3.1. “Ego,” inquit, “mī nāte, Nisibēnī agellī colōnus, sōlus parentibus fuī. Quī, cum mē (quasi stirpem generis suī et hērēdem familiae) ad nūptiās cōgerent, monachum potius velle esse respondī. Quantīs pater minīs, quantīs māter blanditiīs persecūtī sunt, ut pudīcitiam prōderem, haec rēs sōla indiciō est, quod et domum et parentēs fūgī. 3.2 Et quia ad orientem īre nōn poteram, propter vīcīnam Persidem et Rōmānōrum mīlitum cūstōdiam, ad occidentem vertī pedēs, pauxillum nesciō quid portāns viāticī, quod mē ab inopiā tantum dēfenderet. 3.3 Quid multa? Pervēnī tandem ad erēmum Calchidos, quae inter Immās et Beroeam magis ad austrum sita est. 3.4 Ibi, repertīs monachīs, eōrum mē magisteriō trādidī, manū et labōre victum quaeritāns, lascīviamque carnis refrēnāns iēiūniīs. 3.5 Post multōs annōs incīdit mihi cōgitātiō, ut ad patriam pergerem, et, dum advīveret māter—iam enim patrem mortuum audieram—sōlārer viduitātem eius, et exinde, vēnumdatā possessiunculā, partem ērogārem pauperibus, ex parte monastērium cōnstruerem, —quid ērubēscō cōnfitērī īnfidēlitātem meam?—partem in sūmptuum meōrum sōlācia reservārem. 3.6 Clāmāre hoc coepit abbās meus diabolī esse temptātiōnem, et sub honestae reī occāsiōne antīquī hostis āstūtiās. Hoc esse: revertī canem ad vomitum suum; sīc multōs monachōrum esse dēceptōs, numquam diabolum apertā fronte sē prōdere. Prōpōnēbat mihi exempla dē scrīptūrīs plūrima, inter quae illud, ab initiō quod Adam quoque et Ēvam spē dīvīnitātis supplantāverit. Et cum persuādēre nōn posset, prōvolūtus genibus obsecrābat, nē sē dēsererem, nē mē perderem, nē, arātrum tenēns, post tergum respicerem. 3.7 Vae miserō mihi! Vīcī pessimam victōriam, reputāns illum nōn meam ūtilitātem, sed suum sōlācium quaerere. 3.8 Prōsecūtus ergō mē dē monastēriō, quasi fūnus efferret, et ad extrēmum valē dīcēns ‘Videō tē,’ ait, ‘fīlī, Satānae notātum cautēriō. Nōn quaerō causās, excūsātiōnēs nōn recipiō. Ovis, quae dē ovīlī ēgreditur, lupī statim morsibus patet.’
notes
Malchus’ story: When I was young and an only child my parents wanted me to get married. I preferred the celibate religious life and left to join a monastery at Chalcis on the edge of the Syrian desert. Years later I decided leave the monastery and go back home to Nisibis, athough the abbot of my monastery begged me not to, and warned that I was falling under the tempting spell of Satan.
Nisibēnī < Nisibēnus -a -um, “of Nisibis” (LL); Nisibis is now Nusaybin, Turkey. In the fourth century control of this strategic and heavily fortified border city passed back and forth between the Roman and Sassanid Persian empires. The Persians ceded it to the Romans in 299. From 360 to 363, Nisibis was the camp of Legio I Parthica. In 363 Nisibis went back to the Persians after the defeat of Emperor Julian. See Ammianus Marcellinus, Roman History Book 25 and Encyclopedia Iranica, “Nisibis.”
colōnus: colōnus -ī m., “farmer”; in the later empire colōnus could also be a technical term for a “tied” tenant, legally prevented from leaving the land.
Quī = Et parentēs. The relative pronoun is regularly used to continue a thought from one sentence to the next (AG 308.f).
cum me ... cōgerent: imperf. subj. in a circumstantial cum clause (AG 546).
quasi: “on that grounds (that I was)”; see OLD 6.
et hērēdem: et is best understood as epexigetic: ‘the representative of the line, and therefore the heir of the house’ (Gray).
