[80] (1) Postrēmō quid vīs: sānam an īnsānam fuisse, dum scrīberet? Sānam dīcēs? Nihil ergō erat magicīs artibus passa. Īnsānam respondēbis? Nesciit ergō quid scripserit, eōque eī fidēs nōn habenda est; immō, etiam sī fuisset īnsāna, īnsānam sē esse nescīsset. (2) Nam ut absurdē facit quī tacēre sē dīcit, quod ibīdem dīcendō tacēre sēsē nōn tacet et ipsā professiōne quod profitētur īnfirmat, ita vel magis hoc repugnat: 'ego īnsāniō', quod vērum nōn est, nisi sciēns dīcit; porrō sānus est, quī scit quid sit īnsānia, quippe īnsānia scīre sē nōn potest, nōn magis quam caecitās sē vidēre. (3) Igitur Pudentilla compos mentis fuit, sī compotem mentis sē nōn putābat. Possum, sī velim, plūribus, sed mittō dialectica.
Ipsās litterās longē aliud clāmantēs et quasi dēditā operā ad iūdicium istud praeparātās et accommodātās recitābō. Accipe tū et lēge, usque dum ego interloquar. (...)
(4) Sustinē paulisper quae secuntur; nam ad dēverticulum reī ventum est. (5) Adhūc enim, Maxime, quantum equidem animadvertī, nusquam mulier magīam nōmināvit, sed ōrdinem repetīvit eundem, quem ego paulō prius, dē longā viduitāte, dē remediō valētūdinis, dē voluntāte nūbendī, dē meīs laudibus, quās ex Pontiānō cognōverat, dē suāsū ipsīus, ut mihi potissimum nūberet.
notes
The argument of my accusers regarding the letter is logically inconsistent. On a true interpretation, the letter exonerates me. I shall have it read aloud right now, and stop the clerk at the crucial words where our interpretations differ.
(1)
Postrēmō: "finally" = "when all is said and done," OLD postremo 4.
quid vīs: "what are you alleging?"
sānam an īnsānam fuisse: understand Pudentillam as the subject of this indirect statement.
Sānam dīcēs: dīcēs (Pudentillam) sānam (fuisse)?
erat ... passa: plupf. > patior patī passus sum.
eōque: "and for that reason."
eī fidēs nōn habenda est: "she should not be trusted."
(2)
absurdē facit: "behaves in an irrational manner." The subject is the given in the following qui-clause.
ibīdem dīcendō tacēre sēsē: "instantly upon saying that he is being silent."
īnfirmat: "invalidates."
ita vel magis: "in this same way or even more so."
repugnat: "is self-contradictory."
porrō: "but on the other hand," LS porro II.b.2.b.
scīre sē: "to recognize itself."
(3)
compos mentis: "in control of (her) mind," i.e., of sound mind.
plūribus: supply verbīs ūtī, "to employ more words," i.e., to go on.
mittō: "I pass over," LS mitto II.F.
dialectica: neuter plural accusative, "dialectics." Dialectics is the study of logic and the art of forming logically valid arguments. It was a specialty of the Stoic school, and could at times descend into the pursuit of logic puzzles or paradoxes like this. See Cicero, Stoic Paradoxes. Jones aptly translates, "logic chopping."
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Apuleius enters on a piece of dazzling reasoning, modeled on the example of the Liar paradox (see Cicero, Academica 2.95). On closer scrutiny, there are several weak points in the argument. (80.1:) Being sane does not automatically exclude influence of magic, while a woman may be insane but still know what she has written. An insane woman may well be aware of her insanity. (80.2:) The truth of the statement “I am insane” does not depend on the speaker's own knowledge, while being sane does not consist in knowing what insanity is. “Insanity knowing itself” is a misleading personification (insanity cannot know). (80.3:) The conclusion is a paradox which, on the speaker's terms, could equally have been reversed: if Pudentilla was really sane, she would not think that she was insane. She wrote that she was insane. Therefore she was not sane. Instead of “dialectics,” we can apply the term “sophistry” here. The passage is clearly designed as a showpiece to impress the audience (Hunink).
recitābō: written evidence was read in court during the speeches, while personal testimony was not delivered till after the speech of the advocate who called the evidence. Written evidence was as a rule read by an official or clerk of the court: see Cicero Pro Caelio 55, Pro Cluentio 168. ... Recitabo is not to be taken literally. Here it means "I will cause to be read" (B/O).
longē aliud clāmantēs: "declaring (a) vastly different (state of affairs than the accusers have presented)."
dēditā operā: "with concerted effort," "deliberately.”
istud = hoc, as often in Apuleius.
usque dum: "until the point at which."
(4)
Sustinē paulisper: the promised interruption.
secuntur: sequuntur.
dēverticulum reī: "the crucial point of the whole matter." The use of the word in this metaphorical sense seems to be unique. Deverticulum means a byroad. The sense here is "so far our course has been plain. We now come to a point where the roads diverge. My accusers put one interpretation on the letter, I another" (B/O).
ventum est: an impersonal passive construction: "it has been come" = "we have come."
(5)
magīam nōmināvit: "used the word magic."
ōrdinem: "course of events" (Jones).
repetīvit: "went over."
quem ego paulō prius: supply repetīvī.
voluntāte: "her desire."
suāsū ipsīus: "his own (Pontianus's) effort to persuade her."
mihi potissimum: "specifically to me."
Vocabulary
(1)
postēmō: last of all; to sum up
īnsānus –a –um: insane
magicus –a –um: of or belonging to magic, magical
immō: on the contrary; actually
(2)
absurdē: irrationally
ibīdem: in the same place
professiō professiōnis f.: public acknowledgment
profiteor profitērī professus sum: to admit; profess to be
īnfirmō īnfirmāre: to weaken, disprove, invalidate
repūgnō repūgnāre repūgnāvī repūgnātum: to fight back against; to be self-contradictory
īnsāniō īnsānīre īnsānīvī īnsānītum: to be mad, insane
porrō: furthermore; on the other hand
īnsānia –ae f.: madness
caecitās –tātis f.: blindness
(3)
Pudentilla –ae f.: Pudentilla
compos compotis: possessing, master of + gen.; compos mentis, "of sound mind."
dialectica -ōrum n. logic, logical discussions
clāmō clāmāre clāmāvī clāmātum: to call, shout
dēditus -a -um: devoted (to); eager, assiduous, diligent
praeparō praeparāre praeparāvī praeparātum: to prepare
accommodō, accommodāre, accommodāvī, accommodātum: to adapt, make suitable
recitō recitāre recitāvī recitātum: to read aloud
interloquor interloquī interlocūtus sum: to interrupt in speaking
(4)
paulisper: for a short while
dēverticulum –ī n.: crucial point, crux
(5)
Māximus –ī m.: cognomen of Claudius Maximus, judge in the case
equidem: indeed
animadvertō animadvertere animadvertī animadversum: to notice
nusquam: nowhere
magīa –ae f.: magic, sorcery
nōminō nōmināre nōmināvī nōminātum: to name, mention
viduitās –ātis f.: widowhood
remedium –ī n.: cure
valētūdō valētūdinis f.: health
nūbō nūbere nūpsī nūptum: to marry
Pontiānus –ī m.: Sicinius Pontianus: Roman knight, elder son of Sicinius Amicus and Aemilia Pudentilla
suāsus –ūs m.: persuasion, advice
potissimum: especially