Letter 9006: King Athalaric to the Chief Secretary [Primiscrinius].
Cassiodorus→Chief Secretary|c. 522 AD|Cassiodorus
barbarian invasioneducation booksillness
King Athalaric to the Chief Secretary [Primiscrinius].
[The Primiscrinius was the senior secretary of the Praetorian Prefecture's staff. Baiae, on the Bay of Naples, was the most famous spa resort of the ancient world, renowned for its hot springs.]
You report that, after long labors at your post, you have been so gravely struck by bodily illness that you cannot even come to receive the military discharge you were due -- the one you were so eagerly rushing toward. You fear that through your absence, the sweetest fruit might be snatched from your very grasp. You also ask that, confined by the weakness of a chilled body, you might be restored by the dry heat of the baths of Baiae.
This is a request truly worthy of being granted among the highest rewards -- that just as we give hope to the defeated, so we should give health to those who ask for it. We therefore release you from the fear of any penalty for your absence and grant you the benefit of the said baths, so that, refreshed first by the joy of mind, you may more easily recover the health of your body. It is a natural principle of medicine to give the sick something to be happy about -- for make a sick man rejoice, and he is already cured.
Go, then, to those delightful retreats. Go to a sunnier sky, as it were, where nature is kinder to the land in the temperate healthfulness of the air. There, reflecting deeply on the wonders around you, the human mind converses with the secrets of the world and never ceases to marvel at what it sees is possible in that place. First: the waters of Nereus [the sea], teeming with marine delicacies. So many harbors, placed by nature's foresight in the curving bays of the shore. So many noble islands, endowed with the embrace of the sea. Then: the lake of Avernus, where a sea of standing water has been introduced, where oysters are cultivated for human pleasure, and human ingenuity has made it so that what is elsewhere a matter of chance is there always found in abundance.
With what massive constructions the boundaries of the sea have been elegantly pushed back! How far the land has been advanced into the depths of the ocean! On either side, schools of fish play freely. Elsewhere, luxurious catches may be penned behind industrious walls and aquatic flocks held captive -- but here, everywhere, the fishponds are open and free. Add to this that the fishing itself is so pleasant that it feeds the eyes of onlookers even before the lavish banquet. There is a great joy in catching what you desire, but in such matters the beauty of the scene is often more gratifying than the usefulness of the catch.
But lest I wander too far: the man who is given leisure at Baiae is believed to dwell amid the treasures of Neptune. Enriched by these delights through pleasant exercise, you make your way to the most beautiful baths -- full of wonders and precious in the quality of healing they offer. Though they are known to have been built by human effort, they are certainly maintained by natural forces. No imported timber is burned in furnaces there: without any visible flame, a perpetual heat does the work. No clouds of smoke are seen. A pure breeze delivers the steam, gently provoking healthful sweat. These baths are found to be healthier than ordinary ones to the same degree that nature surpasses human industry. You will see waters steaming from their perpetual springs, which seem so perfectly suited to the bathers' wishes that you would think them tempered by human skill.
Let the celebrated reputation of the Coral Sea give way! Let the fame of the Indian Ocean, renowned for the whiteness of its pearls, rise up in comparison! What good are such prices to me if the spirit does not enjoy what it desires? Nothing can be more excellent than the shores of Baiae, where one can feast on the sweetest delights and be filled with the priceless gift of health. Enjoy, then, these blessings you have so desired. Through our generosity, you will arrive at your own reward. Through the remedies of Baiae, attain the prize of health.
VI.
PRIMISCRINIO ATHALARICUS REX.
[1] Cum diuturnis laboribus excubares, ita te inbecillitate corporis asseris graviter sauciatum, ut nec ad famam militiae percipiendam possis occurrere, ad quam constat voto te praecipiti festinasse, metuens ne per absentiam tui ab ipsis paene faucibus dulcissimus tibi fructus videatur auferri, postulans etiam ut, algentis corporis necessitate constrictus, Baiani lavacri siccitate laxeris. [2] Dignum plane quod inter praemia summa praestemus, ut, sicut conferimus victis spem, ita tribuamus supplicantibus et salutem. quapropter et a vinculo te emolumenticii terroris absolvimus et praedicti lavacri munere sublevamus, ut primum mentis gaudio recreatus facilius membrorum recipias sospitatem. naturalis siquidem cura est aegris dare laetitiam: nam fac invalidum gaudere, sanatus est. [3] Perge igitur ad amoenos recessus: perge ad solem, ut ita dixerim, clariorem: ubi salubritate aeris temperata terris blandior est natura. illic miraculis alta cogitatione perpensis cum arcanis mundi mens humana colloquitur nec admirari desinit quae ibi agi posse cognoscit: primum Nerei fluenta marinis deliciis esse completa, tot portus naturae prudentia terrenis sinibus intermissos, tot insulas nobiles amplexu pelagi dotatas: deinde inmissum Averno stagneum mare, ubi ad voluptatem hominum vita regitur ostreorum, industriaque mortalium fieri, ut res alibi fortuita ibi semper appareat copiosa. [4] Quantis ibi molibus marini termini decenter invasi sunt! quantis spatiis in visceribus aequoris terra promota