[73] (1) Haec omnia adnīxus impēnsō studiō persuādet, mātrem suam suumque frātrem, puerum istum, mihi commendat. Nōn nihil ā mē in commūnibus studiīs adiuvantur, augētur oppidō familiāritās. (2) Interibi revalēscō; disserō aliquid postulantibus amīcīs pūblicē. Omnēs quī aderant ingentī celebritāte basilicam, quī locus audītōriī erat, complentēs inter alia plēraque congruentissimā vōce 'īnsigniter' adclāmant petentēs ut remanērem, fierem cīvis Oeēnsium. (3) Mox audītōriō missō Pontiānus eō prīncipiō mē adortus cōnsēnsum pūblicae vōcis prō dīvīnō auspiciō interpretātur aperitque cōnsilium sibi esse, sī ego nōn nōlim, mātrem suam, cui plūrimī inhient, mēcum coniungere; mihi quoniam sōlī ait rērum omnium cōnfīdere sēsē et crēdere. (4) Nī id onus recipiam, quoniam nōn fōrmōsa pūpilla, sed mediocrī faciē māter līberōrum mihi offerātur, sī haec reputāns fōrmae et dīvitiārum grātiā mē ad aliam condiciōnem reservārem, neque prō amīcō neque prō philosophō factūrum.
(5) Nimis multa ōrātiō est, sī velim memorāre quae ego contrā responderim, (6) quam diū et quotiēns inter nōs verbigerātum sit, quot et quālibus precibus mē aggressus haud prius omīserit quam dēnique impetrārit, (7) nōn quīn ego Pudentillam iam annō perpetī adsiduō convictū probē spectāssem et virtūtium eius dōtēs explōrāssem, sed utpote peregrīnātiōnis cupiēns impedīmentum mātrimōnī aliquantisper recūsāveram. (8) Mox tamen tālem fēminam nihilō sēgnius voluī quam sī ultrō appetīssem. Persuāserat idem Pontiānus mātrī suae, ut mē aliīs omnibus māllet, et quam prīmum hoc perficere incrēdibilī studiō avēbat. (9) Vix ab eō tantulam moram impetrāmus, dum prius ipse uxōrem dūceret, frāter eius virīlis togae ūsum auspicārētur: tunc deinde ut nōs coniungerēmur.
Vocabulary
adnītor –nīsus (–nīxus) sum: to press upon
impēnsus -a -um: enthusiastic, great, weighty
persuādeō persuādēre persuāsī persuāsus: to persuade
commendō commendāre commendāvī commendātus: recommend
adiuvō adiuvāre adiūvī adiūtum: to help, assist, support
oppidō: very much
familiāritās familiāritātis f.: friendship, familiarity
interibī: in the meantime
(2)
revalēscō –ere –valuī: to grow well again, recover
disserō –serere –seruī –sertum: to give a talk, lecture
postulō postulāre postulāvī postulātus: to demand
celebritās –ātis f.: crowd, crowding, gathering
basilica –ae f.: a portico, basilica
audītōrium –(i)ī n.: a lecture-room; audience
compleō complēre complēvī complētus: to fill up
congruēns -ntis: unified, unanimous
īnsīgniter: bravo!
adclāmō or acclāmō –āre –āvī –ātus: to call to, shout at, exclaim
remaneō remanēre remānsī remānsus: to stay behind
Oeēnsis –e: of or belonging to Oea
audītōrium –(i)ī n.: a lecture-room; audience
Pontiānus –ī m.: Sicinius Pontianus: Roman knight, elder son of Sicinius Amicus and Aemilia Pudentilla, now dead.
adorior adorīrī adortus sum: to approach
cōnsēnsus –ūs m.: agreement
dīvīnus –a –um: divine
auspicium auspicī(ī) n.: omen
interpretor –ārī or interpretō –āre: interpret
inhiō inhiāre inhiāvī inhiātus: to gape at, covet, desire eagerly
coniungō coniungere coniūnxī coniūnctus: to join together
cōnfīdō cōnfīdere cōnfīsus sum: to trust
fōrmōsus (fōrmonsus) –a –um: beautiful
(4)
pūpilla –ae f.: a girl under the care of a guardian
mediocris mediocris mediocre: moderate
līberī līberōrum m. pl.: children
reputō reputāre reputāvī reputātus: to have in mind, take into consideration
condiciō -ōnis f.: marriage agreement, marriage
reservō reservāre reservāvī reservātus: to reserve
philosophus -i m.: philosopher
memorō memorāre memorāvī memorātus: to recount
(5)
verbigerō –āre –āvī –ātus: to talk, chat
adgredior (aggredior) aggredī aggressus sum: to approach
omittō omittere omīsī omissus: to stop, give up, let go of
impetrō impetrāre impetrāvī impetrātus: to obtain
Pudentilla –ae f.: Aemila Pudentilla, married first to Sicinius Amicus and then to Apuleius; mother of Sicinius Pontianus and Sicinius Pudens.
(7)
perpes –etis: lasting, continuous, uninterrupted
adsiduus or assiduus –a –um: steady, continual
convīctus –ūs m.: a living together
probē: well
dōs dōtis f.: gift, endowment; dowry
explōrō explōrāre explōrāvī explōrātus: to explore, investigate, know for certain
utpote: namely, in as much as
peregrīnātiō –ōnis f.: journey abroad, foreign travel
impedīmentum impedīmentī n.: hindrance, baggage
aliquantīsper: for a moderate period of time
mātrimōnium –ī(ī) n.: marriage
recūsō recūsāre recūsāvī recūsātus: to refuse, decline
appetō appetere appetīvī appetītus: to seek out, woo
ultrō: voluntarily
sēgnis sēgne: slow
(8)
persuādeō persuādēre persuāsī persuāsus: to persuade
Pontiānus –ī m.: Sicinius Pontianus: Roman knight, elder son of Sicinius Amicus and Aemilia Pudentilla, now dead.
perficiō perficere perfēcī perfectus: to complete, accomplish
incrēdibilis incrēdibilis incrēdibile: amazing
aveō (haveō) –ēre: to eagerly desire
tantulus –a –um: very small
(9)
impetrō impetrāre impetrāvī impetrātus: to obtain
toga virīlis: the toga of manhood, assumed by boys at age 14 or so
auspicor auspicārī: make a beginning
coniungō coniungere coniūnxī coniūnctus: to join together