Chapter 1.Claudius Maximus, proconsul of Africa, is spoken of as having succeeded Lollianus Avitus. Lollianus Avitus was consul in 144a.d.As ten to thirteen years usually elapsed between tenure of the consulate and proconsulate, Lollianus Avitus may have been proconsul 154-7a.d., and Claudius Maximus 155-8a.d.
gentlemen who sit beside him on the bench.The governor of the province, when holding his assize, would be assisted by aconsiliumof assessors drawn partly from his staff, partly from the localconventus civium Romanorum.
Granii.Nothing is known of this suit. Granii are mentioned as connexions of Lollius Urbicus (C.I.L. viii. 6705).
Chapter 2.Lollius Urbicusis described a few lines lower down aspraefectus urbi, which is borne out by an inscription (C.I.L. vi. 28). The lawsuit of Aemilianus must therefore have been heard at Rome. The explanation of the wordsquam quidem vocem, &c., which follow, imply that Lollius was now in Numidia. This is possible enough since an inscription (C.I.L. viii. 6705) proves him to have been a native of Tiddis in Numidia. Thepraefectus urbiwas assisted by aconsilium, not byiudices. Here the members of theconsiliumare described asconsulares. [Cp. Karlowa, Röm. Rechtgesch., p. 551.]
Chapter 4.not merely in Latin but also in Greek.Cp. Florida, chaps.18and26.
Tannonius Pudens, an advocatus of the accusers and, presumably, a relative.
Homer, sc. Il. iii. 65.
Pythagoras, inventor of the termφιλοσοφία; cp. Diog. Laert. i, proem. 12. He was a native of Samos and migrated to Croton. SeeFlorida, chap. 15. Floruit circa 530b.c.
Zenoof Velia or Elea in Lucania was the founder of dialectic. Floruit circa 450b.c.
self inconsistency.The phraseargumenta ambifariam dissolvereis very obscure. I am indebted to Professor Cook Wilson for the following note. 'A comparison of the passage with the captious argument of Protagoras (Florida, chap. 17,ambifariam proposuit), which is in the form of a dilemma, might suggest thatambifariamin both places means "by dilemma". But this is not a natural way of describing the method of Zeno. The characteristic of his philosophy was, according to tradition, that he tried to prove the thesis of Parmenides negatively by disproving the hypothesis contradictory to it. The disproof consisted in showing that the hypothesis in question involved a contradiction. If, therefore,ambifariammeans "by dilemma" it would appear that Apuleius did not understand the true characteristic of Zeno's method; fordissolvereshould refer to Zeno's method of disproof, which is not properly called dilemma.
'But perhaps it is not necessary to assume such a mistake on the part of Apuleius.Ambifariammay mean "ambiguously" in the sense of involving both sides of a contradiction (i.e. both of two contradictory propositions). This would suit the Protagoras passage well, for the argument, as the context shows, involves a contradiction. Zeno's argumentation also could be correctly described asambifariam dissolvere, because he refuted the thesis opposed to that of Parmenides by showing that it involves a contradiction. Then the meaning of the passage would be that Zeno's cleverness (sollertissimum artificium) lay in the use of thereductio ad absurdumargument. In that case the translation would be as given in the text.' I find a confirmation of Professor Cook Wilson's view in the following line, cited from Timon of Phlius by Diog. Laert. ix. v. 2, where the wordἀμφοτερόγλωσσοςis used with reference to Zeno's methods of argument, sc.ἀμφοτερογλώσσου τε μέγα σθένος οὐκ ἀλαπαδνόν.
Plato, sc. Parmenides, 127b.
capital charge.There is an untranslatable pun here,capitalisbearing the double meaning 'capital' and 'pertaining to the head'.
Chapter 5.Statius Caecilius, one of the most famous writers of comedy. He died 168b.c.
Chapter 6.tooth-powder, clearly a magical compound according to the accusers.
Catullus, sc. xxxix. 17-21.
Chapter 7.the barrier of the teeth.Homer, Odyss. i. 64.
Chapter 8.the crocodile.See Herodotus ii. 68.
Chapter 9.Teian, sc. Anacreon, circa 520b.c.
Lacedaemonian, sc. Alcman, circa 650b.c.
Cean, sc. Simonides, circa 520b.c.
