Section 7 | Dickinson College Commentaries

[1] Cum iam Hilarius praeterisset, ita eum est vestigiīs prōsecūtus: cumque ab eō grātissimē fuisset susceptus, haud longē sibi ab oppidō monastērium collocāvit, quō tempore sē eī quīdam catēchūmenus iunxit, cupiēns sānctissimī virī īnstituī disciplīnīs: paucīsque interpositīs diēbus languōre correptus vī febrium labōrābat. [2] ac tum Martīnus forte discesserat: et cum per trīduum dēfuisset, regressus exanime corpus invēnit: ita subita mors fuerat, ut absque baptismate hūmānīs rēbus excēderet. corpus in mediō positum tristī maerentium frātrum frequentābātur officiō, cum Martīnus flēns et ēiulāns accurrit. [3] tum vērō tōtā sānctum spiritum mente concipiēns ēgredī cellulam, in quā corpus iacēbat, cēterōs iubet, ac foribus obserātīs super exanimāta dēfunctī frātris membra prōsternitur. et cum aliquamdiū ōrātiōnī incubuisset sēnsissetque per spiritum Dominī adesse virtūtem, ērectus paululum et in dēfunctī ōra dēfīxus, ōrātiōnis suae ac misericordiae Dominī intrepidus exspectābat ēventum: vixque duārum ferē hōrārum spatium intercesserat, videt dēfunctum paulātim membrīs omnibus commovērī et laxātīs in ūsum videndī palpitāre lūminibus. [4] tum vērō magnā ad Dominum vōce conversus grātiās agēns cellulam clāmōre complēverat: quō audītō quī prō foribus adstiterant statim irruunt. mīrum spectāculum, quod vidēbant vīvere, quem mortuum relīquissent. [5] ita redditus vītae, statim baptismum cōnsecūtus plūrēs posteā vīxit annōs, prīmusque apud nōs Martīni virtūtum vel māteria vel testimōnium fuit. [6] īdem tamen referre erat solitus, sē corpore exūtum ad tribūnal iūdicis ductum dēputandumque obscūrīs locīs et vulgāribus turbīs tristem excēpisse sententiam: tum per duōs angelōs iūdicī fuisse suggestum, hunc esse prō quō Martīnus ōrāret: ita per eōsdem angelōs sē iussum redūcī, et Martīnō redditum vītaeque pristinae rēstitūtum. [7] ab hōc prīmum tempore beātī virī nōmen ēnituit, ut quī sānctus iam ab omnibus habēbātur, potēns etiam et vērē apostolicus habērētur.

notes

A catechumen who died suddenly from a fever is brought back to life through the power of Martin's prayers.

est vestigiīs prōsecūtus: "he followed in his footsteps," meant literally here.

fuisset susceptus: "he had been received." Classical Latin would have esset for fuisset. This so-called "shifted" pluperfect subjunctive is typical of later and vulgar Latin (H-S sec. 179), and occurs frequently in this work.

oppidō: "the town," i.e., Poitiers.

eī: "to Martin."

languōre correptus: "having contracted an illness."

[2]

forte: 'by chance'.

absque baptismate: "without baptism." It was common in this period to put off baptism to the end of life, so as to avoid sinning after it.

corpus ... officiō: "his body, placed in a central location, was crowded with the sad duty of the mourning brothers," i.e., the brothers were crowding around the body and mourning.

cum ... accurrit: indicative in an "inverted" cum clause, indicating that this, rather than the apparently main verb, is the true point of the sentence. (A&G) The historic present tense adds vividness.

[3]

ēgredī ... cēterōs iubet: "he ordered the rest to leave." The position of ēgredī makes it emphatic.

incubuisset: > incumbō + dat., "had devoted himself to."

defuncti: > dēfungor; "of the dead man," substantival use of the participle.

virtutem: "miracle-working power." virtus = "miracle" or "miracle-working power" is common in Christian Latin.

in dēfunctī ōra dēfīxus: "looking intently upon the face of the dead man."

membrīs omnibus: ablative of respect, specifying the location of the action of the verb (commovērī). laxātīs ... lūminibus fills the same function for palpitāre.

laxātīs in ūsum videndī palpitāre lūminibus: "quivering in his (now) opened eyes for the power of seeing," i.e., "blinking to regain his sight" (White).

[4]

foribus: "doors."

[5]

virtūtum: "miracles."

[6]

erat solitus: > soleō –ēre; "had been accustomed."

corpore exūtum: "having shed his body."

dēputandumque: "and that he was to be condemned." This gerundive expresses the content of the verdict (sententia) referred to just below. Dēputō = "designate," "assign," "condemn" is post-classical. The –que joins the infinitives ductum (esse) and excēpisse.

tristem excēpisse sententiam: "had received the grim verdict."

iūdicī fuisse suggestum: "that it had been brought to the attention of the judge that."

hunc esse prō quō: 'this was (the man) for whom'

iussum ... redditum ... rēstitūtum: infinitives, with esse left out, in indirect statement after referre, above.

[7]

ēnituit: > ēnitēscō –nitēscere –nituī "became well-known," lit., "became bright."

ut ... habēbātur: 'with the result that he was considered'.

vocabulary

grātē: (adv.) with pleasure, agreeably

collocō –āre: place together, place, establish

interpōnō –pōnere –posuī –positum: put between, interpose; offer, allege

corripiō –ripere –ripuī –reptum: snatch up, seize, press on

febris –is, f.: fever

trīduum –ī, n.: three days2

regredior –gredī –gressus sum: go back, withdraw

absque: without

baptisma –atis, n.: Christian baptism

excēdō –cēdere –cessī –cessum: go forth, withdraw (+ abl.)

maereō –ēre: grieve, mourn

frequentō –āre: vist frequently; crowd, celebrate

ēiulō –āre: wail, lament

accurrō –currere –cucurrī (–curri) –cursum: run to

foris –is, f.: door3

obserō –āre: bolt, bar, fasten

exanimō –āre: make breathless; kill

dēfungor –fungī –fūnctus sum: complete; depart, die

incubō –āre: lie, rest upon (+ abl. or dat.)

ērigō –rigere –rēxī –rēctum: raise up, rear

paululus –a –um: very little, very small

dēfīgō –fīgere –fīxī –fīxum: fix firmly, plant

ēventus –ūs, m.: occurrence, event; result

intercēdō –cēdere –cessī –cessum: go between, exist between; intervene

laxō –āre: loosen, slacken; open

palpitō –āre: tremble, palpitate

spectāculum –I, n.: sight, spectacle4

mortuus –a –um: dead

exuō –uere –uī –ūtum: put off, lay aside6

tribūnal –ālis, n.: judgment-seat, tribunal

dēputō –āre: esteem, consider; condemn

obscūrus –a –um: dark, shady, obscure

vulgāris –e: common, vulgar

suggerō –gerere –gessī –gestum: suggest, advise, bring to mind

restituō –stituere –stituī –stitūtum: restore, revive

ēniteō –nitēre –nituī: shine forth7

apostolicus –a –um: relating to an apostle, apostolic

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