the curious fascination which the circumstances of the Nativity and especially the Adoration of the Magi had for the Western world.  Prudentius had a great vogue in the Middle Ages, and the modern renewal of interest in mediaevalism invests with fresh dignity a poet whose works at the Revival of learning provoked the admiration of Erasmus[1] and the researches of numerous scholars and editors.  But it is undoubtedly to the student of ecclesiastical history and dogma and to the lovers of Christian art and antiquities that Prudentius most truly appeals.  He claims our interest, not merely because he reflects the Christian environment of his days, but because his poetry represents an attempt to preach Christ to a world still fascinated by Paganism, while conscious that the old order was changing and yielding place to new.

[1] Prudentium, unum inter Christianos vere facundum poetam.

NOTES

HYMNS

THE TITLE

The word Cathemerinon is taken from the Greek and is the genitive of chathemerina “daily things”:  the whole title Liber Cathemerinon is equivalent to “Book of daily hymns,” and may be rendered “Hymns for the Christian’s day.”

THE PREFACE

In one or two of the MSS. this introductory poem is stated to be a preface of the Cathemerinon only:  but the great majority of the codices support the view which is undoubtedly suggested by internal evidence, that the poem is a general introduction to the whole of Prudentius’ works.  It is inserted together with the Epilogus in this volume, because of the intrinsic interest of both poems.

Line

8 The reference is to the toga virilis, the ordinary
     white-coloured garb of a Roman citizen who at his sixteenth year
     laid aside the purple-edged toga praetexta, which was worn
     during the days of boyhood.

16 ff.  The cities referred to are unknown:  but it is probable that
     they were two municipia in Northern Spain, and that the office
     held by Prudentius was that of duumvir or prefect.  Provision was made
     by the twenty-fourth clause of the law of Salpensa (a town in the
     provincia Baetica of Spain) by which the emperor could be elected
     first magistrate of a municipium, and could thereupon appoint a
     prefect to take his place.  This would explain the language of the
     text as to the semi-imperial nature of the post.  The phrase
     militiae gradus need only be taken to indicate advancement in the
     civil service.  But the words have been interpreted in accordance
     with the more familiar and definite meaning of militia, and
     understood to refer to a purely military post.  Dressel thinks that
     Prudentius was a miles Palatinus, that is, a member of the
     best-paid and most highly-privileged