Introduction

There was a woman named Aemilia Pudentilla, the widow of Sicinius Amicus, with whom she had two sons: Sicinius Pontianus and his younger brother, Sicinius Pudens. Pontianus was already a friend of Apuleius Apuleius (c. 124 – c. 170 AD) was a Latin-language prose writer, philosopher, and rhetorician, most famous for his novel 'The Golden Ass'.; they had become acquainted while studying in Athens, where a close intimacy had developed between them as they lived in the same lodgings.

Upon hearing of Apuleius’ illness, Pontianus visited him at the home of their mutual friends, the Appii, where Apuleius was staying. The reasons behind Pontianus’ visit were quite remarkable. His grandfather had been determined that Pudentilla should marry a second time, specifically to his own son (and her brother-in-law), Sicinius Clarus. To enforce this, the grandfather—who served as the legal guardian for the two boys—threatened to disinherit Pontianus and Pudens from their father’s estate if their mother married anyone else.

Under this pressure, she allowed herself to be betrothed to Sicinius Clarus—whom Apuleius describes as "a boorish and decrepit old man"—but she successfully delayed the wedding until her father-in-law’s death finally freed her from the predicament. Once Pontianus and Pudens inherited their grandfather's property, Pudentilla felt she was finally at liberty to choose a husband for herself.

She informed her sons of her plans. Pontianus approved, but he remained cautious; the inheritance he and Pudens had received from their grandfather was modest, and his future wealth depended entirely on eventually inheriting his mother’s vast fortune, which amounted to four million sesterces A sesterce was a silver or bronze coin of the Roman Republic and Empire; 4,000,000 was an enormous sum, roughly equivalent to £40,000 at the time of this book's publication.. Consequently, he was desperate for his mother to marry an honorable man who could be trusted to treat his step-sons fairly. At this point, in the very