Lesbian, sc. Sappho, circa 600b.c.
Aedituus,Porcius,Catulus, erotic epigrammatists of the Republican period, 130-100b.c.The latter was Marius' colleague in the Cimbrian wars.
Solon.The line ascribed to Solon is almost too gross in the original to be genuine.
Diogenes, the founder of the Cynic school (died 324b.c.), wrote 'concerning marriage and the begetting of children' in an erotic fashion. Diog. Laert. vi. 2. 12.
Zenoof Citium, founder of the Stoic school (died 264b.c.), wrote an 'art of love'. Diog. Laert. vii. 21. 29.
Chapter 10.Ticidas, an erotic poet, contemporary with Catullus and, like him, belonging to the Alexandrian school.
Lucilius, the first of Rome's great satirists (148-103b.c.),famous for the extraordinary vigour with which he lashed the vices of the age. The allusion in the present passage is unknown, though a fragment is preserved containing the name of Macedo and possibly also of Gentius (cp. Baehrens, Fragm. Poet. Rom., p. 168).
the Mantuan poet.Vergil, Ecl. ii.
Serranus, the cognomen of Atilius Regulus, consul 257b.c., the famous Regulus of the first Punic war.
CuriusDentatus, thrice consul, and victor over the Samnites and Pyrrhus.
Fabricius, general in the war against Pyrrhus. Consul in 282 and 278b.c.These three great soldiers were selected as types of Roman virtue. Cp. Verg. Aen. vi. 485.
Dion, brother-in-law and son-in-law of Dionysius II, tyrant of Syracuse, the friend and pupil of Plato, and for a brief space tyrant of Syracuse.
Chapter 11.Catullusxvi. 5.
Hadrian, Emperor, 117-138a.d.
Voconius, mentioned here only.
Chapter 12.Venus is not one goddess but two.For this doctrine see Plato's Symposium, p. 181.
Afranius, the most famous writer of purely Roman comedy (fabulae togatae), floruit circa 110b.c.
Chapter 13.Ennius(239-169b.c.), the 'father of Roman Poetry'. Cp. Cic. de Or. ii. 156 'ac sic decrevi philosophari potius ut Neoptolemus apud Ennium "paucis: nam omnino haud placet"'.
the mirror, clearly regarded by the accusers, though Apuleius does not say so, as a magical instrument.
Chapter 15.The Lacedaemonian Agesilaus, the greatest of the Spartan kings, 440-360b.c.Cp. Cic. ad Fam. v. 12.
Socrates.Cp. Diog. Laert. ii. 5, 33.
DemosthenesandPlato. Cp. Quint. xii. 2. 22 and 10. 23.
Eubulides, a sophist of Miletus. Cp. Diog. Laert. ii. 10. 4.
the orator when he wrangles, &c. The pun oniurgari, 'wrangles,' andobiurgari, 'rebukes,' can scarcely be reproduced. 'Disproves' and 'disapproves' would weaken the translation.
Epicurusof Samos, born 342b.c.For his views on vision cp. Lucret. iv. 156, on mirrors, 293.
Plato.Cp. Timaeus, p. 46a, 'Within the eyes they (the gods) planted that variety of fire which does not burn, but it is called light homogeneous with the light without. We are enabled to see in the daytime, because the light within our eyes pours out through the centre of them and commingles with the light without. The two being thus confounded together transmit movements from every object they touch through the eye inward to the soul, and thus bring about the sensation of the sight.' Grote's Plato iii. 265.
Archytasof Tarentum, a Pythagorean (circa 400b.c.).The Stoics—believed that sight consisted in a refined fluid or visual effluence proceeding from the central intelligence through the eyes. 'In the process of seeing, theὁρατικὸν πνεῦμα(visual effluence) coming into the eyes from theἡγεμονικόν(central intelligence) gives a spherical form to the air before the eye by virtue of itsτονικὴ κίνησις(i.e. the tension it sets up), and by means of the sphere of air comes in contact with things; and since by this process rays of light emanate from the eye, darkness must be visible.' Zeller, The Stoics, Epicureans, and Sceptics, p. 209, note. Cp. Plut. Plac. Phil. iv. 15.
Chapter 16.two rival images of the sun.Apparently an allusion to the phenomenon of mock suns. Archimedes had, according to Apuleius, treated of the rainbow and the mock sun in connexion with his researches into mirrors.
