[66] Now it's time
to turn to the letters of Pudentilla, or rather to go a little further
back in the sequence of events. This way it may be crystal clear to all
that I, whom they accuse of invading Pudentilla's house because of my
greed for gains, if I thought of any gain, should have fled from that
house at every opportunity. Because that marriage is so unprosperous in
other ways that it would be harmful to me if the woman herself did not
compensate through her own virtues for so many inconvenient matters.
|
[66] Nunc tempus est ad epistulas
Pudentillae praeuerti, uel adeo totius rei ordinem paulo altius petere, ut
omnibus manifestissime pateat me, quem lucri cupiditate inuasisse
Pudentillae domum dictitant, si ullum lucrum cogitarem, fugere semper a
domo ista debuisse, quin et in ceteris causis minime prosperum
matrimonium, -- nisi ipsa mulier tot incommoda uirtutibus suis repensaret,
inimicum. |
For no other cause (except for blind jealousy) can be found
which could have kindled this lawsuit (and many previous dangers
throughout my life) against me. Otherwise why would Aemilianus be stirred
up? Even if he had really ascertained that I was a magician, a man whom I
haven't harmed by any deed or even so much as a word -- why would he think
he attacks me deservedly, for the sake of vengeance? Furthermore, he
doesn't accuse me for the sake of fame, as Marcus Antonius accused Gnaeus
Carbo, Gaius Mucius accused Aulus Albucius, Publius Sulpicius accused
Gnaeus Norbanus, Gaius Furius accused Manius Aquilius, and Gaius Curio
accused Quintus Metellus. Of course, these very learned young men first
took on the study of forensic rhetoric in pursuit of praise, so that they
might be recognized by their fellow citizens for some famous lawsuit. This
custom, which the ancients allowed to adolescents so they might
demonstrate the flower of their genius, has been obsolete for a long time.
But even if it were current today, it would nevertheless be alien to
Aemilianus. For the display of eloquence doesn't suit one so coarse and
uneducated, and the desire for glory doesn't suit a country hick or an
uncultivated man, and beginning to practice the art of advocacy doesn't
suit a coffin-bound curmudgeon. |
Neque enim ulla alia causa praeter cassam inuidiam repperiri potest,
quae iudicium istud mihi et multa antea pericula uitae conflauerit.
ceterum cur Aemilianus commoueretur, etsi uere magum me comperisset, qui
non modo ullo facto, sed ne tantulo quidem dicto meo laesus est, ut
uideretur se merito ultum ire? neque autem gloriae causa me accusat, ut M.
Antonius Cn. Carbonem, C. Mucius A. Albucium, P. Sulpicius Cn. Norbanum,
C. Furius M' Aquilium, C. Curio Q. Metellum. quippe homines eruditissimi
iuuenes laudis gratia primum hoc rudimentum forensis operae subibant, ut
aliquo insigni iudicio ciuibus suis noscerentur. qui mos incipientibus
adulescentulis ad illustrandum ingenii florem apud antiquos concessus diu
exoleuit. quod si nunc quoque frequens esset, tamen ab hoc procul
abfuisset; nam neque facundiae ostentatio rudi et indocto neque gloriae
cupido rustico et barbaro neque inceptio patrociniorum capulari seni
congruisset; |
Unless by chance Aemilianus has given an example of his
austerity and, hostile to evildoers, has taken up this accusation for the
integrity of his character. But I would hardly believe this even of
another Aemilianus, not this African here, but of that man who conquered
Africa and Numantia, and, moreover, was a censor. And I couldn't believe
that in the mind of this blockhead there is not only the hatred of crimes,
but even so much as ignorance of them. |
nisi forte Aemilianus pro sua seueritate exemplum dedit et ipsis
maleficiis infensus accusationem istam pro morum integritate suscepit. at
hoc ego Aemiliano, non huic Afro, sed illi Africano et Numantino et
praeterea Censorio uix credidissem: ne huic frutici credam non modo odium
peccatorum, sed saltem. intellectum inesse. |
|
|
[67] So what is it,
then? It is so clear to anyone that nothing other than jealousy provoked
this man and Herennius Rufus, the instigator, about whom I shall soon
speak, and other enemies of mine to invent the false accusations of magic.
There are five charges which I must refute. For if I remember correctly,
those that pertain to Pudentilla are as follows: |
[67] Quid igitur est? cuiuis clarius
dilucet aliam rem inuidia nullam esse quae hunc et Herennium Rufinum,
impulsorem huius, de quo mox dicam, ceterosque inimicos meos ad nectendas
magiae calumnias prouocarit. quin[que] igitur res sunt, quas me oportet
disputare. nam si probe memini, quod ad Pudentillam attinet, haec
obiecere: |
*The first charge, so they said, is that she never wanted
to marry after her former husband died, but was enchanted by my spells.
