Section 27

1. Nēmō umquam illum vīdit īrātum, nēmō commōtum, nēmō maerentem, nēmō rīdentem; ūnus īdemque fuit semper: caelestem quōdammodo laetitiam vultū praeferēns extrā nātūram hominis vidēbātur. numquam in illius ōre nisi Christus, 2. numquam in illius corde nisi pietās, nisi pax, nisi misericordia inerat. plērumque etiam prō eōrum, quī illius obtrectātōrēs vidēbantur, solēbat flēre peccātīs, quī remōtum et quiētum venēnātīs linguīs et vīpereō ōre carpēbant. 3. et vērē nōnnūllos expertī sumus invidōs virtūtis vītaeque eius, quī in illō ōderant, quod in sē nōn vidēbant et quod imitārī nōn valēbant. atque, ō nefās dolendum et ingemēscendum, nōn aliī ferē īnsectātōrēs eius, licet paucī admodum, nōn aliī tamen quam epīscopī ferēbantur. 4. nec vērō quemquam nōminārī necesse est, licet nōsmet ipsōs plērīque circumlātrent: sufficiet ut, sī quī ex hīs haec lēgerit et agnōverit, ērubēscat. nam sī īrāscitur, dē sē dictum fatēbitur, cum fortasse nōs dē aliīs sēnserimus. 5. nōn refugimus autem, ut, sī quī eius modī sunt, nōs quoque cum tālī virō ōderint. 6. illud facile cōnfīdō, omnibus sānctīs opusculum istud gratum fore. dē cēterō sī quī haec īnfidēliter lēgerit, ipse peccābit. 7. ego mihi cōnscius sum mē, rērum fidē et amōre Christī impulsum ut scrīberem, manifesta exposuisse, vēra dīxisse: parātumque, ut spērō, habēbit ā Deō praemium, nōn quīcumque lēgerit, sed quīcumque crēdiderit.

    commotum: 'agitated', 'worked-up'.

    quodammodo: 'in a certain way', 'a kind of'.

    extra naturam hominis videbatur: 'he seemed above human nature'.

    numquam in illius ore nisi Christus: 'never (was anything) on his lips except Christ'.

    pro eorum . . . peccatis: 'for the sins of those'.

    remotum et quietum: substantival, 'a secluded and quiet man', i.e. Martin.

    qui in illo oderant quod: 'who hated in him that which'.

    ingemescendum: 'lamentable'.

    non alii . . . non alii . . . quam: 'none other than' (repeated for emphasis).

    fere: 'for the most part', 'mostly'.

    licet pauci admodum: 'though quite few'.

    ferebantur: 'were said (to be)'.

    licet nosmet ipsos plerique circumlatrent: 'although quite a few are barking all around at me myself', a reference to Sulpicius' critics, who claimed that he exaggerated Martin's abilities. circumlatrent (> circumlatro (1)) is subj. in concessive clause (AG 527).

    sufficiet ut: 'it will be sufficient that'.

    ex his: 'of these men', i.e., from among the critics.

    dictum: (sc. esse) 'that it has been said' (indirect statement after fatebitur).

    non refugimus . . . ut: 'I do not mind that'.

    nos quoque: 'me too', another polite 1st person plural, referring to Sulpicius himself.

    opusculum istud: 'the present work'. Opusculum is diminutive of opus, used here for modesty. iste = meus is late Latin. See Lönnergen, De Syntaxi Sulpicii Severi, p. 10.[4]

    de cetero: 'for the rest, otherwise'.

    ego mihi conscius sum me: 'I am conscious in myself that I', introducing indirect statement.

    non quicumque legerit, sed quicumque crediderit: 'not he who has read, but he who has believed'. This is the subject of habebit above. legerit and crediderit are subjunctive in a relative clause of characteristic. 'Believed' is the emphatic final word in the work.

    commōtus -a -um: moved, excited, aroused

    maereō -ēre: grieve, mourn

    quōdammodo: (adv.) in a certain manner, in a measure

    laetitia -ae f.: joy, gladness

    praeferō -ferre -tulī -lātum: place before, prefer; esteem

    extrā: (adv.) outside of, without, beyond

    īnsum -esse -fuī: be in or upon

    obtrectātor -ōris m.: detractor, traducer, disparager

    peccātum -ī n.: fault, transgression, sin

    venēnātus -a -um: filled with poison, envenomed

    vīpereus -a -um: of a viper, serpent, or snake

    carpō carpere carpsī carptum: pluck; revile

    invidus -a -um: envious, jealous

    imitor -āri: imitate

    ingemiscendus -a -um: lamentable

    insectātor -ōris m.: persecutor

    circumlatrō -āre: bark around

    sufficiō -ficere -fēcī -fectum: supply, afford; be able

    ērubēscō -rubēscere -rubuī: redden

    īrāscor īrāscī īrātus sum: grow angry, be in a rage

    refugiō -fugere -fūgī -fugitum: flee back, retreat in flight

    opusculum -ī n.: little work, trifle

    īnfidēliter: (adv.) faithlessly, perfidiously

    cōnscius -a -um: conscious (+ gen. or dat.)

    impellō -pellere -pulī -pulsum: drive on, impel; excite, urge on

    manifēstus -a -um: clear, plain, manifest

    parātus -a -um: prepared, provided

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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-27