[HPforGrownups] The Name Snape (was: Bartemius (was: Not So Faithful (was: Re:

[Caius Marcius]

No: HPFGUIDX 3637


----- Original Message -----
From: "Kelley " <SKTHOMPSON_1 at msn.com>
To: <HPforGrownups at egroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, October 15, 2000 5:36 PM
Subject: [HPforGrownups] The Name Snape (was: Bartemius (was: Not So
Faithful (was: Re:


> --- In HPforGrownups at egroups.com, "Caius Marcius" <coriolan at w...>
> wrote:
> > Its also reminiscent for ancient history fans of the Roman Emperor
> Septimus> Severus (who reigned from 193-211)
> >
> > I just checked out my e-text of Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall to
> get the> dates of his reign, and, re-reading some of the text, it
> turns out my> allusion was even more apt than I first suspected.  At
> the beginning of> Chapter Six, Gibbon tells us "Severus was
> passionately addicted to the vain> studies of magic and divination,
> deeply versed in the interpretation of> dreams and omens, and
> perfectly acquainted with the science of judicial astrology...."
> >
> >     - CMC
>
> I'll have to go check out 'Decline and Fall'.  I found a little info
> on Severus that I posted on hpanon a while back, but didn't find the
> info about magic.  Here's what I posted:
>
> We are talking about the same guy, right?  Unfortunately, this site
> didn't include the 'magic' info, at least the parts I read.
>

Yes, we are! - the info on Emperor Severus' interest in magic is in Gibbon,
Chapter 6, second paragraph. Unfortunately, thats' the only information
Gibbon provides on the magic angle.  Perhaps some of the contemporary
classical sources would give more detail

    - CMC