LETTER V
Sidonius to his dear Heronius, greetings.
1. I received your letter while in Rome. You ask anxiously whether my journey is proceeding according to our joint plan, what sort of road I have traveled, which rivers I have seen that are famous in the songs of poets, which cities are renowned for the setting of their walls, which mountains are celebrated in stories of the gods, and which plains are notable for accounts of battles -- since you consider it a pleasure to learn from the faithful report of those who have seen things what you have discovered only through reading. I am glad, therefore, that you want to know what I am doing, for such interest springs from a deep affection. And so, though some things have gone amiss, I shall begin with the favorable events, as our ancestors used to do even when narrating their misfortunes.
2. On leaving the walls of our city on the Rhone [Lyons], I made use of the imperial post, having been summoned by an imperial letter, and traveled through the homes of friends and relatives. There it was not a shortage of post-horses but a crowd of friends that delayed the traveler -- people who clung to me in tight embraces and with competing prayers wished me a safe journey and return.
3. So I approached the ridges of the Alps, where the ascent was quick and easy for me, with paths made smooth through snow carved into the road between the terrifying steep sides on either hand. I also found convenient fords of those rivers that were not navigable, or at least solid bridges which antiquity had vaulted on hidden arches from their foundations up to a roadbed paved with walkable stone. At Pavia I boarded a fast boat (that is the name for such a vessel), and was soon carried down to the Po, where I laughed at the oft-sung Heliades of Phaethon [the daughters of the sun god, said to have been turned into poplar trees weeping amber on the banks of the Po] and their mythical tears of tree-born metal.
4. Passing the mouths of the marshy Lambro, the blue Adda, the swift Adige, and the sluggish Mincio -- rivers that rise in the Ligurian and Euganean mountains -- I traveled briefly upstream and observed them in their very channels. Their banks and meadows were clothed everywhere with groves of oak and maple. Here the sweet chorus of birds resounded, their nests piled in swaying heaps now in hollow reeds, now in prickly rushes, now in smooth-jointed bulrushes -- all these thickets having grown wild in tumbled profusion along the river margins, nourished by the moisture of the spongy soil.
5. Passing by, I arrived at Cremona, whose proximity was long sighed for by the Mantuan Tityrus [a reference to Virgil, who was from nearby Mantua]. Then at Brixellum, a small town, I entered only long enough to leave, as the Venetian oarsman gave way to his Aemilian successor. Soon after, steering rightward, we reached Ravenna -- a place where, between the old city and the new port, you might wonder whether Caesar's road connecting them in the middle actually joins or separates them. Moreover, the twin city is partly intersected and partly skirted by a branch of the Po, which is diverted from the main channel by the obstruction of public embankments and drained through channels cut through them, dividing its waters so as to provide the walls with defense where it flows around them and commerce where it flows through.
6. Here everything was conveniently available for trade, and especially whatever was fit for eating -- except that, with the salt sea battering on one side at the gates and the channels fouled by sewer-like muck stirred up by the passage of barges on the other, the sluggish, slow-moving water was polluted by the perforated mud of the bottom churned by boatmen's poles. In the midst of all this water, we were thirsty, because nowhere was there a clean aqueduct, a settleable cistern, a flowing spring, or an unsullied well.
7. Moving on from there, we came to the Rubicon, which takes its name from the crimson color of its gravel, and which was once the boundary between the Cisalpine Gauls and the old Italians, when the towns of the Adriatic were divided between the two peoples. From there I reached Ariminum [Rimini] and Fanum [Fano] -- the former memorable for the Caesarian rebellion, the latter stained by the death of Hasdrubal [killed at the Battle of the Metaurus, 207 BC]. For there flows the Metaurus, whose fame, won in a single day, stretches so far into time that it seems as though it still carries bloodstained corpses on its discolored waters into the Adriatic.
8. From here, entering and immediately leaving the other towns of the Flaminian Way, I passed the Picenes on my left and the Umbrians on my right. There, whether it was the Calabrian sirocco or the pestilential climate of Tuscany, with its poisoned blasts of venomous air alternating between heat and cold, the infection struck my body. Meanwhile fever and thirst were ravaging the innermost chambers of my heart and marrow. To satisfy their craving I promised myself -- though fear made me mask my longing -- not only the pleasant springs and deep wells, though those too, but every nearby or accessible river: the crystal Velino, the icy Clitumnus, the blue Anio, the sulphurous Nar, the pure Farfarus, the muddy Tiber.
