ABSTRACT
The preceding passages examined in the last chapter, where Philodemus treats the notion of art and rhetorics status within it are fraught with imped iments to interpretation. It is extremely difficult to follow the thread of his thought because, while the text itself is often in a fairly good state, the com pression and complexity of the argument require a precise attribution of the various demonstratives and pronouns. In addition, despite the aid of mar ginal marks, it is not always clear whether the statements are Philodemus’ own or citations from arguments he is examining. A little further on in book 2 we reach a section where Philodemus appears to state some of his own views unequivocally. The introduction is promisingly systematic,
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