[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.
Vocabulary
īnsānus –a –um: insane
magicus –a –um: pertaining to magi, or magicians
immō: on the contrary; actually
absurdē: irrationally
(2)
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 repūgnātus: 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
compos compotis: possessing, master of + gen.; compos mentis, "of sound mind."
(3)
Pudentilla –ae f.: Pudentilla
dialecticus –a –um: relating to logic, dialectical; dialectĭca -orum, n. logic, logical discussions
clāmō clāmāre clāmāvī clāmātus: to call, shout
dēditus -a -um: devoted (to); eager, assiduous, diligent
praeparō –parāre –parāvī –parātus: to prepare
accommodō, are, avi, atus: to adapt, make suitable
recitō recitāre recitāvī recitātus: to read aloud
interloquor –loquī –locūtus sum: to interrupt in speaking
paulisper: for a short while
(4)
dēverticulum –ī n.: crucial point, crux
Māximus –ī m.: cognomen of Claudius Maximus, judge in the case
(5)
equidem: indeed
animadvertō animadvertere animadvertī animadversus: to notice
nusquam: nowhere
magīa –ae f.: magic, sorcery
nōminō nōmināre nōmināvī nōminātus: to name, mention
viduitās –ātis f.: widowhood
remedium remediī 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, now dead
suāsus –ūs m.: persuasion, advice
potissimum: especially