[85] (1) Cūr autem praeterita conqueror, cum nōn sint minus acerba praesentia? Hocusque ā vōbīs miserum istum puerum dēprāvātum, ut mātris suae epistulās, quās putat amātōriās, (2) prō tribūnālī proconsulārī recitet apud vīrum sānctissimum Claudium Maximum, ante hās imperātōris Piī statuās fīlius mātrī suae pudenda exprobret stupra et amōrēs obiectet? (3) Quis tam est mītis quīn exacerbēscat? Tūne, ultime, parentis tuae animum in istīs scrūtāris, oculōs observās, suspīritūs numerās, adfectiōnēs explōrās, tabulās intercipis, amōrem revincīs? (4) Tūne quid in cubiculō agat perquīris, nē māter tua nōn dīcō amātrīx, sed nē omnīnō fēmina sit? Nihilne tū in eā cōgitās nisi ūnam parentis religiōnem? (5) Ō īnfēlīx uterum tuum, Pudentilla, ō sterilitās līberīs potior, ō īnfaustī decem mēnsēs, ō ingrātī XIIII annī viduitātis! Vīpera, ut audiō, exēsō mātris uterō in lūcem prōserpit atque ita parricīdiō gignitur; at enim tibi ā fīliō iam adultō acerbiōrēs morsūs vīventī et videntī offeruntur. (6) Silentium tuum laniātur, pudor tuus carpitur, pectus tuum foditur, vīscera intima prōtrahuntur.

(7) Hāscine grātiās bonus fīlius mātrī rependis ob datam vītam, ob adquīsītam hērēditātem, ob XIIII annōrum longās alimōniās? Hīscīne tē patruus disciplīnīs ērudīvit, ut, sī compertum habeās fīliōs tibi similēs futūrōs, nōn audeās dūcere uxōrem? (8) Est ille poētae versus nōn ignōtus:

'ōdī puerulōs praecoquī sapientiā.'

Sed enim malitiā praecoquī puerum quis nōn āversētur atque ōderit, cum videat velut mōnstrum quoddam prius rōbustum scelere quam tempore, ante nocentem quam potentem, viridī pueritiā, cānā malitiā, (9) vel potius hōc magis noxium, quod cum veniā perniciōsus est et nōndum poenae, iam iniūriae sufficit – iniūriae dīcō? Immō enim scelerī adversum parentem nefandō, immānī, impetibilī.

    Pudens is such an awful son that he dared to publish his mother's private letters in this trial. Though he is too young to be legally liable for his conduct, he is not too young to be a monstrously undutiful child.

    (1)

    praeterita ... praesentia: "things that have happened in the past ... things that are happening right now."

    Hocusque: = hucusque, "up to this point," "to such an extent," setting up the result clause ut ... recitet.

    istum puerum depravatum: the harsh qualification refers to Pudens. He remains the target of Apuleius's savage attacks in the rest of the chapter (Hunink).

    dēprāvātum: supply esse, "has been corrupted." The clause is in indirect statement to reflect the content of Apuleius's complaints about the present state of affairs.

    quās putat amātōriās: supply esse, "which he supposes are amatory in nature."

    (2)

    prō tribūnālī proconsulārī: "in front of the proconsular tribunal," i.e., "in a court of law," a highly public venue.

    apud: "before (as a judge)," "in the court of."

    imperātōris Piī: Antoninus, the successor of Hadrian, received the title of Pius in October, AD 138, and died in March, AD 161 (B/O).

    This is an important clue for the date of the trial (AD 158-159). See on 1.1). There are no further references to this emperor in Apuleius's works (Hunink).

    Apuleius plays on the emperor’s title of Pius, “Dutiful,” earned by his loyalty to his adoptive father, Hadrian, as a contrast with the undutiful conduct of Pudentilla’s son Pudens (Jones).

    fīlius mātrī suae: the subject is already clear from context, and the juxtaposition of fīlius and mātrī requires us to read this phrase with extra emphasis, almost parenthetically: "a son, against his own mother!"

    mātrī suae pudenda exprobret stupra: "reproach his own mother with her 'shameful affairs,'" the last phrase requiring some sort of scare quote as Apuleius cannot be calling them such in earnest.

    amōrēs obiectet: "brings up her love affairs as points of evidence."

    (3)

    quīn: = ut nōn.

    ultime: "vile creature" = pessime (B/O).

    in istīs: "in these matters," or "in these letters."

    suspīritūs: "sighs," as a sign of being in love.

    tabulās intercipis: love letters sent on wax tablets, a standard element in Roman love affairs. See Ovid, Amores 1.11 and 12.

