Cassiodorus in Oxford

The modern Nachleben of Cassiodorus is spotty and sparse, but he has had his moments. The following text was called to my attention by Professor Paul Pascal of the University of Washington. It is the laudatio in honor of the ballerina Ninette de Valois delivered on the occasion of her honorate D.Litt. in the University of Oxford on 22 June 1955. It comes from Orationes Oxonienses selectae; short Latin speeches on distinguished contemporaries, by Thomas Farrant Higham, public orator of Oxford University, 1 Aug. 1939-31 July 1958. Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1960.

Sunt qui fabulis salticis ad insaniam faveant; et (fateor) me quoque mirifice tenent "orchestarum loquacissimae manus, linguosi digiti, clamosum silentium, expositio tacita"; [Cassiod. Var. 4.51] nec mediocrem do plausum exitu fabulae, cum artifex, ut apud Reposianum Venus,

     nunc alterna movens suspenso pollice crura       
          molliter inflexo subnitens poplite sidit.

Libentissime igitur orchestam ad vos duco quae ineunte iuventa Londinii in Theatro Regali, ubi nunc alterum suorum regit gregem, primas egit saltantium partes, parum tamen sibi ipsi placebat nisi ei disciplinae, quam a magistris Franco-Gallicis Italicisque acceperat, Russorum quoque artes a Sergio Diaghileff repertas addidisset. Cuius ducis gregi cum tres fere annos interfuisset, statim Londinii, Cantabrigiae, Dublini in pretio habebatur, nec minime laboribus suis adiuvabat "Musarum" illam "famulam" Lilian Baylis, cui nos iam antea laureas nostras detulisse recordamini. Hac invicem adiuvante, ludum saltatorium Puteolis suis condidit duosque instituit artificum greges, quorum fortunae non estis ignari. Laudantur et fabulae--Asotus pessum iturus, Redactus ad Incitas, aliae--quibus artem suam choreographicam comprobavit; sed laus certe omnium maxima est illud effecisse, ut ceterae gentes a nostra potissimum discere cupiant quid alat formetque artificem, quomodo dare oporteat fabulas salticas, denique quae docendi ratio ad spectaculum conducat omnibus suis numeris partibusque perfectum.

Praesento vobis Gratiarum comitem, Ninette de Valois, excellentissimi ordinis Imperii Britannici Dominam Commendatricem, ut admittatur honoris causa ad gradum Doctoris in Litteris.

Professor Pascal comments: The bit from Reposianus (his poem on Venus and Mars) is nicely translated by Higham in a footnote: "With twinkling feet on tip-toe now she goes, / And sinks, knees folded, softly to repose." I'll leave it to you to work out "Asotus pessum iturus" and "Redactus ad Incitas"--two of Dame Ninette's famous ballets, and a classy bit of Latinity. One item that initially caused me some puzzlement was the reference to the ballet school she established "Puteolis suis." I mean, what does she have to do with Pozzuoli? Then it dawned on me that this was a bit of Higham's donnish humor, his way of translating "at the Wells," as Britishers referred to Sadler's Wells.