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THECITYTHATISNOT:APOPHASISANDANGLO-SAXONURBANISM
17
Flamina,underthestillstandingarchesofMarcusAurelius,Claudius
andDiocletian,musthavebeenquiteunparalleled.Sincethebeginning
oftheninthcentury,thecity,competinginthiswithConstantinople,was
tryingtoredefineitselfasarevivedimperialcentre,aferCharlemagne,
hisgrandsonLothairandgreat-grandsonLouisIIwerecrownedem-
perorsthere.16Manyofthegrandiosestructuresstoodrelativelyintact,
theirfaçadesstilldressedinmarblepanesthatcenturieslaterwereto
adornRome)srenaissancepalazzoandchurches.Andanewimposing
structurehadjustbeenfinishedbythetimeofAlfred)sfirstvisit:about
ayearbeforeit,theLeonineWallencircledtheVaticanontheorders
ofPopeLeointheafermathofaSaracenicsackofSt.Peter)sBasilica.17
TevisitorsfromdistantWessexcouldhaveseeninthatArabicattack
anechoofthepaganassaultsChristianitywasexperiencinginthenorth.
ButtheRomethatlittleAlfredsawmusthavealsobeenacityof
squalorwhereavarietyofdangersmayhavelurked;fromtheobvious
muggingstothemorerefineddangerstoone)ssoul.Telatterwould
haveincludednotonlythedistrictsofshadyreputation,butalsothat
which,withalargedoseofprobability,wouldhavebeenbothappeal-
ingandfrighteningtoaforeignboy:placesmarkedbyearlyChristian
martyrdomaswellasslowlydecayingformertemplesandpublicstruc-
tures,whichchildishormedievalimaginationmayhavepopulatedwith
stories,butalsospiritsanddemons.Conjecturalasalltheabovemust
perforcebe,itisnotanunlikelyportrayalofAlfred)sRomeandifit
providedAlfredwithanyinspirationwhichheexercisedinhisfuture,
thisinspirationresultedasmuchfromwhatRomewasinAlfred)stime
andfromwhatthethenRomenolongerwasłinbothcasesthesewere
theknownandimaginedvestigesofitspast.
Alfred)sRomeisthenacitythatisdoublynegatedorisacitythatis
doublynotłfirstly,itistheRomewhichdoesnotexistforus,sincewe
mayonlyhypothesiseabouthowtheyoungaethling,thatis,theWes-
sexianprince,feltaboutit.Secondly,itisthecitythatlived,asindeedit
doestoday,undertheshadowofitspast,acitythat,wemustimagine,
wasfulloflacunae,whichAlfredmayhavebeenfillinginonhisprogress
16Collins,EarlyMedievalEurope,302,338-39.
17Ibid.,338.
