59

Crassus's testimony is being read from a document, even though he himself is here in Sabratha. He must be drunk already, or else ashamed to show his hideous face before you, Maximus.

ubi gentium: "where in the world?"

taediō domūs: "out of boredom of (being at) home." Taedium could be either "weariness" that he feels (OLD 1), or the "nuisance" created by his dirty house (OLD 3).

dētergit: Is he too busy scrubbing the soot stains from the walls to come to court?

quod: "a thing which."

vērius: "closer to the truth," "more likely."

ex crāpulā ... adtemptātur: "is suffering from a hangover."

helluō: nominative.

(2)

hīc Sābratae: "here in Sabratha," on the coast some forty-five miles west of Oea. The proconsul had come there to preside over the conventus of the regia Tripolitana (Butler). This is the only reference to the place where the trial is held. The city was more important than Oea, given the fact that the proconsul held the assizes there.

satis notābiliter: "memorably enough," i.e., it was a remarkable occurrence to those who saw it, or "publicly enough," i.e., it was in public and easy for people in general to notice.

tibi ... obructantem: "belching in your face."

nōmenclātōribus: slaves whose function was to recognize and to name their masters’ acquaintances.

ille: Crassus.

interrogā: direct object nōmenclātōrēs.

Oeēnsem: "the Oean" "the one from Oea."

vīderint: subject is nōmenclātōrēs.

(3)

Exhibeat: "produce." The verb is normally used for producing inanimate things in court, not people.

iuvenem honestissimum: Crassus (sarcastic).

cuius testimōniō: "on whose testimony."

Quid sit diēī: supply tempus. "what time of day it is," with the implication that it is still relatively early compared to the usual time for the activities Crassus is currently engaged in, as subsequently described.

dīcō: "I predict" LS dico I.B.4.b.

iam dūdum ... stertere: stative present, "has been snoring for a long time already," i.e., in comparison with the still-early hour implied in quid sit diēī vidēs.

secundō lavācrō: "in his second bath of the day."

ad repōtia cēnae obeunda: Crassus is recovering from his first bout of drinking to get ready to make the rounds of all drinking parties at dinnertime. compare 57.3, symposia obīret.

vīnulentum sūdōrem ... dēsūdāre: "is getting out his wine-sweats."

(4)

Is: Crassus.

praesens: "though present" in Oea, concessive participle.

per libellum: by proxy of his written testimony.

nōn quīn ... sit: "not so much because he is not" (OLD quīn 7).

adeō ... aliēnātus: "so thoroughly divorced from" + abl.

sub oculīs tuīs sī foret: "if he were before your eyes."

tantulum ... ut: "even the tiniest amount, as to be able to."

ēbriā: this is the reading of the main manuscript, which is often corrected into ebrius or ebriamine, but may be retained and explained as a synonym for ebrietas, a suggestion accepted by TLL 5.2.15 (Hunink).

sibi temperare: "to restrain himself from (abl.)" LS tempero II.A.δ.

hanc hōram sōbriē expectāret: "to await this hour (of the day) soberly," = "to be able to wait until this late in the day before getting drunk," which hour, as has been established in 59.3, is still early.

(5)

aut potius ... popīnam: a third explanation, which, being the last one, seems to represent the author's own choice. It is suggested that Crassus' repulsive looks make him unfit to appear in court at all. This is illustrated by a detailed picture of Crassus, which largely consists of a simple list with two words for every feature (Butler).

dē cōnsiliō: "in accordance with a plan,"  "on purpose."

fēcit: "did this," i.e., did not bring Crassus into court in person.

sub tam sevērīs oculīs tuīs: see sub oculīs tuīs above.

cōnstitueret: perhaps with a sense of Aemilianus needing to actively prop up the drunken Crassus.

(6)

bēluam: a strong term of abuse (OLD belua 3) setting the tone for the rest of the description.

vulsīs: "depilated," "plucked (free of hair)," a sign of effeminacy. Crassus, it is implied, is trying to hold on to his youth in order to be more attractive to male lovers. Iuvenem above carries the same implication. For more on this satirical theme, see Juvenal, Satires 9.  The general practice was that young men wore a beard (cp. the barbatuli iuvenes of Cicero, Letter to Atticus 1.14.5), while about the age of forty and upwards middle-aged men began to shave. Elsewhere we find eradication of the beard spoken of as a sign of effeminacy in the case of a young man (Butler).

dē faciē: "(coming) from his face," "of his face."

improbārēs: "deem unfit (to testify)," "reject (from testifying)."

barbā et capillō populātum: "despoiled of its beard and hair." According to Butler, barba and capillo are best taken as identical. This seems unlikely, since Apuleius uses both words in close connection. More importantly, the feature of baldness, expressed by the latter noun, adds a relevant new element to the portrait (Hunink).

rictum restrictum: "gaping grin" (Jones). The word restrictum is not in the manuscripts but is added by editors to maintain the series of two-word phrases. latum is another possibility.

ructūs popīnam: "a whole eating-house worth of belching." The text is uncertain, see Butler and Hunink. 

(7)

iam prīdem: "long since," "long ago now."

nec quicquam ... superest: "and nothing is left."

eī: Crassō.

bonīs paternīs: "inheritance," literally, "his father's possessions."

ad calumniam vēnditandam: "for selling false charges." On the surface Crassus could make rent-money from this property, but the real value is in making up stories about the people who rent from him.

quam ... numquam ... locāvit: "which (house) he never rented out."

cārius: "at a steeper price,"  LS carus II.A.1.

(8)

tribus mīlibus nummīs: 3,000 denarii, ablative of price, a huge sum.

Aemiliānō huic: "to Aemilianus here."

idque ... ignōrātur: "and that (fact) is unknown."

Oeae: locative.