Monachum potius velle esse respondī = respondī (me) potius velle esse monachum. potius (adverb) can mean “instead” (OLD 3).
Quantīs ... quantīs ... persecūtī sunt: indirect question after haec rēs sōla indiciō est (with the verb unusually in the indicative): “With what threats ...." For the indicative (in CL, early Latin, and poetry) see AG 575.c.
ut ... prōderem: imperf. subj. in purpose clause.
quod ... fūgī: substantive clause of result (consecutive clause) using quod, i.e. “the fact that I fled” (AG 572).
haec rēs sōla indiciō est: “this thing alone is (as an) indication”; indiciō is dative of purpose (predicative dative, AG 382).
3.2
propter vīcīnam Persidem < Persis -idos or -idis f., “Persia,” meaning at this period the Sassanian Empire, ruled by the long-reigning and illustrious king Shapur II. Nisibis lay in a border area hotly contested in the fourth century by the Roman and Sassanian empires.
et Rōmānōrum mīlitum cūstōdiam < cūstōdia -ae f., “garrison”; the Roman soldiers defending the border would have prevented their escape.
pauxillum nesciō quid … viāticī: “a very little something for the journey”; nesciō quid = nesciōquid, “something or other”; < viāticum -ī n., “provision for a journey” (either money or food); partitive genitive (AG 346).
quod mē ad inopiā tantum dēfenderet: quod is the relative pronoun, with pauxillum nescio quid viatici as antecedent; dēfenderet is imperf. subj. in a relative clause of purpose (or characteristic). tantum the adverb (not tantus -a -um), “only, just, merely” (LS tantus II.B; a very common usage in CL).
3.3
Quid multa? “Why (should I say) many things?” An effort to cut short what could be a long story.
erēmum < erēmus -ī m. or f., “desert, waste land” (LL).
Chalcidos: Chalcis -idis or -idos f., Chalcis ad Belum, in N. Syria (mod. Qinnasrin). An important caravan stop on the frontier zone with the Syrian desert, Chalcis had a fine Roman road leading to Antioch, and was in late antiquity an important center of Syriac Christianity.
Immās: Imma, about 20 miles due east of Antioch.
Beroeam < Beroea -ae f., Beroia, the modern Aleppo.
ad austrum: “to the south”; < auster austrī m., “the south wind, the south.”
3.4
repertīs monachīs: ablative absolute.
eōrum mē magisteriō trādidī = trādidī mē magisteriō eōrum. < magisterium -(i)ī n., “teaching, instruction.”
manū et labōre = labōre manūs (hendiadys).
victum < victus -ūs m., “sustenance, food.”
lascīviamque carnis: “(sexual) wantonness of the flesh.” Repression of sexual desire is part of monasticism.
iēiūniīs < iēiūnium -(i)ī n., “fast, fasting.”
3.5
cōgitātiō: in monastic rules the word cogitatio is used in the technical sense of ‘spiritual/internal temptation’ (Gray).
ut ... pergerem ... sōlārer ... ērogārem ... cōnstruerem .... reservārem: imperf. subj. in substantive clauses of purpose (AG 563)
dum ... advīveret: dum = “as long as” would normally take the indicative (AG 555); advīveret is imperf. subj. in a subordinate clause depending on a subjunctive clause and thus attracted into the subjunctive (AG 593).
vēnumdatā possesiunculā: ablative absolute; < vēnumdō -āre (also written as two words), “to put up for sale”; < possessiuncula -ae f., “small estate, little farm.”
ērogārem < ērogō (1), “to pay out, disburse.”
ex parte: “with (another) part”; ex + abl. can mean “with, by means of” (OLD 19).
quid ērubēscō cōnfitērī īnfidēlitātem meam?: Malchus confesses that the third thing he spent money on was selfish, as explained in what follows. Note the asyndeton.
in sūmptuum meōrum sōlācia: “for my recreational expenses.” < sōlācium (sōlātium) -(i)ī n., “recreation, pastime” (DMLBS solacium 2).