Chapter 17.Marcus Antonius, the orator, born 143b.c., Consul 99b.c.
Carbo, consul 85-82b.c., one of the leaders of theMarian party and the chief opponent of Sulla after Marius' death.
Manius Curius.Seenote on chap. 10.
Marcus Cato, consul in 195b.c., conducted a successful campaign in Spain in that and the following year.
Chapter 18.Aristides, the Athenian statesman and general, surnamed the just, died circa 468b.c.
Phocion, an Athenian general and statesman, born 402b.c., died 317b.c.He was famous for his virtue and his poverty.
Epaminondas, the great Theban general who fell at Mantinea, 362b.c.He was of noble birth but poor.
Fabricius.Seenote on chap. 10.
Gnaeus Scipio.Cp. Val. Max. iv. 4. 10. 'In the second Punic war Gnaeus Scipio wrote to the senate from Spain, begging that he might be replaced in his command. For his daughter was now of marriageable age, but could not be provided with a dowry during his absence from Rome.'
Publicola(Valerius), colleague of Brutus in the consulship in the first year of the Republic.
Agrippa, Menenius, consul 503b.c., mediator between theplebsand the nobles in 493b.c., in which year he died.
Atilius Regulus.Seenote onSerranus, chap. 10.
Chapter 20.Philus, a sceptical academician, one of the circle of Scipio Africanus the younger.
Laelius, the intimate friend of the younger Africanus.
Crassus, the famous financier, triumvir with Caesar and Pompey.
Chapter 22.Crates.SeeFlorida 14for some account of him. The rest of the poem on his wallet is preserved by Diog. Laert. vi. 5. 1, but is scarcely worth quoting.
Antisthenes, the founder of the Cynic school of philosophy, flourished circa 366b.c.He was the teacher of Diogenes.
Chapter 24.Lollianus Avitus.Seenote on Claudius Maximus, chap. 1.
Anacharsis, a Scythian prince who travelled far in search of knowledge. He came to Athens in the time of Solon and created a great impression by his wisdom.
Meletides(or more properly Melitides) was an Athenian of proverbial stupidity, whose name was synonymous for blockhead. Eustathius on Odyss. x. 552, says that he could not count above five or distinguish between his father and mother!
Syphax, king of the Massaesyli in W. Numidia, fought for the Carthaginians during the second Punic war, and was finally defeated and captured by Scipio in 203b.c.After his fallMasinissa, King of the Massyli, was left supreme in Numidia.
duumvir.The chief magistrates in acoloniawere styledduumviri iure dicundo.
the dignity of my position.This is generally interpreted as meaning that Apuleius himself had becomeduumvir. It is more likely, considering his age and his continued absences from Madaura, that it means merely the position acquired for him by his father's distinguished office.
Chapter 25.Magician is the Persian word for priest.'The namemagiapplied to all workers of miracles, strictly designates the priests of Mazdeism, and well-attested tradition made certain Persians the inventors of genuine magic, the magic which the Middle Ages styled the black art. If they did not invent it, for it is as old as humanity, they were at least the first to give magic a doctrinal basis and to assign it a place in a well-defined theological system.... By the Alexandrian period, books attributed to Zoroaster, Hostanes, and Hystaspes were translated into Greek.' Cumont, Les Religions Orientales dans le Paganisme Romain, p. 227. Cp. Pliny, N.H. xxx. 7.Plato, Alcibiades i. 121e.
Zoroaster, son of Oromazes, the founder of the ancient religion of Persia (Mazdeism).
Chapter 26.Plato.The allusion is to Charmides, p. 157a. Socrates offers Charmides a charm to cure the headache. But the charm will do more than cure the headache. 'I learnt it, when serving with the army, of one of the physicians of the Thracian King Zamolxis. He was one of those who are said to give immortality. This Thracian said to me ... "Zamolxis, our king, who is also a god, says that as you ought not to attempt to cure the eyes without the head or the head without the eyes, so neither ought you to attempt to cure the body without the soul,"... "For all good and evil, whether in the body or in human nature, originates, as he declared, in the soul, and overflows from thence, as from the head into the eyes. And therefore if the head and body are to be well, you must begin by curing the soul; that is the first thing. And the cure has to be effected by the use of certain charms,and these charms are fair words; and by them temperance is implanted in the soul, and where temperance is, there health is speedily implanted, not only to the head, but to the whole body."' (Jowett's Translation.) Apuleius scarcely makes a fair use of Plato's words, which he has so far detached from their context as to give them almost entirely a new meaning.
