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THEOPHRASTUS ON STONES
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London. It is still of considerable value for the light it throws on the state of chemical, geological, and mineralogical knowledge in the period during which it was written.10 Hill's work appeared in a second and final edition in 1774, largely unaltered as regards the text, translation, and commentary, but containing additional matter in the appendix and a fuller index. A French translation of Hill's English version and commentary, but without the Greek text, was published anonymously at Paris in 1754, and a similar German translation with additional notes by Baumgärtner was published at Nürnberg in 1770. Another German translation by Schmieder is said to have been published at Freiberg in 1807,11 but this seems to be a very rare work, since no other mention of it could be found, and no copy could be located. These few works, which, with the possible exception of the last, are wholly or mostly based upon the labors of Hill, constitute the only past appearance of the treatise On Stones as an independent publication.
In the nineteenth century the treatise again appears in the form of a Greek text and Latin translation in Schneider's elaborate edition of the complete works of Theophrastus published at Leipzig in 1818, followed by a fifth volume in 1821. In this fifth volume Schneider was able to make use of some emendations of the text suggested by Adamantios Coraës12 in his commentary on the Geography of Strabo published at Paris in 1819. The Greek text of the treatise also appears in the third volume of Wimmer's Teubner edition published at Leipzig in 1862. In the Didot edition, published at Paris in 1866, this Greek text of Wimmer is reproduced, and Wimmer's parallel Latin translation is given. Of these three important editions, Schneider's is the most valuable for its extensive critical notes and discussions of the readings of earlier editions. In this respect, the two editions of Wimmer are inferior, though the text of Wimmer is somewhat better, and in
10 Its author, John Hill (1716-1775), was a somewhat eccentric litterateur and scientist who was embroiled with many famous men of his time. Though called by his enemies a quack, and by Dr. Johnson a liar, he was, nevertheless, a very learned man and a very able writer. His translation of the treatise On Stonei brought him to the notice of the Royal Society and won him the friendship of some of its members, which he forfeited by the publication of certain satirical works directed against them.
11 Schneider, op. cit., Vol. II, p. 578; Vol. IV, p. 535.
12 Also written Koraës, Koraïs, or Coray.
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