Latin 520 (Tiberius): Assignment for Week 6 (Feb. 4-11)

 

As mentioned, our reading of ValMax will follow Bloomer, Chap. 5: The Fallen Restored and the Republic's Restorers (pp. 185-229).  So for starters, read that in its entirety for Tuesday.

 

What follows are (roughly) the sections in ValMax he cites or discusses in that chapter, and this is what you should read.  These are not terribly onerous; you should be able to read all of these passages in Latin (many are no more than a sentence or two, with some longer stretches thrown in).  If you find this an overly disjointed exercise, then read the entire section in English to get a sense of V.Õs take on the topic as a whole. 

 

Tuesday: 1.5.7-8; 1.6.12-13; 1.7 (all); 2.10.7-8; 2.8.1; 3.1.1-3; 3.2.1-24 (a long stretch); 3.6.7; 3.8.8; 4.1.14; 4.2.4; 4.3.1-14 (another longish stretch)

 

Thursday: 4.7 (all); 5.1 (all – longish); 6.2.11-12; 6.8 (all); 7.6.7; 7.7.3; 8.5.5; 8.7.2; 8.10.3; 8.13.1-6; 8.15.10; 9.11 (all); 9.12.7; 9.13.3; 9.15 (all); 9.9

 

 

These sections – and BloomerÕs chapter – deal with characters from the late Republic and, in general, the civil war between Pompey and Caesar and to some extent the triumviral period.  And for the most part, these are characters whose reputation could be somewhat problematic: Cato, Cicero, Pompey, Antony, et al.

 

The overarching question: if TiberiusÕ has ÔrestoredÕ or ÔcontinuesÕ the Republic, how does the exempla tradition as reenvisioned by Valerius accommodate admittedly admirable men who defended the Republic vigorously – but whose opposition, if successful, would have prevented the very political system now in place (whatever Valerius or Velleius or others might want to believe)? 

 

As you read these sections, try to extract from them the essential ethical or political point.  What does ValMax wants us as readers to take away from the anecdote?  What is the meaning of Cicero, Cato, Pompey, Brutus, Antony et al. for the Tiberian period (at least as far as ValMax is concerned)? 

 

Where do you find yourself in agreement with – or differing from – Bloomer?

 

And finally: looking at the other sources for some of these stories is invariably instructive in figuring out what ValMax is up to.  Using either WalkerÕs notes or (better) the top part of the app. crit. in BriscoeÕs Teubner, track down some of those sources for one or two anecdotes that particularly grab your attention.

 

 

You might find it useful to read more in Bloomer – especially Chapter 4!

 

 

You might also find it useful to have by your side Velleius Paterculus.  In many cases, Velleius has provided his own account of some of these characters, and comparing and contrasting VellPatÕs take with ValMaxÕs can be instructive.  Especially interesting is Cicero: see Vell. Pat. 2.66 on his death.