Section 5

After leaving the army Martin attached himself to Hilary, bishop of Poiters, who trained him as an exorcist. While crossing the Alps to visit his parents, he was taken prisoner by brigands, and narrowly escaped with his life. He did, however, convert one of the brigands to Christianity.

sanctum Hilarium

Pictavae  episcopum civitatis: St. Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers (c. 315-367/8), the leading and most respected Latin theologian of his age.

cuius...fides habebatur: 'whose faith was considered'.

imposito diaconatus officio: 'by imposing on him the duty of being a deacon'.

artius: 'more closely' (> artus -a -um).

vir altioris ingenii: 'a man of more noble character', genitive of description, or quality (AG 345).

id . . . officii . . . in quo: 'that (kind) of duty in which.' officii is partitive genitive (AG 346).

praecepit: 'taught' (> praecipio).

ne despexisse . . . videretur: 'lest he seem to have despised it'. videretur is subjunctive in a purpose clause (AG 531).

humiliorem: 'too humble', 'too menial'.

ut...visitaret: 'to visit', noun clause after a verb of warning (admonitus) (AG 446)

ex voluntate: 'in accordance with the wishes of'.

ut ferunt: 'as they say'. Ferre is often used of vaguely reported hearsay. Sulpicius had informants in Martin's circle, as emerges later.

contestatus fratribus: 'solemnly affirming to the brothers that . . .' (cp. TLL 4.690.50).

multa se adversa passurum: (sc. esse), 'he would endure many setbacks'.

primum: 'first' in a series of events (contrast primo, 'at the start', followed by a later development).

devia: (sc. loca) 'an unihabited region' (neut. pl. acc.)

secutus: 'traversing'

secūri: 'axe' (> secūris -is f., not to be confused with sēcurus -a -um, 'without care').

ferientis: 'of the one striking' (> ferio -ire), substantival use of the participle (AG 494).

uni: 'to one' (of the brigands).

quisnam: 'who?' A more emphatic equivalent of quis.

quia sciret: 'because he knew', subj. in a relative clause in indirect discourse, giving a reason or explanatory fact (AG 592.3). The indirect statement begins at profitetur above and includes the infinitives fuisse and dolere.

utpote latrocinia exercens: 'as is to be expected when one is pursuing a life of brigandage'.

qui...esset: 'because he was unworthy', subj. in a relative clause in indirect discourse, giving a reason or explanatory fact (AG 592.3).

quid longius morer?: 'why should I delay longer?', i.e., 'to make a long story short', deliberative subjunctive (AG 444).

ut...precaretur: 'to pray', subj. in a jussive noun clause (AG 563).

rettulimus: 'I (lit. we) have recounted' (> refero).

audita: (sc. esse) 'to have been heard'.