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Chapter 1 Laying the Foundations of a Political Career: The Orationes The first phase of Symmachus’ career before he achieved the urban prefectureship in 384 is well documented by the Orationes. His appointment as senatorial ambassador in 368 marked a turning point in his life. It was at the court of Valentinian I that Symmachus established his reputation as orator and, for the first time, acted as mediator between senate and court, a role he would play with varying degrees of success throughout his career. Even in the deceitful atmosphere of the imperial court,1 Symmachus formed durable and profitable alliances with some of the most prominent men of his times and, more importantly, was able to maintain these friendships by devoting time and effort to an assiduous correspondence once back in Rome. Symmachus’ Rhetorical Fama and the Survival of the Orationes The history of the transmission of Symmachus’ orations is both perplexing and delightfully ironic. Although Symmachus was acknowledged as the foremost orator of his times, his Orationes quickly disappeared from sight until the discovery in the nineteenth century of substantial fragments of eight speeches. By an ironic turn of events, the man still largely identified as the champion of paganism owes the rediscovery of an important part of his literary production to a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. In 1815 Cardinal Angelo Mai discovered and published the fragments of the orations .2 To add insult to injury, Symmachus’ speeches were hiding under the Latin translation of the acts of the Council of Chalcedon, but the learned cardinal did not hesitate to destroy the acts in order to rescue the writings of the sworn enemy of the true faith. Notwithstanding their rediscovery, Symmachus’ Orationes are still largely ignored by modern scholars and 1 2 / Q. Aurelius Symmachus constantly relegated to a marginal place in comparison to his other writings , especially the correspondence. The eight newly found orations constitute only a part of Symmachus’ rhetorical production. Symmachus composed and delivered, but for obvious reasons never published, a panegyric for the usurper Maximus;3 and it is reasonable to assume the existence of a speech of thanks (gratiarum actio) for the consulship that he received in 391 as well as other speeches mentioned in his letters.4 As in the case of the first book of Symmachus’ Epistulae , the surviving speeches were arranged not in chronological order but according to the importance of the addressee: first the panegyrics in honor of the Emperor Valentinian I and his son, Gratian (Or. 1–3). Then the gratiarum actio for the consulship of Symmachus’ father (Or. 4); and finally four orations written and delivered on behalf of members and aspiring members of the Roman senate (Or. 5–8). Although the chronology cannot be ascertained with absolute certainty, Symmachus’ surviving orations can be approximately dated to the first phase of his career, which began at the court of Valentinian I.5 The eight orations offer an interesting insight into the relationships between the senate and the imperial court of Valentinian I and Gratian and are a most revealing document of the senatorial mentality , ideology, and expectations. At the Court of Valentinian I In the winter of the year 367–8 a young senator, still at the beginning of his political career, set out from Rome on a long journey that would bring him to the imperial court in Trier. The main purpose of the journey was the delivery of a speech of praise (laudatio) for Valentinian I in the course of the traditional celebration for the Emperor’s first five years of reign (quinquennalia ).6 Moreover, the senatorial envoy carried with him the aurum oblaticium , a “voluntary tax” collected by the Roman senate.7 For a young and ambitious man of senatorial standing it was a great privilege to be chosen for such a mission: it was not only an official recognition of rhetorical talent, but also an opportunity for political advancement and the acquisition of friends at court. The man selected for the enterprise was Quintus Aurelius Symmachus, whose rhetorical skills were admired both by friends and political adversaries to the extent that he became universally acknowledged as the greatest orator of his time.8 The occasion for the embassy was festive, but the task at hand was nonetheless delicate: Valentinian had never been to Rome and was meeting Laying the Foundations of a Political Career / 3 with a senatorial delegation for the first time. As speaker among the members of the delegation...

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