Content

The witty note to Nymphidius asking him to return Sidonius’ copy of the De statu animae is an excuse to praise Mamertus Claudianus’ treatise, the commendation of which constitutes the focus of the the opening lines of the letter.

The addressee Nymphidius

The grace and splendid eloquence that Sidonius employs to praise Claudianus are suddenly followed by witty comments on Nymphidius’ inability to keep his word, and by an ironic ending reminiscent of epigrammatic models. With its amicable address, the text conveys the impression that Sidonius and the addressee share a familiar code, and are on good terms; this assumption would explain the ending of the epistle, where Sidonius portrays Nymphidius as someone who is more reluctant to part with the parchment than with its content. Sidonius’ wry remarks on the book not having found its way home should therefore be interpreted as overtly playful.

The information concerning Nymphidius detectable from the letter is scarce; however, there is nothing to contradict the possibility that he is the same Nymphidius mentioned in Carm. 15.200, grandfather of Araneola or Polemius and portrayed in the act of ratifying their contract of marriage in 461 or 462, other than the fact that he would have been quite old at the time of the letter, if a grandchild had been married over a decade before.

Sidonius and Mamertus Claudianus

By contrast, the friendship between Mamertus Claudianus and Sidonius is well attested. For instance, in a letter included in Sidonius’ epistolary collection, Claudianus defines himself as an intimate and close friend of Sidonius (Ep. 4.2.4 egomet specialis atque intumus). In this letter Claudianus reproaches his friend for his silence: he had sent his De statu animae, dedicated to him, but although Sidonius has been corresponding with others, he is yet to comment on his work. The requested answer ensues in the Sidonian corpus: Ep. 4.3, in which the author apologises for the lateness of his response and thanks Claudianus for having dedicated his literary work to him.

The epistolary collection of Sidonius also bears witness to Claudianus’ epitaph, written by Sidonius in Ep. 4.11, a letter sent to Claudianus’ nephew Petreius. This is an example of elegant and emphatic writing, in which the author effectively portrays Claudianus as an enlightened philosopher, who hosted his disciples at his home with the purpose of discussion and sharing his wisdom with them.