In te mundi amor consonat. Aezio paradigma di virtù in Merobaude

In te mundi amor consonat. Aetius paradigm of virtues in Me¬robaudes. From Merobaudes' two panegyrics to Aetius (one in prose, dating from around 440 CE, the other in verse, dating from 446 CE) emerges an ideal model of charismatic leader, with a specific configuration and a peculiar nature. In fact, the virtutes that Merobaudes attributes to Aetius, both in the public and private spheres, however topical they may be within the genre, are nevertheless reconsidered by the writer through a new awareness and re-proposed from a personal prospective. The result is a vivid portrait of a man completely dedicated to the common interest and who identifies public life – mainly the military one – with life tout court: in this way, he exerts a strong power of seduction and inspires unconditional devotion