The Society for Ancient Languages
Week Twelve
LIUTPRANDI CREMONAE |
LIUTPRAND OF CREMONA LIUTPRAND'S RECEPTION IN CONSTANTINOPLE |
| Septimo autem Idus, ipso videlicet sancto die pentecostes, in domo, quae dicitur Stephana, id est Coronaria, ante Nicephorum sum deductus, hominem satis monstruosum, pygmaeum, capite pinguem atque oculorum parvitate talpinum, barba curta, lata, spissa et semicana foedatum, cervice digitali turpatum, prolixitate et densitate comarum satis hyopum, colore Aethiopem, "cui per mediam nolis occurrere noctem," ventre extensum, natibus siccum, coxis ad mensuram ipsam brevem longissimum, cruribus parvum, calcaneis pedibusque aequalem, villino, sed nimis veternoso vel diuturnitate ipsa foetido et pallido ornamento indutum, Sicioniis calceamentis calceatum, lingua procacem, ingenio vulpem, periurio seu mendacio Ulyxem. Semper mihi domini mei imperatores augusti formosi, quanto hinc formosiores visi estis! Semper ornati, quanto hinc ornatiores! Semper potentes, quanto hinc potentiores! Semper mites, quanto hinc mitiores! Semper virtutibus pleni, quanto hinc pleniores! Sedebant ad sinistram, non in eadem linea, sed longe deorsum duo parvuli imperatores, eius quondam domini, nunc subiecti. Cuius narrationis initium hoc fuit: | On the seventh of June, the sacred day of Pentecost, I was brought before Nicephorus himself in the palace called Stephana, that is, the Crown Palace. He is a monstrosity of a man, a dwarf, fat-headed and with tiny mole's eyes; disfigured by a short, broad, thick beard half going gray; disgraced by a neck scarcely an inch long; piglike by reason of the big close bristles on his head, in color an Ethiopian and, as the poet says, "you would not like to meet him in the dark"; a big belly, a lean posterior, very long in the hip considering his short stature, small legs, fair sized heels and feet; dressed in a robe made of fine linen, but old and foul smelling, and discolored by age; shod with Sicyonian slippers; bold of tongue, a fox by nature, in perjury and falsehood a Ulysses. My lords and august emperors, you always seemed comely to me; but how much more comely now! Always magnificent; how much more magnificent now! Always mighty; how much more mighty now! Always clement; how much more clement now! Always full of virtues; how much fuller now! At his left, but not on a line with him, but much lower down, sat the two child emperors, once his masters, now his subjects. He began his speech as follows: |
| "Debueramus, immo volueramus te benigne magnificeque suscipere; sed domini tui impietas non permittit, qui tam inimica invasione Romam sibi vindicavit, Berengario et Adelberto contra ius fasque vi terram abstulit, Romanorum alios gladio, alios suspendio interemit, oculis alios privavit, exilio alios relegavit, et imperii nostri insuper civitates homicidio aut incendio sibi subdere temptavit; et quia affectus eius pravus effectum habere non potuit, nunc te malitiae huius suggestorem atque impulsorem simulata pace quasi kataskopon, id est exploratorem, ad nos direxit." | "It was our duty and our desire to give you a courteous and magnificent reception. That, however, has been rendered impossible by the impiety of your master, who in the guise of an hostile invader has laid claim to Rome; has robbed Berengar and Adalbert of their kingdom contrary to law and right; has slain some of the Romans by the sword, some by hanging, while others he has either blinded or sent into exile; and furthermore has tried to subdue to himself by massacre and conflagration cities belonging to our empire. His wicked attempts have proved unsuccessful, and so he has sent you, the instigator and furtherer of this villainy, under pretence of peace to act as if an advance scout, that is a spy, directed upon us." |
| Cui inquam ego: "Romanam civitatem dominus meus non vi aut tyrannice invasit, sed a tyranni, immo tyrannorum iugo liberavit. Nonne effeminati dominabantur eius? Et quod gravius sive turpius, nonne meretrices? Dormiebat, ut puto, tunc potestas tua, immo decessorum tuorum, qui nomine solo, non autem re ipsa imperatores Romanorum vocantur. Si potentes, si imperatores Romanorum erant, cur Romam in meretricum potestate sinebant?" | To him I replied: "My master did not invade the city Rome by means of force nor as a tyrant, but he freed her from tyrant, rather from the yoke of multiple tyrants. Was she not ruled by effeminate debauchers? And what is worse and more shameful, by harlots? Your power was sleeping then, I think, even the power of your predecessors, who in name alone are called emperors of the Romans, however reality is far different. If they were powerful, if they were emperors of the Romans, why did they allow Rome to be in the hands of harlots?" |