9. Then Rome came into view, and I felt I could drink down not only its architectural marvels but even its naumachia pools. Before I had even touched the city walls, I threw myself at the triumphal thresholds of the Apostles, and immediately felt all the sickness shaken from my weakened limbs. After this proof of heavenly patronage, I was received in a lodging we had hired, and even now, writing these lines while reclining, I am giving a little time to rest.
10. I have not yet presented myself at the turbulent doors of the emperor and his court. For I arrived just in time for the wedding of the patrician Ricimer [the powerful Germanic general who dominated Western Roman politics], to whom the daughter of the eternal Augustus [Emperor Anthemius] was being joined in hopes of public security. And so, amid this joy not only of individuals but of whole ranks and factions, it seemed better for your Transalpine friend to lie low -- especially since, at the very time I write this, the wedding song can scarcely be performed through all the theaters, markets, courts, forums, temples, and gymnasiums. Studies are silent, business is at rest, courts are still, embassies are deferred, canvassing is suspended, and amid theatrical buffooneries the entire business of serious affairs is on holiday.
11. Already the bride has been given away, already the groom has set aside his wedding crown, the consul his palm-embroidered robe, the bridesmaid her flowing dress, the man of rank his toga, and the obscure man his traveling cloak -- and still the full pageant of the wedding chamber has not died down, because the new bride has not yet moved to her husband's house. Once these festivities are over, the remaining efforts of my mission will be revealed to you, provided the completed celebrations at last bring an end to this city's most busy vacation. Farewell.
EPISTULA V
Sidonius Heronio suo salutem.
1. Litteras tuas Romae positus accepi, quibus an secundum commune consilium sese peregrinationis meae coepta promoveant sollicitus inquiris, viam etiam qualem qualiterque confecerim, quos aut fluvios viderim poetarum carminibus inlustres aut urbes moenium situ inclitas aut montes numinum opinione vulgatos aut campos proeliorum replicatione monstrabiles, quia voluptuosum censeas quae lectione compereris eorum, qui inspexerint, fideliore didicisse memoratu. quocirca gaudeo te quid agam cupere cognoscere; namque huiuscemodi studium de affectu interiore proficiscitur. ilicet, etsi secus quaepiam, sub ope tamen dei ordiar a secundis, quibus primordiis maiores nostri etiam sinisteritatum suarum relationes evolvere auspicabantur.
2. egresso mihi Rhodanusiae nostrae moenibus publicus cursus usui fuit utpote sacris apicibus accito, et quidem per domicilia sodalium propinquorumque; ubi sane vianti moram non veredorum paucitas sed amicorum multitudo faciebat, quae mihi arto implicita complexu itum reditumque felicem certantibus votis conprecabatur. sic Alpium iugis appropinquatum, quarum mihi citus et facilis ascensus et inter utrimque terrentis latera praerupti cavatis in callem nivibus itinera mollita.
3. fluviorum quoque, si qui non navigabiles, vada commoda vel certe pervii pontes, quos antiquitas a fundamentis ad usque aggerem calcabili silice crustatum crypticis arcubus fornicavit. Ticini cursoriam (sic navigio nomen) escendi, qua in Eridanum brevi delatus cantatas saepe comissaliter nobis Phaethontiadas et commenticias arborei metalli lacrimas risi.
4. ulvosum Lambrum caerulum Adduam, velocem Athesim pigrum Mincium, qui Ligusticis Euganeisque montibus oriebantur, paulum per ostia adversa subvectus in suis etiam gurgitibus inspexi; quorum ripae torique passim quernis acernisque nemoribus vestiebantur. hic avium resonans dulce concentus, quibus nunc in concavis harundinibus, nunc quoque in iuncis pungentibus, nunc et in scirpis enodibus nidorum strues imposita nutabat; quae cuncta virgulta tumultuatim super amnicos margines soli bibuli suco fota fruticaverant.
5. atque obiter Cremonam pervectus adveni, cuius est olim Tityro Mantuano largum suspirata proximitas. Brixillum dein oppidum, dum succedenti Aemiliano nautae decedit Venetus remex, tantum, ut exiremus, intravimus, Ravennam paulo post cursu dexteriore subeuntes; quo loci veterem civitatem novumque portum media via Caesaris ambigas utrum conectat an separet. insuper oppidum duplex pars interluit Padi, + certa pars alluit; qui ab alveo principali molium publicarum discerptus obiectu et per easdem derivatis tramitibus exhaustus sic dividua fluenta partitur, ut praebeant moenibus circumfusa praesidium, infusa commercium.
