Abstract

The earliest prints of the ‘Heroides’ (Savigliano? ca. 1470, Bologna 1471, Rome 1471, Mondovì 1473, Venice 1474, Parma 1477) each made use of their own manuscripts, which were lost subsequently. At 4.118, 5.71, 12.171, 14.82, 17.121, 20.13, variants preserved only in Bologna 1471 and its successors turn out to be superior to the text of all other extant sources. At 7.115, 19.151, 19.201, incunable editions support correct readings attested only weakly in our manuscripts. Many more variants from the prints deserve close inspection. Based on these findings, the prints can be characterised in detail; in particular, Bologna 1471 proves to be a textual witness of outstanding value. A full list of variants is included. An appendix establishes that the early Treviso edition is dependent on Parma 1477 (shedding light nevertheless on the text of 9.160); it can be dated with good probability to 1478.