Zamolxis, probably an indigenous deity of the Getae. Greek legend made him a Getan slave of Pythagoras, who on manumission went home, became priest of the chief deity of the Getae, and taught the Pythagorean doctrine of the immortality of the soul.
Chapter 27.Anaxagorasof Clazomenae, born about 499b.c.He came to Athens and had great influence there, being the friend of Pericles and Euripides. He was, however, banished for unorthodoxy and died at Lampsacus aged 72.
Leucippus, the founder of the atomic theory. His exact date and place of birth are uncertain.
Democritusof Abdera, born about 450b.c.He developed the atomic theory of Leucippus.
Epicurus, like Democritus and Leucippus, maintained the atomic theory. Cp.note on chap. 15.
Epimenides, a seer and prophet of Crete who purified Athens of the plague with which she was afflicted in consequence of the crime of Cylon, circa 596b.c.
Ostanes, or Hostanes, a famous semi-fabulous magician of Persia.
the 'purifications' of Empedocles.Empedocles of Agrigentum (flourished circa 450b.c.) wrote a poem of 3,000 lines, entitled 'purifications' (καθαρμοί). In this he recommended good moral conduct as a means of averting epidemics and other evils. But as a fragment quoted by Diog. Laert. viii. 59, shows, he claimed also to have power over the winds.
the 'demon' of Socrates, the divine sign or voice (δαιμόνιον), which is represented by Socrates as having guided his actions, is never spoken of by him in terms that would lead us to suppose that he regarded it as a familiar spirit, though it is so treated by later writers (e.g. Plutarch, de genio Socratis, and Apuleius, de deo Socratis).
the 'good' of Plato.The reference is probably to the identification ofτὸ ἀγαθόνwith theδημιουργόςthe creator spoken of in the Timaeus.
Chapter 30.Vergil.Cp. Ecl. viii. 64-82. Aen. iv. 513-16.
the wondrous talisman.The allusion is to thehippomanesor growth said to be found on the forehead of a new-born foal. Unless the mother was prevented she devoured it.
Theocritus, sc. Id. ii.
Homer, e.g. the adventures with Circe.
Orpheus.See the Orphica (Abel),Fr.172; Argonaut. 955 sqq. Lithica 172 sqq.
Laevius.The MSS. give Laelius. But no poet Laeliusis known. There was, however, a poetLaeviusat the beginning of the first centuryb.c.
the lover's knot.The Latin isantipathes, explained by Abt (Apologie des Apuleius, p. 103) asquod mutuum affectum provocat.
the magic wheelspun rapidly to draw the beloved to the lover. Cp. Theocr. ii. 30. 'And as this brazen wheel spins, so may Delphis be spun by Aphrodite to my door.'
nails.Portions of the beloved were valuable ingredients in charms. Cp. Apul. Metamorph. bk. iii, 16, 17, where hair from the beloved's head is required.
ribbonsused as fillets during the ritual. Cp.chap. 30, 'soft garlands.'
the two-tailed lizard.Theocr. ii. 57, testifies to the use of the lizard as a love charm. A magic papyrus from Egypt (Griffiths Thompson, col. xiii (23), p. 97) mentions a two-tailed lizard as an ingredient in a charm to cause death.
the charm that glads, &c., sc.hippomanes; seenoteon preceding page.
Chapter 31.Homer.Iliad xi. 741. Odyssey iv. 229.
Proteus.Odyssey iv. 364.
Ulysses.Odyssey xi. 25.
Aeolus.Odyssey x. 19.
Helen.Odyssey iv. 59.
Circe.Odyssey x. 234.
Venus.Iliad xiv. 214.
Mercury.Cp. the magic hymn contained in a magical papyrus (Papyr. Lond. 46. 414). 'Thou art told of as foreknower of the fates and as the godlike dream sending oracles both by day and night.'
Trivia= Hecate.
Salacia, a Roman sea-goddess, the wife of Neptune.
