[hprints-00683151, v2] Enea Silvio Piccolomini (Pius II ... - Hprints.org

hprints-00683151, version 2 - 19 Mar 2013
The second version begins with the words “Audivi.” In the eldest manuscript is has
the title: Orationes Aeneae Silvii Picolominei Senensis, qui postea pontificatum
maximum adeptus Pius Secundus appellatus est. Editae fuerunt ante et post
susceptum pontificatum. Et haec prima habita fuit ab eo nondum sacris initiato in
concilio Basiliensi cum ageretur de loco eligendo pro oecumenico concilio cum
Graecis habendo. It is extant in 7 manuscripts containing an anthology of the
orations of Piccolomini/Pius. In all manuscripts the “Audivi” is given as the first one.
The anthology develops from manuscript to manuscript, the later ones containing
more of the speeches given by Pius during his pontificate and in a progressively
more correct chronological order. The oldest manuscript containing the anthology is
the Chisianus I.VIII 284 that was probably produced under the direct supervision of
Pius himself. 100
The two versions of the oration, the “Saepe res magnae” and the “Audivi” are clearly
different. The “Saepe res magnae” contains an introduction which has been cut
away from or added to the “Audivi”. There are quite a number of other differences,
but except one case they are generally differences of style (e.g. vocabulary and word
order) and not of substance.
The interesting question is, of course, which version is the older and which one the
later. Some features may point to the “Saepe res magnae” as being the earlier, quite
possibly the original version. Firstly, it is difficult to conceive that the old and sick
pope would, shortly after having supervised the first edition of his collected orations
have written another version of (just) the first oration, adding a new introduction.
Secondly, if the “Saepe res magnae” was the later version, it is curious that it was
not at all picked up in the the later manuscript editions of the anthology. Thirdly, the
title of the “Saepe res magnae” reflects Piccolomini’s early status; if it is a reedited
version of the “Audivi”, it is strange that the title of the “Audivi” reflecting Pius’
papal status was dropped. Fourthly, there are some redundancies between the
introduction to the “Saepe res magnae” and the main text that would be difficult to
explain if they had been added to a version coming after the already thoroughly
edited version prepared for the papal anthology. And fifthly, in the introduction to
the “Saepe res magnae” there is mention of the episode of the Bishop of Albenga
100 Helmrath …
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