|
una res est, quod numquam eam uoluisse nubere post priorem maritum,
sed meis carminibus coactam dixere; |
*Another charge concerns her letters, which they think are
an acknowledgement of my magic. |
altera res est de epistulis eius, quam confessionem magiae putant;
|
*The third and fourth are that she married from desire at
the age of sixty, and that the nuptial contracts were signed in the villa
and not in the town. |
deinde sexagesimo anno aetatis ad lubidinem nubsisse, et quod in uilla
ac non in oppido tabulae nubtiales sint consignatae, tertio et quarto loco
obiecere; |
*The last and most invidious accusation was about the
dowry. Here they strive with all their force to spread the poison, here
they were most greatly threatened, so they said that I extorted an
enormous dowry soon after the beginning of the union with my loving wife,
who was at the villa, far removed from counsel. |
nouissima et eadem inuidiosissima criminatio de dote fuit. ibi omne
uirus totis uiribus adnixi effundere, ibi maxime angebantur, atque ita
dixere me grandem dotem mox in principio coniunctionis nostrae mulieri
amanti remotis arbitris in uilla extorsisse. |
I shall now show that all these charges are so false, so
empty, and so senseless, and I shall refute them so easily and without any
contradiction, that, by the gods, Maximus and you who sit in council, I
fear that you may think I secretly incited my unassuming accuser, so that
I'd have an opportunity to quash all resentment of me openly. Believe now
what will soon be understood: it will be a lot of work for me to prevent
you from thinking that such a weak accusation was arranged cleverly by me
rather than stupidly by my enemies. |
quae omnia tam falsa, tam nihili, tam inania ostendam adeoque facile
et sine ulla controuersia refutabo, ut medius fidius uerear, Maxime quique
in consilio estis, ne demissum et subornatum a me accusatorem putetis, ut
inuidiam meam reperta occasione palam restinguerem. mihi credite, quod
reabse intelle[ge]tur: oppido quam mihi laborandum est, ne tam friuolam
accusationem me potius callide excogitasse quam illos stulte suscepisse
existimetis. |
|
|
[68] Now I'll
briefly run through the sequence of events and, once the matter is
understood, I'll make this Aemilianus think he has to confess that he was
induced mistakenly to be jealous of me and has wandered far from the
truth. While I do so, I ask that you, as you have done so far, to attend
unfailingly -- even more attentively if you are able -- to the very source
and foundation of this case. |
[68] Nunc dum ordinem rei breuiter
persequor et efficio, ut ipse Aemilianus re cognita falso se ad inuidiam
meam inductum et longe a vero aberrasse necesse habeat confiteri, quaeso,
uti adhuc fecistis uel si quo magis etiam potestis, ipsum fontem et
fundamentum iudicii huiusce diligentissime cognoscatis. |
Aemilia Pudentilla, now my wife, bore to a certain
Sicinius Amicus, to whom she was formerly married, the boys Pontianus and
Pudens. For almost 14 years with memorable dutifulness she diligently
nurtured those orphans who had been left in the power of their paternal
grandfather -- for Amicus had died while his father was still alive --
yet, in the very flower of her age, she remained a widow for so long
unwillingly. But the grandfather of the boys wanted to marry her to his
son Sicinius Clarus (though she was unwilling), and frightened other
suitors away. Meanwhile he threatened that if she married someone
unrelated, he would leave her children none of their father's possessions.
When this wise woman of exceptional dutifulness saw that this condition
was being obstinately enforced, she drew up a marital agreement with the
man whom she was ordered to marry, Sicinius Clarus, so she wouldn't
inconvenience her children, but she avoided the wedding by means of
various frustrations until the grandfather of the boys yielded to his fate
and left the boys their inheritance. Pontianus, who was older, became the
guardian of his brother. |
Aemilia Pudentilla, quae nunc mihi uxor est, ex quodam Sicinio Amico,
quicum antea nubta fuerat, Pontianum et Pudentem filios genuit eosque
pupillos relictos in potestate paterni aui -- nam superstite patre Amicus
decesserat -- per annos ferme quattuordecim memorabili pietate sedulo
aluit, non tamen libenter in ipso aetatis suae flore tam diu uidua. sed
puerorum auus inuita[m] eam conciliare studebat [in] ceterum filio[s]
suo[s] Sicinio Claro eoque ceteros procos absterrebat; et praeterea
minabatur, si extrario nubsisse[t], nihil se filiis eius ex paternis eorum
bonis testamento relicturum. quam condicione[m] cum obstinate propositam
uideret mulier sapiens et egregie pia, ne quid filiis suis eo nomine
incommodaret, facit quidem tabulas nubtiales cum quo iubebatur, cum
Sicinio Claro, uerum enimuero uariis frustrationibus nuptias eludit eo ad,
