Author: Quintus Curtius

Catching Birds In Anzio, Italy

Quintus Curtius Travel & Exploration , , ,

The Italian humanist Biondo Flavio of Forli (1392-1463) was one of the great names of Renaissance humanism.  His extensive Description of Italy (Italia Illustrata) collected anecdota and geographical information about every region of the country from ancient times until his own day.  It was first published in 1451, but saw frequent additions and revisions until Flavio’s death.  Book II, section 7 of his treatise provides some details on how the natives of Nettuno (a town in the region of Lazio, south of Rome) go about netting birds.  The passage attracted my attention for some reason, and I thought it might be worth relating; it may even be of interest to modern hunters.  Flavio himself can provide the specific details:

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The Wisdom Of Ibn Al-Sammak

Quintus Curtius Biography, Thought , ,

The biographical encyclopedia of Ibn Khallikan–that deep well of collective anecdotal wisdom–has an interesting entry for one Abu Al-Abbas Muhammad Ibn Sabih.  His surname was Al Mazkur, but like many famous figures it is his nickname that posterity recalls best.  This nickname is Ibn Al-Sammak, which literally means “son of a fish-monger” in Arabic (the word for fish is samak, سمك).  It is not clear where this name came from; perhaps he had a fish-merchant as an ancestor.

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A Video Review Of My Translation Of Sallust

Quintus Curtius Current News , , ,

Literary critic and reviewer Andrew Vittoria today released a video review of my latest book (published in June), a new translation of the works of the historian Sallust, The Conspiracy Of Catiline and The War Of Jugurtha.  I very much appreciate the time he took to put together this quite detailed review:

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Bequeath Your Problems To Those Who Deserve Them

Quintus Curtius Thought ,

There is an amusing anecdote related in Chapter 60 of Gibbon’s Decline and Fall.  The author is describing an encounter between Fulk of Neuilly (d. 1201), a mendicant preacher trying to win support for a Fourth Crusade, and Richard I Plantagenet of England.  Fulk had been shopping his plans to various European monarchs, most of which were not interested in proving financial or material assistance to the project.  Fulk was reduced to beating his fist on the doors of one country after another, only to be rebuffed.  As Gibbon relates:

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When Embarked On A Great Enterprise, Do Not Look Back

Quintus Curtius Thought , , ,

When you have begun a great project, press forward until it is completed.  Do not look back; do not be distracted by the ambient noise of life, the doubting whispers of others, or the gnawing doubts that will inevitably bore their way into your consciousness.  Nothing great was ever accomplished by half-measures; and the failure of grand ambition is still more inspiring than the cautious steps of the timid man.  In a 1368 letter to Pope Urban V, the humanist Petrarch wrote the following words that I happened to read this morning:

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Are Paranormal Phenomena Real?

Quintus Curtius Podcast , , ,

Is there any truth to the proposition that paranormal phenomena are real? If so, in what way? Is there more to this world than just atoms and the void? And does science have all the answers?  We discuss these issues.

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The Loss Of The Liner “Empress Of Ireland”

Quintus Curtius History , ,

I have long had a fascination with nautical lore.  It is one of these interests that comes as a residue from having spent much time–perhaps too much time–by the ocean as a boy, toying with sailboats and motorboats, quahogs, crabs, bluefish, and what lies beyond the surf.  It is impossible for me not to be entranced by the sea; one is drawn to its primeval magnetism, and by the knowledge that it represents the origin of life on earth.  Perhaps it also represents the destiny of earthly life; when H.G. Wells’s time traveler hurls himself forward hundreds of thousands of years into the future, he finds himself on a ghastly blood-red beach, accompanied by monstrous crabs and eternal silence.

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Sunday Film Roundup (8/27/2017)

Quintus Curtius Film , , ,

I haven’t done a film roundup in a while.  As you know, the recent articles here have been focused on subjects of more gravity.  The following represent the most recent “new” movies I’ve seen.

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What You First Create, You Must Then Defend

Quintus Curtius Thought , , ,

Some people think that one big home run will set them on easy street for life.  They think that when they accomplish something, the game is essentially finished, and they can move on to something else.  But the world doesn’t really work that way.  Very often, the reward of labor is more labor:  but the new work is different in character from the old.  The creative labor of invention is replaced by the fighting labor of preservation.  We can see an example of this principle in the career of Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone.

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Why Worrying Is Pointless

Quintus Curtius Thought , , ,

For a good part of my life I used to worry excessively about things.  When I was in college I worried about keeping up my grade point average and being able to complete Marine Corps Officer Candidate School; when I was on active duty I worried about doing my job well; when I started my law practice many years ago I worried about all the various thing related to establishing oneself in one’s profession.  And there are other examples of worrying that I need not rattle off here.  All of this worry, all of this stress, was largely self-inflicted.

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