92

The marriage document shows that the dowry was a mere 300,000 sesterces, less than Rufinus borrowed to dower his own daughter. This was sufficient to get Pudentilla a husband, a philosopher who cares nothing for such financial considerations compared to conjugal love. No one would have blamed a wealthy, middle-aged, and previously married woman such as Pudentilla for offering a much larger dowry. Most men prefer their brides to be virgins.

(1)

Haec: the terms of Pudentilla's dowry, as discussed in 91.7-8.

tabulīs ipsīs: the very copy of the marriage contract that was signed by witnesses at Apuleius's wedding to Pudentilla.

Fors fuat an: = fors sit an = forsitan. The idiom is seen in Roman comedy.

nē sīc quidem: "not even so," i.e., not even after seeing the conditions of the dowry listed on the tabulae nuptiales.

sola trecenta mīlia: "only 300,000."

nummum: nummōrum, "sesterces."

scrīpta: supply esse, "were written (in the marriage contract as the amount of the dowry)."

repetītiōnem: "the power to reclaim" the 300,000 sesterces.

pactō: "in the agreement."

datam: supply esse, "was granted."

(2)

sīs: sī vīs, "please."

ipse tū: Aemilianus himself, rather than the court clerk Apuleius has been directing so far.

pudeat illum: "let him be ashamed of" + gen.

ambitiōsae mendīcitātis: "self-serving beggary" (Jones). In ch. 75.10 Herennius Rufinus is said to have squandered his inherited fortune through "wretched ambition" (ambitiōnem miseram) perhaps a reference to expensive campaigning for office. This could leave one "ambitiously poor."

ipse: Rufinus.

egēns, nūdus: " impoverished and destitute," LS nudus I.B.1.  

Rufinus had squandered his entire legacy of 3,000,000 sesterces (75.8-10). Exactly the same words had been employed for his infamous father: ipse egens, nudus (75.8) (Hunink).

fīliam dōtāvit: "endowed his daughter with," "gave his daughter a dowry of" + abl.

(3)

trecentīs mīlibus dōtis: "with 300,000 (sesterces worth) of a dowry," construe with contenta, a relatively small amount, compared to her 4,000,000 sesterces of family wealth.

et marītum habet et ... contentum: "and she has (i.e., got) a husband (with that dowry), and one who is content."

multīs saepe et ingentibus dōtibus sprētīs: ablative absolute; Apuleius claims to have turned down many other offers of marriage with larger dowries in play.

inānī nōmine tantulae dōtis: "with the unfulfilled promise of such a small dowry" (LS nomen I.B.2), "with such a small, merely nominal dowry" (Jones). Not only is Pudentilla's dowry not very large in comparison to her wealth, she also hasn't given it to Apuleius yet (see 91.7).

(4)

cēterum: "(and) moreover."

nihil computantem: "(a husband who is) counting on nothing," i.e., counting on no financial advantage from his marriage.

pōnentem: with in + abl. = "regarding as consisting or comprised (in)" OLD pono 24.

(5)

Quamquam: "Though," connecting 92.5 to the preceding argument: Pudentilla didn't offer a large dowry, though no one could blame her even if she had.

quis omnium: "who of all people?" "who in the world?"

vel exiguē rērum perītus: "with even the slightest experience of life," LS peritus I.β.

longā dōte et mollī condiciōne: ablatives of means with invītāsset.

invītāsset: "had enticed," plupf. subj. in a contrary-to-fact condition.

paenitendum: "objectionable," LS paeniteo III.B.2.

(6)

oppidō: adv., "completely," "utterly.”

affert: subject is the virgō.

quippe: "of course."

flōris rudīmentum: "the freshness of her bloom" (Jones), OLD rudimentum 3 ("first beginnings" of something that will develop). Flōs is a common euphemism for virginity (LS flos II.A.2), so the reference is likely to the bride's initiation into sexual life.

(7)

potes: complementary infinitives are retribuere, renumerāre, restituere, dēmigrāre and cēdere.

nē sīs beneficiō obstrictus: negative purpose clause; the highly dowered, imperious wife is a familiar figure who shows up, for example, in Plautus's Asinaria, as a situation uncomfortable to a husband who would rather "wear the pants," as it were.  See also Juvenal's sixth Satire.

ut accēperās: "(just) as you got it.”

(8)

praeflōrāta: "deflowered."

tibi ... minimē docilis:  “not at all amenable to you.”

ad quae velīs: "regarding your wishes."

suspectāns: "cautiously assessing."

ipsa ... suspectanda: "needing to be cautiously assessed, herself."  

iam ob ūnum dīvortium: "because she has already been separated once." Be careful of translating dīvortium as "divorce," since this will, as shown below, include widows.

(9)

illa: vidua.

scaevī ōminis ... et īnfaustī coniugiī: genitives of description; the woman whose husband dies is considered unlucky.

minimē appetenda: "least to be pursued," "least desirable."

(10)

repudiō: "in a divorce."

utramvīs habēns culpam: "having one or other of the following two faults," which are introduced by aut ... aut ... in the following relative clause.

quae ... fuit: "that she was."

(11)

dōte auctā: increased higher than those of women in their first marriages.

sollicitant: "entice."

Quod ... fēcisset: "would have done this," i.e., raised her dowry to attract a husband.  Quod is a connecting relative.

in aliō marītō: "for a different husband.”

philosophum: "a philosopher (as a husband)" = Apuleius.

spernentem dōtis: "spurning a dowry" = "who does not care about a dowry."

For the objective genitive used with this participle as with a noun see ch. 99 spernens hereditatis (B/O).