“The Encomium to Riga” by Basilius Plinius*

Primary source review

Cheryl Renshaw

SCAN344, Spring 2002

“The Encomium to Riga,” was written in Latin at the end of the 16^th century and was first published in 1595 in Wittenberg, Germany. It has been translated four times since then. This English translation, by Peter Cedrins, was made in the 1990s and is considered to be a free-verse (virs libris) translation.

An encomium is a formal expression of song or praise and tribute. Plinius’work is typical of this genre in its multiple references to mythology. This type of Latin eulogy for a city was common in this time and is more a poetic expression than a historical document (although he attempted to incorporate historical events into his work, some of which critics consider unlikely or a misrepresentation of events.) For Plinius it was, more specifically, an expression of thanks to many leaders, educators and mentors in Riga, most notably the burgomaster, Nicholas Eck, who had provided patronage for Plinius to study medicine at the university in Wittenberg. Evidently, Eck had engaged in some dishonest financial dealings, and Plinius seems to be trying to rehabilitate him by declaring his honesty and honor.

Plinius (1560-1575 to 1605) was the son of Gregorius Plinius, an intellectual and Lutheran minister at Riga’s Dom Church who had also been trained in Wittenberg. His influence helped obtain Eck’s academic patronage, even though Eck was closely allied with the Polish Catholic monarchy (under King Stephen Bothary) after Livonia had become part of Poland in 152. Lutheranism was very influential in Riga, and in Livonia generally by this time, yet the counterreformation had already begun.

According to historian, Gvido Straube, Plinius’ work is different in that it acknowledges that Livonians were free people before the arrival of ships from Bremen. Yet, he does not condemn the enslavement of the native people, but points to what he sees as a positive result of the conquest: enlightenment and education, legal rights and introduction of the true faith. Straube notes, however, that most of the native population had not experienced these things even by the time of Plinius. Education and the recognition of the rights of the peasantry were not widespread until the 18^th century. And it is doubtful to this historian that many native peoples truly believed in the God of this new religion. These apparent discrepancies cause Straube to doubt whether Plinius ever ventured outside of Riga to see what was really happening in the countryside.

Plinius’ sources on the true conditions of trade and the peasants are also unclear. He makes the Livs seem as though they can not defend themselves, which is uncorroborated by the Livonian Chronicles of Indrikis. Further, his characterization of the wares and produce/wild game that Livs brought to the grand market do not match the art of the time.

An interesting speculation offered by Straube suggests that Plinius’ motivation for writing the Encomium was to prove to his benefactors that he had actually learned Latin in Wittenberg. Although we can not definitively determine the accuracy of all of Plinius’ claims in his poem, we can catch a partial glimpse of how he, as an individual in the 16^th century, viewed the Baltic world in which he lived.

* Historical information and critique taken from, Bazilijs Plenijs, Slavas Dziesma Rigai 1595, (Latvijas Kulturas Fonds: Jumava, 1997).