32

You can't force your groundless suspicions of fishy magic on me. To continue with this absurd line of thinking, would you accuse anyone who has sought or bought anything you considered suspicious with a crime? It would be like charging a fisherman from Homer's epic with magic or someone who buys the poppy flower for medicinal use with murder. 

(1)

Dīxī: "I have (already) said," summing up his last argument in preparation to move forward with nunc in 32.2.

quicquam negōtiī esse magīs et piscibus: "that there is any association between mages and fishes."  See OLD negotium 11 and Caesar, Gallic War 2.17.2.

(2)

Nunc: moving on to another stage in the argument.

sī vidētur: "if it seems (good to you)."

crēdāmus Aemiliānō: "let's believe Aemilianus that" = "let's grant Aemilianus's claim that," introducing indirect statement.

etiam: construe closely with piscēs: "that fish also," as well as herbs, roots, horse cauls, etc.

Num ergō: serves as a logical connector between thoughts: "It can't be the natural consequence, then."

proptereā: "because of this fact," the hypothetical concession above that fish do actually contain magical properties.

quaerit: supply piscēs as a direct object.

et ipse ... est: "he himself is also"

Eō quidem pactō: "well, by that reasoning."

myoparōnem: a light, fast vessel that was in fact used by pirates. Cicero, Against Verres 2.3.186.

quī vectem perfossor: quī vectem (quaesierit) perfossor (erit). 

quī gladium sīcārius: quī gladium (quaeiserit) sīcārius (erit).

(3)

in rēbus omnibus: "in the whole world."

dicēs: "call" + predicate (OLD dico 9), or "mention" (OLD dico 7).

quīn: = ut nōn, introducing a result clause.

obesse: "harm," > obsum.

ad trīstitūdinem intellegī: "to be taken for sadness." ad = "so as to produce or promote" (OLD ad 46).

(4)

Nec tamen omnia: "but not all things."

idcircō: i.e., just because even the most innocuous actions could possibly have sinister motivations.

nec ... omnia ... ad nēquiōrem suspīciōnem trahuntur: "sinister suspicion cannot be forced on everything" (Jones).

ut sī: "if, for instance," LS ut II.A.2.c.β.

id genus: "of this type," evidently accusative of description (LS genus II.B.1.b).   See note on chapter 3.7.

odōrēs: "aromatic substances."

fūnerī tantum: "only for a funeral.” Frankincense, myrrh, and other fragrant resins were often burnt at funerals of wealthier individuals, around the bier.

ēmptōs: supply esse.

et ... pārentur: "they (the types of incense) are also obtained."

(5)

Cēterum: "besides," LS ceterus II.A.3.

eōdem piscium argūmentō: "by this same evidence of fish," i.e., based on the evidence that they also went fishing.

Menelāī sociōs: the passage meant is Odyssey 4.368-9, the lines on Menelaus's comrades, which immediately precedes the tale on Proteus. With flexis hamulis, insulam, and famem, Apuleius literally renders words from both Homeric lines. He could, however, have avoided mentioning the Egyptian (and hence potentially magic) Pharus, named earlier by Homer in Odyssey 4.355 (Hunink).

poēta praecipuus: Homer.

famem prōpulsāsse: "fought off starvation."

(6)

mergōs: a general term for diving sea birds, like seagulls.

Scyllam: the text is uncertain, but Scylla the Homeric sea monster fits the context, because, as Homer says, she caught fish as well as men (Odyssey 12.95-99). 

eōdem referes: "you will place in the same category," LS refero II.B.3.e.

merguntur: "are plunged (into poverty)" "who drown in debt" (Jones), LS mergo II, also a neat play on the mergi mentioned above.

arte: "by trade," OLD ars 7.

(7)

tū: emphatic, "so why are you looking (for fish)," Aemilianus wanted to know.

nec necessārium habeō: "nor do I consider it necessary."

per tē: "by yourself."

ad hoc: "for this," i.e., for malicious magical purposes.

argue: "prove that," + indirect statement. Emphatic final position.

(8)

ut sī: "if, for instance," LS ut II.A.2.c.β.

elleborum: one of several acrid and poisonous plants much used as a purgative in ancient medicine, and thought to moderate intense passions. See Horace, Satires 2.3.82 danda est elleborī multō pars maxima avārīs, "The biggest dose of hellebore should go to the greedy."

item: "(or) likewise."

quōrum moderātus ūsus salūtāris: supply est, "the moderate use of which is healthy."

commixtiō: "the aggregate (of which)."

quantitās: "a (large) dose." Sōla dosis facit venēnum.

sī mē ... venēficiī arcesserēs: "if you were summoning me (to court) (on a charge) of poisoning."

per haec: "(just) for these things," "just for this," i.e., buying plants that could potentially be poisonous.