Respite (3)

My friend and cousin, Marc, very good naturely invited me to
stay awhile at his parents' villa just outside Rome. Grateful, I
moved in my travel chests mainly full of the notes I had taken
about the various religious cults I had studied over the years.
Looking over these notes, I wondered if I might do something
with all this work. At least I could continue my study, considering
the various cults rampant in Rome itself. But that had to wait,
because Marc made an interesting proposal.

He had won a coup, in that he was selected as one of the
master gardeners to help work on one of the gardens at our
Emperor Hadrian's new villa at Tivoli, located some twenty
miles outside of Rome. He suggested that I might like to spend
time with him at Tivoli, amounting to perhaps a couple of
weeks. Why not! Having never planted a flower in my life,
I couldn't figure how I might be of any help--but, at least, I
could observe and just relax and maybe even see Hadrian
walking about.

One of our most traveled emperors, Hadrian had only shortly
returned from trips to the northern parts of the Empire, and it
was rumored that he would eventually be heading out to
other parts as well. However, whether at home or away, the
Emperor focused on architectural and horticultural projects.
And his Tivoli villa was one of his major endeavors!

Marc was helping to build a beautiful "sacred" garden, based
on the Alexandrian gardens in Egypt. It was just a pleasure
sitting around, watching the development of this magnificent
project. What seemed to interest me most was the understanding
of developing plants and trees. How did the seeds unfold into
a finished flower or leaf or tree? How was the sun and the soil
and the rain necessary for their growth? Marc and I got deep
into these questions during our conversations.

After returning to Aunt Eleana's villa, Marc let me ponder through
his large collection of horticultural and naturalist studies--studies
by earlier observers, such as Pliny the Elder, who wrote countless
books on botany, mineralogy, geography, zoology, etc. Having
once been a military man, commanding a Navy fleet, I was amazed
that Pliny had the time for all his observations. If he had not been
killed by the Vesuvius explosion at Pompeii, I am sure he would
have written volumes more.

So, what with my now free time, why not barrel-in and read through
Marc's collection of naturalist studies. I seemed interested enough;
and that, in itself, seemed fascinating. Taking my friend Quint's
advice, I would dip into this new interest and see where it might
take me.