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ARISTOTLE The Aristotelian text is unique, because it is not a part of the Corpus Aristotelicum . It was lost until it was discovered in Egypt in 1890 by an American missionary. The British Museum acquired it later that year. Its authorship is disputed, with some scholars attributing it to Aristotle and others to his students. If it is a genuine writing of Aristotle, then it is of particular significance, because it is the only one of his extant writings that was actually intended for publication. PSEUDO-XENOPHON Most of the manuscripts of the shorter works of Xenophon include a hostile treatise about the Athenian Constitution. The author, who appears to be an Athenian, regards the Athenian democracy as undesirable, as giving the mob undue voice in the state; but he argues that it is well-designed for its purpose, if you wanted so vile a thing to be done. Dating and Authenticity. In the early twentieth century, evidence against Xenophon's authorship was presented, and has since become the majority view. The author is now usually called pseudo-Xenophon or the Old Oligarch based on the anti-democratic tone of the work. The style is not Xenophon's, who is remarkably clear; this treatise is crabbed and inelegant. The date can only be estimated. The Old Oligarch says that lengthy land expeditions cannot be supplied against a sea power; since Brasidas marched the length of Greece in 424 BC , when Xenophon was about five, he presumably wrote before that date. On the other hand, he discusses military advantages of democracy at some length, and in listing the business of the '' Boule '' puts it first; so it has been argued that he wrote in wartime. There are plausible arguments that this was in fact the Peloponnesian War ; but the editor of the Loeb text is not convinced this is certain. EXTERNAL LINKS
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