By Odessa Asp

Magic / Witchcraft / Sorcery:

Whatever you want to call it; the Latin term is magīa. Apuleius is defending himself against a charge of using magīa to force Pudentilla to marry him. Here is a list of sections where Apuleius refutes various pieces of evidence that he did, in fact, engage in witchcraft.

What Even IS a Magus: Chapters 25.5-27.4

Apuleius comes to the crux of the accusation against him: that he is a magus. But what do his accusers even mean by that?

On the Acquisition of Fishes: Chapters 29-41

Apuleius is accused of paying top dollar for people to find him certain unusual fish to use in magical potions to make Pudentilla fall in love with him.

Some interesting excerpts from this section include:

  • 30.5-31.12: a catalogue of attested love potion components and other magical herbs and items from various authors of antiquity, including Vergil and Homer – none of which are found in the sea.

  • 33.1-4, 40.5-11: the charge that Apuleius came into possession of a poisonous sea hare; its refutation by scientific analysis of the specimen.

  • 34.4-6, 35.5-7: the charge that Apuleius has practiced a kind of sympathetic name magic, using fish with suggestive-sounding names to provoke an erotic response in Pudentilla.

  • 36-39: a survey of philosophers and poets who produced studies on sea life, inspiring Apuleius to take up the study at an advanced age; chapter 37 includes a digression on Sophocles penning Oedipus at Colonus in his old age to generous applause (and, more to Apuleius's point, a dismissal of charges).

On Thallus, his Epileptic Slave: Chapters 42-52

Apuleius is accused of using a male slave named Thallus as a component in his sorcery, of casting a spell on him and causing him to collapse. Apuleius explains that Thallus actually suffers from epilepsy, which explains his collapse, and that his research into the disease is of a scientific, not magical, nature.

some interesting excerpts from this section include:

  • 42.5-43.3: a selection of stories about young boys actually entering trances for magical/prophetic purposes; the philosophical rationale for their plausibility.

  • 43.9: a catalogue of Thallus’s symptoms.

  • 44: the shunning of Thallus by the other slaves in the household; his removal to quarantine so as not to infect others; the inappropriateness of bringing him into court.

  • 45.4: the olfactory and visual stimuli which are known to trigger seizures (and are so used to diagnose the disorder).

  • 48.1-4, 11-12: an accusation that Apuleius also enchanted a woman into collapsing in the same way; she also had epilepsy and Apuleius was examining her and asking about her symptoms.

  • 49-51: Apuleius expounds Plato’s theory of disease and describes where epilepsy falls in that system; a description of epilepsy’s root causes and the resulting symptoms.

On Whatever Was in the Napkin: Chapters 53-55

Apuleius is accused of leaving some sort of magical item wrapped up in a cloth on the lararium of Pontianus, son of Pudentilla. Apuleius rejects the entire premise as ridiculous and concludes his retort by declaring that even if he had left some religious item wrapped in a napkin, it was a symbol of a mystery cult and thus to be protected from public view.

some interesting excerpts from this section include:

  • 53.7-9: a description of the duties of a freedman in Pontianus’s household whose job was to care for the locked library where the purported napkin was kept.

  • 54.4-55.2: a reductio ad absurdum of what madness would overrun courtrooms if people were allowed to accuse others without proof and to simply ask after evidence once the trial had started.

  • 55.7-56.2: a discussion of the proper methods of storing sacred items and keeping them from the uninitiated. 

  • 56.3-10: a contrasting picture of Aemilianus’s lack of religious observance; passing mention of many rustic religious customs.

On the Feathers and Smoke: Chapters 57-60

Apuleius is accused of performing nocturnal magical rituals with his friend Appius Quintianus in a house the latter was renting from a man named Junius Crassus. Crassus has sent a written testimony that he found smoke stains on the walls and feathers on the floor as evidence for these rites. But Crassus was in Alexandria at the time in question and was also paid for his testimony by Aemilianus.

some interesting excerpts from this section include:

  • 57.2-6: a humorous analysis of Crassus’s superhuman ability to sense smoke rising from his home from all the way from Alexandria.

  • 58.3-10: Apuleius picks apart the remainder of Crassus’s testimony as absurd.