    Pudens got hold of Pudentilla's Greek letter to Pontianus and handed it over to Rufinus. Meanwhile, it remains unclear how and when this happened. Intercepting letters is possibly what Pudentilla herself did earlier; see 70.4 (Hunink).

    revincis: "condemn."

    (4)

    quid ... agat: indirect question after perquīris, the subject is Pudentilla.  "What she is up to in her bedroom."

    nē ... fēmina sit: Pudens denies Pudentilla not merely her privacy as a lover, but even her rights as a woman. The MSS are confused here. The emendation sit for est of the MSS, though hardly small, is the simplest solution (Hunink).

    Nihilne tū in eā cōgitās nisi ūnam parentis religiōnem?: "Do you only think of her as owing the duty of a mother?" (Jones).

    (5)

    Ō īnfēlīx uterum tuum: a highly dramatic apostrophe of Pudentilla's womb, her imaginary sterility, her months of pregnancy and her years of widowhood. Pudentilla herself was probably not present in court (Hunink).

    The nominative is generally uterus (masc). For the neuter see Plautus Aulularia 691 obsecro te, uterum dolet (B/O).

    līberīs potior: "preferable to (the) children (you ended up with)," i.e., Pudentilla would have been luckier not to have had any children at all, considering the way they ended up treating her.

    A strongly offensive element, implying that it would have been better if Pudens had not been born at all. See Cicero, Philippics 2.58 o miserae mulieris fecunditatem calamitosam! (Hunink).

    ingrātī: "unappreciated."

    XIIII annī viduitātis: see ch. 68.

    exēsō mātris uterō: "with the womb of the mother having been gnawed out," i.e., the viper chews its way out from inside its mother's belly.

    This superstition arises from the fact that the viper does not lay eggs, but is viviparous (B/O).

    parricīdiō: ablative of means, "by killing its mother."

    ā fīliō: Pudens.

    at enim tibi ā fīliō iam adultō acerbiōrēs morsū: Apuleius won't be the last author to consider snakes in this context. "How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child." Shakespeare, King Lear, I.iv. 302-303.

    vīventī et videntī: modifying tibi, "while you are alive and can see them happening," explaining why the morsūs are acerbiōrēs than those of the viper.

    (6)

    Silentium tuum laniātur, pudor tuus carpitur: "Your discretion is ravaged, your honor attacked" (Jones), LS carpo II.B.1.b.γ. Laniātur suggests being mutilated or wounded savagely, like flesh (OLD lanio 1.a), carpitur suggests tearing, as if by a bird of prey (OLD carpo 6.b).

    (7)

    ob acquisitam hereditatem: the inheritance of his father's property secured to him by Pudentilla's continual postponement of her marriage with Sicinius Clarus. See ch. 68.

    Hīscīne ... disciplīnīs: "are these the teachings with which ...?".

    patruus: Sicinius Aemilianus, the  principal accuser.

    ut ... nōn audeās: "such that you would not dare," introducing a result clause dependent upon the inferred extreme nature of their uncle's teachings.

    sī compertum habeās: "if you knew full well" (LS comperio β), introducing the indirect statement fīliōs ... futūrōs (esse).

    nōn audeās dūcere uxōrem: Apuleius reprises the theme of sterility as preferable to having evil progeny.

    (8)

    versus non ignotus: "not unknown," by litotes, "well-known." The author is unknown. 

    From an unknown comedy (Ribbeck, Comicorum Romanorum Fragmenta 3 [151 no. 78]) (Jones).

    praecoquī sapientiā: "to be prematurely ripened in (respect to) wisdom" =  "to be prematurely wise," as in Eng. precocious, a derivative.

    malitiā praecoquī: "to be prematurely wicked."

    āversētur: "is repelled by," "scorns."

    velut mōnstrum quoddam: "like some kind of monster."

    velut mōnstrum quoddam prius rōbustum scelere quam tempore: "a sort of prodigy hardened by crime and not yet by time" (Jones), i.e., with a fully developed capacity for evil before he has fully developed an adult body.

    viridī pueritiā, cānā malitiā: ablatives of description or quality (AG 415): "with the greenness of youth and the gray hairs of malice" (Jones).

    (9)

    hōc: "for this reason," looks forward to quod ... perniciōsus est, as a substantive clause describing the reason.

    magis noxium: "even more harmful," continuing to describe Pudens.

    cum veniā perniciōsus est: "pardonably pernicious" (Jones), a reference to the limited legal responsibility of Pudens. See 2.3 admodum puerī (Hunink).

    nōndum poenae, iam iniūriae sufficit: "not yet of an age to do time but already of an age to do harm" (Jones). 

    iniūriae dīcō: "did I say 'for injustice'?" Apuleius realizes that he has misspoken.