est! dextra laevaque greges piscium ludunt. claudantur alibi industriosis parietibus copiosae deliciae: captivi teneantur aquatiles greges: hic ubique sub libertate vivaria sunt. adde quod tam amoena est suscepta piscatio, ut ante epulosum convivium intuentium pascat aspectum. magnum est enim gaudium desiderata cepisse: sed in huiusmodi rebus gratior est plerumque amoenitas oculi quam utilitas captionis. [5] Sed ne longius evagemur, inter Neptunias gazas habitare creditur, cui otia Baiana praestantur. his itaque rebus deliciosa exercitatione saginati ad pulcherrima lavacra contenditis, quae sunt et miraculis plena et salutis qualitate pretiosa. nam etsi hominum cura fabricata noscuntur, naturalibus certe ministeriis exhibentur. fornaces ibi non robora convecta succendunt: cessante flamma perpetuus calor operatur: illic globi fumiferi nesciuntur: aura est purissima, quae ministrat vapores, sudores provocat dulciter anhelos: et tantum a communibus balneis salubrior invenitur, quantum ab humana industria celsior est natura. videas illic undas perpetuis fumare gurgitibus, quae ita videntur lavantum explere desideria, ut humano credas studio temperatas. [6] Cedat corallici pelagi laudata semper opinio: adsurgat Indici maris de albarum candore fama locupletior. quid mihi cum pretiis, si animus non fruatur optatis? baianis litoribus nil potest esse praestantius, ubi contingit et dulcissimis deliciis vesci et impretiabili munere sanitatis expleri. fruere igitur bonis nihilominus expetitis: nostris beneficiis ad tua emolumenta pervenies: Baianis remediis consequere rem salutis.
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King Athalaric to the Chief Secretary [Primiscrinius].
[The Primiscrinius was the senior secretary of the Praetorian Prefecture's staff. Baiae, on the Bay of Naples, was the most famous spa resort of the ancient world, renowned for its hot springs.]
You report that, after long labors at your post, you have been so gravely struck by bodily illness that you cannot even come to receive the military discharge you were due -- the one you were so eagerly rushing toward. You fear that through your absence, the sweetest fruit might be snatched from your very grasp. You also ask that, confined by the weakness of a chilled body, you might be restored by the dry heat of the baths of Baiae.
This is a request truly worthy of being granted among the highest rewards -- that just as we give hope to the defeated, so we should give health to those who ask for it. We therefore release you from the fear of any penalty for your absence and grant you the benefit of the said baths, so that, refreshed first by the joy of mind, you may more easily recover the health of your body. It is a natural principle of medicine to give the sick something to be happy about -- for make a sick man rejoice, and he is already cured.
Go, then, to those delightful retreats. Go to a sunnier sky, as it were, where nature is kinder to the land in the temperate healthfulness of the air. There, reflecting deeply on the wonders around you, the human mind converses with the secrets of the world and never ceases to marvel at what it sees is possible in that place. First: the waters of Nereus [the sea], teeming with marine delicacies. So many harbors, placed by nature's foresight in the curving bays of the shore. So many noble islands, endowed with the embrace of the sea. Then: the lake of Avernus, where a sea of standing water has been introduced, where oysters are cultivated for human pleasure, and human ingenuity has made it so that what is elsewhere a matter of chance is there always found in abundance.
With what massive constructions the boundaries of the sea have been elegantly pushed back! How far the land has been advanced into the depths of the ocean! On either side, schools of fish play freely. Elsewhere, luxurious catches may be penned behind industrious walls and aquatic flocks held captive -- but here, everywhere, the fishponds are open and free. Add to this that the fishing itself is so pleasant that it feeds the eyes of onlookers even before the lavish banquet. There is a great joy in catching what you desire, but in such matters the beauty of the scene is often more gratifying than the usefulness of the catch.
But lest I wander too far: the man who is given leisure at Baiae is believed to dwell amid the treasures of Neptune. Enriched by these delights through pleasant exercise, you make your way to the most beautiful baths -- full of wonders and precious in the quality of healing they offer. Though they are known to have been built by human effort, they are certainly maintained by natural forces. No imported timber is burned in furnaces there: without any visible flame, a perpetual heat does the work. No clouds of smoke are seen. A pure breeze delivers the steam, gently provoking healthful sweat. These baths are found to be healthier than ordinary ones to the same degree that nature surpasses human industry. You will see waters steaming from their perpetual springs, which seem so perfectly suited to the bathers' wishes that you would think them tempered by human skill.
Let the celebrated reputation of the Coral Sea give way! Let the fame of the Indian Ocean, renowned for the whiteness of its pearls, rise up in comparison! What good are such prices to me if the spirit does not enjoy what it desires? Nothing can be more excellent than the shores of Baiae, where one can feast on the sweetest delights and be filled with the priceless gift of health. Enjoy, then, these blessings you have so desired. Through our generosity, you will arrive at your own reward. Through the remedies of Baiae, attain the prize of health.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.