dum puerorum auus fato concessit relictis filiis eius heredibus ita, ut
Pontianus, qui maior natu erat, fratri suo tutor esset. |
[69] Once freed
from this concern, since her hand was sought by the most important men,
she resolved that she wouldn't remain a widow any longer. She might be
able to bear the tedium of solitude, but she was unable to endure her
bodily suffering. A woman of blessed chastity, after so many years of
widowhood without fault or gossip, languishing without conjugal care and
made ill by the long inactivity of her organs -- the insides of her uterus
were damaged -- she was exhausted by sudden pains, often to the very edge
of death. The doctors agreed with the midwives that the cause of the
disease could be found in the absence of a marriage, that the evil would
grow day by day, and the suffering would get worse. While any health
remained, her health was to be healed by marriage. |
[69] eo scrupulo liberata cum a principibus
uiris in matrimonium peteretur, decreuit sibi diutius in uiduitate non
permanendum; quippe ut solitudinis taedium perpeti posset, tamen
aegritudine[m] corporis ferre non poterat. mulier sancte pudica, tot annis
uiduitatis sine culpa, sine fabula, assuetudine coniugis torpens et
diutino situ uiscerum saucia, uitiatis intimis uteri saepe ad extremum
uitae discrimen doloribus obortis exanimabatur. medici cum obstetricibus
consentiebant penuria matrimonii morbum quaesitum, malum in dies augeri,
aegritudinem ingrauescere; dum aetatis aliquid supersit, nubtiis
ualitudinem medicandum. |
Others approved of this decision, and so did this
Aemilianus himself, most emphatically, who a little earlier in the
brashest lie asserted that Pudentilla never thought about marriage before
I bewitched her with evil magic and that I was the only one to be found
who violated her widowhood (as if it were some kind of virginity) with
incantations and poisons. I've often heard it said -- and not for nothing,
either -- that a liar should have a good memory. But evidently it didn't
cross your mind, Aemilianus, that before I came to Oea you wrote some
letters to her son Pontianus, who was then an adult and spending time in
Rome, suggesting that she should marry. Give me the letter, or rather,
give it to him to read it, so that in his own voice and with his own words
he may convict himself. |
consilium istud cum alii approbant, tum maxime Aemilianus iste, qui
paulo prius confidentissimo mendacio adseuerabat numquam de nubtiis
Pudentillam cogitasse, priusquam foret magicis maleficiis a me coacta, me
solum repertum, qui uiduitatis eius uelut quandam uirginitatem carminibus
et uenenis uiolarem. saepe audiui non de nihilo dici mendacem memorem esse
oportere; at tibi, Aemiliane, non uenit in mentem, priusquam ego Oeam
uenirem, te litteras etiam, uti nuberet, scribsisse ad filium eius
Pontianum, qui tum adultus Romae agebat. cedo tu epistolam uel potius da
ipsi: legat, sua sibi uoce suisque uerbis sese reuincat. |
******* **** ******** ******** ****** ..... |
******* **** ******** ******** ****** ..... |
Is this your letter? Why did you turn pale? Because you
are unable to blush. Is this your signature? I ask that you read it out
more clearly, so that all may understand how much his tongue disagrees
with his hand, how much smaller his disagreement is with me than with
himself. |
Estne haec tua epistola? quid palluisti? nam erubescere tu quidem non
potes. estne tua ista subscribtio? -- recita quaeso clarius, ut omnes
intellegant, quantum lingua eius manu discrepet, quantumque minor illi[s]
sit mecum quam secum dissensio |
******* **** ********* ******** ******* .... |
******* **** ********* ******** ******* .... |
[70] Did you,
Aemilianus, write these things which have just been read? "I know she
wants to and ought to marry, but I don't know whom she will choose." You
were right: you didn't know. For Pudentilla, who knew your dangerous
malevolence back to front, said only so much concerning this matter, but
nothing concerning her suitor. But you -- while you thought that she was
even then about to marry your brother Sicinius Clarus -- led on by false
hope you made her son Pontianus agree as well. So if she had married
Clarus, a decrepit old bumpkin, you would then have said that she had
married him by her own free will, without any magic. But since she chose a
young man such as you describe, you allege that she was forced and, in
addition, that she always refused marriage. You didn't know, you wicked
man, that your letter on this matter was saved, you didn't know that you
would be refuted by your very own testimony. But Pudentilla wanted to hold
on to that letter as a witness and a sign of your will, rather than to
send it on, because she knew that you are as flighty and fickle as you are
deceitful and shameless. |
[70] Scripsistine haec, Aemiliane, quae
lecta sunt? 'nubere illam uelle et debere scio, sed quem eligat nescio.'
