[66] (1) Nunc tempus est ad epistulās Pudentillae praevertī, vel adeō tōtīus reī ōrdinem paulō altius petere, ut omnibus manifestissimē pateat mē, quem lucrī cupiditāte invāsisse Pudentillae domum dictitant, sī ūllum lucrum cōgitārem, fugere semper ā domō istā dēbuisse; (2) quīn et, in cēterīs causīs minimē prōsperum mātrimōnium, nisi ipsa mulier tot incommoda virtūtibus suīs repēnsāret, inimīcum.
(3) Neque enim ūlla alia causa praeter cassam invidiam repperīrī potest, quae iūdicium istud mihi et multa anteā perīcula vītae cōnflāverit. Cēterum cūr Aemiliānus commovērētur, etsī vērē magum mē comperisset, quī nōn modo ūllō factō, sed nē tantulō quidem dictō meō laesus est, ut vidērētur sē meritō ultum īre? (4) Neque autem glōriae causā mē accūsat, ut M. Antōnius Cn. Carbōnem, C. Mūcius A. Albūcium, P. Sulpicius Cn. Norbānum, C. Fūrius M. Aquilium, C. Cūriō Q. Metellum. (5) Quippe hominēs ērudītissimī iuvenēs laudis grātiā prīmum hoc rudīmentum forēnsis operae subībant, ut aliquō īnsignī iūdiciō cīvibus suīs nōscerentur. Quī mōs incipientibus adulēscentulīs ad illūstrandum ingeniī flōrem apud antīquōs concessus diū exolēvit. (6) Quod sī nunc quoque frequēns esset, tamen ab hōc procul abfuisset. Nam neque fācundiae ostentātiō rudī et indoctō neque glōriae cupīdō rūsticō et barbarō neque inceptiō patrōciniōrum capulārī senī congruisset. (7) Nisī forte Aemiliānus prō suā sevēritāte exemplum dedit et ipsīs maleficiīs īnfēnsus accūsātiōnem istam prō mōrum integritāte suscēpit. (8) At hoc ego Aemiliānō, nōn huic Āfrō, sed illī Āfricānō et Numantīnō et praetereā Cēnsōriō vix crēdidissem; nē huic fruticī crēdam nōn modo odium peccātōrum sed saltem intellēctum īnesse.
Vocabulary
Pudentilla –ae f.: Aemilia Pudentilla, married first to Sicinius Amicus and then to Apuleius; mother of Sicinius Pontianus and Sicinius Pudens.
praevertor (–vortor) –ī: to turn to
manifēstus –a –um: clear, manifest
lucrum lucrī n.: gain, profit
cupiditās cupiditātis f.: eager desire
invādō invādere invāsī invāsum: to go into, invade
dictitō dictitāre dictitāvī dictitātus: to say often, reiterate
prōsper or more frequently prōsperus –a –um: favorable, auspicious, successful
(2)
mātrimōnium –ī(ī) n.: matrimony
incommodum -i n.: disadvantage, drawback
repēnsō repēnsāre: to counterbalance, compensate for
cassus –a –um: void, futile
(3)
anteā: before, formerly
conflō conflāre conflāvī conflātus: kindle, concoct, cause
Aemiliānus –ī m.: Sicinius Aemilianus (S 696): principal accuser, uncle of Sicinius Pontianus and Sicinius Pudens.
etsī: even if
magus magī m.: magician, magus
comperiō comperīre comperī compertus: to find out
tantulus (tantīllus) –a –um: so little, so small
meritō: deservedly
ulcīscor ulcīscī ultus sum: to avenge
accūsō accūsāre accūsāvī accūsātus: to accuse
(4)
Carbonem: M. Antonius Cn. Carbonem
Mūcius –iī m.: Mucius
Antōnius –iī m.: Antonius
Marcus Marcī m.: Marcus
Albūcius –(i)ī m.: Albucius (name)
Aulus –ī m.: Aulus, a praenomen
Fūrius –iī m.: Furius (name)
Norbānus –ī m.: Norbanus (name)
Sulpicius –iī m.: Sulpicius
Cūriō –ōnis m.: Curio (name)
Aquilius –iī m.: Aquilius
Manius –iī m.: Manius
Quintus –ī m.: Quintus
ērudītus, a, um: accomplished
(5)
rudīmentum –ī n.: beginning; first lesson
forēnsis forēnsis forēnse: of the forum, relating to the courts
īnsīgnis īnsīgne: distinguished
nōscō nōscere nōvī nōtus: to learn, get to know
adulēscentulus adulēscentulī m.: young man
illūstrō illūstrāre illūstrāvī illūstrātus: to bring attention to, make famous
exsolēscō (exol–) –ere: to fall out of fashion, become obsolete
quodsī: but if
(6)
fācundia –ae f.: eloquence
ostentātiō –ōnis f.: display
rudis –e: uncultivated
indoctus –a –um: untaught, ignorant
rūsticus –a –um: rural
inceptiō –ōnis f.: a beginning, undertaking
patrōcinium —ī n.: patronage; legal career
capulāris –e: having one foot in the grave, lit. ready for the coffin (capulus)
congruō –gruere –gruī —: to be suitable to + DAT
Aemiliānus –ī m.: Sicinius Aemilianus, principal accuser, uncle of Sicinius Pontianus and Sicinius Pudens
(8)
sevēritās sevēritātis f.: severity
maleficium –ī n.: crime, wicked deed
īnfēnsus –a –um: hostile, angry
accūsātiō accūsātiōnis f.: accusation
integritās –ātis f.: moral integrity, uprightness
Āfer Āfra Āfrum: African
Africānus –ī m.: Africanus, a cognomen
Numantīnus –a –um: of Numantia, a city in Hispania Tarraconensis
Censor: P. Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus "the Younger"
frutex –icis m.: blockhead; shrub
saltem or saltim: at least, at any rate
intellectus –ūs m.: comprehension, understanding
īnsum inesse īnfuī: to be in