60 HARM-JAN VAN DAM
prime example, especially in their structure, often with many local
imitations of Claudian. But the earliest one, Epithalamium Martini, is
(again) a pastiche of Statius, for more than 700 lines.^49 In this poem, a
Cupid boasts of having struck the bridegroom, whom he then praises.
Venus answers with praise of the bride, just as in Statius’ Epithala-
mium for Stella and Violentilla (Silvae 1.2.51–139). In virtually all the
other poems this scene recurs with some variations: Venus is in her
pleasure-ground in the Dutch province of Zeeland, when Cupid comes
boasting about his hunt and praises both husband and wife; or the
allegorical figure Batavia travels by the Milky Way to the upper sky
in order to sing the praises of bride and groom to the gods, then Venus
summons Cupid to strike both lovers. Only in the 1604 poem for
Philip William, son of William the Silent, Grotius strikes a different,
more philosophical note. And the last poem of the series is completely
deviant: it counts only 84 lines, and puts the wedding in question in
the christian context of Adam and Eve and the wedding in Cana.
In 1616 Grotius’ collected poetry appeared, edited by his younger
brother Willem. In one of his letters of instruction to his brother
Grotius coyly admitted that this was varied and improvised poetry in
the vein of Statius and also Claudian—though more chaste in the epi-
thalamia.^50 Willem wrote the dedication of the volume, a letter full of
al lusions to the prefaces of the Silvae.^51 The volume had a liminal
49 E.g. Non ego lassatas toties iam carmina Musas / in mea vota voco tacitusque
quiescet Apollo. / Non HELICON imo nobis spirabit ab antro (Grotius 1–3) // Non
HELICONA graui pulsat chelys enthea plectro, / nec lassata uoco totiens mihi numina,
Musas; / et te, Phoebe, choris et te dimittimus, Euhan (Silv. 1.5.1–3). Also: Tum puer
ex volucrum numero, cui flamma sinistra / Lucet et in nullo FRUSTRATUM pectore
TELUM / Concutitur dextra, tenera sic voce parentem / Alloquitur (Grotius 191–4) //
hic puer e turba uolucrum, cui plurimus ignis / ore manuque leui numquam
FRUSTRATA SAGITTA, / agmine de medio tenera sic dulce profatur / uoce (Silv. 1.2.61–
4).
50 Grotius Correspondence no 441, 15.XII.1615 (p. 457) “Venit et illud in mentem:
fore qui accusent varietatem et desultorium scribendi genus ... Accedit quod in-
genium mihi sequax et ductile, ut a cuiusque poetae lectione incaluerat, ita ad eius
imitationem rapiebatur. Agnosco me ipse alibi Lucani spiritu plenum, interdum
Manilii plusquam satis est studiosum, nonnumquam castigatius aliquid ad Statii et
Claudiani instar conantem” (my italics HJvD). This letter was included in the edition
(ter Meulen and Diermanse no 1 [p. 8 verso] ff.). Manilius is thrown in as a compli-
ment to Scaliger.
51 Willem de Groot to the dedicatee, Corn. Vander Myle (ter Meulen and Dier-
manse no 1 [p. 2 recto – 8 recto]): “(Why this collection?) ... Quod jam multa car-
mina ab ipso auctore divulgata erant, alia etiam latere vix poterant, cum penes eos
essent quorum honori imputabantur, quae autem singula placuisse scirem, operae