This was partly written six months ago based on the mod Ruins of Glory (ROG). It is the year 476 A.D., the Western Roman Empire is almost defeated. But there is Julius Nepos, Emperor of the West and some independant cities...
I will release hopefully more parts of this AAR the comming days/weeks
This first part is based on Tacitus work: De vita et moribus Iulii Agricolae. I translated THE text from Dutch (the work of Vincent Hunink) to English and made some changes for my story. I hope it is intresting for you to see what Tacitus wrote in 98A.D. can be used perfectly to introduce my AAR
De vita et moribus Iulii Nepos
Part 1:
From ancient times it is customary to write down the habits and realizations of famous men for the descendants. Even in our times, where there is little interest in our own people, this is still a common thing, every time when right triumphs majestic and in magnanimous form and surpasses above evil of what small and large states have in common: wrong sense of values and envy. Once there was all place and space to do memorable things. Likewise the most talented people wanted to write down these qualities, not biased or out of ambition, but out of the idea that one is doing a good thing.
Generally the writing of a memoir was seen as a sign of confidence, not as pride. By Rutilius and Scaurus it did not affect their credibility and it was not taken against them (1) So much were good qualities appreciated in times were they unfold the easiest. But now? Now I am going to describe the life of a deceased, I must apologize. But when I was going to accuse someone I didn’t have to apologize: So grim and averse of the right are these times.
We have read that Herennius Rusticus eulogies on Flavius Orestes , and Arulenus Senecio his eulogies on Procopius Anthemius have paied it with there lifes.(2) And not only the authors but also their books became targets of violence: three Ostrogoths got the order to burn the writings of the great writers on the Forum and Comitium. Yes, by that fire Odoacer thought he could destroy the voice of the Roman people, the freedom of the senate and the conscience of mankind. Furthermore teachers of philosophy were expelled and he banished all culture, so that there would not be anything more of value. We have really shown enormous patience. And like old times saw the summit of freedom, we saw the summit of slavery. Because of all the spying human interaction became impossible. We would have lost apart of our voice also our intelligence, if forgetting was as easy as muteness.
Only now we take courage. At the beginning of the new, prosperous time of Julius Nepos. And Caesar Jovinius Nepos still promotes prosperity of these times. General safety is no longer a case of hope and wishes, but confidence has arisen in these wishes and our power is coming back. But by the human weakness the drug works slower than the disease. Likewise our body grows slowly and necrose fast, so you can suppress talent and culture easier than you can recall it. Because being lazy has something attracting and the first so detested passivity is lastly hoped-for.
Yes, in the course of sixteen years , a significantly period of time in a human life, many died “by accident” and the most active people have not only survived others but also themselves. So many years out of our lifes are gone: silent boys became men, old men went to the end of their days.
But that will not stop me ,if necessary in untrained and simple style, from writing down the past slavery and all the right things of now. Yet I want to honor the memory of my adoptive father Julius Nepos – a token of family sense that will receive a lot of understanding.
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(1)(Real)P. Rutilius Rufus and M. Aemilius Scaurus were politicans in the mid of the second century B.C. There (no more existing) memoires were probably used by historian Sallustius as sources.
(2) (made up) This two writers were put to death by Odoacer because of their positively colored memoires of opponents. Flavius Orestes was father of Romulus Augustus (Western Emperor from 475-476).Orestes was defeated, captured and then killed in in battle near Piacenza by Odoacer. Procopius Anthemius was a Western Roman Emperor from 467 to 472. Odoacer fought against him as a soldier in 472. Anthemius was captured and beheaded on 11 July 472.
I hope you enjoyed it and Tacitus doesn't turn in his grave.