72

At this point I arrived in Oea on my way to Alexandria. I was recuperating from the rigors of the journey at the home of my friends the Appii when Pontianus, whom I had known well when we were in Athens together some years previously, visited me. Thinking I might be an ideal husband for his mother, he persuaded me to stay in Oea until the following winter and to move into his mother's villa overlooking the sea to hasten my recuperation.

(1)

in hōc statū: "in this situation."

rēs esset: "the matter rested."

inter procātiōnem mātris: "amid the courting of the mother" by various suitors, the cēterī of 71.1. This is a widely accepted emendation of the manuscript's interpretationem. Hunink prefers the more common word precationem ("the mother's prayer" for a suitable husband).

metum fīlī: Pontianus's fear that his mother would marry a man who would use up all of her money, or simply take control of it.

fortene an fātō: "either by chance or by fate." 

adveniō: historical present. "I arrived" in Oea, as the context makes clear. The year was AD 156 (Hunink).

pergēns Alexandrēam: "on my way to Alexandria." Apuleius does not specify his point of departure, but given his route through Oea, we may assume it was Carthage. His purpose was probably scientific or religious (Alexandria was the capital of the Isis cult), although we hear nothing on this either (Hunink).

Dīxissem: "I would have said," just now in his speech, not when he arrived at Oea.

(2)

Hiemps annī: "the winter of the year" = "winter." hiemps is a common alternate spelling of hiems.

ex fatīgātiōne itineris: explaining aliquam multīs diēbus dēcumbō.

advectus apud: "having traveled to the house of."

istōs: indicating that they are present in the courtroom. See 57.2, 58.4.

aliquam multīs diēbus dēcumbō: "I was laid up for a number of days" (Jones). Aliquam multi, or aliquammulti, "somewhat many," "considerable in number or quantity" is a mostly post-classical idiom. See LS aliquis ad fin.

(3)

Eō: "there," at the house of the Appii.

fuerat mihi ... conciliātūs: "he had been introduced to me" with conciliātūs carrying the implication of a good recommendation of character from the friends who did the introducing and their subsequently becoming friendly.

nōn ita prīdem ante multōs annōs: "not so many years ago."

Athēnīs: locative.

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A biographical element: for some years, Apuleius had stayed at Athens, obviously to continue his studies. See also Florida 11.18 pueritia ... Athenis Atticis confirmata; 11.18 quendam ex his qui mihi Athenis condidicerunt. Apuleius himself explicitly mentions his study of poetry, geometry, music, dialectic,
and philosophy; see Florida 11.20 ego et alias creterras Athenis bibi .... The reference confirms Apuleius' strong relations with Pontianus, but it also functions at another level: it suggests his own background of higher education, philosophy, and Greek culture in general. In particular, combined with the reference to Alexandria, it pictures him as an extensive traveler and a "man of the world." In nothing of this, Aemilianus can stand the comparison with Apuleius (Hunink).

commūnēs amīcōs: "mutual friends."

The speaker is eager to present himself as the more important man, with whom Pontianus had first become acquainted through intermediaries. Their following contubernium was clearly not one of equals. Pontianus must have been about ten years younger than Apuleius (Hunink).

artō ... contuberniō: "in close association."

intimē iūnctus: "closely attached" (Jones).

(4)

Facit omnia circā honōrem meum observanter: "In all he did he showed deference to my position" (Jones). See OLD facio 28 "to do, act, conduct oneself" + adv.

circā: "around, about, in respect to" (LS) "in connection with, with regard to" (OLD 9).

salūtem: "my health."

callidē: "tactfully," "indirectly."

amōrem: "my love life," "my affections." Pontianus is getting some intel on whether Apuleius is single.

vidēbātur sibi: "he seemed to himself," introducing the infinitive repperisse.

peridōneum: "thoroughly appropriate" + dat.

cui ... concrēdret: "to whom he might entrust," potential subjunctive (AG 446).

bonō perīculō: "with small risk," "safely," OLD periculum 4.c.

(5)

voluntātem meam ... perīclitābundus: "testing my inclinations." The adjective is known only from Apuleius.

verbīs inversīs: "by speaking indirectly," or "ironically." See OLD inverto 2.c for verba invertere = "to cause words to convey the opposite sense."

conversum ab uxōriā rē: "averse to the married state." 

orat ... manērem: for the (poetic) omission of ut, see LS oro II.B.ε.

velle: Pontianus is the subject. Supply dixit.

hiemem alteram ... opperiendam: "that I should wait for next winter." For alter = "next," LS alter I.B.2.

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Given the climate, only winter is suitable for travel by land to Egypt. The journey could be made wither along the coast or more inland. Syrtes refers to the entire desert region adjoining the coast. The wild beasts must be lions, which moved to the south during the winter (Hunink).

Syrtis aestūs: the heat of the whole desert region adjoining the Gulf of Sidra (OLD Syrtis c).

quod: "because," followed by subjunctive because it gives the view of Pontianus.

illam: the present winter.

(6)

Appiīs aufert ut: "secures from the Appii that." Helm compares Cicero Verrines 2.2.145 ut in foro statuerent abstulisti. With a direct object aufero often means "secure," as at Terence, Andria 610 sed inultum numquam id auferet (B/O). "Got (the Apii) to agree that" (Jones). 

futūram: supply esse, representing Pontianus's thought.

prōspectum maris: "the view of the sea," direct object of the indirect statement mē ... fruitūrum (esse). fruor may take an accusative as well as an ablative direct object.