recte tu quidem: nesciebas; Pudentilla enim tibi, cuius infesta[m]
malignitatem probe norat, de ipsa re tantum, ceterum de petitore nihil
fatebatur. at tu dum eam putas etiamnum Claro fratri tuo denubturam, falsa
spe inductus filio quoque eius Pontiano auctor adsentiendi fuisti. igitur
si Claro nubsisset, homini rusticano et decrepito seni, sponte eam diceres
sine ulla magia iam olim nubturisse: quoniam iuuenem talem qualem dicitis
elegit, coactam fecisse ais, ceterum semper nubtias aspernatam. nescisti,
improbe, epistulam tuam de ista re teneri, nescisti te tuomet testimonio
conuictum iri. quam tamen epistolam Pudentilla testem et indicem tuae
uoluntatis, ut quae te leuem et mutabilem nec minus mendacem et inpudentem
scire[t], maluit retinere quam mittere. |
At any rate, she wrote about it to her son Pontianus in
Rome, she even listed fully the reasons for her plan. She said everything
about her health: there was no further reason why she ought to hold out
any longer, she had kept hold of his grandfather's inheritance by her long
widowhood to the detriment of her own health, she had augmented that same
inheritance by the greatest diligence. Now, by the will of the gods, he
was himself ready for a wife and his brother ready to receive the toga
virilis. Finally, she asked them to deign to relieve her loneliness and
ill-health at some point. Moreover, they had nothing to fear regarding her
loyalty and judgement. She would be such a woman when married as she had
been as a widow. I will order a passage from the letter sent to her son to
be read: |
ceterum ipsa de ea re Pontiano suo Romam scripsit, etiam causas
consilii sui plene allegauit. dixit illa omnia de ualetudine: nihil
praeterea esse, cur amplius deberet obdurare, hereditatem auitam longa
uiduitate cum despectu salutis suae quaesisse, eandem summa industria
auxisse; iam deum uoluntate ipsum uxori, fratrem eius uirili togae idoneos
esse; tandem aliquando se quoque paterentur solitudini[s] suae et
aegritudini subuenire; ceterum de pietate sua et supremo iudicio nihil
metuerent; qualis uidua eis fuerit, talem nuptam futuram. recitari iubebo
exemplum epistolae huius ad filium missae. -- |
******* ***** ********** ******* *********** **** *****
|
******* ***** ********** ******* *********** **** ***** |
|
|
[71] I think it's
quite possible from that letter for anyone to see that Pudentilla wasn't
driven from a resolute widowhood by my incantations, but that she, at no
point ever being hostile to marriage, chose to marry me of her own free
will, perhaps over others. I don't understand why the choice of such a
dignified woman must be brought against me as a charge rather than as an
honor. But I'm still amazed at the fact that Aemilianus and Rufinus bear
the judgment of this woman badly, although these men who sought
Pudentilla's hand in marriage bear calmly her preference for me. |
[71] Satis puto ex [h]istis posse cuiuis
liquere Pudentillam non meis carminibus ab obstinata uiduitate compulsam,
sed olim sua sponte a nubendo non alienam [uti]quam me fortasse prae
ceteris maluisse. quae electio tam grauis feminae cur mihi crimini potius
quam honori danda sit, non reperio, nisi tamen miror quod Aemilianus et
Rufinus id iudicium mulieris aegre ferant, cum hi, qui Pudentillam in
matrimonium petiuerunt, aequo animo patiantur me sibi praelatum. |
The fact is that she did this complying with her son's
wishes rather than with her feelings. Aemilianus can't deny that this is
true. For Pontianus, after he recieved his mother's letter, immediately
sped off from Rome, fearing that if she chose some greedy man, she would
bring all her possessions to her husband's house, as often happens. This
anxiety was tormenting him immoderately, because all hope of riches for
himself and his brother depended on the resources of his mother. Their
grandfather had left a little bit, but their mother had four million
sesterces, out of which she owed a sum of money to her sons guaranteed not
in writing, but merely by her word, as was fair. He bore this fear in
silence; he did not dare to resist openly lest he seem to distrust her.
|
quod quidem illa ut faceret, filio suo potius quam animo obsecuta est.
ita factum nec Aemilianus poterit negare. nam Pontianus acceptis litteris
matris confestim Roma[m] aduolauit metuens, ne si quem auarum uirum nacta
esset, omnia, ut saepe fit, in mariti domum conferret. ea sollicitudo non
mediocriter animum angebat, omnes illi fratrique diuitiarum spes in
faculta[ti]bus matris sitae erant. auus modicum reliquerat, mater
sestertium quadragies po[s]sidebat, ex quo sane aliquantam pecuniam nullis
tabulis, sed, ut aequum erat, mera fide acceptam filiis debebat. hunc ille
timorem mus[s]itabat; a[d]uersari propalam non audebat, ne uideretur
diffidere. |
[72] When the
matter was in this state between the decision of the mother and the fear
of the son, by chance or by fate I arrived there on my way to Alexandria.
By Hercules, I would have said "would that it had never happened," if
respect for my wife did not prevent me from doing so. It was winter.
Exhausted by the harshness of my journey, I was resting for a few days at
the home of my friends the Appii, whom I name out of personal affection
and to do them honor. Pontianus came to me there, for a few years earlier
in Athens we had met through certain mutual friends, and afterwards we had
become intimate by close association. He paid me every attention,
inquiring anxiously about my health and cleverly bringing up the subject
of love. In fact, it seemed to him that he had found an extremely suitable
husband for his mother, to whom with slight risk he could entrust the
entire fortune of his house. At first he tested my desires in a roundabout
manner, since he saw that I wanted to return to the road and that I was
not inclined towards marriage. He asked me to remain there for a little
while, saying that he wanted to set out with me. Since illness had
deprived me of the current winter, he continued, I would have to wait for
the next on account of the heat of the Gulf of Sidra and the wild animals.