3.6
Clāmāre hoc coepit abbās meus diabolī esse temptātiōnem = abbās meus coepit clāmāre hoc esse temptātiōnem diabolī. Indirect statement. The hostis antiquus is the Devil. et sub ... occāsiōne < occāsiō -ōnis f., “pretext”; in CL it means “opportunity, chance.”
Hoc esse ... deceptōs (esse) ... sē prōdere: the indirect statement continues.
revertī canem ad vomitum suum: a quotation from the Book of Proverbs (26:11), meant to criticize the incorrigible nature of fools. The Latin version reads in full, Sicut canis quī revertitur ad vomitum suum, sīc imprūdēns quī iterat stultitiam suam. (“As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.”). revertitur in the original quotation has been changed to the infinitive in indirect statement. The dog and his vomit are invoked at 2 Peter 2:22 to describe converted Christians who return to their original non-Christian faith. The image thus becomes common for anyone returning to an earlier mistake.
sīc: “(he said that) in this way.”
multōs monachōrum = multōs monachōs (sc. esse); another indirect statement depending on coepit clāmāre; monachōrum is a partitive genitive.
apertā fronte: frons frontis f., “forehead”; “a person’s brow considered as masking his true feelings or character” (OLD 4); we would say “face.”
inter quae illud: “among which (was) that (famous) one”; illud looks forward to quod (“the fact that”).
ab initiō quod ... supplantāverit = quod (diabolus) ab initiō supplantāverit Adam quoque et Ēvam spē dīvīnitātis. < supplantō (1), “to trip up, cause to stumble”; supplantāverit is perf. subj. in informal indirect discourse, where an explanatory fact is introduced by a relative pronoun (AG 592.3). Adam: indeclinable (the first A can be long or short); accusative. spē is ablative of means.
cum ... non posset: imperf. subj. in a circumstantial cum clause (AG 546).
prōvolūtus genibus obsecrābat < prōvolvō prōvolvere prōvoluī prōvolūtum ,“to prostrate oneself” (at someone’s feet or knees); with the dative. The abbot fell down at Malchus’ knees, in the traditional gesture of supplication (see OLD prōvolvō 3a).
nē ... dēsererem ... perderem ... respicerem: imperf. subj. in substantive clauses of purpose (AG 563), depending of obsecrabat.
nē, arātrum tenēns, post tergum respicerem: An allusion to a remark of Jesus emphasizing the cost of discipleship. When a man says he wants to follow Jesus but must go back and say goodbye to his family, Jesus tells him, “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”) (Luke 9:62). The full quote in the Latin version is Ait ad illum Iēsus: Nēmō mittēns manum suum ad arātrum, et respicieēns retrō, aptus est rēgnō Deī.
3.7
Vīcī pessimam victōriam: victōriam is an internal cognate accusative (AG 390), and a wordplay indicating etymology (Gray).
3.8
quasi fūnus efferet: “as if he were carrying out a (my) dead body for burial.” funus efferre means “carry out for burial” (OLD fūnus 1c); imperf. subj. in a clause of comparison (AG 524). “Malchus’ greed and disobedience are viewed by the abbot as a sign or cause of his spiritual death” (Gray).
ad extrēmum: “finally” (DMLBS extrēmus 2.b).
te ... notātum: sc. esse, acc. + inf. in indirect statement.
cautēriō < cautērium, iī, n. “branding iron,” indicating possession.
Nōn quaerō causās, excūsātiōnēs nōn recipiō: chiasmus.
