Book 2

Chapter XI.

Narses indeed returned from Campania to Rome and there not long afterwards, departed from this life, [1] and his body, placed in a leaden casket, was carried with all his riches to Constantinople.

[1] About 573 or perhaps a year or two earlier (Hodg., V, 65).


Chapter XII.

When Alboin then came to the river Plavis (Piave), Felix the bishop of the church of Tarvisium (Treviso) came forth there to meet him, and the king, since he was very generous, [1] granted to him at his request all the property of his church and confirmed the things asked for by a solemn document. [2]

[1] His generosity is also extolled in the song of Widsith (Hodgkin, V, 176).
[2] This has been questioned since the Langobards were then ignorant of writing, but it is not impossible (Waitz).


Chapter XIII.

Because indeed, we have made mention of this Felix, we may also relate a few things concerning the venerable and very wise man Fortunatus, who had declared that this Felix was his colleague. In short, this Fortunatus of whom we speak was born in a place which is called Duplabilis, which place lies not far from the fortress of Ceneta (Ceneda) and the city of Tarvisium (Treviso). He was, however, brought up and instructed at Ravenna and became very distinguished in the grammatical, the rhetorical and also the metrical art. And since he suffered a very grievous disease of the eyes, and this Felix also, his colleague, in like manner suffered in his eyes, they both proceeded to the church of the blessed Paul and John, which is situated within that city, and in which, an altar, built in honor of St. Martin the Confessor, has a window near by in which a lamp was set to give light. With the oil of this, these men, that is, Fortunatus and Felix, presently touched their suffering eyes. Instantly the disease was driven away, and they obtained the health they longed for. For this reason Fortunatus adored the blessed Martin so much that he abandoned his country a little before the Langobards invaded Italy, and set out for the sepulchre of that blessed man at Turones (Tours), and he relates that his way of proceeding thither, as he tells it himself in his songs, was by the streams of Tiliamentum (Tagliamento) and Reuna (Ragogna), and by Osupus (Osopo) and the Julian Alps, [1] and by the fortress of Aguntum (Innichen) and the rivers Drave and Byrrus (Rienz), and by Briones (the Brenner), and the city of Augusta (Augsburg), which the Virdo (Wertach) and Lecha (Lech) water. And after he had come to Turones (Tours), according to his own vow, passing on through Pictavi (Poitiers), he dwelt there and wrote at that place of the doings of many saints, part in prose and part in metrical fashion, and lastly in the same city he was ordained, first as a presbyter and then as a bishop, and in the same place he reposes buried with befitting honor. Here he wrote the life of St. Martin in four books in heroic meter, and he composed many other things, most of all hymns for particular festivals and especially little verses to particular friends, being second to none of the poets in soft and fluent speech. At his grave, when I came thither for the purpose of prayer, [2] upon the request of Aper the abbot of that place I composed this epitaph to be inscribed there:

Here in this soil Fortunatus lies buried, the first among prophets,
Born in Ausonian land, worthy of honor in deed,
Famous in talent, quick to perceive and in speech ever gentle.
Many an eloquent page sings his melodious lay.
Fresh from his holy lips, to show us the way to salvation,
Deeds of the saints we learn - fathers of primitive times.
Happy art thou, O land of Gaul, with such jewels emblazoned,
Whose resplendent fire scatters the shadows of night !
Verses of commonplace song, in thy honor, O saint, have I written,
Lest thy fame lie hid, lost in the depths of the crowd.
Render I pray a return, and ask through thy infinite merits
That the Eternal Judge mercy show also to me.

In a few words we have touched upon these things concerning so great a man, that his fellow citizens might not be wholly ignorant of his life; now let us return to the thread of our history.

[1] This part of the range is to-day called the Carnic Alps (Studii Storici, 1899, p. 405).
[2] Between the years 782-786 (Waitz).


Chapter XIV.

Then Alboin took Vincentia (Vicenza) and Verona and the remaining cities of Venetia, except Patavium (Padua), Mons Silicis (Monselice) and Mantua.[1] For Venetia is composed not only of the few islands which we now call Venice, but its boundary stretches from the borders of Pannonia to the river Addua (Adda). This is proved in the books of annals in which Pergamus (Bergamo) is said to be a city of Venetia and in histories we thus read of lake Benacus (Lago di Garda): "Benacus, a lake of Venetia from which the river Mincius (Mincio) flows. "The Eneti, indeed (though a letter is added among the Latins), are called in Greek the "praiseworthy." Histria is also joined to Venetia and both are considered one province. Histria is named from the river Hister which, according to Roman history, is said to have been broader than it is now. The city of Aquileia was the capital of this Venetia, in place of which is now Forum Julii (Cividale), so called because Julius Caesar had established there a market for business.

