Architrenius
Encyclopedia
Architrenius is a medieval allegorical
and satirical poem in hexameters by Johannes de Hauvilla (also known as Johannes de Altavilla or Jean de Hauteville). The poet was born in about 1150 (perhaps at or near Rouen
) and died after 1200, and dedicated the work to "Gualtero, archepiscopo Rotomagensium" (Walter de Coutances
, Archbishop of Rouen
). The work was popular among the humanists
of the 16th century, perhaps as much for an allegorized but frank description of feminine "charms" in the last section, as for anything else. "Architrenius" is also the name of the poem's protagonist.
Ascencius (Paris). Later editions of the Latin
text were found in Jacques-Paul Migne's Patrologia Latina
(1844-1855) and Thomas Wrights Satirical Poets of the Twelfth Century (London, Rolls Series
, No. 59 1872). A critical edition in German was published in 1974 (München, Wilhelm Fink) with a prelude and comments by Paul Gerhard Schmidt.
The apparent first translation into English was the prose translation of Nicholas P. Carlucci, in his 1977 Ph.D. dissertation, under the guidance of John W. Clark. This was based on Wright's edition, several medieval copies, and partly on the Schmidt edition. A more recent Architrenius was translated and edited by Winthrop Wetherbee of Cornell University, based on the Schmidt text, apparently unaware of the Carlucci translation. These two translations helped motivate a lengthy article in German by Bernd Roling.
and the island of Thule
, thus offering the author the opportunity for lavish satiric description, before the wanderer finally meets Nature. The account of the university is said to be of great interest to the social historian (see reference to Gibbon below), but... gives us an early example of the allegory in the form of a journey—that is, in its best form." Lewis continues: "A universal longing is expressed and, but for the language, the lines might have been written in any age:
This must I do— go exil'd through the world
And seek for Nature till far hence I find
Her secret dwelling-place; there drag to light
The hidden cause of quarrel, and reknit,
Haply reknit, the long-divided Love.
This was Lewis' translation of the Latin (Chapter II:320):
Quid faciam, novi: profugo Natura per orbem
Est querenda mihi. Veniam quacumque remotos
Abscondat secreta lares, odiique latentes
Eliciam causas et rupti forsan amoris
Restituam nodos.
The story is also summarized by Bartleby's Cambridge History of English and American Literature in 18 Volumes (1907–21). Volume I. From the Beginnings to the Cycles of Romance. Chapter X:
"The pilgrim of that satire pays a visit to Paris, and describes the hardships of the students and the fruitlessness of their studies; he afterwards arrives at the hill of Presumption, which is the haunt of all manner of monks and ecclesiastics, as well as the great scholastic doctors and professors."
quotes Architrenius in chapter 22 (Vol I, p. 731 in the Modern Library
edition) of his (1776) Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. To a scene in which Julian
is declared Emperor of Rome
by the Gallic legions, massed around a Parisian palace (which has become a museum in 2005), he adds this footnote: "the palace of the baths (Thermarum), of which a solid and lofty hall still subsists in the rue de la Harpe. The buildings covered a considerable space of the modern quarter of the university; and the gardens, under the Merovingian kings, communicated with the abbey of St. Germain des Pres
. By the injuries of time and the Normans
this ancient palace was reduced in the twelfth century to a maze of ruins, whose dark recesses were the scene of licentious love.
Yet such intrigues (here Gibbon refers to the furtis) might be less pernicious to mankind than the theological disputes of the Sorbonne
, which have been since agitated on the same ground. Pierre Nicolas Bonamy, Mem. de l'Academie, tom. xv. p. 678-682.
Allegory in the Middle Ages
Allegory in the Middle Ages was a vital element in the synthesis of Biblical and Classical traditions into what would become recognizable as Medieval culture...
and satirical poem in hexameters by Johannes de Hauvilla (also known as Johannes de Altavilla or Jean de Hauteville). The poet was born in about 1150 (perhaps at or near Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
) and died after 1200, and dedicated the work to "Gualtero, archepiscopo Rotomagensium" (Walter de Coutances
Walter de Coutances
Walter de Coutances was a medieval English Bishop of Lincoln and Archbishop of Rouen. He began his royal service in the government of Henry II, serving as a vice-chancellor...
, Archbishop of Rouen
Archbishop of Rouen
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rouen is an Archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. As one of the fifteen Archbishops of France, the ecclesiastical province of the archdiocese comprises the majority of Normandy....
). The work was popular among the humanists
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
of the 16th century, perhaps as much for an allegorized but frank description of feminine "charms" in the last section, as for anything else. "Architrenius" is also the name of the poem's protagonist.
The text
The Architrenius made its first appearance in manuscript form c. 1184. It was copied by hand until its first publication in 1517 by the printer Jodocus BadiusJodocus Badius
Jodocus Badius was a pioneer of the printing industry.Sometimes called Badius Ascensius from the village of Asse, near Brussels, where he was born, he became an eminent printer at Paris. His establishment came to be known as the Prelum Ascensianum...
Ascencius (Paris). Later editions of the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
text were found in Jacques-Paul Migne's Patrologia Latina
Patrologia Latina
The Patrologia Latina is an enormous collection of the writings of the Church Fathers and other ecclesiastical writers published by Jacques-Paul Migne between 1844 and 1855, with indices published between 1862 and 1865....