Portumnus, the Roman harbour-god.
Chapter 32.Menelaus.Hom. Odyss. iv. 368.
Chapter 35.A shell for the making of a will.The puntesta ad testamentumcannot be reproduced in English.
seaweed for an ague.Here again there is an untranslatable jest.Alga(seaweed) suggestsalgere, 'to be cold,' one of the symptoms of the ague (querceram).
Chapter 36.Theophrastusof Eresus, the favourite pupil of Aristotle.
Eudemusof Rhodes, also a disciple of Aristotle.
Lyconof Troas, a distinguished Peripatetic philosopher (floruit circa 272b.c.).
Chapter 39.Quintus Ennius, 239-169b.c.The lines which follow are all that survive of the Hedyphagetica. They seem to be closely imitated from the Gastronomia of Archestratus quoted by Athenaeus iii, pp. 92. 300. 318. There is great uncertainty as to the text, and but few of the fish mentioned can be identified with any certainty.
Chapter 40.Homer.Odyssey xix. 456.
Chapter 41.And yet it is a greater crime, &c. An allusion to the vegetarianism of the Pythagoreans and others.
Nicanderof Colophon, an Alexandrian didactic poet. Theθηριακάsurvives, is over 1,000 lines long, and deals with the bites of wild beasts.
Plato.The words are not actually found in Plato's extant works; Apuleius is probably slightly misquoting Timaeus 59c.
Chapter 42.Varro(Marcus Terentius), 116-28b.c.The most learned and voluminous of Roman authors.
an image of Mercury.Clearly the reference is to some such practice as that of 'screeing' in the ink-pool. Cp. Kinglake, Eothen, chap. 18.
Cato(the famous Marcus Cato, seechap. 17, note) was priest of Apollo and received offerings to the god.
Chapter 43.Plato.Sympos. 202, whereδαίμονεςare spoken of as powers 'which interpret and convey to the godsthe prayers and sacrifices of men and to men the commands and rewards of gods.' Also cp. de deo Socratis, chap. 6.
fair and unblemished of body.Beauty and virginity are insisted on in various passages in the magical papyri (see Abt op. cit., p. 185) as necessary in the boy through whom the god is to speak. Cp. also Benvenuto Cellini's Autobiography (Symond's Translation, p. 126, ed. 1901).
Pythagoras.'I think also it was said by the Pythagoreans respecting those who teach for the sake of reward, that they show themselves to be worse than statuaries or those artists who perform their work sitting. For these, when some one orders them to make a statue of Hermes, search for wood adapted to the reception of the proper form; but those pretend that they can readily produce the works of virtue from every nature.' Iamblichus, Life of Pythagoras, chap. 34 (Taylor's Translation).
Chapter 44.as might fairly be produced at a sacrifice, &c. The divination is preceded by sacrifice just as in Benvenuto Cellini (loc. cit.) the sorcerer first burns incense. The head is touched as being the source from which the oracle is to proceed (arx et regia, chap. 50). The clean robe is necessary, to ritual purity and is mentioned more than once in the magic papyri.
Chapter 45.Gagatesis, according to Pliny, N.H. xxxvi. 141, 2, a black smooth stone, resembling pumice. It is light and fragile and differs but little from wood. When powdered it emits a strong odour; when burned it smells sulphurous, and, wonderful to relate, it is kindled by water and extinguished by oil.
Chapter 47.Twelve Tables.In this, the earliest Roman code, punishment was imposed on any personqui fruges excantassit, orqui malum carmen incantassit. Pliny, N.H. xxviii. 2. 17.
Quindecimvirs.Thequindecimviri sacris faciundiswere priests of Apollo and had charge of the Sibylline books.
Chapter 49.The Timaeus, pp. 82-6.
Thethree powers that make up the soulare those mentioned in the Timaeus, 35 sqq., i.e.Same,Other, andEssence.
Chapter 50.The Comitial sickness, so called because, if a case of epilepsy occurred during the meeting of thecomitia, the assembly was immediately broken up.
Chapter 51.The Problems.Aristot. Fr. ed. Rose, p. 181.
Theophrastus, cp. fragm. 175w. Diog. Laert. v. 2. 13.
