After Action Report: September 2021 Remote Nova Britannia Chat

 September 27th, 2021, 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Participants: C. Claudius Quadratus

                     A. Tullia Scholastica

                     A. Iulius Paterculus (Host)

 Quadratus was the first to join the meeting an opened our discussion of Roman topics by mentioning that he had just started to re-read The First Man in Rome, as he tends to do once every ten years.

Quadratus also said that he was hoping to travel to Rome, but that there had been flight delays, which was not a good sign. In Rome itself, he had heard there were riots over Green Passes (the vaccine passport system in Italy).

We talked a little about the essay contest which had concluded the recent Ludi Romani. I agreed with Quadratus that the upper wordcount for these essays should probably have been higher and stated that I had hoped sharing the essays would have sparked some conversation on the Main List.

For instance, I said, I was strongly in agreement with the argument Quadratus had made in his essay that modern politicians should observe term restrictions as they had during the Roman Republic. I particularly thought that politicians should not have the ability to run for successive terms, since it resulted in time wasted in campaigning when they should be doing their jobs. Quadratus stated that the elections in Canada occurred with roughly five weeks’ notice, which reduced this problem somewhat. He also suggested a maximum age limit for politicians. I argued that if he was concerned about their mental state, it would be better to give competency exams and that the younger cohort probably would benefit by such screening just as much.

                Scholastica joined the call. She informed us that her Latin classes were very busy, as there were only two teachers in place of three. Scholastica also said that this particular group of students was more diverse than average, with students from Hong Kong, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, Dar es Salaam, Wuhan, Iran, Italy, & the United States. Despite this, one student had such limited exposure to other cultures as to complain that the Spring and Winter breaks were not named after Easter and Christmas, which “everyone” celebrated, but Quinquatria and Saturnalia, which “no one” did.

                 Quadratus filled Scholastica in on his plans to re-read Colleen McCullough’s series. We all appreciated her work, Scholastica commenting that it had been comforting reading during a time of illness and was also handy for lifting as a weight! Quadratus said that the 100 page glossary in the back taught him more than a college class. I asked them what they thought of McCullough’s other work, saying I’d enjoyed The Thorn Birds but not The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet. Quadratus said that he hadn’t liked the other series of hers he had once started.

                Quadratus mentioned adopting a shy cat named “Biden” from the shelter. The shelter had named it and registered that name with the authorities when it was microchipped.  Friends and relatives of Quadratus, knowing his political bent, found it very funny.  Biden was a very nice cat and slowly getting used to his new surroundings.

                Quadratus stated that he was pausing his plans for a numismatic sodalitas, since there didn’t seem to be enough interest. Scholastica answered that there had not been much activity in the sodalitates in general, although one new member had joined Musarum the preceding day. I said that this could well be a friend to whom I had recommended the group.

                I said that building the sodalitates would take much time and effort, including a number of posts to encourage others to join in the conversation. I also said that it would be nice to have a sodalitas devoted to philosophy, and that it was rather surprising we didn’t already have one.

                Scholastica said we already had one, albeit an unofficial one, headed by Cassius.  She added that there was not much interest in the subject, quoting a similar observation by the satirist Juvenal. I disagreed, citing the ongoing Stoic renaissance, including multiple in-person groups in Connecticut in recent years and, within Nova Roma, a citizen who used to blog passages from Seneca. Scholastica recalled similar posts on the Main List once, but no longer.

                Scholastica said that that she and Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus had different approaches to contacting prospective members. Scholastica added that the probationary period and citizenship test had been reinstated effective September 1^st.

                Quadratus questioned whether these restrictions would really benefit recruitment, but Scholastica countered that many people applied for citizenship for reasons other than a love of Rome, such as an ambition to immigrate to the land we once owned in Texas.

                The discussion turned to animal sacrifice: Scholastica said that the thought of killing an animal to please a deity disturbed her, even if said animal was also eaten, but also that it didn’t much affect her since she was not a cultrix. Quadratus said that this practice was a deal-breaker for him, and that he had banned it is his province of Canada. I was in favour of animal sacrifice, and stated that if an animal was to be slaughtered anyway, having an additional purpose in doing so couldn’t do any harm, even if one didn’t credit the intended benefit. However, my main emphasis was the hope that cultores who did and did not engage in this practice could tolerate one another without denigrating or trying to stop one another’s acts of worship.

                Quadratus brought up that the U.S./Canada was still sealed for quarantine. This brought up discussion of the Antonine Plague and the plague of Athens. Scholastica pointed out that the plague of Athens was aggravated by Spartans whose siege crowded Athenians into their city and who tossed bodies over the walls. Quadratus also recalled food shortages which contributed to vulnerability to disease. I expressed surprise that catapults had already been invented in Classical Greece.

                I asked whether there was much activity in Canada or Mediatlantica. Quadratus said there was none in Canada, as he had little interest from local citizens and was happier to attend than organize in any case – though in-person was better than virtual.

                I asked whether they might come down to Connecticut. Quadratus confirmed that he would, possibly as soon a November. Scholastica said that she could not engage in such long-term driving at present, due to recent injuries.

Rome's Last Citizen: The Life and Legacy of Cato, Mortal Enemy of Caesar by Rob Goodman and Jimmy Soni

   This book aims to be both a biography of Cato the Younger and an analysis of the impact the legend which followed him had on later generations. Both journalists, the authors seem particularly attuned to politics, and convincingly dissect both the political strategies which Cato himself employed and the use to which he was put by such worthies as George Washington. Occasionally, their search for parallels between ancient Roman politics and those of modern times may go too far, as when they refer to the populares as occupying the "left" of the Roman political scene (a characterization which has a touch of truth, but could lead a careless reader to import too many assumptions).
   More often, particularly during the more purely biographical section which takes all but the Prologue and Epilogue of the book, this strategic reading of the conflicts between the factions of the Late Republic provides a quiet sub-current to the essentially character-based narrative which the authors drew from the work of numerous ancient writers. Cato's great strength and weakness, the authors let us see repeatedly, was that he demanded personal virtue triumph while viewing often viewing mere strategy with contempt. The authors are often critical of this approach, but reveal and explain the partial successes that resulted from it. In some ways, the type of politician who succeeds is a reflection of the people who vote him, or her, into power; Goodman & Soni do not neglect the strands of Roman thought which Cato came to symbolize and why others often chose to support him, even at the expense of their own interests.
    In the foreground to all of this was a life of self-imposed hardship: not so much the famed austerity, though that is mentioned as well, but relationships personal and political strained because of an unwillingness to compromise and an encroaching melancholy as the Republic careened from one looming threat to another yet more serious. There is powerful writing in many places, as the authors depict the frustration Cato must have felt when his warnings were unheard and his efforts to preserve libertas seemed doomed. At other points, there are glimpses of success, even happiness. We also see a certain evolution in Cato's thought and action over time, which remains opaque despite the authors' attempts to interpret it: as his goals seemed more remote in the pragmatic Roman present, Cato seems to have embraced both the antique Roman model and a universalizing Stoicism with increasing fervour. At last, these two pillars of his existence seemed to fuse together, so that Rome was synonymous with virtue and freedom.
   This book deserves the greatest praise it can be given: that it does justice to its subject. I recommend it to everyone, particularly those who would like to think over the essence of the Roman Republic. Although Cato's is not the only perspective of value, I don't think we can fully understand that ideal without giving due weight to his vision, as they were expressed in his words and deeds.