In his original commentary, the ancient grammarian Pomponius Porphyrio did read and use the spelling "Travius". [1]

Porphyrio's Textual Variant

While modern critical editions of Horace have restored the spelling to Trausius based on historical context and other branch manuscripts, Porphyrio's actual transmission explicitly reads: [1]

"Travius pauper et luxuriosus fuit."
(Translation: "Travius was a poor and luxurious/extravagant man.") [1]

Scholars trace this spelling directly to the scholia (ancient footnotes) of Porphyrio. Because of this, certain resources and older gens registries note that Porphyrio actively "amends" or preserves the name as Travius.[1]

Why the Difference?

Historically, Roman naming conventions and late antiquity/medieval handwritten copying caused major shifts:

• The Trausia Gens: Historically, there was an actual Trausia gens (family line) in Roman history.
• The Scriptor Change: Because the letters u and v were graphically identical in Latin scripts (both written as V), and phonetically shifted over time, the name was easily cemented as Travius in Porphyrio's manuscript tradition. [1, 2]

So if you are reading the exact Latin text of Porphyrio's commentary, you will indeed see him refer to the bankrupt, extravagant man explicitly as Travius! [1, 2]

Would you like to explore other instances where Porphyrio's text preserves a different spelling or interpretation compared to standard modern editions of Horace?

L'AI può commettere errori, quindi verifica le risposte 

but there Also was a travia gens — what do scholars think today?

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Scholars today view this problem through two lenses: epigraphy (historical records) and textual criticism(the study of manuscript mistakes). [1, 2]

The general consensus among modern historians and classicists relies on a few key points:

1. Both Families Are Real (But Obscure)

You are completely correct that a Travia gens existed. Epigraphic evidence (surviving stone inscriptions) proves that both names were legitimate, minor Roman family lines: [1, 2]

• Trausia Gens: Proven by inscriptions, but extremely rare.
• Travia Gens: Explicitly confirmed by Roman burial markers. For example, archeologists found an inscription for a Titus Travius buried in Umbria dating to the late first century BCE—putting him in Italy right around the exact time Horace was writing his Satires. [1, 2]

2. The Verdict on Horace's Original Choice

Despite both names being historically real, modern critical editors (like those of the Oxford Classical Texts or Teubner) overwhelmingly agree that Horace himself originally wrote Trausius. [1]

Scholars believe that Horace deliberately used a very rare name—Trausius—to mock an obscure, real-life spendthrift. Because the character was a decoctor ignotus (an obscure bankrupt man), his name was easily confused by later generations. [1]

3. How Porphyrio Got "Travius"

Scholars explain Pomponius Porphyrio's reading of Travius as a "Lectio Facilior" (a simpler, more familiar reading) or a phonetic shift: [1, 2]

• In ancient Latin script, the letters U and V were written identically as V.
• To a scribe or commentator in the 3rd century CE (when Porphyrio lived), reading the letters TRAVSIVSlook identical to TRAVSIVS. Over time, as pronunciation shifted, the more recognizable local family name Travius naturally supplanted the nearly extinct name Trausius in his notes. [1]

The Modern Scholar's Summary

Today, classicists treat the presence of the Travia gens as the exact reason why Porphyrio made the error. Because the Travius name actually existed in Italy, it was an incredibly easy and natural substitute for ancient copyists to make when looking at Horace's original, obscure target, Trausius. [1]

Would you like to see the archeological breakdown of where the Travia gens inscriptions were found in Italy, or look at other name puns Horace uses in his Satires?