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In Andibus an Essay of Experimental Philology

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In Andibus an Essay of Experimental Philology Metalogicon (1992) V, 1 In Andibus An Essay of Experimental Philology Davide Nardoni* Among the vexed questions still alive in the Latin literature, the Vergil's birthplace has not had, as yet, a satisfactory and universally accepted solution. We may range the philologists interested at the question in three sets: to the first set belong the philologists, who convinced that Andes/Pietole, named today ‘Virgilio’, was the birthplace of the poet, defended and still defend the mediaeval tradition; to the second set belong the philologists, who refusing the equation ‘Andes = Pietole’, fixed the poet's birthplace elsewhere in the Padania; to the third set belong the philologists, who refusing the above equation and the different opinions of scholars, went their way searching different solutions to the problem. We, as assertors of experimental philology, having done tabula rasa of such opinions, recommence our discourse pounding the ancient references. The references come from two kinds of sources: A) the direct sources (Vergil); B) the indirect sources (Vergilian commentators). 1. Direct sources From Vergil's works we quote: * Presented at 3rd International Symposium on Systems Research Informatics and Cybernetics, Baden - Baden, Germany, August 12-18, 1991, in the Plenary Session on Selected Topics of day August 14. The expression “in Andibus ” is drawn from Caes. B.G., III, 7, 2. 43 Metalogicon (1992) V, 1 I) “Referam tibi, Mantua, palmas”1 (I will bring back to thee, Mantua, the palms) II) “Matrisque dedit tibi, Mantua, nomen”2 (Gave thee, o Mantua, his mother's name) III) “Mantua me genuit” 3 (Mantua is my country) IV) “Ergo tua rura manebunt” 4 (So these lands will still be yours) V) “Veteres migrate, coloni” 5 (Begone, ye old tenants!) VI) “Mantua quod fuerat quodque Cremona prius” 6 (What was Mantua, what was Cremona before) VII) “Superet modo Mantua nobis” 7 (Let but Mantua be spared us!) VIII) “Mantua vae miserae nimium vicina Cremonae” 8 (Mantua, alas! to near ill-fated Cremona) IX) “Infelix amisit Mantua campum” 9 (Plain a haples Mantua lost) X) “Sive Mantuam/opus foret volare sive Brixiam” 10 (If there was a necessity to fly either to Mantua or to Brixia). References I) and II) declare Vergil purposed to celebrate Mantua and the foundation of the city due to Etruscans, who had 1 Verg. Georg. III, 12. 2 Verg. Aen. X, 200-201. 3 “Extat apud Probum, Donatum, Hieronymum nisi quod v. 2 pasqua poma Phruges Probi Vaticanus exhibet quae interpolator nescio quis lusit”, O. Ribbeck, P. Verg. Maronis Opera, B.G.Teubner, Lipsia, 1872, p. xxix. 4 Verg. Ecl. I, 47. 5 Verg. Ecl. IX, 4. 6 Verg. Kataleptòn, VIII, 6. 7 Verg. Ecl. IX, 27. 8 Verg. Ecl. IX, 28. 9 Verg. Georg. II, 198. 10 Verg. Kataleptòn, X, 4-5. 44 Metalogicon (1992) V, 1 founded their dodecapolis in the Padania; no allusion to Mantua as the poet's birthplace in the two references. Reference III) that opened Vergil's epitaphe on the monument in the Neapolitan suburban area, by declaring Mantua the poet's birthplace, created innumerous disputes among the scholars who translated the Latin sentence: 1) “I was born in Mantua”, 2) “I was born in the Mantua territory”. Latin language supports both different interpretations. In effect, for the Latin speaking people the name ‘Mantua’ denoted: 1) the city (municipium); 2) the city district and territory, indifferently. At the moment, the question is open. Both sound translations do not help us to fix the poet's birthplace in the Mantuan map. By analyzing both translations we are inclined to refuse the first one and accept the second one, because the latter is sustained by the poet who openly declared that his villa and rus were in the Mantuan district. Cicero and Marius were born at Sora and Cereate respectively but both spoke of Arpinum as their birthplace, because they were in Arpinum territory. In the same way Vergil when spoke of Mantua indicated the Mantuan territory. Cicero and Marius spoke of Arpinum, Vergil spoke of Mantua, but they refered to Arpinas ager and to Mantuanus ager respectively. References IV), V), VI), VII), VIII), IX) hint to the poet's land-propriety clearly and to the expropriation of Cremonian and Mantuan country ordered by Augustus, but none of such references carries whatsoever allusion to the poet's birthplace. From the same references it is possible to fix two requisites: a) the poet's villa and rus were in the Mantuan territory; b) the poet's villa and rus were in the Mantuan territory bordering the Cremonian territory. That's all we understand from the poet's references and nothing else. 2. Indirect sources. From the ancient commentators we quote: i) “Rustico vico Andico qui abest a Mantua milia passuum 45 Metalogicon (1992) V, 1 XXX” 11 (In the Andicus vicus distant from Mantua thirty Roman miles) ii) “Rustico vico Andico qui abest a Mantua milia passuum III” 12 (In the Andicus vicus distant