On the Wooden Statuette: Chapters 61-65

Apuleius is accused of having in his possession a secret idol of a grotesque, skeletal deity which he refers to as “king.” Apuleius explains that this was a statuette of Mercury which had commissioned openly, spoken about to many people , and carried around with him. He has the statue with him today in court and shows it to the assembled to prove it was nothing strange or unusual.

some interesting excerpts from this section include:

  • 61.4-8: Apuleius discovers the sculptor Saturninus’s work and commissions the statuette; Pontianus acquires some exotic wood and delivers it to Saturninus as a surprise for Apuleius.

  • 63: Apuleius just happens to have the statuette of Mercury with him, which he takes out and describes in detail for the court.

  • 64.3-8: Apuleius explains the name he is accused of calling the statuette, discoursing on the Platonic idea of a mysterious, all-encompassing universal deity known as “king.”

  • 65: an explanation of why Apuleius wanted the piece done in wood rather than a higher-status materials like gold or silver.

On Pudentilla’s Letter: Chapters 78.5-84.6

The central piece of evidence against Apuleius on the charge of magīa comes in the form of a letter of Pudentilla’s to her son Pontianus which says, and I quote, “Apuleius is a magus.” It seems pretty damning until Apuleius puts the quote back into its original context (which had been carefully concealed by his accusers): Pudentilla scolding her son for believing such far-fetched things.

some interesting excerpts from this section include:

  • 78.6: a description of the process by which both sides in a trial were provided with a copy of important pieces of evidence.

  • 79: on the dishonest nature of women in general and specifically what they write in letters concerning love affairs (e.g., Phaedra).

  • 81: on Rufinus’s amazing power of deceit to turn a letter written in support of Apuleius into one that seems to convey the opposite of its intended meaning; a catalogue of famous liars from myth and history.

  • 82-83: the letter itself; how a portion of it was taken out of context; the importance of context; a striking passage personifying words and letters indignant at their misuse.

Marriage / Dowry / Inheritance:

Because the purported aim of Apuleius’s sorcery was to win the hand of the wealthy widow Pudentilla in marriage, the speech also dips into a lot of interesting topics surrounding marriages, specifically second marriages, and the legal protection of Pudentilla’s adult sons (from her first marriage) to ensure their inheritance wouldn’t be stolen by her new husband.

On Pudentilla’s Widowhood: Chapters 68.2-69.3

Pudentilla had two sons with her first husband before he died: read here about the precarious situation this left both her and her sons in; how her father-in-law used the boys’ status against her and ended up compelling her to live as a widow for 14 years, to the detriment of her health.

On Pontianus's Matchmaking: Chapters 71.4-73.9

Once his mother is on the market, Pontianus, the dutiful son, takes it upon himself to find her the perfect match. Into the mix enters one Apuleius, exhausted from his travels. The rest is history!

On Where To Get Married: Chapters 87.10-88.7

Apuleius discusses his and Pudentilla’s decision to get married at a country estate. It touches on the social expectations of wealthy families celebrating a wedding or other major milestone in the city and, on the other hand, some praises of the countryside as a venue for a wedding.

On Pudentilla's Age: Chapter 89

The accusers have said that Pudentilla is sixty years old, presumably to make it seem more likely that Apuleius is after her fortune. Apuleius does some clever rhetorical math tricks, but there are also some cool insights here into how births were recorded, how official age was calculated in cases like these, and the system of hand gestures Romans used to represent numbers.

On Pudentilla's Dowry: Chapters 91.6-92.11

Apuleius opens his marriage contract with Pudentilla to show that he did not receive a large dowry from her, as his accusers have alleged. The marriage contract moreover contains specific protections to assure her sons will inherit her wealth. Apuleius digresses that widowed and divorced women often use large dowries to catch a new husband despite their status.

On The Inheritances of Pontianus and Pudens: Chapters 93.1-94.5, 99.3-100.10

Far from trying to divert Pudentilla’s fortune to himself, Apuleius worked hard to reconcile the boys to their mother, asking her to give them a large portion of their inheritance ahead of time (93.1-94.5) and later stopping Pudentilla from disinheriting Pudens entirely for his bad behavior (99.3-100.10).

