Beware the fury of the Legions (attributed to Marcus Flavius) (1961 English 1960 French)

Sat Mar 3 20:35:53 UTC 2012

Doug: Many thanks for the link to a fascinating webpage. According to
Google Translate the webpage says that Jean Larteguy noted in his
autobiography The Naked War that the letter was a fake:

[Begin excerpt of Google Translate output]
And the letter of the centurion Marcus Flavinius, the legion Augusta,
which is opening this book, which ends with this prophetic statement:
"Whether we beware the wrath of the legions!"
It was a fake: I did not know then. It was manufactured by Roger Frey …
[End excerpt]

On Sat, Mar 3, 2012 at 2:14 PM, Douglas G. Wilson <douglas at nb.net> wrote:
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> Poster:       "Douglas G. Wilson" <douglas at NB.NET>
> Subject:      Re: Beware the fury of the Legions (attributed to Marcus Flavius)
>              (1961 English 1960 French)
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> On 3/3/2012 12:21 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
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>> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter<wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
>> Subject:      Re: Beware the fury of the Legions (attributed to Marcus Flavius)
>>                (1961 English 1960 French)
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> _The Centurions_ is a novel about the Algerian War.  The Wikipedia article
>> is apparently informative:
>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Centurions_(novel)
>>
>> JL
>>
>> On Sat, Mar 3, 2012 at 11:30 AM, Garson O'Toole
>> <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com>wrote:
>>
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>>> Poster:       Garson O'Toole<adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
>>> Subject:      Beware the fury of the Legions (attributed to Marcus Flavius)
>>>               (1961 English 1960 French)
>>>
>>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>> An Op-ed published in the Washington Post in 2010 contained part of a
>>> letter attributed to a Roman commander named Marcus Flavius.
>>>
>>> Cite: 2010 June 27, Washington Post, The making of four-star arrogance
>>> by Andrew Bacevich, Page B1, Washington, D.C. (ProQuest) [Online
>>> title: Endless war, a recipe for four-star arrogance]
>>>
>>>
>>> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/25/AR2010062502160_pf.html
>>>
>>> Professor Jonathan Lighter may have encountered this letter which was
>>> excerpted in some books during the Vietnam War era. Here is the
>>> version of the text presented in a collection of military quotations.
>>>
>>> Cite: 1966, "Dictionary of Military and Naval Quotations" edited by
>>> Robert Debs Heinl, Category: Home Front, Page 149, Column 2, United
>>> States Naval Institute, Annapolis, Maryland. (Verified on paper)
>>>
>>> [Begin excerpt; Paragraph breaks added for readability]
>>>
>>> We had been told, on leaving our native soil, that we were going to
>>> defend the sacred rights conferred on us by so many of our citizens
>>> settled overseas, so many years of our presence, so many benefits
>>> brought by us to populations in need of our assistance and
>>> civilization. We could verify that all this was true, and, because
>>> true, we did not hesitate to shed our share of blood, to sacrifice our
>>> youth and hopes.
>>>
>>> We regretted nothing, but whereas we over here are inspired by this
>>> frame of mind, I am told that in Rome factions and conspiracies are
>>> rife, that treachery flourishes, and that many in their uncertainty
>>> and confusion lend ready ear to the dire temptations of relinquishment
>>> and vilify our actions .. . Make haste to reassure me, I beg you, and
>>> tell me that our fellow citizens understand us, support us, and
>>> protect us, as we ourselves are protecting the glory of the Empire.
>>>
>>> If it should be otherwise, if we should have to leave our bleached
>>> bones on these desert sands in vain, then beware the anger of the
>>> Legions.
>>>
>>> Marcus Flavinius: To his cousin, Tertullus, in Rome. 2d century A. D.
>>> (Flavinius was a centurion, 2d Cohort, Augusta Legion.)
>>>
>>> [End excerpt]
>>>
>>> Some modern variants use the phrase "fury of the Legions" instead of
>>> "anger of the Legions".
>>>
>>> The earliest instance I have located of this letter is in a book
>>> called "The Centurions" by Jean Larteguy. The publication date is 1962
>>> and the copyright is 1961. This is a Google Books match which I have
>>> not checked on paper.
>>>
>>> "The Centurions" is an English translation of a French book called
>>> "Les Centurions", and Google Books shows snippets of the letter
>>> attributed to Marcus Flavinius in French. Here is a link into the
>>> French book which has a publication date of 1960.
>>>
>>> http://books.google.com/books?id=QTAvAAAAIAAJ&q=Flavinius#search_anchor
>>>
>>> Is this letter a piece of fiction? Earlier evidence for this missive
>>> has so far escaped me. Perhaps some list member can trace this text
>>> back in time in English, French, Latin or some other language.
>>>
>>> Thanks for any help you can provide
> --
>
> Here is a short discussion of the provenance of Larteguy's text:
>
> http://www.empereurs-romains.net/empret62a.htm#5a
>
> A possible inspiration: Ellis Cornelia Knight's 1792 novel _Marcus
> Flaminius_ (written in the form of letters from Marcus) (available
> on-line, at G-books and elsewhere, French translation also available).
>
> Incidentally and perhaps irrelevantly, I see that the phrase "la colère
> des Légions" is found in French translations of Tacitus (e.g., for
> "iracundia legionum" [Historiae_ 4:25], for "contumelia legionum"
> [_Annales_ 2:13]).
>
> -- Doug Wilson
>
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