45

Although fourteen of my slaves are here, you have insisted on that one boy's presence to prove that he fell because of my spell. Many things can cause an attack of epilepsy. Sicinius Pudens, a boy, is not a credible witness to this supposed spell.  

(1)

postulāstī: postulāvistī.

illīs: servīs, ablative object of ūteris.

quaestiōnem: whether this questioning could take place under torture or not, seems unclear (Hunink).

atque eum cadūcum: "an epileptic too" (Jones).

ōlim abesse: "has been gone a long while now."

pariter mēcum scīs: "you know equally with me," "you know as well as I do."

petītū tuō: "at your request."

īnsimulās: "blame" (OLD insimulo 1), "implicate" (Jones).

(2)

Postrēmō quid vīs?: "What is it that you want, in the end?" "What are you hoping to get out of this line of questioning?"

Putā: "imagine."

Ultrō: "voluntarily."

id factum: supply esse: "that this happened."

Hoc puer nescit: presumably because he was suffering from an epileptic episode and does not remember.

ego nōn factum revincō: "I assert (in refutation) that this did not happen." nōn is emphatic.

cadūcum: "epileptic."

nec tū: "not even you."

(3)

cūr ... attribuātur: "why should it be attributed to," + dative (carminī, morbō).

eius ruīna: "his collapse," subject of attribuātur.

ut ... paterētur: substantive clause, subject of potuit.

forte praesente mē: "while I happened to be present."

idem ... quod: "the same thing which," i.e., the act of collapsing.

quod saepe: supply passus est.

aliās: adverb, "at other times."

(4)

magnum putārem: "I thought it important."

cadūcum: substantive, "a person with epilepsy."

gagtēs: the use of this stone, probably jet, is attested by Pliny, Natural History 36.142, deprendit sonticum morbum et virginitatem suffitus.   

apud physicōs: "in the works of the natural philosophers."

pulchrē: "splendidly."

explōret: "tests for" + acc. 

in vēnāliciīs: "in the slave markets."

vulgō: "commonly."

vēnālium: substantive adjective in the genitive plural, "of the people for sale."

(5)

orbis: a (disc-shaped) potter's wheel.

eiusdem valētūdinis hominem: "a person having this same disease."

spectāculum rotātiōnis eius: "the sight of its spinning."

ita ... dēbilitat: "in such a way does (the spinning) unnerve."

plūs ad cadūcōs cōnsternendōs ... valet: "is more capable of throwing epileptics into confusion," i.e., inducing a seizure.

(6)

postulāstī: postulāvistī.

frūstrā: with postulāsti, "for no reason."  Aemilianus demanded the slaves be produced in court and then never questioned them. In strong contrast to nōn dē nihilō postulō. Note the vigorous asyndeton.

nōn dē nihilō: "not for nothing," balancing frūstrā in the previous clause.

piāculārī sacrō: "wicked rite" "sacrilegious ceremony," which would need a piāculum (an expiation or act of atonement) to be forgiven, see TLL piacularis. "This rite of expiation" (Jones).

ego: an ironic intensifier, "I personally."

ruentem Thallum impellerem: "sent Thallus tumbling down."

(7)

omnīnō: "in total," ironic juxtaposition with unum.

cuius ... nōmine: "in whose name." Aemilianus is speaking on Sicinius Pudens' behalf as an advocate in the trial.

nihil ad religiōnem refrāgārētur: "were not at all contrary to religious practice," contrary-to-fact. The implication is that Sicinius Pudens' age would have prevented him from attending the rite.  Or else, "diminish the sanctity of his oath" (Jones), i.e., render him legally incompetent to swear an oath. See LS religio II.A.c.

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The meaning of the sentence is somewhat uncertain. What is the sense of religio? Is it the religio of the rite at which Pudens alleges that he was present, or the religio iurisiurandi? (l) “Although his youth was no obstacle to his presence at the rite" (literally “as regards religio"), "yet the fact that he is the accuser ought to detract from his credibility." (2) "Although his youth was no bar to his being heard on oath, yet," etc. (B/O).

accūsātiō: "his being the accuser" (Jones).

fidem dēroget: "detracts from his credibility" as a witness.

(8)

fuit: = fuisset, contrary-to-fact, indicative for vividness.

gravius: "more convincing," "more damning" (Jones).

tētē ut ipsum dīcerēs interfuisse: substantive ut clause, subject of fuit. Order: ut dīcerēs tētē ipsum interfuisse.

ex eō sacrō: "because of that ritual."

potius quam ... dōnārēs: "instead of handing over."

puer aliquī: "some boy," aliquī = aliquis.