Exempla elocutionum in Servio

In this study I collected and analyzed passages in which Servius and the so-called Servius Danielis, in their Commentary of Vergil’s works, deal with questions of syntax (elocutiones). I aimed to see how much interest Servius and SD had in this topic, which doctrinal and didactic principles guided them, which sources they had available and made use of, which linguistic auctoritates they ascribed value to on this subject. Servius and the Servius Danielis deal not so frequently with this topic, that in Servius’ own times was already a well-established field of latin grammar, and quote Modestus, Plinius the Elder, Valerius Probus, and Carminius as auctoritates on the subject. In the Commentary there is no reference to the only author de elocutionibus whose work is preserved, Arusianus Messius: it is very likely, in my opinion, that the two grammarians worked independently, if not at the same time. On the ground of an overall consideration of the subject, I think that a passage of Servius’ text (ad Aen. 7, 756) must be corrected.