from Mantua three Roman miles) iii) “In pago qui Andes dicitur et abest a Mantua non procul” 13 (In the canton called Andes distant from Mantua not far” iv) “In pago qui Andes dicitur haut procul a Mantua” 14 (In the canton called Andes distant from Mantua not far) v) “Civis Mantuanus” 15 (Mantuan citizen) vi) “A rure Mantuano poeta” 16 (The poet born in the Mantuan country). The i) reference proclaims the poet born in a vicus Andicus placed somewhere in the Mantuan country at thirty Roman miles distance from Mantua;17 the ii) reference asserts that the same vicus Andicus was placed somewhere in the Mantuan country at three Roman miles distance from Mantua.18 The different distance from Mantua divided the scholars in two sets: the first defending the “thirty Roman miles distance”, the second defending the “three Roman miles distance”. The dispute among scholars has given no solution to the problem. 11 Vita Probiana, in Vergilii Opera, ed. by G. A. Bussi in Rome (1471) which contains the editio princeps of work (B); Codices: Vaticanus lat. 3522 (G), Monacensis lat. 755, written by Pietro Crinito (1496) in Florence (M); Parisinus lat. 8209 (P); Vaticanus lat. 2930 (V). 12 Vita Probiana, in P. Vergilii Maronis Bucolica Georgica Aeneis, ed. by I.B.Egnatius (1507) in Venice (E). Cf. Vitae Vergilianae Antiquae ed. by C. Hardie, Oxford 1957, p. 22. 13 Vita Donati, in Vitae Vergilianae Antiquae, p. 3. 14 S. Hieronymi Excerpta quae ad Vergilium spectant, de Svetonio Tranquillo deprompta, in Vitae Vergilianae Antiquae, p. 32. 15 Vita Servii, in Vitae Vergilianae Antiquae, p.17. 16 Macrob. Sat., V, 2. 17 B, G, M, P, V. 18 E. 46 Metalogicon (1992) V, 1 3. Experimental philological method and arguments. By following the methodology of experimental philology we shall study the words of references operating upon each of them. We shall enquiry their sense and consequently their denotation by means of scientific criteria. ‘Vicus Andicus, interpreted as “the village named Andes” gave life to the mediaeval tradition and to the equivalence “Andes=Pietole” and corroborated the hypothesis of the “three Roman miles distance” from Mantua to Pietole. We reject the equivalence “Andes=Pietole” because it is supported only by the mediaeval tradition and, consequently, the “three Roman miles distance” for the following reasons. ‘Andes’ is a Celtic name of a Celtic tribe. In Celtic language all names ending in ‘-es’ indicate: 1.) the Celtic tribes living in Gaul and extra; 2.) the tribe territory in Gaul and extra.19 In Celtic language all the names ending in ‘-es’ never indicated a city, a village, or the tribe dwelling sites.20 The Romans, who had knowledge of Celtic language and wrote of the Celtic people and country, used two different adjectivs: 1) the adjectivs ending in ‘-icus, -ica, -icum’ to indicate the people's tribe; 2) the adjectivs ending in ‘-inus, -ina, -inum’ to 19 Allobroges, Alpes, Anartes, Ancalites, Andes, Bigerriones, Bituriges, Brannovices, Carnutes, Caturiges, Cenabenses, Ceutrones, Cocosates, Coriosolites, Druides, Eburones, Elutes, Gates, Harudes, Lemovices, Lingones, Namnetes, Nantuates, Nemetes, Nitiobriges, Pictones, Redones, Senones, Sibuzates, Sotiades, Suessones, Tarusates, Tectosages, Tolosates, Trinovantes, Vangiones, Veliocasses, Vocates. 20 Cf. the following names of cities whose none ends in -es: Admagetobriga, Agendicum, Alesia, Atuatuca, Avaricum, Bibracte, Bratuspantium, Cavillonum, Cenabum, Decetia, Durocurtorum, Genava, Gergovia, Gorbina, Lutetia, Matisco, Narbo, Noreia, Noviodunum, Ocelum, Octodurus, Samarobriva, Tolosa, Vallaunodunum, Vesontio. 47 Metalogicon (1992) V, 1 indicate the tribe territory; e.g. the Celtic ‘Alpes’ indicates: 1) the Celtic tribe living in the mountains; 2) the mountains called ‘Alps’. From the Celtic name ‘Alpes’ derived two Latin adjectivs: ‘Alpicus’ to indicate the people; ‘Alpinus’ to indicate the tribe's territory.21 Then ‘vicus Andicus’ must be understood as “the village of the Andes” not “the village named Andes”. The village named ‘the village of the Andes’ was due to the Andes, a Celtic tribe which supplanted the Etruscans in the Mantuan territory and after was supplanted by Romans. This village was distant a “thirty Roman miles” from Mantua according to all manuscripts excepted one; was distant “three Roman miles” from Mantua, according to a Bobbio manuscript of the Humanist Giambattista Cipelli, surnamed Egnatius.22 The experimental philologist, by revering the authority of all the concord manuscripts and not neglecting the Bobbio lost manuscript, tries other ways to attain the truth. The poet's references III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII and IX bear that the Vergil's land-property was : a) in the Mantuan territory (ager Mantuanus); b) in the border-line of Cremona territory (ager Cremonensis). This is not sufficient to fix the poet's home in the Mantuan map. Truly, all the vici Andici situated in the Mantuan territory may expostulate the honour of having been the Vergil's birthplace.
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