On the Bishops of Gubbio

XII. But long before this, learned men had perceived this strange distortion of the name, led primarily by Augustinus Steuchus, a man most learned in his age, who, discussing the name of his homeland at the end of his books on Perennial Philosophy, taught that Iguvium should be restored where those monstrous words existed in Caesar and the others I have mentioned. Thus, the enormous error was gradually removed by those who oversaw the editions of those authors. But Vincentius Armannus, known to the republic of letters through the publication of three volumes of epistles and other booklets, silently criticized Steuchus for having reduced his homeland—distinguished by many names—into the narrow confines of the single name Iguvium. He, in fact, brings forward twenty-two names for his homeland of Hebrew, as he says, Greek, Latin, and barbarian origin (a). But he himself is more to be criticized, for, stirred by an excessive love of country, he believes it pertains to its singular praise that it is celebrated by so many names, which are merely corruptions of one genuine name. I believe this has been the cause of why the name of this city was so greatly distorted in ancient books. For the copies of Caesar, Tully, and other ancient writers that have come down to us were written during the time when that ancient name of the city, Iguvium, was lost. It was, therefore, very easy for scribes, when copying ancient books, to deprave and pervert a name that they had never heard, and whose form, as it was long since obsolete, they were ignorant of.

XIII. But enough about the name. I have little to say about the antiquity of the city. For who, in this day and age, would dare to mention those dreams of some regarding King Gubbio as the founder of the city, or other kings who flourished many centuries before Rome was founded (b)? Once, there was value in such fables; now, only truth is sought and approved. I believe, however, that no one would deny that this city is most ancient and most noble. Certainly, it can display monuments of antiquity that more illustrious cities might envy. Such, above all, are the coins, marked with that ancient name of the Ikuvini, which it is credible were minted before Umbria came into the power of the Roman people. The learned agree on this: that none of the Italian cities were left with the right to mint coins after they were subjected to the Romans. Moreover, from the fact that the name of the Ikuvini people is expressed on those coins, it seems a reasonable conjecture that the city was autonomous and self-governing. For why would those coins not bear the name of their prince, if it had been subject to any prince? Furthermore, this liberty, which the ancient Ikuvini had sought by their own virtue from the most ancient times, and perhaps from the very origin of the city, they retained even under the Romans, as far as it was permitted; with whom, if I am not greatly mistaken, they were joined by a most equitable treaty, just like the Camertes, an equally famous city of the Umbrians, a matter which will be discussed in the third chapter.

(a) It is therefore called Bobium, Bobotinium, Forum Julium, Concubium, Gobium, Igiturvium, Iguium, Iguvium, Inginium, Inguvium, Isvium, Isuvium, Itrum, Julia Eugubia, Ogiginium, Ogiginianum, Sitiguium, Sitiguvium, Subrium, Tignium, and Tinnium. (b) Ibid., and in the description of the city of Eugubium by Antonius Conciolus, Jurisconsult, which he prefixed to his commentaries on the Statutes of Eugubium.