Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

travellers to make one day's journey of fixty miles, it is impoffible to reduce their number. From Beneventum to Brundufium we have 205 miles; which gives the rate of 34 Roman, nearly 31 English, each day. They travelled fafter the first days, not being then retarded by the Apulian mountains, and by roads, bad in themselves, and then rendered worfe by the rain. Their repeated complaints on this fubject give reafon for fufpecting that the Appian way then reached only to Capua, and that it was not Julius Cæfar that carried it to Brundufium 25. Raised causeways, formed of three layers of materials, and paved with flint-ftones, have refifted the impreffions of time. Is it credible, that in twenty years after they were made, they should have been fpoiled by a fhower of rain?

With the eyes of a commentator, I fhould fee nothing but excellence in this fatire, and call it, with Father Sanadon, a model of the narrative style". It is true that I observe in it with pleasure two wellapplied ftrokes of fatire; one against the stupid pride of the pretor of Fundi, and another against the more ftupid fuperftition of the people of Gnatia: but I would not hesitate to pronounce that the almoft unknown journey of Rutilius is fuperior to that of Horace in point of description, poetry, and especially in the choice of incidents. The grofs language of a boatman, and the ribaldry of two buffoons, furely belong only to the loweft fpecies of comedy. They might divert travellers in a humor to be pleased with every thing; but how could a man of tafte reflect on them the day after? They are lefs offenfive, however, VOL. VI.

[ocr errors]

than the infirmities of the poet, which occur more than once; the plafters which he applies to his eyes, and the nafty accident which befel him in the night. The maxim, that every thing in great men is interefting, applies only to their minds, and ought not to be extended to their bodies. What unworthy objects for the attention of Horace, when the face of the country and the manners of its inhabitants in vain offered to him a field of inftruction and pleasure! Perhaps this journey, which our poet made in company with Mecenas, creating much envy against him ", he wrote this piece to convince his enemies, that his thoughts and occupations on the road were far from being of a ferious or political nature

27

2. In the year of Rome 702, a decree of the fenate intrufted Cicero with the government of Cilicia. In compliance with the decree, he quitted a city the theatre of his glory, and went to gather laurels on Mount Amanus. Atticus and his other friends were requested to attend to his interefts, and to shorten as much as poffible the term of his banishment. It was with difficulty that he could tear himself from the delightful neighbourhood of the capital. He travelled from one villa to another, before he could seriously fet out on his journey. He left Rome the first of May the tenth of the fame month, I find him at his villa near Pompeii. The following is the most natural divifion of thefe nine days. The ift: Cicero went no further than to his house near Tufculum. He mentions the converfation he had there with Atticus, who probably accompanied him to that charming villa; where he would certainly fleep that night.

28

The 2d May: Tufculum is fixty-three miles from Arpinum. This would have been too great a journey for a man who did not travel with the speed of a courier I therefore divide it into two, and fuppofe that Cicero ftopt fhort at Terentinum. 3d May: in that cafe he had but twenty miles to travel to his villa at Arpinum. The pleasure of feeing his fellowcitizens, and receiving the compliments of a people who confidered his glory as their own, would detain him there the remainder of that day. The 4th May: this day, which was lefs agreeable than the preceding, is marked very diftinctly. Cicero dined at the villa of his brother Quintus at Arcanum, not far from Arpinum; and witneffed a domeftic fcene, in which the bad humor of Quintus's wife difturbed the pleasure of the entertainment, and tired the patience of her husband and brother-in-law. Cicero flept that night at Aquinum, only fifteen miles from Arpinum. The 5th and 6th of May: from Aquinum to Cumæ the distance is fixty-five miles". The journey would have been rather too long. Befides, in paffing from Aquinum, which is on the Latin way, to Minturnæ, which is on the Appian, it was neceffary to cross the country; fince the highway extended in that direction only nine miles. It was neceffary to quit it again at Sinueffa, to wade through the marshes of Vulturnus and the fands of Liturnum. I imagine that Cicero flept at one of these places, and proceeded next day to his houfe at Cumæ. The 7th of May must have been spent entirely at Cumæ. I know that the whole bay of Naples was adorned by countryhoufes contiguous to each other; but it must have

required at least one day to affemble a little Rome in the house of Cicero. The 8th of May, he went to his villa at Pompeii. The distance was thirty-nine miles by land, through Puteoli, Naples, and Herculaneum. He might have much shortened it by croffing the bay: yet one day must be allowed for this journey. The 9th day was furely spent at Pompeii. Some motive of bufinefs or pleasure must have carried Cicero fo far out of his road.

In this journey, we fee a great man travelling in the neighbourhood of the capital, making great journies without being in hafte, and every where enjoying his conveniencies. Among the ancients these conveniencies could only be enjoyed by the great; because it was neceffary to procure them for one's felf, to supply the want of posts by relays, and the want of good inns by private houses. In modern times, the intereft of individuals fupplies to the public all these conveniencies, which each man may purchase whenever he ftands in need of them. On the 10th of May, Cicero left Pompeii; and went to fleep in a country-house which one of his friends had at Trebula; thirty miles. He began to travel seriously; and writes to Atticus that he purposed in future to make good journies, jufta itinera. The 11th of May brought him to Beneventum, thirty miles. The 12th of May, he feems to have ftopped there, fince he fpeaks of a letter received early, and one which came later.. The 15th of May, he left Venufia to climb Mount Vultur, and thence defcend into the plain of Lucania. He arrived at Tarentum on the 18th of May: this place is 155 miles from Beneven

tum. He spent three days with the great Pompey, employed in fortifying the good principles of a man who yet held, or believed that he held, the balance. of the republic. On the 22d of May, Cicero proceeded to Brundufium, forty-three miles from Tarentum". Contrary winds and bufinefs detained him feveral days in that harbour. He at length failed the 15th of June, and arrived at Actium. He again fet out, croffed the Achelous and the Evenus, paffed through the cities of Delphi, Thefpiæ, Megara, and Eleufis, and arrived at Athens on the 25th of June, after travelling 205 miles from Actium ". I fhall not dwell longer on this journey of Cicero; but only remark, that from Pompeii to Athens he travelled 463 Roman, about 417 English miles, in nineteen days: which gives 24, Roman miles for each day's journey.

This flowness is furprifing, fince Cicero did not travel in a day farther than a Roman foldier, loaded with his arms and fo many other burdens, advanced in five hours of fummer (about fix equinoctial hours). My furprise is however diminished by the following confiderations. Cicero left his country without knowing precisely how long his abfence from it was to continue. A multitude of preparations were neceffary for a governor, who was going to eftablish a great household in a distant and barbarous province. He had to wait for a number of conveniencies which were collecting for him at Beneventum, Tarentum, and Brundufium, and which could not but retard his journey. It is poffible that I may be mistaken; but I think it apparent in all our orator's letters, that

« AnteriorContinuar »