Yesterday I received the following message from Tom Bestul, my old
Anglo-Saxon teacher:
I am editing a commentary on Proverbs by Alexander Nequam (d. 1217), and
have encountered what seems to me a very curious statement about Aeneas,
namely that he drowned in the battle with Turnus, and this fact was covered
up by Virgil:
Eneas conflictum Turni sustinere non ualens, phaselum intrare coactus est et
sic submersus, licet Eneis virgiliana ueritatem historie ob gloriam Romani
nominis commutauerit.
I've checked the usual places; Servius, Augustine, Orosius, Bernard
Silvestris, etc., and can find the tradition that Aeneas died in the
climactic battle, and that his body was nowhere to be found (Serv ad Aen
4.620, e.g).
But I can't find a source for Nequam's claim that Aeneas was forced into a
boat and drowned (I believe drowning is the intended meeting, rather than
mere submersal (like Turnus, earlier), since the account is included in a
list of other notables who drowned, such as Osiris and Frederick
Barbarossa).
I had a few ideas, most of which had occurred to him already:
1. Livy 1.2 states that the site where Aeneas died is above the river Numicus.
For death by drowning, see
2. Ovid, Met. 14 says that the mortal part of Aeneas was washed away in the
Numicus. This is probably the most important source for the tradition that
Aeneas drowned. -- Might check a good commentary on this passage to see if
it gives any cross-references.
3. Servius, in Aen. 1.259, 4.620 (which records the bizarre tradition that
Aeneas fell into the river while sacrificing, as does Servius auctus on
12.794), 6.88, 7.150 and 7.797 (which claim that the body _was_ found in
the river, contradicting what he says elsewhere), and 12.139 (which doesn't
mention the death of Aeneas, but says that the water for all Roman
sacrifices came from the Numicus; this explains the tradition that Aeneas
fell into the river while sacrificing).
4. Tibullus 2.5.43-44 has illic sanctus eris cum te ueneranda Numici /
unda deum caelo miserit indigetem, where te = Aeneas. Tibullus doesn't say
how Aeneas came to be in the worshipful wave of Numicus, but this is pretty
good evidence that the death by water tradition is older than Virgil. --
Might check a good commentary on this passage to see if it gives any
cross-references.
What I can't explain is Alexander's reference to a boat. Servius auctus (in
Aen. 1.259 and 12.794) says that Aeneas may have fallen into the river
while fleeing Messapus or Mezentius. Bits of Servius auctus did circulate
in the Middle Ages, but not widely, and that doesn't really solve the
problem anyway.
A possibility: Alexander is conflating the death by water tradition with
Aen. 10.653, in which Turnus is lured into a boat by a phantom-Aeneas, in
order to draw him away from the fighting and save his life.
-- Does anyone have a better source for phaselum intrare coactus?
Maybe not better, but Smith's commentary on Tibullus identifies Augustine's
City of God (18.19) as quoting Varro on the subject of Aeneas' death;
Justin 43.1.10 also dealt with the death of Aeneas; and so apparently did
an anonymous work called the Origo gentis romanae 14.2; these seem to be
the only passages relating to the death of Aeneas that could have been
available to Neckham and haven't yet been cited -- and of which I do not
have copies readily available.
Another possibility is that the boat is simply Neckham's own elaboration of
the scenario; presenting the real story that was covered up by Virgil
might equally hint at an attempt to flatter someone who died by drowning
(or someone who lost a relation by drowning)
James L. P. Butrica
Department of Classics
The Memorial University of Newfoundland
St. John's NL A1C 5S7
(709) 737-7914 / (709) 753-5799 (home)
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