Chapter 52.Thallus contracts his hands, &c. 'Thallus manus contrahit, tu patronos.' The pun is (a) bad and (b) untranslatable into reasonably good English. The literal meaning is 'Thallus contracts his hands, you collect advocates'.
Chapter 55.The comrades of Ulysses, &c. Odyss. x. 28-55.
Aesculapius.Cp.Florida 18.
the mysteries of father Liber.The mysterious object is probably the mystic casket (cista) containing theφάλλος, emblem of fertility.
Chapter 56.The followers of Orpheus and Pythagorasabstained from the slaying of animals for the service of man. Cp. Herodotus ii. 81.
Mezentius.Cp. Verg. Aen. vii. 647 'contemptor divom'.
Chapter 57.Ulysses.Odyss i. 58.
Chapter 62.High and low through all the town.The pun onoppido, 'exceedingly,' andoppido, 'town,' does not admit of reproduction.
Chapter 64.The Phaedrus, 247. 'For the immortal souls, when they are at the end of their course, go out and stand upon the back of heaven, and the revolution of the spheres carries them round and they behold the world beyond. Now of the heaven which is above the heavens, no earthly poet has sung or ever will sing in a worthymanner. But I must tell, for I am bound to speak truly when speaking of the truth. The colourless and formless and intangible essence is visible to the mind, which is the only lord of the soul. Circling around this in the region above the heavens is the place of true knowledge.' (Jowett's Translation).
The King.The passage quoted is from Plato, Epist. ii, p. 312 (403). It goes on to say 'and he is the cause of all things that are beautiful'. Compare theνοῦς βασιλεύςidentified with the cosmic soul in the Philebus 29e-30a.
Chapter 65.The Laws, pp. 955, 6. It is possible thatμονόξυλονmay mean 'of one wood only'.
Chapter 66.Marcus Antonius,Cnaeus Carbo, &c. Of thesecauses célèbresnothing is known worthy of mention here. Apuleius errs in saying that Mucius accused Albucius. As a matter of fact Albucius accused Mucius on the ground of extortion. Cp. Cic. Brut. 26. 102. For the suit between Metellus and Curio cp. Ascon. in Cornel. 63. Cnaeus Norbanus should probably be Caius Norbanus, and Caius Furius, Lucius Fufius. Cp. Cic. de Off. ii. 14. 49, de Or. ii. 21. 89, and Cic. Brut. 62. 222, de Off. ii. 14. 50.
Chapter 73.A discourse in public.Fragments of such discourses are to be found in the Florida.
Chapter 75.His gold rings.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 obtaining office. SeeAnulus, Dict. Ant.
Chapter 78.When you dance in those characters.Tragedy proper had been replaced on the Roman stage by thesaltica fabula, in which thepantomimusexecuted a mimetic dance illustrating a libretto sung by a chorus.
Chapter 81.Palamedeswas famous for having detected the pretended madness of Ulysses, by which he sought to avoid going upon the expedition to Troy. Ulysses was ploughing and Palamedes placed the infant Telemachusin front of the ploughshare. Ulysses revealed his sanity by stopping the plough.
Sisyphus, King of Corinth, was famous as a master of all manner of deceit, outwitting even the arch-thief Autolycus. He was finally cast into Tartarus for having discovered the amour of Zeus with the nymph Aegina.
Eurybates(or Eurybatus) coupled with Phrynondas by Plato (Protagoras 327). He was an Ephesian sent by Croesus to Greece with a large sum of money to hire mercenaries. He betrayed his trust and went over to Cyrus.
Phrynondas, a stranger (probably a Boeotian) who lived at Athens during the Peloponnesian war and became proverbial as a scoundrel.
clowns and pantaloons.MaccusandBuccowere stock characters in the Atellan farce.
Chapter 85.The viper.This superstition arises from the fact that the viper does not lay eggs, but is viviparous.
a well-known line.The author is unknown.
Chapter 87.Quite at home in Greek.Seenote on chap. 4.
Chapter 88.The line so well known in comedy.The reading nearest to the MSS. would beπαίδων ἐπ’ ἀπότῳ, γνησίων ἐπί σπορᾷ(Van der Vliet). Unless, however, the phraseπαίδων ἐπ’ ἀπότῳ γνησίωνis a stock phrase which occurred in more than one comedy, which might perhaps be argued from the pluralcomoediis, there can be no doubt that the wordsἐπί σπορᾷare interpolated, inasmuch as the line occurs in the fragment of theπερικειρομένηof Menander, discovered at Oxyrhynchus by Drs. Greenfell and Hunt (Ox. Pap. ii, No. 211, p. 11 sqq.), and runs as follows
Serranus.Seenote on chap. 10.
