66

I turn now to the evidence of Pudentilla's letters. I will refute the charge that I married her for her money. I cannot imagine why Aemilianus has brought this completely baseless charge against me, unless it is out of envy.

(1)

Nunc tempus est: the subject matter of the speech is sharply divided at this point. We transition from magical practices to the seduction of Pudentilla. Manuscript F begins "Book 2" of the speech here, though modern editors are unsure if this division goes back to Apuleius himself (Hunink).

praevertī: "to turn most importantly," LS praeverto II.B.2.β (deponent variant praevertor found here).

vel adeō: "or rather," conjunction coordinating praeverti and petere.  LS adeō II.B.5.

tōtīus reī: "of the whole affair" = "of the whole trial."

ōrdinem: "course (of events)," OLD ordo 9.a.

paulō altius: "a little more deeply."

pateat: "it may be openly revealed," introducing the indirect statement mē ... dēbuisse.

quem: antecedent is mē; subject of the infinitive invāsisse in an indirect statement after dictitant: "who they keep saying invaded" = "inasmuch as they keep saying that I invaded." The relative clause here is providing an essential structural element to the argument.

cōgitārem: impf. subj., contrary to fact.

semper: "evermore," "forever."

fugere ... dēbuisse: the latter is the verb in the indirect statement following pateat; the subject is mē. "that I ought to have fled." Apuleius is introducing the notion that his marriage to Pudentilla was actually a bad financial decision.

(2)

quīn et: "in fact (that it would) also (be clear)," continuing the indirect statement (OLD quin 2).

in cēterīs causīs: "in all other respects (than Pudentilla's own virtues as a wife)," to be construed closely with minimē prōsperum.  (OLD causa 14).

prōsperum: "successful," "favorable."

tot incommoda ... repēnsāret: "was making up for so many disadvantages."

inimīcum: supply fuisse, "(would have been) detrimental (to me)." Highly emphatic.

(3)

Neque enim ūlla:  = Nam nūlla.

iūdicium istud: istud for hoc, as commonly in Apuleius.

mihi:  "against me," dat. of disadvantage.

perīcula vītae: "threats to my life." Apparently, Apuleius has similarly stood in danger of losing his life many times before. We can only guess at the facts behind these words (Hunink).

quae ... cōnflāverit: "which could have concocted" (OLD conflo 4), subjunctive after the indefinite antecedent (n)ūlla alia causa.

Cēterum: "furthermore," "as to the rest."

commovērētur: potential subjunctive, "why would Aemilianus be (so) upset?" looking forward to the result cluse ut ... vidērētur.

magum mē: supply esse for a quick indirect statement dependent upon comperisset.

ūllō factō: nūllō factō, ad sensum. the force of the "non" from "non modo" seems to have compelled "nullo" to become "ullo," as we saw above with neque enim ūlla, but the sense of the non must stay with modo to complete the non modo ... sed correlative construction. The second half of the non modo ... sed correlative has ne ... quidem to act as its own negative.

nē tantulō quidem dictō meō: "not even by the merest little word of mine."

ultum: accusative supine expressing purpose after īre: "is coming for vengeance."

(4)

Other reasons for Aemilianus’s attack, apart from self-interest, might be a desire for glory, or moral indignation. Anticipating these two possibilities, Apuleius seizes the opportunity to insert another passage on legendary men from the times of the Republic. These men function as contrasts to Aemilianus and make him look ridiculous again (Hunink).

glōriae causā: "for the sake of the glory (of beating Apuleius in a trial)."

ut M. Antōnius Cn. Carbōnem: supply accūsāvit, as with the next four sets of nominative accusers and accusative defendants. 

read more

ut M. Antōnius Cn. Carbōnem: see Cicero, Letter to Friends 9.21.3: (Cn. Carbo) accusatus a M. Antonio sutorio atramento absolutus putatur. Tyrrell and Purser suggest that he was accused of perduellio (treason) on account of his defeat by the Cimbri in 113 (B/O).

C. Mūcius Ā. Albūcium: see Cicero, Brutus 102.1:  Mucius autem augur, quod pro se opus erat, ipse dicebat, ut de pecuniis repetundis contra T. Albucium (B/O).

