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Herennius Rufinus's home continues to this day to be a place of riotous debauchery, where he pimps out his own wife. Earning money in this way is a necessity for him, since he wasted the large fortune he inherited, not from his bankrupt father, who cheated his creditors, but through his mother.

(1)

quī: = utinam, used in early Latin for imprecations.

perduint: > perdo, old form of the present subjunctive, jussive.

Multus honōs auribus praefandus est: "much respect must be extended to your ears," "pardon my language," LS honor I.B.2.b.

domus eius tōta lēnōnia: supply est, as with the following three clauses (and sunt with the fourth).

(2) 

prōrsus diēbus ac noctibus: "utterly days and nights," "absolutely 24 hours a day."

lūdibriō iuventūtis: "in the (course of) the local youths' messing around."

ludibriō: "capers," "hijinks."

prōpulsāta: supply est, as sunt with circumstrepitae and est again with inquiētum and pervium.

cōmīsātōribus: "revelers."

adulterīs pervium: "a highway for adulterers."

Neque enim ūllī ... metus est: "and there is no fear to anyone" = "and no one has any fear."

ad introeundum: "when it comes to going inside" Herennius's bedroom with his wife.

nisi quī: "except (for the person) who," i.e., the only person who needs to fear entering Herennius's bedroom is one who ....

pretium: "the payment" for sleeping with Herennius's wife.

(3)

eī: Herennius.

lectī suī contumēlia: "the abuse of his bed," by strangers sleeping with his wife; the subject of est.

vectīgālis: "a source of revenue."

Ōlim sollers suō: "Already expert (at making money) with his own (body)." Suō is emphatic, and contrasted with coniugis.

Cum ipsō ... pacīscuntur: "they make contracts with the man (Herennius) himself," "deal directly with Herennius himself."

dē uxōris noctibus: i.e., to sleep with her as a prostitute.

(4)

nōta: "notorious" (LS notus A.II.b), supply est.

conlusio: "secret understanding," "collusion." But nōta suggests it is an open secret.

quī: antecedent is eōs.

amplam stipem: "a generous contribution."

ināniōrēs vēnēre: "have come emptier(-handed)," "have come bringing less money."

prō adulterīs: "as adulterers."

quasi ad discendum vēnerint: "as if they have arrived to do some learning," "as if they have come to school."

aliquid scrīpserint: "have written a promissory note for some some of money," OLD scribo 6.

A pun on "writing an acknowledgment of debt" and "learning to read and write" (Hunink).

(5)

Quid enim faciat homō miser: deliberative subjunctive expressing impossibility (AG 444), "what is the wretched man supposed to do?"

dēvolūtus: "having sunk back from," i.e., having lost, + abl.  OLD devolvo 2.b, "to sink or fall back into an inferior position or situation."

ex inopīnātō: "unexpectedly."

invēnerat: "had acquired," LS invenio II.D.

dēfaenerātus: "drowned in debt to," + dative.

māluit ... quam: "wanted X more than Y," "preferred X to Y."

pudōrem: "honor," "self-respect," OLD pudor 3.

(6)

undique versum: "on every side," "from every direction," a phrase that occurs in Apuleius and some later authors.

tabulīs flāgitārētur: "he was subjected to demands (by creditors) to see his account books." See Cicero, Pro Caelio 17  Nam quod aes alienum obiectum est, sumptus reprehensi, tabulae flagitatae ("As for the reproach that he is in debt, his expenditure blamed, his account-books demanded ...").

quasi īnsānus: the insane in antiquity were supposed to be restrained when encountered in public. Apuleius is not saying that people believed Herennius was insane, only that he couldn't step out of his house without being seized by the first person who saw him, as he owed money to everyone.

ab omnibus obviīs: "by everyone who came across him."

(7)

'pāx' inquit: "he said 'uncle!'"

negat posse: = dīcit (sē) nōn posse.

dissolvere: "discharge his debts," the proper financial term, LS dissolvo I.B.1.

ānulōs aureōs: by the time of Hadrian the wearing of a gold ring (ius anuli aurei) was no more than a sign of free birth, and the only privilege conferred was that of eligibility for office (B/O).

omnia īnsignia dignitātis: perhaps the toga or other expensive clothing.

abicit: "he gave up," as partial payment to his creditors.

dēpacīscitur: "he writes up contracts" of repayment schedules, presumably. Notice that this is the same verb used Herennius and his wife's lovers when drawing up contracts for her time.

(8)

Plēraque ... reī familiāris: "most of his familial resources" = "most of his family wealth (that he inherited from his father)."

in nōmen uxōris ... cōnfert: "he put in the name of his wife," as if it were her money, not his, to hide it from his creditors.

egēns, nūdus et ignōminiā suā tūtus: concessive in force.

sēstertium XXX: 30 x 100,000-sesterces units =  3 million sesterces, a huge sum.

dēvorandum: pure sense of the future passive participle, with sestertium: "to be eaten up."

Tantum: "that's the amount" (the 3 million sesterces).

ex bonīs mātris: "from his mother's wealth," i.e., Herennius inherited his family wealth from his mother, not his father.

līberum: "free and clear," i.e., unable to be touched by the demands of Herennius' father's creditors, since it wasn't "his money."

praeter quod: "beyond (the money) which."

eī: Herennius Rufinus.

cotīdiānīs dōtibus: "with her daily dowries," i.e., by being employed by her husband as a prostitute.

quaesīvit: "obtained."

(9)

Quae tamen omnia: connecting relative, "But all of this (wealth)"

ita ... studiōsē: "so eagerly," sets up the result clause ut crēderēs.

dīlapidāvit: "ate down."

metuere: supply Herennium as a subject; indirect statement after crēderēs; introducing the fear clause nē ... dīcerētur.

quid: aliquid; direct object of habēre.

ex fraude paternā: "(some) of this father's loot" (Jones) from cheating his creditors, as described just above. 

nē ... dīcerētur: "that he might be said to" + infinitive habēre.

(10)

homō iūstus et mōrum: "This just-minded person and (man) of morals," highly ironic.

dedit operam: "made an effort" + purpose clause ut ... perīret.

quod male partum erat ut male perīret: "that (the money) which was gotten in an evil way would be spent in an evil way," "to make it a case of 'ill-gotten, ill-spent.'" 

The proverb appears in various forms in Latin literature. Plautus, Poenulus 844 male partum male disperit; Cicero, Philippics 2.65 sed ut est apud poetam nescio quem male parta male dilabuntur (B/O). 

nec quicquam: "nor anything" = "and nothing."

largiōre: "rather large."

ambitiōnem miseram: "thwarted ambition" (Jones). In Horace and Cicero the phrase misera ambitio refers to the expensive and stressful enterprise of running for public office. Perhaps Herennius had spent down part of his fortune in this (not entirely discreditable) way.

profundam gulam: "a deep appetite," having gotten used to luxury and abundance, he is not going to be eager to give either up.