The praise which is bestowed upon him by Nicetas Choniates (viii. p. 238 x. p. 334) and
Michael Psellus (Du Cange, Glossar. s. v.
ῥήτωρ) is perfectly justified by the works of
Eustathius that have come down to us: they contain the amplest proofs that he was beyond all
dispute the most learned man of his age. His works consist of commentaries on ancient Greek
poets, theological treatises, homilies, epistles, &c., the first of which are to us the
most important. These commentaries shew that Eustathius possessed the most extensive
knowledge of Greek literature, from the earliest to the latest times; while his other works
exhibit to us the man's high personal character, and his great power as an orator, which
procured him the esteem of the imperial family of the Comneni. The most important of all his
works is,
1. Commentary on the
Iliad and
OdysseyHis commentary on the
Iliad and
Odyssey (
Παρεκβολαὶ εἰς τὴν Ὁμήρου Ἰλιάδα κσὶ Ὀδυσσείαν),
or rather his collection of extracts from earlier commentators of those two poems. This vast
compilation was made with the most astonishing diligence and perseverance from the numerous
and extensive works of the Alexandrian grammarians and critics, as well as from later
commentators; and as nearly all the works from which Eustathius made his extracts are lost,
his commentary is of incalculable value to us, for he has preserved at least the
substance of their remarks and criticisms. The number of authors whose works he quotes,
is prodigious (see the list of them in Fabric.
Bibl. Graec. vol. i. p.
457, &c.); but although we may admit that he had not read all of them, and that he
quoted some at second-hand, yet there seems to be no sufficient reason for believing that he
was not personally acquainted with the greatest of the ancient critics, such as Aristophanes
of Byzantium, Aristarchus, Zenodotus and others, whose works were accessible to him in the
great libraries of Constantinople. If, on the other hand, we look upon the work as a
commentary, and estimate it by the standard of what a good commentary should be, we find it
extremely deficient in plan and method; the author, however, cannot be blamed for these
deficiencies, as his title does not lead us to expect a regular commentary. His remarks are,
further, exceedingly diffuse, and frequently interrupted by all kinds of digressions; the
many etymological and grammatical fancies which we meet with in his work are such as we
might expect. There is very little in the commentary that is original, or that can be
regarded as the opinion of Eustathius himself. He incorporated in it everything which served
to illustrate his author, whether it referred to the language or grammar, or to mythology,
history, and geography.
Editions
The first edition of it was published at Rome, 1542-1550, in 4 vols. fol., of which
an inaccurate reprint appeared at Basle in 1559-60.The Florence edition by A. Potitus (1730, 3 vols. fol.), contains only the
commentary to the first five books of the
Iliad with a Latin translation.
A tolerably correct reprint of the Roman edition was published at Leipzig in two
sections; the first, containing the commentary on the Odyssey in 2 vols.
4to., appeared in 1825-26, and the second, or the commentary on the Iliad,
in 3 vols. 4to. was edited by G. Stalbaum, 1827-29. Useful extracts from the
commentary of Eustathius are contained in several editions of the Homeric poems.
2. Commentary on Dionysius Periegetes
A commentary on Dionysius Periegetes, dedicated to Joannes Ducas, the son of Andronicus
Camaterus, is on the whole of the same kind and of the same diffuseness as the commentary on
Homer. Its great value consists in the numerous extracts from earlier writers to illustrate
the geography of Dionysius.
Editions
It was first printed in R. Stephens's edition of Dionysius (Paris, 1547,
4to.), and afterwards also in that of H. Stephens (Paris, 1577, 4to., and
1697, 8vo.), in Hudson's Geograph. Minor. vol.
iv., and lastly, in Bernhardy's edition of Dionysius (Leipzig, 1828,
8vo.).
3. A Commentary on Pindar
A commentary on Pindar, which however seems to be lost, at least no MS. of it has yet come
to light. The introduction to it, however, is still extant.
Editions
The surviving introduction was first edited by Tafel in his Eustathii Thessalonicensis Opuscula, Frankfurt, 1832, 4to., from which it
was reprinted separately by Schneidewin, Eustalhiiprooenium
commentariorum Pindaricorum, Göttingen, 1837, 8vo. The other works of
Eustathius which were published for the first time by Tafel in the Opuscula just mentioned, are chiefly of a theological nature; there is, however,
among them one (p. 267, &c.) which is of great historical interest, viz. the account of
the taking of Thessalonica by the Normans in A. D. 1185.