[1] Paul is probably in error in saying that Mantua was not taken by Alboin. It was indeed later taken by Agilulf, but this was after it had been recaptured by the Greeks during the reign of Authari (Pabst, p. 409, note).


Chapter XV.

I do not think we are wandering from the subject if we also touch briefly upon other provinces of Italy. [1] The second province is called Liguria from gathering, that is, collecting leguminous plants with which it is well supplied. In this are Mediolanum (Milan) and Ticinum, which is called by another name, Papia (Pavia). It extends to the boundaries of the Gauls. Between it and Suavia (Suabia), that is, the country of the Alamanni, which is situated toward the north, two provinces, namely, the first Retia (Rhaetia) and the second Retia are placed among the Alps in which, strictly speaking, the Reti (Rhaetians) are known to dwell.

[1] A full account of these provinces is found near the end of Appendix II.


Chapter XVI.

The Cottian Alps are called the fifth province, which were thus named from king Cottius, who lived at the time of Nero. This (province) extends from Liguria toward the southeast [1] to the Tyrrhenian sea; on the west indeed it is joined to the territories of the Gauls. In it are contained the cities of Aquis [2] (Acqui) where there are hot springs, Dertona (Tortona), the monastery of Bobium (Bobbio), Genua (Genoa), and Saona (Savona). The sixth province is Tuscia (Tuscany) which is thus called from "tus" (frankincense) which its people were wont to burn superstitiously in the sacrifices to their gods. This includes Aurclia toward the northwest and Umbria on the eastern side. In this province Rome was situated, which was formerly the capital of the whole world. In Umbria indeed, which is counted a portion of it, are Perusium (Perugia) and lake Clitorius (Lago di Bolsena) and Spoletium (Spoleto), and it is called Umbria because it remained above the furious rains (imbres) when long ago a watery scourge devastated the nations.

[1] Read 'eurum' in place of 'eorum'.
[2] Or Aquae Statiellae.


Chapter XVII

Campania, the seventh province, stretches from the city of Rome to the Siler (Sele), a river of Lucania. In it the very rich cities of Capua, Neapolis (Naples) and Salernus (Salerno) are situated. It is called Campania on account of the very fertile plain (campus) of Capua, but it is for the most part mountainous. Next the eighth province, Lucania, which received its name from a certain grove (lucus), begins at the river Siler and extends with Brittia (Bruttium [1]), which was thus called from the name of its former queen, along the coast of the Tyrrhenian sea like the two last named provinces, as far as the Sicilian strait, and it embraces the right horn of Italy. In it are placed the cities of Pestus (Paestum), Lainus (Lao), Cassianum (Cassano), Consentia (Cosenza), and Regium (Reggio).

[1] Now Calabria.


Chapter XVIII.

Then the ninth province is reckoned in the Apennine Alps [1] which take their origin from the place where the Cottian Alps terminate. These Apennine Alps, stretching through the middle of Italy, separate Tuscia (Tuscany) from Emilia and Umbria from Flamminia. Here are the cities of Ferronianus (Frignano) and Montembellium (Monteveglio), Bobium (Bobbio) and Urbinum (Urbino), and also the town which is called Verona. [2] The Apennine Alps were named from the Carthaginians (Poeni)—that is, from Hannibal and his army who had a passage through them when marching upon Rome. [3] There are some who say that the Cottian and Apennine Alps are one province, but the history of Victor [4] which called the Cottian Alps a province by itself refutes them. The tenth province Emilia, beginning from Liguria extends towards Ravenna between the Apennine Alps and the waters of the Padus (Po). It is adorned with wealthy cities, to wit, Placentia (Piacenza), Parma, Regium (Reggio), [5] Bononia (Bologna), and the Forum of Cornelius, the fortress of which is called Imolas (Imola). There were also some who called Emilia and Valeria and Nursia one province, but the opinion of these cannot stand because Tuscia and Umbria are situated between Emilia and Valeria and Nursia.

[1] This province described by Paul is wholly imaginary. The others are substantially accurate. See Appendix II near the end.
[2] Paul elsewhere shows that Frignano and Monteveglio were actually in ^Emilia, Bobbio in the Cottian Alps and Verona in Venetia (Mommsen, 87).
[3] It will be observed that most of Paul's derivations, though taken from earlier authorities, are highly fanciful.
[4] Life of Nero by Sextus Aurelius Victor.
[5] This was the ancient Regium Lepidi now Reggio d'Emilia, to distinguish it from Reggio in Calabria.