With many entreaties to my friends the Apii, he took me off to shift me to
his mother's house. It would be a healthier place for me to stay. In
addition, from there I could more freely enjoy a view of the sea, which
was most welcome to me. |
[72] Cum in hoc statu res esset inter
procationem matris et metum fili, fortene an fato ego aduenio pergens
Alexandream. dixissem hercule 'quod utinam numquam euenisset', ni me
uxoris meae respectus prohiberet. hiemps anni erat. ego ex fatigatione
itineris aduectus apud Appios i[s]tos amicos meos, quos honoris et amoris
gratia nomino, aliquam multis diebus decumbo. eo uenit ad me Pontianus;
nam fuerat mihi non ita pridem ante multos annos Athenis per quosdam
communis amicos conciliatus et arto postea contubernio intime iunctus.
facit omnia circa ho[no]rem meum obseruanter, circa salutem sollicite,
circa amorem callide; quippe etenim uidebatur sibi peridoneum maritum
matri repperisse, cui bono periculo totam domus fortunam concrederet. ac
primo quidem uoluntatem meam uerbis inuersis periclitabundus, quoniam me
uiae cupidum et conuersum ab uxoria re uidebat, orat, saltem paulisper
manerem: uelle se mecum proficisci. hiemem alteram propter Syrtis aestus
et bestias opperiendam, quod illam mihi infirmitas exemisset. multis etiam
precibus meis Appiis aufert, ut ad sese in domum matris suae transferar;
salubriorem mihi habitationem futuram; praeterea prospectum maris, qui
mihi gratissimus est, liberius me ex ea fruiturum. |
[73] Relying on all
of these arguments with earnest zeal, he pursuaded me and recommended to
me his mother and his brother, that boy there. I helped them a little with
our common studies and our friendship increased significantly. Meanwhile,
I recuperated. Because my friends requested it, I gave a public speech.
All those who were present thronging the basilica that was serving as an
auditorium in a huge crowd shouted among other things with a unanimous
voice "excellently done," asking that I stay there and become an Oean
citizen. |
[73] Haec omnia adnixus impenso studio
persuadet, matrem suam suumque fratrem, puerum istum, mihi commendat. non
nihil a me in communibus studiis adiuuantur, augetur oppido familiaritas.
interibi reualesco; dissero aliquid postulantibus amicis publice; omnes
qui aderant ingenti celebritate basilicam, qui locus auditorii erat,
complentes inter alia pleraque congruentissima uoce 'insigniter' adclamant
petentes, ut remanerem, fierem ciuis Oeensium. |
Soon after the audience had left, Pontianus approached me
and first interpreted the decision of the public as a divine auspice and
then he revealed his plan. If I was not unwilling, he would marry his
mother (whom many coveted) to me. For he said he trusted me and relied on
me alone in all these matters. If I didn't accept this burden (since it
was not some beautiful orphan, but a plain-faced mother of children he
offered to me) -- if in considering these matters, for the sake of beauty
and riches, I was saving myself for another arrangement, I wouldn't be
acting as a friend or a philosopher. |
mox auditorio misso Pontianus eo principio me adortus consensum
publicae uocis pro diuino auspicio interpretatur aperitque consilium sibi
esse, si ego non nolim, matrem suam, cui plurimi inhient, mecum coniungere
(mihi quoniam soli ait rerum omnium confidere sese et credere); ni id onus
recipiam, (quoniam non formosa pupilla, sed mediocri facie mater liberorum
mihi offeratur) -- si haec reputans formae et diuitiarum gratia me ad
aliam condicionem reseruarem, neque pro amico neque pro philosopho
facturum. |
The conversation was too long, even if I wished to recount
how I responded to him, for how long and how many times there were
exchanges between us, with how many and what sort of prayers he entreated
me. He didn't stop before he finally succeeded. I had observed Pudentilla
well in the past year's closeness and I had noted the gifts of her
virtues, but, be that as it may, I was reluctant to take on the
encumbrance of marriage, because of my longing for travel. But soon I
began to love this woman no less passionately than if I had sought her in
marriage of my own accord. Pontianus had persuaded his mother in the same
way, so that she preferred me to all others and with unbelievable
eagerness she longed to complete the matter as soon as possible. We barely
obtained a slight delay from Pontianus while he himself first took a wife
and his brother put on the toga virilis. Next we would be married. |
nimis multa oratio est, si uelim memorare, quae ego contra
responderim, quam diu et quotiens inter nos uerbigeratum sit, quot et
qualibus precibus me adgressus haud prius omiserit quam de[ni]que
impetrarit, non quin ego Pudentillam iam anno perpeti adsiduo conuictu
probe spectassem et uirtutium eius dotes explorassem, sed utpote
peregrinationis cupiens impedimentum matrimoni aliquantisper recusaueram.