6. huc [cum] peropportuna cuncta mercatui; tum praecipue quod esui competeret deferebatur; nisi quod, cum sese hinc salsum portis pelagus impingeret, hinc cloacali pulte fossarum discursu lyntrium ventilata ipse lentati languidus lapsus umoris nauticis cuspidibus foraminato fundi glutino sordidaretur, in medio undarum sitiebamus, quia nusquam vel aquaeductuum liquor integer vel cisterna defaecabilis vel fons inriguus vel puteus inlimis.
7. unde progressis ad Rubiconem ventum, qui originem nomini de glarearum colore puniceo mutuabatur quique olim Gallis cisalpinis Italisque veteribus terminus erat, cum populis utrisque Hadriatici maris oppida divisui fuere. hinc Ariminum Fanumque perveni, illud Iuliana rebellione memorabile, hoc Hasdrubaliano funere infectum: siquidem illic Metaurus, cuius ita in longum felicitas uno die parta porrigitur, ac si etiam nunc Dalmatico salo cadavera sanguinulenta decoloratis gurgitibus inferret.
8. hinc cetera Flaminiae oppida, statim, ut ingrediebar, egressus laevo Picentes, dextro Umbros latere transmisi; ubi mihi seu Calaber Atabulus seu pestilens regio Tuscorum spiritu aeris venenatis flatibus inebriato et modo calores alternante, modo frigora vaporatum corpus infecit. interea febris sitisque penitissimum cordis medullarumque secretum depopulabantur; quarum aviditati non solum amoena fontium aut abstrusa puteorum, quamquam haec quoque, sed tota illa vel vicina vel obvia fluenta id est vitrea Velini gelida Clitumni, Anienis caerula Naris sulpurea, pura Fabaris turbida Tiberis, metu tamen desiderium fallente, pollicebamur.
9. inter haec patuit et Roma conspectui; cuius mihi non solum formas verum etiam naumachias videbar epotaturus. ubi priusquam vel pomeria contingerem, triumphalibus apostolorum liminibus affusus omnem protinus sensi membris male fortibus explosum esse languorem; post quae caelestis experimenta patrocinii conducti devorsorii parte susceptus atque etiam nunc istaec inter iacendum scriptitans quieti pauxillulum operam impendo.
10. neque adhuc principis aulicorumque tumultuosis foribus obversor. interveni etenim nuptiis patricii Ricimeris, cui filia perennis Augusti in spem publicae securitatis copulabatur. igitur nunc in ista non modo personarum sed etiam ordinum partiumque laetitia Transalpino tuo latere conducibilius visum, quippe cum hoc ipso tempore, quo haec mihi exarabantur, vix per omnia theatra macella, praetoria fora, templa gymnasia Thalassio Fescenninus explicaretur, atque etiam nunc e contrario studia sileant negotia quiescant, iudicia conticescant differantur legationes, vacet ambitus et inter scurrilitates histrionicas totus actionum seriarum status peregrinetur.
11. iam quidem virgo tradita est, iam coronam sponsus, iam palmatam consularis, iam cycladem pronuba, iam togam [senator] honoratus, iam paenulam deponit inglorius, et nondum tamen cuncta thalamorum pompa defremuit, quia necdum ad mariti domum nova nupta migravit. qua festivitate decursa cetera tibi laborum meorum molimina reserabuntur, si tamen vel consummata sollemnitas aliquando terminaverit istam totius civitatis occupatissimam vacationem. vale.
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LETTER V
Sidonius to his dear Heronius, greetings.
1. I received your letter while in Rome. You ask anxiously whether my journey is proceeding according to our joint plan, what sort of road I have traveled, which rivers I have seen that are famous in the songs of poets, which cities are renowned for the setting of their walls, which mountains are celebrated in stories of the gods, and which plains are notable for accounts of battles -- since you consider it a pleasure to learn from the faithful report of those who have seen things what you have discovered only through reading. I am glad, therefore, that you want to know what I am doing, for such interest springs from a deep affection. And so, though some things have gone amiss, I shall begin with the favorable events, as our ancestors used to do even when narrating their misfortunes.
2. On leaving the walls of our city on the Rhone [Lyons], I made use of the imperial post, having been summoned by an imperial letter, and traveled through the homes of friends and relatives. There it was not a shortage of post-horses but a crowd of friends that delayed the traveler -- people who clung to me in tight embraces and with competing prayers wished me a safe journey and return.
3. So I approached the ridges of the Alps, where the ascent was quick and easy for me, with paths made smooth through snow carved into the road between the terrifying steep sides on either hand. I also found convenient fords of those rivers that were not navigable, or at least solid bridges which antiquity had vaulted on hidden arches from their foundations up to a roadbed paved with walkable stone. At Pavia I boarded a fast boat (that is the name for such a vessel), and was soon carried down to the Po, where I laughed at the oft-sung Heliades of Phaethon [the daughters of the sun god, said to have been turned into poplar trees weeping amber on the banks of the Po] and their mythical tears of tree-born metal.