    Immō enim: "actually more like."

    scelerī: "for a crime," dative to take the place grammatically of iniūriae in the last sentence.

    nefandō, immānī, impetibilī: datives, modifying scelerī: "unspeakable, monstrous, unforgivable."

     

     

    (1)

    praeteritus -a -um: past

    conqueror conquerī conquestus sum: to complain, lament

    acerbus –a –um: bitter

    praesens -ntis: current, present, at hand

    hōcusque: to this extent

    dēprāvō dēprāvāre: to corrupt

    amātōrius –a –um: of lovers; inducing love

    (2)

    tribūnal tribūnālis n.: platform, judicial venue, judgment seat

    prōcōnsulāris –is –e: pertaining to a proconsul (provincial governor)

    recitō recitāre recitāvī recitātum: to read aloud

    Claudius Māximus: Claudius Maximus: proconsul of Africa 158/9, presiding at Apuleius’ trial.

    statua –ae f.: statue

    pudeō pudēre puduī puditum: to make ashamed

    exprobrō exprobrāre exprobrāvī exprobrātum: to reproach with

    stuprum –ī n.: illicit sex; sexual violation

    obiectō obiectāre obiectāvī obiectātum: to cite with disapproval, bring up as a criticism

    (3)

    mītis –is –e: mild, forgiving

    exacerbēscō exacerbēscere: to become exasperated or angry

    scrūtor scrūtārī scrūtātus sum: to examine thoroughly, scrutinize

    observō observāre observāvī observātum: to watch, observe

    suspīritus –ūs m.: a deep breath, sigh

    numerō numerāre numerāvī numerātum: to count

    adfectiō –ōnis f.: emotion, disposition

    explōrō explōrāre explōrāvī explōrātum: to explore, investigate

    tabula –ae f.: writing tablet

    intercipiō intercipere intercēpī interceptum: to intercept

    revincō revincere revīcī revictum: to condemn

    (4)

    cubiculum –ī n.: bedroom

    perquīrō perquīrere perquīsīvī perquīsītum: to ask diligently after

    amātrīx –īcis f.: a female lover, "hussy"

    omnīnō: entirely

    religiō religiōnis f.: duty, moral obligation

    (5)

    īnfēlīx īnfēlīcis: unfortunate, unhappy

    uterum –ī n.: the womb

    Pudentilla –ae f.: Pudentilla (name)

    sterilitās –ātis f.: barrenness, sterility

    līberī līberōrum m. pl.: children

    īnfaustus –a –um: unfortunate

    mēnsis mēnsis m.: month

    XIIII quattuordecim: 14

    viduitās –ātis f.: bereavement, widowhood

    vīpera –ae f.: a viper

    exedō exedere exēdī exēsum: to eat out

    prōserpō prōserpere: to creep forwards or forth

    parricīdium –ī n.: parricide, murder of a close relative

    adultus -a -um: grown up

    acerbus –a –um: bitter

    morsus –ūs m.: bite

    (6)

    silentium –ī n.: silence

    laniō laniāre laniāvī laniātum: to lacerate, mangle, tear to pieces

    carpō carpere carpsī carptum: to pluck, seize, tear apart

    fodiō fodere fōdī fossum: to stab, dig, remove by digging

    vīscus vīsceris n.: innards

    intimus -a -um: innermost (> intus)

    prōtrahō prōtrahere prōtrāxī prōtrāctum: to draw forth

    (7)

    rependō rependere rependī repensum: to make up for, pay back

    adquīsītus -a -um: acquired

    hērēditās hērēditātis f.: inheritance

    alimōnia –ae f.: food; upbringing; the cost of upbringing

    patruus –ī m.: uncle

    ērudiō ērudīre ērudiī ērudītum: to instruct, train

    comperiō comperīre comperī compertum: to find out

    (8)

    versus –ūs m.: line (of poetry)

    īgnōtus –a –um: unknown

    puerulus –ī m.: little boy

    praecoquo praecoquere praecoxī praecoctum: to ripen prematurely

    malitia –ae f.: spite, malice, wickedness

    āversor āversārī āversātus sum: to turn away from; scorn, shun

    mōnstrum –ī n.: monster

    rōbustus –a –um: strong, mature, hardy

    viridis –is –e: green; youthful

    pueritia –ae f.: boyhood

    cānus –a –um: white, of the hair and beard; aged

    (9)

    noxius –a –um: guilty, harmful

    venia –ae f.: pardon, indulgence

    perniciōsus –a –um: destructive

    sufficiō sufficere suffēcī suffectum: to suffice, be ready for (+ dat.)

    immō: no indeed

    adversum: (prep.) against

    nefandus –a –um: unspeakable, unutterable

    immānis –is –e: monstrous

    impetibilis –is –e: insufferable, intolerable

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