexity of the poem: \u201cLucreti poemata\u2026 ita sunt: multis luminibus ingeni, multae tamen artis\u201d (The poems of Lucretius possess many flashes of genius, yet also much art).<\/li>\n \t
      • Ovid (<\/b>Amorum<\/b><\/i>\u00a0I, 15, 23\u201324):<\/b>\u00a0The poet Ovid asserts the eternal nature of Lucretius\u2019s hexameters: \u201ccarmina sublimis tunc sunt peritura Lucreti, \/ exitio terras cum dabit una dies\u201d (The verses of sublime Lucretius are destined to perish only when one day shall give the world to destruction).<\/li>\n \t
      • Jerome (<\/b>Chronicon<\/b><\/i>):<\/b>\u00a0Jerome records the controversial tradition that Lucretius was driven to madness by an \u201camatorio poculo\u201d (love potion) and composed his work during intervals of insanity (\u201cper intervalla insaniae\u201d), with the text eventually being edited by Cicero before the poet\u2019s death by suicide in his 44th year.<\/li>\n<\/ul>","rendered":"
        \n
        1. Introductory Context: Lucretius through the Modern Lens<\/span><\/h6>\n<\/header>\n

        Einstein on Causal Connectedness<\/h3>\n

        In his 1924 foreword to the Diels edition, Albert Einstein offers a striking characterization of Titus Lucretius Carus as an \u201cindependent man\u201d and a \u201cspectator\u201d of the intellectual follies of his contemporaries. Einstein, writing with a clarity that bridges the gap between ancient atomism and modern theoretical physics, expresses a \u201cfirm confidence\u201d in Lucretius\u2019s vision of the \u201ccausal connectedness of everything.\u201d He observes that the poet, acting as a faithful disciple of Democritus and Epicurus, imagined a world predicated on the regular motion of immutable atoms, ascribing only geometric-mechanical qualities to these fundamental particles. For Einstein, Lucretius\u2019s didactic intent\u2014the liberation of humanity from \u201cslavish fear\u201d induced by religion and superstition\u2014remains a profound objective, even if the poet\u2019s secondary motive was to persuade a \u201cpractically oriented Roman\u201d audience of the necessity of an atomistic-mechanical worldview.<\/p>\n

        Attenborough and the Aldine Legacy<\/h3>\n

        The enduring physical life of Lucretius\u2019s text is championed by the broadcaster and naturalist David Attenborough, who identifies the 1515 Aldine edition as one of his most cherished possessions. Attenborough conceptualizes the printed book as a \u201cmeme\u201d\u2014a vital vehicle for the transmission of human experience, knowledge, and wisdom across six centuries. He reserves particular praise for the craftsmanship of Aldus Manutius, noting the \u201cwonderfully elegant italic script typeface\u201d and the portable octavo format that democratized classical literature in the early 16th century, effectively serving as the Renaissance precursor to the modern paperback.<\/p>\n

        The Diels Influence<\/h3>\n

        The scholarly weight of this module is anchored by the work of Hermann Diels (1848\u20131922). Einstein himself remarked that Diels\u2019s translation possesses such a natural fluidity that the reader \u201cforgets it is a translation,\u201d allowing the speculative curiosity of the original hexameters to shine through without the interference of a heavy-handed modern idiom. Diels\u2019s 1923\u00a0Praefatio<\/i>\u00a0provides the foundational scholarship for the manuscript tradition presented in this OER module.<\/p>\n

        2. Parallel Text: Book VI, Lines 219\u2013378 (Diels 1923 Edition)<\/h2>\n

        Philological Note:<\/b>\u00a0Upon a rigorous review of the provided Source Context (the\u00a0lucretius_clean.txt<\/code>\u00a0archive), it has been determined that the repository contains only the text of\u00a0De rerum natura<\/i>, Book I (lines 1\u2013550). In accordance with the principles of philological integrity and the mandates of the Regius Chair, this module declines to substitute the requested Book VI text (De Fulmine<\/i>) with unrelated verses from Book I. To do so would constitute a \u201cfranken-text\u201d and an affront to the didactic purpose of this OER. Consequently, the structural headings for Book VI are provided below as a framework for future archival expansion, pending the availability of the appropriate ground-truth text for lines 219\u2013378.<\/p>\n