mox tamen talem feminam nihilo segnius uolui quam si ultro appetissem.
persuaserat idem Pontianus matri suae, ut me aliis omnibus mallet, et quam
primum hoc perficere incredibili studio auebat. uix ab eo tantulam moram
impetramus, dum prius ipse uxorem duceret, frater eius uirilis togae usum
auspicaretur: tunc deinde ut nos coniungeremur. |
[74] By Hercules, I
wish I could skip over what has to be said now without serious cost to my
case, so that I wouldn't seem to be reproaching Pontianus's fickleness. (I
unconditionally forgave him, you know, when he begged pardon for his
error.) For I confess, because this was an accusation against me, that
after he took a wife, Pontianus suddenly switched his loyalties and
changed his mind. The thing which earlier he'd urged on too eagerly, he
now fought against against just as stubbornly. In the end, he was prepared
to do anything and endure anything to keep our marriage from taking place.
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[74] Vtinam hercule possem quae deinde
dicenda sunt sine maximo causae dispendio tran[s]gredi, ne Pontiano, cui
[h]errorem suum deprecanti simpliciter ignoui, uidear nunc leuitatem
exprobrare. confiteor enim, quod mihi obiectum est, eum, postquam uxorem
duxerit, a compecti fide desciuisse ac derepente animi mutatum quod antea
nimio studio festinarat pari pertinacia prohibitum isse, denique ne
matrimonium nostrum coalesceret, quiduis pati, quiduis facere paratum
fuisse, |
Nevertheless, this despicable change of heart and the feud
(which we know about) with his mother shouldn't be blamed on him, but on
his father-in-law, who's here today: Herrenius Rufinus -- there's no one
in this land more evil, more wicked, or more unjust than him. In a few
words, as modestly as I can, I'll say what I have to about this man, so
that, if I'm generally silent about him, he will not have wasted the pains
he took and incredible strength he used to bring this matter against me.
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quamquam omnis illa tam foeda animi mutatio et suscepta contra matrem
simultas non ipsi uitio uortenda sit, sed socero eius eccilli Herennio
Rufino, qui unum neminem in terris uiliorem se aut improbiorem aut
inquinatiorem reliquit. paucis hominem, quam modestissime potero,
necessario demonstrabo, ne, si omnino de eo reticuero, operam perdiderit,
quod negotium istud mihi ex summis uiribus conflauit. |
For this man instigated the little boy, originated the
accusation, guided the lawyers, procured his witnesses, forged of the
entire slander; served as Aemilianus's torch and whip, and he boasted
rather excessively in front of everyone that I've been accused because of
his devices. And in fact, he's got something he can pat himself on the
back for here: he is the overseer of all the lawsuits, the inventor of all
the lies, the engineer of all the pretexts, the breeding-ground of all the
evils. |
Hic est enim pueruli huius instigator, hic accusationis auctor, hic
aduocatorum conductor, hic testium coemptor, hic totius calumniae
fornacula, hic Aemiliani huius fax et flagellum, idque apud omnis
intemperantissime gloriatur, me suo machinatu reum postulatum. et sane
habet in [h]istis quod sibi plaudat. est enim omnium litium depector,
omnium falsorum commentator, omnium simulationum architectus, omnium
malorum seminarium, |
Similarly, his house is a haunt! |
nec non idem libidinum ganearumque locus, |
a den! |
lustrum, |
a lair! |
lupanar, |
of lust and prostitution. Already from an early age he was
widely known for all sorts of wickedness: first in his youth, before he
was disfigured by baldness, he cheerfully went for unspeakable things
thanks to his ***johns. Then in his adolescence, he had a weakness for
dancing, plays, and other soft activities, but , as I hear it, he was
untaught and crudely effeminate. For it is said that he had none of an
actor's qualities except shamelessness. |
iam inde ab ineunte aeuo cunctis probris palam notus, olim in
pueritia, priusquam isto caluitio deformaretur, emasculatoribus suis ad
omnia infanda morigerus, mox in iuuentute saltandis fabulis exossis plane
et eneruis, sed, ut audio, indocta et rudi mollitia; negatur enim quicquam
histrionis habuisse praeter impudicitiam. |
[75] Even at his
current age -- may the gods ruin him! (and may your ears excuse me) -- his
house is Pimp Central, his whole family is diseased! He himself is a
disgrace, his wife is a whore, and their children are much the same. Day
and night he's made an ass of***: his door is smashed with young men's
kicks, his windows are beseiged by the sounds of singers, his couches buzz
with wild revelry, his bedroom is the Route 66 of adulterers: no one's
afraid to go in, unless he doesn't pay his toll to the husband. |
[75] in hac etiam aetate qua nunc est --
qui istum di perduint! multus honos auribus praefandus est -- domus eius
tota lenonia, tota familia contaminata: ipse propudiosus, uxor lupa, filii
similes: prorsus diebus ac noctibus ludibrio iuuentutis ianua calcibus
propulsata, fenestrae canticis circumstrepitae, triclinium comisatoribus
inquietum, cubiculum adulteris peruium; neque enim ulli ad introeundum
metus est, nisi qui pretium marito non attulit. |
So this is how an insult to his own bed earns this guy
money. Once he earned it skillfully with his own body; now he brazenly
earns it with his wife's. I kid you not: many people bargain with him --
with that man, I'm telling you -- for nights with his wife. Now, this was
the tacit understanding between the husband and his notorious wife: if you
