Laudator Temporis Acti

Stephen the African, Life of St. Amator, Bishop of Auxerre (Vita Sancti Amatoris Episcopi Autissiodorensis), 4.24 = Acta Sanctorum, May 1 (Antwerp, 1680), T. I, pp. 50-60 (at p. 57, my translation):

When these things were happening, one Germanus by name, born of noble seed, was governing the territory of Auxerre under his own control. He was accustomed to give himself up to youthful pursuits rather than to pay attention to the Christian religion. Therefore, constantly devoted to the chase, he very often used to take a quantity of wild beasts by traps and the activity of his skill. Now there was a pear tree in the middle of the city, of a most pleasing delightfulness. On its branches Germanus used to hang the heads of the beasts caught by him, to win applause for his great hunting.

Amator, the distinguished bishop of the same city, often used to urge him with the following utterances: "I beg you, most illustrious gentleman, stop pursuing this foolishness, which is odious to Christans and worthy of imitation by pagans. This is an act of idolatrous worship, not of dignified Christian tradition." And although the worthy man of God continued unceasingly, nevertheless Germanus was by no means willing to agree or to obey his advice. The man of the Lord again and again exhorted him not only to stop this evil custom which he had taken up, but also to destroy the tree root and branch, lest it be an object of resentment to Christians. But Germanus was to no degree willing to lend a kindly ear to Amator's advice.

Around the time of this attempt at persuasion, one day the aforementioned Germanus departed from the city to his own estates. Then the blessed Amator, waiting for the opportunity, cut down the accursed tree into logs. Lest it serve as a reminder to the unbelievers, he at once ordered the tree to be burned with fire. The animal heads, which hung down and served as a reminder of a trophy of the hunt, as it were, he ordered thrown far from the city walls. Immediately someone, making his way to an audience with the oft-mentioned Germanus, inflamed his mind with the story, increased his rage with recommendations, and made him cruel, to the point that, forgetful of holy religion, in whose ceremonies and duties he had been consecrated, he threatened death against the most holy man.

The Latin:

Eo autem tempore quo haec gesta sunt, Germanus quidam nomine, nobili germine procreatus, territorium Autissiodorense visitatione propria gubernat: cui mos erat tirunculorum potius industriis indulgere, quam Christianae religioni operam dare. Is ergo assidue venatui invigilans, ferarum copiam insidiis, atque artis strenuitate frequentissime capiebat. Erat autem arbor pyrus in urbe media, amoenitate gratissima, ad cujus ramusculos ferarum ab eo deprehensarum capita pro admiratione venationis nimiae dependebant.

Quem celebris ejusdem civitatis Amator episcopus, his frequens compellabat eloquiis: Desine, quaeso, vir bonorum splendidissime, haec jocularia, quae Christianis offensa, Paganis vero imitanda sunt, exercere. Hoc opus idololatricae culturae est, non Christianae elegantissimae disciplinae. Et licet hoc vir Deo dignus indesinenter perageret, ille tamen nullo modo admonenti se acquiescere voluit aut obedire. Vir autem Domini iterum atque iterum eum hortabatur, ut non solum a consuetudine mala arrepta discederet, verum etiam et ipsam arborem, ne Christianis offendiculum esset, radicitus exstirparet. Sed ille nullatenus aurem placidam applicare voluit admonenti. In hujus ergo persuasionis tempore, quadam die praefatus Germanus ex urbe in praedia sui juris secessit.

Tunc B. Amator, opportunitatem opperiens, sacrilegam arborem cum caudicibus abscidit: et, ne aliqua ejus incredulis esset memoria, igni concremandam illico deputavit: oscilla vero, quae tanquam trophaei cujusdam certaminis umbram dependentia ostentabant, longius a civitatis terminis projici praecepit. Protinus autem [aliquis] gressus suos ad aures saepedicti Germani retorquens, dictis animum incendit, atque iram suis suasionibus exaggerans, ferocem effecit: ita ut oblitus sanctae religionis, cujus jam fuerat ritu atque munere consecratus, mortem beatissimo viro minitaret.

I'm dissatisfied with my translation. First, these post-classical texts contain terms which are probably technical, but whose shades of meaning elude the non-specialist such as me. Perhaps territorium is such a term, and certainly visitatio is. I translated the former as territory, the latter as control, although visitatio is strictly speaking a visit of inspection, apparently more usual in an ecclesiastical context than in a secular or civil one, as here. See J.F. Niermeyer and C. Van de Kieft, Mediae Latitinatis Lexicon Minus, rev. J.W.J. Burgers, Vol. 2 (Leiden: Brill, 2002), p. 1449. Second, my rendering of cum caudicibus doesn't seem right. Third, I softened the mixed metaphor in gressus suos ad aures saepedicti Germani retorquens (you don't normally turn your steps to someone's ears).

Amator died in 418. Surprisingly, in view of the excerpt above, Germanus (also known as Germain) succeded Amator as bishop of Auxerre. The Life of St. Amator by Stephen the African can be dated to the late sixth century, as it is mentioned in correspondence between Stephen and Germanus’ successor as bishop of Auxerre, Aunarius (561-604): see Constance B. Bouchard, "Episcopal Gesta and the Creation of a Useful Past in Ninth-Century Auxerre," Speculum 84 (2009) 1-35 (note 50 on p. 12). Bouchard discusses Amator generally on pp. 11-15, Germanus on pp. 15-25. Also, on Germanus' civil career, see Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire, Vol. 2 (A.D. 395-527), ed. J.R. Martindale (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1980; rpt. 2006), pp. 504-505.

Labels: arboricide