achievements of African culture in the sixth century. The first tells the
story of the successful campaign of Johannes the magister militum against
the Moors in 546-8. The other, essentially a court-poem, describes the
accession of Justin and the rejoicings and festivities which accompanied
it. In both, but especially in the Johannis, Corippus has modelled
himself upon the antique with extraordinary fidelity, and with
undeniable success.
One other production, of small extent but appreciable importance, needs to be noticed before we pass from Africa to Spain. This is a short continuation (extending to but twelve sections) of the catalogue of distinguished Church writers, which, begun by Jerome, perhaps on a model furnished by Suetonius, was continued by Gennadius of Marseilles. An African writer of about 550—it is thought, Pontianus, a bishop-furnished this small supplement. In the next century we shall find Isidore of Seville and his friend Braulio carrying on the work, and, a generation later, Hildefonsus of Toledo, whose outlook is almost confined to his own country. The succession is then broken off, and it is not until the twelfth century that similar compilations again come into fashion.
The extinction of the Vandal kingdom in Africa meant the transference of much literary activity to Spain. There must have been many like the monk Donatus, of whom Hildefonsus tells us that, seeing the imminence of the barbarian invasion, he took ship for Spain with about seventy monks and a large collection of books. Certain it is that towards the end of the sixth century Africa becomes silent, and Spain begins to speak.
Perhaps the first writer in our period whose sphere of influence was Spanish—though it was so by adoption only-is Martin, called of Dumio and of Bracara (Braga), the latter being the see of which he archbishop in 580. Like the great Martin of Tours he was a Pannonian by birth: but after a pilgrimage to Palestine he chose Galicia and the Arian kingdom of the Suevi as a field for missionary work. He was successful in bringing the Suevi to orthodoxy; and he seems to have been a man of both strong and attractive personality. There is a distinction about his not very voluminous works. Two of them at least are excerpts from writings of Seneca, the De officiis and De ira. The first treats of the four Cardinal Virtues, and is addressed to King Miro under the title of Formula honestae vitae. It is by far the most widely diffused of Martin's books. The other (which incidentally helps to fill a lacuna in the text of Seneca) is of comparatively rare occurrence. Besides these we have ethical tracts of more definitely Christian complexion, also dedicated to Miro, principally concerned with pride and humility. A collection of sayings of the hermits, and another of conciliar canons. testify to Martin's knowledge of Greek. A brief discourse of the Paschal question states a complicated problem in & strikingly clear form. But of all that we have from him, Martin's instruction for simple people