On Rufinus and his Daughter: Chapters 74.1-77.4, 97.3-99.1

Rufinus, a morally shady character, runs his household like a brothel and makes money renting out his wife and daughter by the night; next he hopes to rope in some big bucks by catching Pontianus in marriage to his daughter and so obtaining access to Pudentilla’s fortune; once Pontianus dies, he transfers his hopes to Pontianus's younger brother Pudens and lures him away from his mother’s household to a debased life like his own.

some interesting excerpts from this section include:

  • 75.1-4: a description of the proceedings in Rufinus’s household brothel; how rich and poor alike are fleeced.

  • 76.4-6: Herennia and Pontianus’s wedding; red flags abound.

  • 97.3-98.1: An astounding passage: Rufinus has a) consulted oracles as to the best way to make money from his daughter’s bed, b) calculated what his daughter had "earned" in her short marriage based on her nightly "rate" and found her inheritance from Pontianus wanting, and c) decided to continue pursuing Pudentilla’s fortune by marrying his daughter to Pudens next.

  • 98.4-99.1: Rufinus’s corrupting influence on Pudens; Apuleius washes his hands of the boy.

Miscellaneous Topics:

Apuleius’s accusers also threw in a handful of maledicta – not exactly charges, but general bits of character assassination – some of which might be of interest.

On Handsomeness: Chapters 4-8

Apuleius is accused of generally being well-spoken and good-looking and specifically going so far as to brush his teeth in order to be so. This is presumably in order to paint him as "slick" or otherwise overabundantly urbane, and to undercut his ability to defend himself by painting his oratorical ability as manipulative.

some interesting excerpts from this section include:

  • 4.3-13: A catalogue of handsome philosophers; Apuleius declines to count himself among him; look at his hair!

  • 6.1-4: A poem of Apuleius written about toothpaste was used against him in the trial; he recites it and explains its context. Interesting information about ancient toothpaste.

  • 8.6-7:The exemplum of the crocodile and the plover.

On His Love Poems: Chapters 9-13.2

Apuleius is accused of writing love poetry to two boys enslaved by a friend of his, Scribonius Laetus, and presumably of sexually assaulting them. Apuleius brings a whole catalogue of examples of other authors who had done the same thing without being accused of immorality, much less of witchcraft.

some interesting excerpts from this section include:

  • 9.12-14: the text of Apuleius’s actual poems addressed to the boys.

  • 10.2-5: Apuleius is accused of not using the boys’ real names in his poetry; he argues that this is the best policy, as not to embarrass the beloved boys in a public sphere, and gives many examples of authors who used pseudonyms (Lesbia for Clodia, e.g.) for the objects of their love poems.

  • 12.1-13.2: Plato’s theory of the two Venuses, the earthly and the divine; Apuleius argues that love can be a philosophical good, something that reminds the soul of the platonic ideal of beauty in the eternal realm of forms.

On Owning a Mirror: Chapters 13.5-16.7

Apuleius is accused of owning a mirror, and presumably of the vanity implied by the fact of owning one. He admits to the possession, but defends his use of it in philosophical terms.

some interesting excerpts from this section include:

  • 14.1-15.2: seeing an image of oneself in one's children or in honorary statues is good; why then is seeing the image of oneself all the more accurately reflected in a mirror bad? Either both should be banned or both accepted.

  • 15.12-16.6: philosophers are interested in the question of how mirrors work and many related topics of natural philosophy; some are catalogued.

On Poverty: Chapters 18-23.5

Apuleius is accused of being poor, presumably in order to corroborate the argument that he was after Pudentilla’s fortune. Apuleius takes a philosophical view of this accusation in his reply to it.

some interesting excerpts from this section include:

  • 18.1-19.5: poverty is a philosophical good which has produced men of outstanding virtues both among Greeks and Romans; Romans in particular should be proud of the archaic simplicity in which the great men of antiquity lived; they should strive to live in a similar lack of luxury.

  • 20.1-9, 21.4-6: a philosophical paradox: true poverty is wanting more than you have; true wealth is being content with very little.

  • 22: Apuleius meditates on the traditional philosopher’s gear: the satchel and the walking stick.