LIFE OF APULEIUS

of the priests of Isis, who played upon his superstition and curiosity to their hearts’ content. He was first initiated into the mysteries of Isis.¹ A few days after this event the goddess appeared to him in a vision and bade him set forth homeward.² He subsequently took ship for Rome, where he dwelt, a fervent worshipper at the temple of Isis on the Campus Martius.³ Once more visions of the night began to afflict him; he consulted the priests and discovered the cause; he required yet to be initiated into the mysteries of Osiris.⁴ The priests of Cenchreae had worked upon his credulity to such good effect that he found himself in serious financial difficulties, but by prodigious efforts of economy he succeeded in scraping together a sufficient sum to provide for the expense of this fresh initiation.⁵ But his troubles were not at an end. The Roman priests insisted on his being re-initiated into the mysteries of Isis. This time funds were not lacking to meet the expenses thus entailed. By practising as a rhetorician, he had succeeded in providing more than adequately for his needs.⁶ Apart from these possibly rather dubious details from the Metamorphoses,

¹ Met. xi. 21–4.          ² Ib. 24.
³ Ib. 26. He arrives on the eve of the Ides of December.
⁴ Ib. 27.
⁵ Met. xi. 28 original: "postremo iussus, ueste ipsa mea quamuis paruula distracta, sufficientem conrasi summulam." finally, being commanded, after selling my own garment, however small, I scraped together a sufficient sum. This does not seriously conflict with the statement made by Apuleius in the Apologia (c. 23) that his patrimonium inheritance was original: "modice imminutum." moderately diminished. The account in Met. xi. is probably exaggerated, quite legitimately for the sake of effect, or we may suppose that Apuleius was unable to obtain ready money at that distance from his home.
⁶ Met., l. c. original: "quae res . . . uictum uberiorem subministrabat, quidni, spiritu fauentis Euentus quaesticulo forensi nutrito per patrocinia sermonis Romani." which matter... provided a more abundant livelihood; and why not, with my small professional gain nurtured by the spirit of the favoring Event through the advocacy of Roman speech. This is sometimes asserted to mean that he practised at the Roman bar. patrocinia sermonis Romani points rather to rhetoric, pure and simple. Rhetoric was, moreover, considered the more honourable profession by the ‘ new sophists ’ (cp. Rohde, Griech. Roman, p. 303). Further, we may compare the undoubted reference to rhetoric in Apol. 34 original: "eloquentiae patrocinium." the advocacy of eloquence. quaesticulo forensi (l. c.) and stipendiis forensibus (Met. xi. 30) are quite consistent with this view. Rhetoricians taught in the forum; cp. Hieron. ad a. p. Chr. 352; Aus. Prof. Burd. iii. 7; August. Conf. i. 16; and also the words which follow Met. ix in F original: "in foro Martis controuersiam declamans oratori Endelechio." declaiming a controversy in the Forum of Mars for the orator Endelechius. Cp. Helm, Introd. to Florida, pp. xiii, xiv.