Section 25

olim audita fide eius vita atque virtute: 'having heard long ago of his faith, his life, and his virtue'.

aestuaremus: 'I was burning'. The first person plural here, as in suscepimus, nobis, sciscitati sumus and cognovimus below, is polite and refers to Sulpicius alone.

in quantum: 'in so far as'.

sciscitati sumus . . . cognovimus: 'I inquired . . . I gained knowledge'. sciscitor, -ari, -tatus sum: inquire thoroughly.

credi non potest: 'it cannot be believed', 'it is incredible'.

congratulatus plurimum et gavisus: 'expressing great happiness and rejoicing'. congratulor, -ari, atus sum: rejoice (eccl.); gaudeo, -ēre, gavisus sum.

quod tanti esset habitus: 'because he was considered to be of such great worth'. tanti is genitive of value (AG 417).

quem . . . expeteremus: 'that I sought him out', subjunctive in a relative clause of result (AG 537).

cum me sancto convivio suo dignatus esset adhibere: 'when he considered me worthy to invite to his holy feast', i.e. a dinner. dignor (1): consider worthy. adhibeo, -ēre: invite (as a guest), summon (to a feast, etc.).

nec . . . constantia fuit: (sc. mihi) 'nor did I have the strength of will'.

si non adquievissem: 'if I had not consented (> adquiesco, -ere, -evi).

non alius . . . quam: '(about) nothing but'.

praesentissimum . . . exemplum ingerebat: 'he repeatedly brought up the most outstanding example' (ingero, -ere: to din into a person's ears, say repeatedly).

Paulini: Paulinus of Nola, a wealthy man who sold his possessions and devoted himself to the life of the church; also a friend of Sulpicius, and one of the most prominent poets of this period.

solus paene . . . complesset: 'almost alone had fulfilled', i.e. 'was practically the only one who had fulfilled'.

beatum . . . documento: 'blessed in (having) an example' (documentum, -i, n.: an example serving as a precedent, warning, instruction, etc.).

secundum: in accordance with (preposition + acc.).

dives et possidens multa: 'a rich man and one possessing much' (i.e., Paulinus)..

quod erat factu impossibile: '(that) which was impossible to do'. factu is supine, abl. of specification (AG 510).

confabulatione: 'conversation' > confabulatio, -onis, f. (late Lat.).

in absolvendis scripturarum quaestionibus: 'in resolving disputed points of scripture'.

promptus et facilis: 'ready and accommodating'.

ad hanc partem: 'on this point'.

quippe quos viderim me ipso etiam referente non credere: 'in as much as I have seen some people fail to believe even when I was telling them myself'. viderim is pf. subj. in a causal relative clause (AG 535e). quippe + qui, quae, quod = 'as one in fact who', i.e. 'since' or 'inasmuch as I, you, he' etc. (L&S s.v. quippe 5).

puri sermonis: 'correct speech', according to the standards set by teachers of the day, based on classical authors.

tantum scientiae, tantum ingenii, tantum tam boni et tam puri sermonis: 'so much knowledge, so much natural ability, so much excellent and correct speech.' This follows the text of Fontaine, rather than of Halm. ingenium, -i, n.: mental powers, natural ability, talent.

illiterato: 'uneducated'. A soldier at 15, Martin did not receive the advanced training in literature and rhetoric that would have been typical for a bishop. He was definitely literate, as emerges below, 26.3 lectioni. homini illiterato is dative of person, regular after defuisse (> desum).