4. Passing the mouths of the marshy Lambro, the blue Adda, the swift Adige, and the sluggish Mincio -- rivers that rise in the Ligurian and Euganean mountains -- I traveled briefly upstream and observed them in their very channels. Their banks and meadows were clothed everywhere with groves of oak and maple. Here the sweet chorus of birds resounded, their nests piled in swaying heaps now in hollow reeds, now in prickly rushes, now in smooth-jointed bulrushes -- all these thickets having grown wild in tumbled profusion along the river margins, nourished by the moisture of the spongy soil.
5. Passing by, I arrived at Cremona, whose proximity was long sighed for by the Mantuan Tityrus [a reference to Virgil, who was from nearby Mantua]. Then at Brixellum, a small town, I entered only long enough to leave, as the Venetian oarsman gave way to his Aemilian successor. Soon after, steering rightward, we reached Ravenna -- a place where, between the old city and the new port, you might wonder whether Caesar's road connecting them in the middle actually joins or separates them. Moreover, the twin city is partly intersected and partly skirted by a branch of the Po, which is diverted from the main channel by the obstruction of public embankments and drained through channels cut through them, dividing its waters so as to provide the walls with defense where it flows around them and commerce where it flows through.
6. Here everything was conveniently available for trade, and especially whatever was fit for eating -- except that, with the salt sea battering on one side at the gates and the channels fouled by sewer-like muck stirred up by the passage of barges on the other, the sluggish, slow-moving water was polluted by the perforated mud of the bottom churned by boatmen's poles. In the midst of all this water, we were thirsty, because nowhere was there a clean aqueduct, a settleable cistern, a flowing spring, or an unsullied well.
7. Moving on from there, we came to the Rubicon, which takes its name from the crimson color of its gravel, and which was once the boundary between the Cisalpine Gauls and the old Italians, when the towns of the Adriatic were divided between the two peoples. From there I reached Ariminum [Rimini] and Fanum [Fano] -- the former memorable for the Caesarian rebellion, the latter stained by the death of Hasdrubal [killed at the Battle of the Metaurus, 207 BC]. For there flows the Metaurus, whose fame, won in a single day, stretches so far into time that it seems as though it still carries bloodstained corpses on its discolored waters into the Adriatic.
8. From here, entering and immediately leaving the other towns of the Flaminian Way, I passed the Picenes on my left and the Umbrians on my right. There, whether it was the Calabrian sirocco or the pestilential climate of Tuscany, with its poisoned blasts of venomous air alternating between heat and cold, the infection struck my body. Meanwhile fever and thirst were ravaging the innermost chambers of my heart and marrow. To satisfy their craving I promised myself -- though fear made me mask my longing -- not only the pleasant springs and deep wells, though those too, but every nearby or accessible river: the crystal Velino, the icy Clitumnus, the blue Anio, the sulphurous Nar, the pure Farfarus, the muddy Tiber.
9. Then Rome came into view, and I felt I could drink down not only its architectural marvels but even its naumachia pools. Before I had even touched the city walls, I threw myself at the triumphal thresholds of the Apostles, and immediately felt all the sickness shaken from my weakened limbs. After this proof of heavenly patronage, I was received in a lodging we had hired, and even now, writing these lines while reclining, I am giving a little time to rest.
10. I have not yet presented myself at the turbulent doors of the emperor and his court. For I arrived just in time for the wedding of the patrician Ricimer [the powerful Germanic general who dominated Western Roman politics], to whom the daughter of the eternal Augustus [Emperor Anthemius] was being joined in hopes of public security. And so, amid this joy not only of individuals but of whole ranks and factions, it seemed better for your Transalpine friend to lie low -- especially since, at the very time I write this, the wedding song can scarcely be performed through all the theaters, markets, courts, forums, temples, and gymnasiums. Studies are silent, business is at rest, courts are still, embassies are deferred, canvassing is suspended, and amid theatrical buffooneries the entire business of serious affairs is on holiday.
11. Already the bride has been given away, already the groom has set aside his wedding crown, the consul his palm-embroidered robe, the bridesmaid her flowing dress, the man of rank his toga, and the obscure man his traveling cloak -- and still the full pageant of the wedding chamber has not died down, because the new bride has not yet moved to her husband's house. Once these festivities are over, the remaining efforts of my mission will be revealed to you, provided the completed celebrations at last bring an end to this city's most busy vacation. Farewell.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.