(1844-1855) and Thomas Wrights Satirical Poets of the Twelfth Century (London, Rolls Series
Rolls Series
The Rolls Series, official title The Chronicles and Memorials of Great Britain and Ireland during the Middle Ages, is a major collection of British and Irish historical materials and primary sources, published in the second half of the 19th century. Some 255 volumes, representing 99 separate...
, No. 59 1872). A critical edition in German was published in 1974 (München, Wilhelm Fink) with a prelude and comments by Paul Gerhard Schmidt.
The apparent first translation into English was the prose translation of Nicholas P. Carlucci, in his 1977 Ph.D. dissertation, under the guidance of John W. Clark. This was based on Wright's edition, several medieval copies, and partly on the Schmidt edition. A more recent Architrenius was translated and edited by Winthrop Wetherbee of Cornell University, based on the Schmidt text, apparently unaware of the Carlucci translation. These two translations helped motivate a lengthy article in German by Bernd Roling.
The plot
According to C.S. Lewis, this poem involves "the story of the 'Arch-mourner', the youthful Architrenius, who, in mere despair at the wickedness within him and about him, sets out to seek his mother Nature and be healed. His journeys lead him through many places, including the university of ParisUniversity of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
and the island of Thule
Thule
Thule Greek: Θούλη, Thoulē), also spelled Thula, Thila, or Thyïlea, is, in classical European literature and maps, a region in the far north. Though often considered to be an island in antiquity, modern interpretations of what was meant by Thule often identify it as Norway. Other interpretations...
, thus offering the author the opportunity for lavish satiric description, before the wanderer finally meets Nature. The account of the university is said to be of great interest to the social historian (see reference to Gibbon below), but... gives us an early example of the allegory in the form of a journey—that is, in its best form." Lewis continues: "A universal longing is expressed and, but for the language, the lines might have been written in any age:
This must I do— go exil'd through the world
And seek for Nature till far hence I find
Her secret dwelling-place; there drag to light
The hidden cause of quarrel, and reknit,
Haply reknit, the long-divided Love.
This was Lewis' translation of the Latin (Chapter II:320):
Quid faciam, novi: profugo Natura per orbem
Est querenda mihi. Veniam quacumque remotos
Abscondat secreta lares, odiique latentes
Eliciam causas et rupti forsan amoris
Restituam nodos.
The story is also summarized by Bartleby's Cambridge History of English and American Literature in 18 Volumes (1907–21). Volume I. From the Beginnings to the Cycles of Romance. Chapter X:
"The pilgrim of that satire pays a visit to Paris, and describes the hardships of the students and the fruitlessness of their studies; he afterwards arrives at the hill of Presumption, which is the haunt of all manner of monks and ecclesiastics, as well as the great scholastic doctors and professors."
Other references to the Architrenius
Edward GibbonEdward Gibbon
Edward Gibbon was an English historian and Member of Parliament...
quotes Architrenius in chapter 22 (Vol I, p. 731 in the Modern Library
Modern Library
The Modern Library is a publishing company. Founded in 1917 by Albert Boni and Horace Liveright as an imprint of their publishing company Boni & Liveright, it was purchased in 1925 by Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer...
edition) of his (1776) Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. To a scene in which Julian
Julian the Apostate
Julian "the Apostate" , commonly known as Julian, or also Julian the Philosopher, was Roman Emperor from 361 to 363 and a noted philosopher and Greek writer....
is declared Emperor of Rome
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
by the Gallic legions, massed around a Parisian palace (which has become a museum in 2005), he adds this footnote: "the palace of the baths (Thermarum), of which a solid and lofty hall still subsists in the rue de la Harpe. The buildings covered a considerable space of the modern quarter of the university; and the gardens, under the Merovingian kings, communicated with the abbey of St. Germain des Pres
Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés
The Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, just beyond the outskirts of early medieval Paris, was the burial place of Merovingian kings of Neustria...
. By the injuries of time and the Normans
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
this ancient palace was reduced in the twelfth century to a maze of ruins, whose dark recesses were the scene of licentious love.
| Explicat aula sinus montemque amplectitur alis Multiplici latebra scelerum tersura ruborem. ... pereuntis saepe pudoris Celatura nefas, Venerisque accommoda furtis. | The Hall spreads far the shelter of its sinuous passages and embraces the mountain with its wings. Apt for wiping away the blush from crimes by means of its many lurking-places... ...ready to hide the shame of oft-perishing modesty and appropriate to the intrigues of Venus" (Carlucci, p. 123-124)> |
Yet such intrigues (here Gibbon refers to the furtis) might be less pernicious to mankind than the theological disputes of the Sorbonne
Collège de Sorbonne
The Collège de Sorbonne was a theological college of the University of Paris, founded in 1257 by Robert de Sorbon, after whom it is named. With the rest of the Paris colleges, it was suppressed during the French Revolution. It was restored in 1808 but finally closed in 1882. The name Sorbonne...
, which have been since agitated on the same ground. Pierre Nicolas Bonamy, Mem. de l'Academie, tom. xv. p. 678-682.
External links
- Detailed outline of contents in the Latin Vicipaedia
- The Latin Text of Architrenius.