Chapter 89.Multiplying by four.The pun in the wordquadruplatorcannot be reproduced in English. The name was given to a public informer who sued for a fourfold penalty.
a slip in the gesture.Bede (Op. Colon.,mdcxii, vol. i, p. 132b) says, 'When you say ten, you will place the nail of the forefinger against the middle joint of the thumb, when you say thirty, you will join the nails of thumb and forefinger in a gentle embrace.' Here the MSS. readadperisse, which suggestsaperuisse. Butaperuissedoes not naturally express the gesture described by Bede, and Helm's emendationadgessisseseems necessary.
Chapter 90.Carmendas,Damigeron, &c.Carmendasis unknown.Damigeronis mentioned elsewhere as a magician (Tertull. de Anima, 57), but nothing is known of him.Mosesappears as a magician in the magical papyri (Griffiths Thompson pap. col. v, p. 47 (13)). The miracles wrought by Moses in Egypt sufficiently account for this.Jannes, one of the Egyptian magicians worsted by Moses. Cp. Epistle to Timothy ii. 3. 8.Apollobex, a magician namedApollobechesis mentioned by Pliny, N.H. xxx. 9, as also isDardanus. ForOstanesandZoroastersee chaps.25and27, notes.
Chapter 95.Cato, the earliest of the great orators of Rome: for his excellences see Cicero, Brutus, 65 sqq. (Cp.note on chap. 17).
Laelius, seenote on chap. 20. Cicero selectslenitasas the chief characteristic of his style (de Orat. iii. 7. 28).
Gracchus(Caius Sempronius) was famous for the fire of his oratory (cp. Cic. Brut. 125, 126, de Orat. iii. 56. 214).
Caesaris generally praised chiefly forelegantiain his oratory, rather than for his warmth (cp. Cic. Brut. 252, 261, Quint. x. 1. 114).
Hortensius, Cicero's chief rival: a master of the Asiatic style (cp. Cic. Brut. 228, 9. 302, 3. 325-8).
Calvus, a contemporary of Cicero. One of the chief representatives of the Attic style (cp. Cic. Brut. 283).
Sallust, the famous historian.
Chapter 98.The garb of manhood.He had already assumed thetoga virilis, cp.chap. 88. This must be taken metaphorically = 'You let him behave like a man.'
Chapter 101.He who can plead in court, &c. There is a play onperorare(= to plead in court) andexorare(= to win over his mother by prayer).
Chapter 102.What a criminal use of love-philtres, &c. There is a pun onveneficiumandbeneficiumwhich cannot be reproduced.
Chapter 2.Plautus.Truculentus, ii. 6. 8.
the great poet.Homer, Iliad, iii. 12.
Chapter 3.Vergil.Ecl. iii. 27.
Chapter 4.Antigenidas, a famous musician of the first half of the fourth centuryb.c.Others attribute the grievance to his pupil Ismenias. This story is also told by Dio Chrysostom xlix.
Chapter 6.Nabataea, a district at the north-east end of the Red Sea.
Arsaces, a king of Persia (perhaps Artaxerxes II, 379b.c.) from whom the Parthian kings traced their descent. HereArsacidae= Parthians.
Ityraea, a district under Mount Hermon to the north of Bashan.
Ganges.The quotation is from Statius, Silvae, ii. 4. 25.
wash gold.Lat.colare= to strain, sift.
Chapter 7.Alexander.This story of his portraits istold by many writers, though Lysippus is substituted for Polycletus by the more accurate, inasmuch as Polycletus was a sculptor of the fifth century, and contemporary with Pheidias! This is quite characteristic of Apuleius.
Apelles, the greatest of Greek painters, floruit circa 332b.c.
Pyrgoteles, one of the most famous gem-engravers of Greece. Little is known of him beyond this story.
the professor's gown.Cp. Aulus Gellius, ix. 2, where a man with a long beard and huge cloak tries to persuade Herodes Atticus that he is a philosopher. Herodes replies, 'I see the cloak and the gown, but not the philosopher.'