        [218a] DE FVLMINE<\/h3>\n

        (Textual lacuna: Book VI absent from Source Context)<\/i><\/p>\n

        [224a] IGNIS EX FVLMINE NATVRA<\/h3>\n

        (Textual lacuna: Book VI absent from Source Context)<\/i><\/p>\n

        [245a] FVLMINA IN CRASSIORIBVS NVBIBVS ET ALTE GIGNI<\/h3>\n

        (Textual lacuna: Book VI absent from Source Context)<\/i><\/p>\n

        [284a] DE TONITRIBVS ET TERRAE MOTV<\/h3>\n

        (Textual lacuna: Book VI absent from Source Context)<\/i><\/p>\n

        [356a] AVTVMNO MAGIS FVLMINA ET TONITRV A FIERI<\/h3>\n

        (Textual lacuna: Book VI absent from Source Context)<\/i><\/p>\n

        3. Critical Apparatus: Testimonia and Codices<\/h2>\n

        The Manuscript Tradition (Codices)<\/h3>\n

        The recovery of Lucretius\u2019s poem depends upon a tradition stemming from a single archetype, likely a 4th-century capital-script codex. The primary witnesses identified by Diels in his\u00a0Praefatio<\/i>\u00a0are as follows:<\/p>\n

          \n
        • Codex Oblongus (O):<\/b>\u00a0A 9th-century manuscript consisting of 192 leaves. It is written in a refined Alcuin-style minuscule and originated in the monastery at Mainz.<\/li>\n
        • Codex Quadratus (Q):<\/b>\u00a0Also of the 9th century, this codex contains 69 leaves and originated from the monastery of St. Bertin (St. Omer). It represents a distinct family within the tradition, frequently marred by lacunae caused by the displacement of the archetype\u2019s leaves.<\/li>\n
        • Schedas (G, V, U):<\/b>\u00a0These fragments represent the \u201cSchedules\u201d or partial remains of the tradition:\n
            \n
          • Gottorpienses (G):<\/b>\u00a0Eight leaves from a 9th-century codex now held in Copenhagen.<\/li>\n
          • Vindobonenses (V, U):<\/b>\u00a0Fragmentary remains in Vienna. V consists of six leaves (f. 9\u201314) and U consists of four leaves (f. 15\u201318), showing a close relationship to the Q lineage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            Conspectus Siglorum<\/h3>\n

            To assist the student in navigating the textual variations and editorial emendations, the following sigla are employed in the Diels apparatus:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
            Siglum<\/td>\nDescription<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            O<\/b><\/td>\nCodex Oblongus (Leidensis Vossianus Lat. Fol. 30)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            O*<\/b><\/td>\nOriginal, uncorrected text of Codex Oblongus<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            O1<\/b><\/td>\nCorrection in O by the original scribe or a contemporary<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            Os<\/b><\/td>\nCorrection in O by the \u201cSaxon\u201d scribe using an insular source<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            Q<\/b><\/td>\nCodex Quadratus (Leidensis Vossianus Quadratus 94)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            Q*<\/b><\/td>\nOriginal, uncorrected text of Codex Quadratus<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            Q1<\/b><\/td>\nCorrection in Q (typically 15th-century Italian influence)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            G<\/b><\/td>\nGottorpienses fragments (Copenhagen)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            V<\/b><\/td>\nVindobonenses fragments (Vienna, f. 9\u201314)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            U<\/b><\/td>\nVindobonenses fragments (Vienna, f. 15\u201318)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            L<\/b><\/td>\nCodex Laurentianus 35, 30 (the apograph of Niccol\u00f2 Niccoli)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            F<\/b><\/td>\nCodex Laurentianus 35, 31 (noted for acute scholarly emendations)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            It.<\/b><\/td>\nReadings from various 15th-century Italian codices or editions<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

            Historical Testimonia<\/h3>\n

            The historical reception of Lucretius is reconstructed through the \u201cDe Vita et Arte Lucreti Testimonia,\u201d providing a glimpse into the poet\u2019s stature in antiquity:<\/p>\n

              \n
            • Cicero (<\/b>Ad Quintum Fratrem<\/b><\/i>\u00a0II, 9, 3):<\/b>\u00a0Writing in February 54 B.C., Cicero acknowledges the complexity of the poem: \u201cLucreti poemata\u2026 ita sunt: multis luminibus ingeni, multae tamen artis\u201d (The poems of Lucretius possess many flashes of genius, yet also much art).<\/li>\n
            • Ovid (<\/b>Amorum<\/b><\/i>\u00a0I, 15, 23\u201324):<\/b>\u00a0The poet Ovid asserts the eternal nature of Lucretius\u2019s hexameters: \u201ccarmina sublimis tunc sunt peritura Lucreti, \/ exitio terras cum dabit una dies\u201d (The verses of sublime Lucretius are destined to perish only when one day shall give the world to destruction).<\/li>\n
            • Jerome (<\/b>Chronicon<\/b><\/i>):<\/b>\u00a0Jerome records the controversial tradition that Lucretius was driven to madness by an \u201camatorio poculo\u201d (love potion) and composed his work during intervals of insanity (\u201cper intervalla insaniae\u201d), with the text eventually being edited by Cicero before the poet\u2019s death by suicide in his 44th year.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"menu_order":41,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-99","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":18,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/99","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/99\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":100,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/99\/revisions\/100"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/18"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/99\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=99"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=99"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=99"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}