36

Now, Aemilianus, I will explain why I am learning about fish and will continue to investigate them. My predecessors, Aristotle et al., have already written about these topics and I have been adding to their knowledge base in an orderly and concise way in Greek and Latin. Let's have some of my work read aloud so Aemilianus can learn a thing or two.  

(1)

Cēterum: "Furthermore." 

quam ob rem: "why," introducing an indirect question with the subjunctive cognoverim.

plūrimōs ... piscēs: "very many types of fish."

quōrundam: "of certain ones of which," genitive after nescius.

nōlim: "I should not like," a polite potential subjunctive.

discat: "let him learn," jussive subjunctive, as accipiat 36.2 and legat 36.3.

usque adeō: "so very much."

(2)

praecipitī aevō: "rapidly declining age," abl. of description.

sī vidētur: "if it seems (best)," LS video II.B.7.c.β.

et postumam: "last," "final" (OLD postumus 2), the superlative of post.

(3)

monumenta: "(written) records," "memoirs," LS monumentum I.B.2.

nōn mē prīmum: "that I was not the first."

iam prīdem: "long before now."

maiōrēs: "predecessors" in philosophical pursuits. Supply requīsīsse.

Aristotelen: Aristotle and Theophrastus rightly come first in the list of great predecessors (maiores) in the field of biology. They are also mentioned together in Apuleius's De mundo, prologue: nos Aristotelen prudentissum et doctissimum philosophorum et Theophrastum auctorem secuti. Apuleius may have read or become familiar with their works during his stay in Athens (Hunink).

Theophrastum: Theophrastus is now chiefly known as the founder of botany, but in the stunningly long list of his works given by Diogenes Laertius (amounting to over 7 pages in the Loeb edition), books on animals figure too; see Diog. Laert. 5.43-4. Apuleius will mention one of them by name in section 41.6 (Hunink).

Eudēmum et Lycōnem:  two members of the Peripatetic school. Eudemus of Rhodus (2nd half of the 4th century BC) was a pupil of Aristotle himself, and Lyco of Troas (ca. 300-225 BC) succeeded Strata of Lampsakos as head of the Peripatetic school. Apuleius' reference to biological works by these two men is questionable. For Eudemus there is some additional, dubious evidence in the works of Aelian, but for Lyco this is not the case (Hunink).

minōrēs: "students," "successors."

(4)

dēque particulīs: "and on their parts," i.e., anatomy. One of Aristotle's biological treatises is "On the Parts of Animals."

differentiā: "distinguishing characteristic."

(5)

Bene quod: supply est. "It's (a) good (thing) that."

apud tē: "before you," with Maximus presiding over the case.

prō: "in accordance with."

περὶ ζῴων γενέσεως, περὶ ζῴων ἀνατομῆς, περὶ ζῴων ἱστορίας: On The Genesis Of Living Things, On The Anatomy Of Living Things, On The History Of Living Things.

multiiuga: "many," "complex" (literally "yoking many subjects together").

praetereā: "and after those (works just mentioned)."

problēmata: "problems (proposed for academic debate)," or else “Problems,” the work of Aristotle by that name.

eiusdem: Aristotelis.

ex eādem sectā: probably the Peripatetics are meant, like Theophrastus.

cēterōrum: supply problēmata lēgistī.

id genus: "of that type."

varia: "various things."

tractantur: "are handled (as philosophical material)," "are written about." See tractata sunt below.

(6)

Quae ... scrībere: sī honestum et glōriōsum fuit illīs scrībere quae (= haec problēmata) conquīsīta tantā cūrā. 

Quae: connecting relative, referring to the topics just mentioned, direct object of scribere.

tantā cūrā conquīsīta: "investigated with such care" by Aristotle and his school. OLD conquiro 3.

experīrī: "attempt," a word chosen to convey some modesty about his own scientific investigations.

praesertim cum: "especially since."

eadem: "these same (things)," i.e., discussions of animal life, direct object of cōnscrībere.

in omnibus: "in all of these works."

omissa: "(things that have been) left out."

dēfecta supplēre: "to fix defective (passages)," OLD suppleo 3.

(7)

sī opera est: "if you can spare the time" (B/O), "if it is not inconvenient" (Jones). operae est or est operae (pretium) would be more normal ways to phrase for this polite expression. Helm spells it with prodelision: si operaest.

legī: passive infinitive, "to be read aloud," LS lego2 II.B.b.α.

dē magicīs meīs: "from my 'magic' (books)," heavily ironic.

plūra quam putat: "more (things) than he thinks," object of quaerere and explōrāre.

(8)

tū: a court attendant or other bystander.

hīc ... habuēre: habuērunt, "have brought here."

amīcī ... sēdulīque: "my friends and supporters."

nātūrālium quaestiōnum: construe with librum. Compare Seneca's extant treatise Natural Questions.

eum ... in quō: "the one in which."

dē piscium genere: "about types of fishes."

hic: either a servant of Apuleius or an official of the court (B/O).

exemplum ... competēns: "a relevant example."

dīxerō: "I will recite," future perfect, since he'll do this before the person gets back with the book he requested.