Chapter 9.Hippias of Elis, one of the early sophists (middle of the fifth centuryb.c.); cp. Plat. Hipp. Min. 368b.
the reciter's wand.It was the custom in Greece for a reciter to hold in his hand a wand orῥάβδος.
Severianus, proconsul of Africa between 161 and 169a.d., as is shown by the wordsthe two Caesars, M. Aurelius and L. Verus.
Chapter 10.The Sun.The passage quoted is from some unknown tragedy, perhaps a Phoenissae, cp. Eur. Phoen. 1.
Mercury.Those born under Mercury had a 'mercurial' disposition, those under Mars a 'martial' temper (cp.ignita).
other divine influences that lie midway.Cp.note on Apologia, chap. 43.
Chapter 11.darnel.The quotation is from Vergil, Georgic i. 154. Cp. also Ecl. v. 37.
Chapter 14.Crates.Cp.Florida 22, andApologia, chap. 22.
Chapter 15.Polycrates, floruit circa 530b.c.
Pythagoras.Seenote on Apologia, chap. 4.
Pherecydes.Seenote on Apologia, ch. 27.
Anaximander, an Ionian philosopher, born 610b.c.
Epimenides.Seenote on Apologia, chap. 27.
Creophylus, an early epic poet, reputed author of the 'Capture of Oechalia', which he was said to have received from Homer as the dowry of the latter's daughter.
Leodamas.Nothing is known of this Leodamas. Apuleius may have made a slip and written Leodamas for Hermodamas, who is mentioned by Diog. Laert. viii. 2, as the descendant of Creophylus.
Chapter 16.Philemonwas a writer of the 'new', not the 'middle' comedy.
'farewell' and 'applaud'.Cp. the well-known epitaph:—'iam mea peracta, mox vestra agetur fabula: valete et plaudite.'
Aemilianus Strabowasconsul suffectusin 156a.d.See Prosopographia imp. Rom. part 3. nr. 674, p. 275.
while breath still, &c., from Vergil, Aeneid iv. 336.
priesthoodof the province of Africa. SeeIntroduction,p. 12.
Chapter 17.Scipio Orfitus, proconsul of Africa, 163, 4a.d.See Prosopographia imp. Rom. part 1, nr. 1184, p. 464.
Orpheus to woods, &c., from Vergil, Eclogue vii. 56.
Chapter 18.the tragic poet.Unknown.
Plautus.Truculentus, prologue 1-3.
no rose without a thorn.The Latin isubi uber, ibi tuber. Wherever you get rich soil, there you will find pignuts.
the council of Africawas theoretically an association for the worship of the imperial house. It had some political importance, however, inasmuch as it might criticize the governor and forward its criticisms to the Emperor at Rome.
Protagoras, a famous sophist of Abdera (latter half of fifth century).
dilemma.Seenote on Apologia, chap. 9,self-inconsistency. A closely parallel story is told of Corax and Tisias, rhetoricians slightly earlier in date.
Thales of Miletus, the first of the great mathematicians and physical philosophers of Greece: one of the seven sages. He flourished towards the end of the seventh centuryb.c.
Chapter 19.Asclepiades, a famous physician from Bithynia, of the first half of the first centuryb.c.
Chapter 20.The first cup, &c. The wise author of this saying was, according to Diog. Laert, i. 72, Anacharsis.
Empedocles.Seenote on Apologia, chap. 27.
Epicharmus, a famous comic poet of Megara in Sicily. He flourished early in the fifth centuryb.c.
Xenocrates.Diog. Laert. mentions five writers of this name, none of them of any great importance. It is possible that we should readXenophanes, who, according to Diog. Laert. ix. 10, wrotesilli, a form of lampoon or satire. He was the founder of the Eleatic school and probably flourished about 500b.c.
Chapter 22.Crates pure and simple, i.e. by his renunciation of the world described inchap. 15.
Chapter 24.The MSS. give this as a prologue to the de deo Socratis. It belongs, however, manifestly to the Florida.
Aristippus, founder of the Cyrenaic school, a friend and younger contemporary of Socrates.
OXFORDPRINTED AT THE CLARENDON PRESSBY HORACE HART, M.A.PRINTER TO THE UNIVERSITY