When they reached the palace the emperor bade all depart and thus unbidden addressed his son-in-law: “Victorious Stilicho, of whose courage in war, of whose loyalty in peace I have made proof--what warlike feat have I performed without thine aid? What triumph have I won that thou helpedst me not in the winning? Together we caused Thracian Hebrus to run red with Getic blood, together overthrew the squadrons of the Sarmatae, together rested our weary limbs on the snows of Mount Riphaeus and scarred the frozen Danube with our chariot’s wheel--come, therefore, since heaven’s halls claim me, do thou take up my task; be thou sole guardian of my children, let thy hand protect my two sons. I adjure thee by
per consanguineos thalamos noctemque beatam, per taedas, quas ipsa tuo regina levavit 155 coniugio sociaque nurum produxit ab aula, indue mente patrem, crescentes dilige fetus ut ducis, ut soceri. Iamiam securus ad astra te custode ferar; rupta si mole Typhoeus prosiliat, vinclis Tityos si membra resolvat, 160 si furor Enceladi proiecta mugiat Aetna, opposito Stilichone cadent.” Nec plura locutus, sicut erat, liquido signavit tramite nubes ingrediturque globum Lunae limenque relinquit Arcados et Veneris clementes advolat auras. 165 hinc Phoebi permensus iter flammamque nocentem Gradivi placidumque Iovem; stetit arce suprema, algenti qua zona riget Saturnia tractu. machina laxatur caeli rutilaeque patescunt sponte fores. Arctoa parat convexa Bootes, 170 australes reserat portas succinctus Orion invitantque novum sidus, pendentque vicissim quas partes velit ipse sequi, quibus esse sodalis dignetur stellis aut qua regione morari. o decus aetherium, terrarum gloria quondam, 175 te tuus Oceanus natali gurgite lassum excipit et notis Hispania proluit undis. fortunate parens, primos cum detegis ortus, adspicis Arcadium; cum te proclivior urges, occiduum visus remoratur Honorius ignem; 180 et quocumque vagos flectas sub cardine cursus,
that marriage that makes thee kin with me, by the night that saw its consummation, by the torch which at thy wedding-feast the queen carried in her own hand when she led thy bride-elect from out the imperial palace, take on thee a father’s spirit, guard the years of their childhood. Was not their sire thy master and thy wife’s father? Now, now I shall mount untroubled to the stars for thou wilt watch over them. Even should Typhoeus rend away the rocks and leap forth, should Tityus free his captive limbs, should Enceladus, hurling Etna from him, roar in rage--each and all will fall before Stilicho’s attack.”