E02786: Letter from Eugippius to the Roman deacon Paschasius, written from Castellum Lucullanum (near Naples) in 511, introducing Eugippius' Life of *Severinus (see E02347). Tells how he decided to record Severinus’ miracles after reading an unnamed layman's Life of *Bassus (monk of mons Titas near Rimini (north-east Italy), S01329); Eugippius asks Paschasius to use his Life to write a better account of Severinus, and refers to Severinus’ miracles at his shrine at Castellum Lucullanum.

Eugippius of Lucullanum, Life of Severinus

Letter of Eugippius to Paschasius

§§ 1-2: Eugippius opens his letter by telling how, two years earlier at the time of the consulship of Importunus [509], he read a letter sent by a layman to a priest (presbyter):

Continens vitam Bassi monachi, qui quondam in monasterio montis, cui vocabulum est Titas, super Ariminum commoratus, post in Lucaniae regione defunctus est.

'It contained the life of the monk, Bassus, who at one time lived in the monastery of the mountain which is called Titas above Ariminum [= Rimini], and later died in the district of Lucania.'

This triggers Eugippius’ wish to narrate Severinus’ miracles. The lay author of the letter about Bassus particularly insisted that Eugippius should send him information, Eugippius agreed to collect it, if reluctantly:

Animo promptiore mandavit, ut aliqua sibi per me eiusdem sancti Severini mitterentur indicia, quibus instructus libellum vitae eius scriberet posterorum memoriae profuturum. Hac ego protinus oblatione compulsus commemoratorium nonnullis refertum indiciis ex notissima nobis et cottidiana maiorum relatione composui, non sine magno maerore animi, iniustum scilicet reputans, ut te superstite laicus a nobis hoc opus efficere rogaretur, cui et modus et color operis non sine praesumptione quadam possit iniungi, ne forsitan saeculari tantum litteratura politus tali vitam sermone conscriberet, in quo multorum plurimum laboraret inscitia et res mirabiles, ... obscura disertitudine non lucerent.'

'The idea appealed to him, and he asked me to send him for his information some sketches concerning this holy Severinus so that he could write a little book about his life for the benefit of posterity. Prompted by this offer, I drafted a memorandum; it comprised a number of sketches based on stories that are familiar to us from the daily accounts of our elders. Yet I was far from feeling happy about it. It was not justifiable, I thought, that in your lifetime we should ask a layman to undertake this work. There even seemed to be some risk in entrusting a lay writer with a work of this type and style. A man trained, for all that we know, only in secular literature would probably write that Life in a style far too difficult for the majority of unlearned people, and the splendour of wonderful things ... be veiled by the obscurities of eloquence.'

§ 3: Eugippius has decided instead to send the memorandum (commemoratorium) to Paschasius as the basis for a complete work, because he would write it better than a layman, and also because Paschasius himself had requested information on Severinus:

Praecipis, ut commemoratorium vel indicia vitae saepe dicti sancti Severini transmitterem: quae donec in tuae constructionis libellum transire mereantur, nequaquam animum recensentis offendant.

'You demand that I should send you my memorandum or sketches concerning the life of the oft-mentioned Severinus. Let us then hope that, until they have been transformed into a book of your composition, they will not offend any critic.'

§§ 4-6: Eugippius wrote a most simple work founded on faith only. He hopes that Paschasius will tell of Severinus' miracles:

Quod per manus linguae tuae nunc offero collocandum, de tui operis fastigio laudes Christo debitas redditurus. Illaquoque, precor, virtutum beneficia sanitatumque remedia, quae vel in itinere vel hic apud eiusdem beatissimi patris memoriam divina sunt peracta virtute, digneris adnectere.

'This, here, I now hand over to you so that it may be shaped by your tongue and, when your work has been completed, I shall give thanks to Christ as is His due. Let me mention also, I pray, the wonderful graces and miraculous cures the power of God has worked, either on the way or here at the tomb of this our blessed father.'

The letter bearer Deogratias will brings further oral information about these miracles to be shared with Paschasius for his planned work on Severinus.

§§ 7-10: Eugippius admits that he has no evidence about Severinus’ place of origin. He tells that during Severinus’ life, many were wondering about it, and a priest (presbyter) from Italy, Primenius who took refuge with Severinus at the time of Orestes, asked him. However, Severinus refused to provide an answer, stating that it was better not to speak about one’s origin to avoid boasting. Nobody dared to ask him again. However, Eugippius notes that his way of speaking betrayed that he was a Latin and that it was known that he went to the East to seek solitude and perfect his way of life. Later, following a divine revelation, he went to the cities of Noricum Ripense near the province of Pannonia Superior, tormented by barbarian attacks. This is all that Eugippius has been able to gather during Severinus’ life.

§ 11: The information about Severinus’ life is found in the memorandum (commemoratorium) accompanying this letter, preceded by a summary. All this will be better known when Paschasius will write a book.

The letter is followed by the list of chapters of the Life of Severinus

Text: Noll 1981, 40-45. Translation: Bieler-Krestan 1965, 47-55 (from which paragraph numbers are taken; lightly adapted). Summary: M. Pignot.