bring a healthy fee to the woman, no one will bother you, and you can come
and go as you please. But if you arrive empty-handed, you'll be arrested
for adultery at a pre-arranged signal -- and as if you were in school, you
can't leave without writing out a little something. |
ita ei lecti sui contumelia uectigalis est. olim sollers suo, nunc
coniugis corpore uulgo meret; cum ipso plerique, nec mentior, cum ipso,
inquam, de uxoris noctibus paciscuntur. iam illa inter uirum et uxorem
no[n]ta[m] conlusio: qui amplam stipem mulieri detulerunt, nemo eos
obseruat, suo arbitratu discedunt; qui inaniores uenere, signo dato pro
adulteris deprehenduntur, et quasi ad discendum uenerint, non prius abeunt
quam aliquid scripserint. |
What, after all, could the wretched man do, since after he
had lost his nice little*** fortune which anyhow he'd gotten through his
father's deceit? His father, who'd borrowed money from many creditors,
preferred money to self-respect: when IOU's rained down on him, money was
demanded from him from every side. He was seized by everyone he met as if
he were a madman. But his answer was "take it easy" and said he couldn't
pay. But he disposed of his gold rings and other marks of nobility, and
settled with his creditors. |
quid enim faciat homo miser ampliuscula fortuna deuolutus, quam tamen
fraude patris ex inopinato inuenerat? pater eius plurimis creditoribus
defaeneratus maluit pecuniam quam pudorem; nam cum undique uersum tabulis
flagitaretur et quasi insanus ab omnibus obuiis teneretur, 'pax' inquit,
negat posse dissoluere, anulos aureos et omnia insignia dignitatis abicit,
cum creditoribus depaciscitur. |
But then, in an wickedly clever fraud, he transferred a
healthy chunk of his family property into his wife's name. Rufinus, needy,
naked, and protected by his own disgrace left for himself 3,000,000
sesterces -- no kidding -- to be squandered. This amount came to him free
and clear, from the property of his mother -- in addition what which his
wife gave him in her garden-variety dowry. But nevertheless, this glutton
has diligently deposited all this into his belly in a few years and has
digested it with all sorts of gluttonizations. |
pleraque tamen rei familiaris in nomen uxoris callidissima fraude
confert: ipse egens, nudus et ignominia sua tutus reliquit Rufino huic,
non mentior, sestertium deuorandum; tantum enim ad eum ex bonis matris
liberum uenit praeter quod ei uxor sua cotidianis dotibus quaesiuit. quae
tamen omnia in paucis annis ita hic degulator studiose in uentrem condidit
et omnimodis conlurchinationibus dilapidauit, |
You might think that his father's deceit makes him afraid
to keep anything, in case it might occur to someone that he bears a bit of
his father's fraud. |
ut crederes metuere, ne quid habere ex fraude paterna diceretur;
|
This just man of upstanding character made sure that what
was ill-gotten would be ill-spent, and that there'd be nothing left of
that great fortune beyond a wretched display and a huge gut. |
homo iustus et morum dedit operam, quod male partum erat ut male
periret, nec quicquam ei relictum est ex largiore fortuna praeter
ambitionem miseram et profundam gulam. |
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[76] At any rate,
his wife, who was weak and already an old woman, shied away from so many
insults against the house, but then her daughter was brought around to all
the rich young men, at her mother's invitation -- but in vain. Although
she was sent to certain suitors for a trial run, she might have sat at
home, a widow before ever being a bride, if she had not come upon the
opportunity of Pontianus. Although we tried a great deal to dissuade him,
he gave her the fairy-tale-false title of "bride," though he knew that
previously, she'd been abandoned with disgust by a certain respectable
young man of a good family whom she had been engaged to, and who'd had
enough of her. |
[76] Ceterum uxor iam propemodum uetula et
effeta totam domum contumeliis [alere] abnuit; filia autem per
adulescentulos ditiores inuitamento matris suae nequicquam circumlata,
quibusdam etiam procis ad experiundum permissa, nisi in facilitatem
Pontiani incidisset, fortasse an adhuc uidua ante quam nubta domi
sedisset. Pontianus ei multum quidem dehortantibus nobis nuptiarum titulum
falsum et imaginarium donauit, non nescius eam paulo ante, quam duceret, a
quodam honestissimo iuuene, cui prius pacta fuerat, post satietatem
derelictam. |
So Pontianus's new bride came to him calm and fearless,
with her chastity ruined, her maidenhood broken in, her bridal veil worn
out, an "innocent girl" again after a recent divorce, with the name, not
the bloom, of a maiden. She was carried by eight slaves, and you who were
present clearly saw how wickedly she leered at all the youths. How
brazenly she displayed herself! Who wouldn't recognize her as a student of
her mother's teaching, when he saw her made-up mouth, painted cheeks, and
seductive eyes? The whole dowry, down to the last penny, was borrowed from
a creditor the day before, and in fact, it was much greater than would be
demanded from a house so drained of money and so full of children. |
uenit igitur ad eum noua nupta secura et intrepida, pudore dispoliato,
flore exsoleto, flammeo obsoleto, uirgo rursum post recens repudium, nomen
potius adferens puellae quam integritatem. uectabatur octaphoro, uidistis
profecto qui adfuistis, quam improba iuuenum circumspectatrix, quam
inmodica sui ostentatrix. quis non disciplina[m] matris agnouit, cum in
puella uideret i[m]medicatum os et purpurissatas genas et inlices oculos.
