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[638] The vulg. “ἀλλ᾽ οἷον” may be taken in two ways: (1) exclamative, ‘but what a man do they say was H.!’ (2) ‘But (those sons of Zeus were) such as.’ (2) involves an awkward ellipse, and in (1) the presence of “ἀλλά” is hardly consistent with the sense assumed. “οἷος” when used exclamatively always begins a clause, e.g. 601, Od. 1.32, etc., and in the phrases “ὣ πόποι .. οἷον ἔειπες” 7.455, cf. 15.286, etc. In Od. 4.242, Od. 11.519, where “ἀλλ᾽ οἷον” begins a line, it is evidently subordinate to a preceding verb. Thus ἀλλοῖον seems to be decidedly the best reading. The objections of Ameis, (a) that “ἀλλοῖός τις” are not elsewhere found together, (b) that “ἀλλοῖος” is not elsewhere in H. used of purely mental qualities, are only weak special pleading. As for (a) the obvious retort is that “οἷος” itself out of nearly 200 places where it occurs is only twice joined with “τις” (see on 554); “ἀλλοῖος” recurs only three times altogether (4.258, Od. 16.181, Od. 19.265). The indefinite pronoun is hardly consistent with either explanation of “οἷος”. And (b) is not true in the case of Od. 19.265. Finally, it is urged that “ἀλλοῖόν τινα” is too weak an expression in this speech. This is a matter of taste; in my opinion the sense ‘another sort of man, they say’ is vigorous enough. For the masculine adj. with the periphrastic βίην cf. 11.690, etc. (H. G. § 166. 1).

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

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