P. Sulpicius Cn. Norbānum: see Cicero, De Oratore 2.89: accusauit C. Norbanum defendente me (B/O).

C. Fūrius M. Aquilium: we have no knowledge of any speech by a C. Furius against M’ Aquilius. Apuleius has made a mistake in all probability for L. Fufius. See Cicero, Brutus  Cic. Brut. 222: multum ab his aberat L. Fufius, tamen ex accusatione M’ Aquilii diligentiae fructum ceperat (B/O).

C. Cūriō Q. Metellum: C. Curio must be C. Scribonius Curio, consul in 76 B.C. See Cicero, Brutus 210: Latine non pessume loquebatur; ib. 305. Q. Metellum must refer to Q. Metellus Celer, mentioned as a contemporary of Curio in Brutus 305. He was tribune of the plebs in 90 B.C. Otherwise nothing is known of him or of his indictment by Curio (B/O).

(5)

hominēs ērudītissimī: "very accomplished men" like those just mentioned.

iuvenēs: "when they were young men,"

prīmum ... rudimentum: "first beginnings," "early training" in the work of the courts.

forēnsis: "connected with the forum," i.e., "judicial and oratorical."

operae: "service" LS opera I.B.

subībant: "used to undertake."

aliquō īnsignī iūdiciō: abl. of cause.

nōscerentur: "become known to," + dative.

Quī mōs: "this custom" = the custom of building a name for oneself by boldly accusing well-known men. Connecting relative.

ad illūstrandum ingeniī flōrem: "to bring attention to their budding eloquence."

apud antīquōs: "amongst the people of old" = "in the olden days."

concessus: modifies quī mōs, in a concessive sense: "although it was permitted."

diū exolēvit: stative perfect, "has long now grown out of use."

(6)

Quod si: "but (even) if this," connecting relative, referring to the custom described in 66.5 above.

frequēns: "common," LS frequens I.B.

esset: subject is mos.

hōc: Aemiliānō.

procul abfuisset: "it would have been far unsuitable," LS absum II.D.

fācundiae ostentātiō: "a display of wit," subject of congruisset, which takes the following datives, rudī et indoctō, which are to be understood to modify Aemilianus. The following two sets of nominative/genitives (glōriae cupīdō, inceptiō patrōciniōrum) and dative adjectives (rūsticō et barbarō, capulārī senī) follow this same pattern.

inceptiō patrōciniōrum: "apprenticeship as an attorney." See OLD patrocinium 2.

capulārī: "ready for the coffin, or the bier," an echo of comedy (Hunink).

(7)

prō suā sevēritāte: "in (due) proportion to his severity of character," "out of / by virtue of his severity of character," as with prō mōrum integritāte below. LS pro II.B.6.

exemplum dedit: "has given (us all) an example (to follow)," this is the exemplum that is the stuff of Roman historiography, a great deed or act of bravery.

ipsīs maleficiīs īnfēnsus: "hostile (only) to evil deeds themselves," i.e., and not trying to get at Apuleius in particular for other reasons.

istam: = hanc, as commonly in Apuleius.

(8)

at hoc ego Aemiliānō ... vix crēdidissem: "but I would have scarcely attributed this (kind of action, the noble exemplum described in 66.7) to Aemilianus."  Apuleius is setting up a joke by admitting that he could imagine (if only barely), that Aemilianus would behave this way -- and then mentioning that he has another Aemilianus in mind.

nōn huic Āfrō: "not to this Aemilianus, Aemilianus Afer." 

sed illī Āfricānō et Numantīnō et praetereā Cēnsōriō: "but to that famous Aemilianus, called Africanus and Numantinus and above all else Censorius." A pun on Aemilianus as a boorish provincial, contrasted to a far more famous Aemilianus: P. Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus Africanus Minor. This man was the captor of Carthage in 146 BC (hence his name Africanus) and of Numantia in 133 BC; he was well known for his moral strictness as a censor (Hunink) -- and yet Apuleius can still just barely believe he would go so far as to bring him to trial on such trivial charges.

nē ... crēdam: potential subjunctive: "I would not believe."

huic fruticī: "this absolute piece of shrubbery."

odium peccātōrum: "(any) hatred of transgressions."

saltem: "not even" = ne ... quidem, LS saltem II.

intellēctum: supply peccātōrum: "(any) understanding of transgressions."

īnesse: "that there is x (acc.) in y (dat.)," indirect statement after crēdam.