J. Pocock, Barbarism and Religion v.1 The Enlightenments of Edward Gibbon

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.It is possible to imagine Gibbon criticising himself forfailure to get beyond the methods of Cluverius, but the truth may berather that he never made the attempt.The question would then bewhether he abandoned the enterprise as misconceived or beyond hismeans, or whether it was overtaken and replaced by other projects.We encounter here the historical problems posed by Gibbon s Italianjourney.There is one more disquisition in the Lausanne journal which mayfurnishus witha pointer.In December 1763 Gibbon read a Latin poemof the fourth century ad, th eIter, sive de reditu in patriam, in which ClaudiusRutilius Namatianus had recorded his return journey from Rome to hishome in Gaul.By the time of this incident, Rome had already beensacked by Alaric and there were settlements of Christian monks on theislands off the Italian coasts; Rutilius was situated at a picturesquemoment in the scenario of Decline and Fall.Gibbon seized the occasionfor some Montesquieuan observations.Ce n etoit pas sous le regne d Honorius qu il falloit peindre la force de l EmpireRomain.Ses forces l avoient abandonn� depuis longtems; Mais son antiquit� etson etendue, inspiroient une sorte de veneration et meme de terreur � sesvoisins et le soutinrent encore.Cette illusion �toit enfin dissip�e.Peu � peu lesBarbares le connurent, le mepriserent et le detruisirent.Je conviens quenotre poete qui voyoit tous ces malheurs a pris la seule tournure qui lui restoit;Sans le dissimuler il les oppose aux journ�es de Cannes et d Allie, pour fairesentir que Rome n eprouvoit jamais des revers que pour s en relever encorepl�s florissante.Comparaison foible et fausse.Tout etoit chang� depuis lesguerres puniques.Du tems de Rutilius tous les ressorts du Gouvernementetoient us�s; le caract�re national, la religion, les principes des loix, la disciplinemilitaire; tout jusqu au siege de l Empire et � la langue meme succomboit sousle tems et les revolutions, ou n existoit deja plus.[The reign of Honorius was not a proper period for describing the greatness ofRome; a greatness long since fallen to decay.A veneration, and even terror, forher name, had been supported by her antiquity and extent of empire.But theillusion was now over.The barbarians gradually knew, despised, and destroyed�w MW, iv, pp.158, 161 (Freret), 169, 226, 260, 301 (Giannone), 211 (Barth�lemy).There are manycitations of Bergier on the Roman roads.The return to Lausanne 273her.I acknowledge that our poet, who was sensible of these calamities,endeavours ingeniously to dissemble their disgrace; comparing them with thedefeats of Allia and Cannae, to show that Rome never suffered a reverse offortune without rising more vigorous from the shock.But the comparison isfeeble and false.Since the Punic wars, circumstances were totally changed.Inthe time of Rutilius, the springs of government were worn out; the nationalcharacter, religion, laws, military discipline, even the seat of the empire, andthe language itself, had been altered or destroyed, under the impression of timeand accident.]So far there is nothing which had not been said before, or would notbe reiterated in the Decline and Fall whenever set pieces of this order werecalled for; but Gibbon goes on to say something else.Il etoit difficile que cet empire se relev�t, mais quand il auroit eu ce bonheur,c etoit plutot l Empire de Constantinople ou de Ravenne que celui de Rome.Une chose qui auroit du faire sentir � Rutilius combien ses elogues etoientdepourv�s de verit� et de vraisemblance, c est l image fausse et confuse qu il seforme de Rome personnalis�e.Du tems de Virgile elle auroit et� juste.Romeregard�e comme un Deesse qu on invoquoit dans ses temples existoit pour lespeuples aussi bien que pour les poetes.Mere des Citoyens, maitresse desprovinces elle representoit cet empire qui lui obeissoit.Mais lorsque l Empiren etoit plus qu un assemblage de pays soumis au meme prince, Rome lui etoitdevenue etrangere; et cet ville reduite � son id�e Physique ne representeroitplus rien que des murs, des temples et des maisons baties sur sept montagnes etsitu�es sur les bords du Tybre.�x[It would have been difficult to revive the empire; but even could that havebeen affected, it would have been the empire of Constantinople or Ravenna,rather than that of Rome.Rutilius might have felt how destitute his panegyricwas of truth or probability, from the false and confused ideas excited by hispersonification of Rome.In the time of Virgil, this figure would have beennatural.Rome, regarded as a goddess, and invoked in temples, had an exis-tence in the opinion of the multitude as well as in the fancy of poets [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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