dos erat a creditore omnis ad terruncium pridie sumpta et quidem grandior
quam domus exhausta et plena liberis postulabat. |
[77] But although
that man is modest in his means, he's immodest in his expectations. With
equal greed and need he'd devoured the 4,000,000 sesterces of Pudentilla
with vain presumption. Figuring that I had to be disposed of, so that he
could take advantage of Pontianus's good nature and Pudentilla's
loneliness more easily, he began to scold his son-in-law for having
betrothed his mother to me. He advised him to get himself out of this
danger as quickly as possible, while he still could, and hold on to his
mother's property rather than knowingly transfer it to some stranger. The
old fox threatened the young lover: if Pontianus wouldn't do this, Rufinus
would take back his daughter. |
[77] Sed enim iste, ut est rei modicus,
spei immodicus, pari auaritia et egestate totum Pudentillae quadragiens
praesumptione cassa deuorarat eoque me amoliendum ratus, quo facilius
Pontiani facilitatem, Pudentillae solitudinem circumueniret, infit generum
suum obiurgare, quod matrem suam mihi desponderat; suadet, quam primum ex
tanto periculo, dum licet, pedem referat, rem matris ipse potius habeat
quam homini extrario sciens transmittat; ni ita faciat, inicit scrupulum
amanti adulescentulo ueterator, minatur se filiam abducturum. |
What more is there? Rufinus took a naive young man, one
who was captured by the attractions of a new wife, and turned him from his
path and decision. He went to his mother with Rufinus's words, but in
vain, since the dignified woman chided him for fickleness and
inconsistency. He brought no soft words back to his father-in-law: thanks
to his demands, his mother was beside herself with anger, who was resolute
beyond her easy-going nature, and it would be a fair encouragement to her
stubbornness. Finally, she answered that it was no secret that this claim
was made through Rufinus -- which meant that she had to help her husband
even more against the hopeless greed of that man. |
quid multis? iuuenem simplicem, praeterea nouae nuptae inlecebris
obfrenatum suo arbitratu de uia deflectit. it ille ad matrem uerborum
Rufini gerulus, sed nequicquam temptata eius grauitate ultro ipse
leuitatis et inconstantiae increpitus reportat ad socerum haud mollia:
matri suae praeter ingenium placidissimum immobili iram quoque sua
expostulatione accessisse, non mediocre pertinaciae adiumentum;
respondisse eam denique non clam se esse Rufini exoratione secum
expostulari; eo uel magis sibi auxilium mariti aduersum eius desperatam
auaritiam comparandum. |
[78] Annoyed at
what he heard, Rufinus swelled up so much with anger and burned with such
rage that he said things more fit for his own bedroom to my most innocent
and chaste wife in the presence of her own son -- Rufinus, a man who
prostitutes his own wife. He declared in the presence of many people (and
I'll name them, if you like) that she's a slut and that I'm a magician and
a poisoner, and that he would deal my death with his own hands. By
Hercules! I can hardly control my rage, my head is swimming with anger.
You girl, do you threaten any man with death by your hand? And pray, what
hand would that be? The hand of Philomela, or Medea, or Clytemnestra?
After all, when you play these parts, you perform without a blade, since
you're so weak-spirited and terribly afraid of swords. |
[78] Hisce auditis exacerbatus aquariolus
iste uxoris suae ita ira extumuit, ita exarsit furore, ut in feminam
sanctissimam et pudicissimam praesente filio eius digna cubiculo suo
diceret, amatricem eam, me magum et ueneficum clamitaret multis
audientibus (quos, si uoles, nominabo): se mihi sua manu mortem allaturum.
uix hercule possum irae moderari, ingens indignatio animo oboritur. tune,
effeminatissime, tua manu cuiquam uiro mortem minitari[s]? at qua tandem
manu? Philomelae an Medeae an Clyteme[n]strae? quas tamen cum saltas --
tanta mo[l]litia animi, tanta formido ferri est -- , sine cludine saltas.
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