56

How can it be surprising that I, a man of religion, keep things wrapped in a linen cloth? Some people have told me that Aemelianus neither knows nor attends any religious rites. While the nickname 'Charon" denotes his ugliness, the epithet 'Mezentius' attests to his contempt of the gods. 

(1)

vidērī potest mīrum: impersonal, "can it seem surprising that," introducing the indirect statement hominem ... adservāre.

cui: dat. of possession.

sit: subjunctive in a relative clause of characteristic.

memoria religiōnis: "mindfulness of religious practice."

hominem ... cōnscium: "a person (who is) privy to" + dative.

deum: deōrum.

sacrōrum crepundia: "ritual emblems" (Jones).

līneō textō: "in linen fabric."

(2)

sēgnissimī corporis: "of the most slothful of creatures" (Jones).

lānā ... dētractā: abl. of means with vestītus est.

excrēmentum: "excretion from," "product of," in apposition to lānā.

pecorī: dative of disadvantage, "from the flock" of sheep.

iam inde scītīs Orpheī et Pȳthagorae: "as far back as the laws of Orpheus and Pythagoras" > scitum -ī, n. (LS scisco II.B).

profānus: "(only) the uninitiated (person)," i.e., "no initiated person."

vestītus est: "was clothed in," + abl. (lānā). 

terrā: ablative of source or origin with exorta.

indūtuī et amictuī sānctissimīs Aegyptiōrum sacerdōtibus: double dative (indūtuī et amictuī, datives of purpose; sānctissimīs ... sacerdōtibus, dative of reference): "for clothing and for veiling (for) the most holy priests of the Egyptians." AG 382.

opertuī ... rēbus sacrīs: double dative (opertuī, dative of purpose; rēbus sacrīs, dative of reference): "for covering (for) their sacred items." 

(3)

cum prīmīs: "especially."

facētiae sibi habēre ... dērīdēre: "regard mocking as a source of humor for themselves," (LS habeo II.D), "find amusement in mocking" (Jones). facētiae is dative of purpose.

(4)

partim: "some of," + gen., LS partim A.α., at the end of the entry for pars. An archaic accusative form (B/O).

nōvēre:  novērurnt.

ad hoc aevī: "up to this point in his life," "to this day."

sī ... praetereat ... habet: a mixed conditional, with the protasis of a future less vivid conditional—on the chance he passes by a shine, which he's not accustomed to do on purpose but must sometimes do by happenstance—and the apodosis of a present general conditional to show his definite reaction each and every time he does so.

nefās habet: "he considers it unholy," a strikingly religious word to use in the context of refusing to recognize a religious site. Butler cites this passage as possible evidence of Apuleius painting Aemilianus as Christian or Jewish, in which case we could take the expression literally.

adōrandī grātiā: genitive gerund with grātiā to express purpose.

manum labrīs admovēre: the reverent gesture is demonstrated at Metamorphoses 4.28: admoventes oribus suis dexteram primore digito in erectum pollicem residente (Hunink).

(5)

dīs rūrātiōnis: "agricultural gods." dīs is dative after impertit.

quī eum pāscunt ac vestiunt: i.e., by making the crops grow and the sheep produce wool.

ūllās ... prīmitiās: "any first-fruits," a portion of a harvest shared with a deity in thanks.

situm ... cōnsecrātus: supply est with each.

(6)

Ecquid ego ... loquor: "What am I talking about ... for?" The sense of the incredulous question depends on the following indirect statement: if Aemilianus hasn't taken the following basic step to worship on his property, why would we think he's gone beyond that to set up a dedicated place of worship on his grounds?

Negant: subject, "they," is the unexpressed antecedent of qui.

quī fuēre: "those who have been there" (Jones). The use of fuere for "were present " is classical (B/O).

ūnum saltem: "even one."

in fīnibus eius: "on his (entire) property."

lapidem ūnctum: see Apuleius, Florida 1: lapis unguine delibutus. The custom of anointing sacred stones with oil has been widely prevalent. Compare the action of Jacob in pouring oil on the pillar he set up at Bethel, Genesis 28:18 (B/O).

rāmum corōnātum: the religious use of coronae (garlands of flowers) was widespread. See, for example, Tibullus 1.1.15 and 2.1.8 (Hunink).

(7)

agnōmenta ... duo:, "two nicknames," or agnōmina. For Charon, see above, ch. 23.2; Mezentius is the paradigmatic “despiser of the gods” of the Aeneid (contemptor divum, Aeneid 7.648) (Jones).

indita: supply sunt > indo: "have been attached" to him.

quod libentius audit: according to Apuleius, Aemilianus liked this nickname. libentius is the comparative adverb > libenter, "gladly, willingly."

(8)

Quāpropter: "Because of this," i.e., because Aemilianus is known to have little interest in religious matters.

fors anne: supply est: "there is a chance that," = forsan.

dīvīnī: "of the divine," a substantive adjective; objective genitive with contumāciam.

indūcat animum: "bring his mind around to (the fact that)," introducing the indirect statement (id), quod dīxī, esse vērum. See LS induco II.B.2.b.

signa et memorācula: "symbols and tokens" (Jones).

(9)

quid dē mē Mezentius sentiat: indirect question dependent on manum nōn verterim.

manum nōn verterim: a proverbial expression for lack of concern, also used by Cicero, De Fininus 5.93 (Hunink). manum non vertere, "not to turn the hand," is proverbial for "to take no pains," "make no effort" (LS manus I). verterim is a mock-polite pf. subj. in a cautious or modest assertion (AG 447.3). "I could not care less" (Jones).

cēterīs autem: "but to everyone else."

profiteor: "I openly declare."

eōrundem sollemnium mihi: "the same rites as me," LS idem II.B.2.

particeps: "an initiate in," + gen.

datō: third person singular imperative.

audiās licet: licet ut audiās.

quae: signa, memoracula.

(10)

nūllō umquam perīculō: "by no threat," or "in no trial" (LS periculum II.B.2.a).

quae: antecedent is haec.

quae reticenda accēpī: "which I received as things needing to be kept secret" = "which I received under the condition that I was not to talk about them."

ad profānōs ēnūntiāre: "divulge among the uninitiated," OLD ad 16.b.