Section 26

1. Sed iam fīnem liber postulat, sermō claudendus est, nōn quod omnia, quae dē Martīnō fuerint dīcenda, dēfēcerint, sed quia nōs, ut inertēs poētae, extrēmō in opere neglegentēs, victī materiae mōle succumbimus. 2. nam etsi facta illius explicārī verbīs utcumque potuērunt, interiōrem vītam illius et conversātiōnem cōtīdiānam et animum caelō semper intentum nūlla umquam — vērē prōfiteor — nūlla explicābit ōrātio. illam scīlicet persevērantiam et temperāmentum in abstinentiā et in iēiuniīs, potentiam in vigiliīs et ōrātiōnibus, noctēsque ab eō perinde ac diēs āctās nūllumque vacuum ab opere Deī tempus, quō vel otiō indūlserit vel negōtiō, sed nē cibō quidem aut somnō, nisi quantum natūrae necessitās cōgēbat, 3. vērē fatēbor, nōn sī ipse, ut āiunt, ab īnferīs Homērus ēmergeret, posset expōnere: adeo omnia, māiōra in Martīnō sunt quam ut verbīs concipī queant. numquam hōra ulla mōmentumque praeteriit, quō nōn aut ōrātiōnī incumberet aut īnsisteret lēctiōnī, quamquam etiam inter legendum aut sī quid aliud forte agēbat, numquam animum ab ōrātiōne laxābat. 4. nimīrum ut fabrīs ferrāriīs mōris est, quī inter operandum prō quōdam labōris levāmine incūdem suam feriunt, ita Martīnus etiam, dum aliud agere viderētur, semper ōrābat. 5. ō vēre vir beātus, in quō dolus nōn fuit: nēminem iūdicāns, nēminem damnāns, nūllī malum prō malō reddēns. tantam quippe adversum omnēs iniūriās patientiam assumpserat, ut, cum esset summus sacerdōs, impūnē etiam ab īnfimīs clēricīs laederētur, nec propter id eōs aut locō umquam āmōverit aut ā suā, quantum in ipsō fuit, cāritāte reppulerit.

    non quod omnia . . . defecerint: 'not because all the things have been exhausted.' defecerint is pf. subjunctive in a causal clause, after non quod introducing a reason expressly to deny it: AG 540 Note 3 (> deficio, -ere, -feci, -fectum: run out, cease, disappear).

    quae fuerint dicenda: 'which needed to be said'. fuerint is pf. subj. in a relative clause of characteristic.

    utcumque: 'somehow or other'.

    nulla . . . nulla: both with oratio, repeated for emphasis. oratio here means 'discourse, treatise'. Just below, orationibus refers to Martin's praying.

    illam scilicet . . . exponere: The subject of this long sentence is Homerus, the main verb posset: 'not if, as they say, Homer himself should emerge from the underworld, would he be able to express (exponere) . . . .' The series of accusatives at the beginning are direct objects of exponere.

    illam scilicet perseverantiam: 'I mean the sort of perseverance'. This and the following accusatives are the direct objects of exponere below.

    perinde ac: 'in the same way as'.

    quo indulserit: 'with which he devoted himself to/indulged in', > indulgeo, -ēre, -dulsi, -tum, pf. subjunctive in a relative clause of characteristic. The antecedent of quo is the idea of Martin's energy and self-control, taken from the first part of the sentence as a whole. indulgeo regularly takes the dative, and is here followed by four: otio . . . negotio . . . cibo . . . somno. With the first pair of objects the verb means 'devoted himself to', with the second pair, 'indulged in'.

    nisi quantum: 'except in so far as'.

    vere fatebor: 'I will tell you truly', parenthetical.

    adeo omnia maiora in Martino sunt quam ut verbis concipi queant: 'to such an extent are all things in Martin greater than can be expressed in words'.

    ut fabrīs ferrāriīs moris est: 'as is customary for blacksmiths' (faber ferrarius, fabri ferrarii, m.; mos, moris, m.)

    pro quodam laboris levamine: 'as a kind of lightening of their labor'.

    incudem: 'anvil' (> incus, incudis, f.).

    loco . . . amoverit: 'removed from his position'. As bishop Martin had the authority to dismiss priests.

    quantum in ipso fuit: 'was much as was in him', i.e., as much as he could.

    iners -ertis: without force, sluggish

    neglegō neglegere neglēxī neglēctum: not choose, not heed; disregard

    mōlēs -is f.: shapeless mass

    succumbō -cumbere -cubuī -cubitum: fall down, succumb, yield

    explicō -plicāre -plicuī or -plicāvī -plicātum: unfold; release, explain

    utcumque: (adv.) in whatever way, however

    interior -ōris: inner, interior, innermost

    conversātiō -ōnis f.: frequent use; dealing, conversation

    cotīdiānus -a -um: daily

    persevērantia -ae f.: steadfastness, perseverance

    temperāmentum -ī n.: proper measure, moderation

    abstinentia -ae f.: abstinence, self-restraint

    iēiūnium -ī n.: a fast-day, fast

    potentia -ae f.: might, force, power

    vigilia -ae f.: sleeplessness; vigilance

    perinde: (adv.) in like manner, just so

    indulgeō indulgēre indulsī indultum: indulge in; concede, grant, allow (+ dat.)

    ēmergō -mergere -mersī -mersum: bring or come forth

    queō quīre quīvī quitum: be able

    mōmentum -ī n.: short time, moment

    incumbō -cumbere -cubuī -cubitum: lie upon; apply one's self to, exert one's self

    īnsistō -sistere -stitī: enter upon, pursue; devote one's self to (+ dat.)

    lēctiō -ōnis f.: a reading

    laxō laxāre: loosen, slacken; open

    nīmīrum: (adv.) without doubt, indisputably, certainly

    faber -brī m.: workman, artisan

    ferrārius -a -um: of iron

    levāmen -inis n.: relief, solace, comfort

    incūs -ūdis f.: anvil

    adversum -i n.: misfortune, calamity, adversity

    impūnē: without fear of punishment, with impunity

    clēricus -ī m.: clergyman, priest

    āmoveō -movēre -mōvī -mōtum: remove, take away

    cāritās -ātis f.: dearness

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    Suggested Citation

    Christopher Francese, Sulpicius Severus: Life of St. Martin. Carlisle, Pennsylvania: Dickinson College Commentaries, 2011. ISBN: 978-1-947822-03-0. https://dcc.dickinson.edu/ar/sulpicius-severus/section-26