Ovis ... ovīlī ... lupī: < ovīle, is, n. “sheepfold, pen.” For the Christian image of the sheep and wolf see esp. John 10:11–12.
morsibus < morsus, ūs, m. “bite.”
vocabulary
Nisibēnus -a -um: of Nisibis (city on the border between Parthia and the Roman Empire; now Nusaybin, Turkey)
agellus -ī m.: a small piece of ground, a little field
colōnus colōnī m.: farmer, colonist
stirps stirps f.: stalk, stem, family tree, stock
hērēs hērēdis m. or f.: heir
nuptiae -ārum f. pl.: marriage, nuptials
monachus -ī m.: a monk
potius: rather, more
minae -ārum f. pl.: threats, menaces; projecting points, pinnacles
blanditia -ae f.: flattery, endearment, often pl. with sg. meaning
persequor persequī persecūtus sum: to follow up, pursue; overtake; attack; take vengeance on; accomplish
pudīcitia -ae f.: chastity, modesty, virtue
indicium indici(ī) n.: evidence (before a court); information, proof; indication
oriēns -entis m.: the land of the rising sun, the east
Persis -idis f.: the country of Persia, between Caramania, Media, and Susiana,
Rōmānus -a -um: belonging to Rome; Roman; subst., Romanus, i, m., a Roman (> Roma)
custōdia custōdiae f.: custody, protection; prisoner
occidēns -entis: the land of the setting sun, the west
pauxillum -ī n.: small quantity, a little
nescioquis -qua -quid (also written as two words): someone or other other; I know not who/what; to some degree, a little bit
viāticum -ī n.: travelling money, food for a journey
inopia inopiae f.: lack, need; poverty, destitution, dearth, want, scarcity
erēmus -ī m. or f.: desert, waste land (late Latin)
Chalcis -idis (-idios) f.: Chalcis; name of several cities, including Chalcis ad Bellum, in N. Syria (mod. Qinnasrin)
Immae -ārum f.pl.: Imma, a city 20 miles east of Antioch
Beroea -ae f.: Beroea (modern Aleppo)
auster -trī m.: auster, the southerly or south wind; the south
situs -a -um: situated, located
monachus -ī m.: a monk
magisterium -ī n.: a directorship; teaching, guardianship
vīctus vīctūs m.: food, nourishment
quaeritō -āre -āvī -ātum: to ask, ask for, seek
lascīvia -ae f.: playfulness; wantonness, licentiousness
carō carnis f.: meat, flesh
refrēnō refrēnāre: to bridle, check, curb
ieiūnium -ī n.: a fasting, fast-day, fast; hunger, leanness
cōgitātiō cōgitātiōnis f.: thinking, meditation, reflection; thought; intention; plan; opinion, reasoning
advīvō advīvere advīxī advictum: to live with; survive, be alive
mortuus -a -um: dead
sōlor -ātus sum: to solace, console; assuage, comfort, aid, relieve; console one's self for
viduitās -ātis f.: beravement, widowhood
exinde (abbrev. exin): from that place; thence, of place; of time, thereafter; thereupon, then
vēnum dō (vēnumdō) or vēnun dō (vēnundō) : to put up for sale
possessiuncula -ae f.: small estate, little farm
ērogō -āre: to entreat, prevail on by entreaties; to expend, pay out from the public treasury
monastērium -ī n.: a monastery
cōnstruō -ere -strūxī -strūctus: to pile together, heap, gather, build up
quid: what; why
ērubescō ērubescere ērubuī: to grow red, blush
īnfidēlitās -ātis f.: unfaithfulness, faithlessness, infidelity
sūmptus sūmptūs m.: cost, charge, expense; outlay
sōlācium sōlāci(ī) n.: comfort, consolation
reservō reservāre reservāvī reservātus: to reserve, conserve
clāmō clāmāre clāmāvī clāmātus: to proclaim, declare; cry/shout out; shout/call name of; accompany with shouts
abbās -ātis m.: the head of an ecclesiastical community, an abbot
diabolus -ī m.: a devil, The Devil
temptātiō -ōnis f.: an attack; attempt, trial
occāsiō occāsiōnis f.: opportunity; chance; pretext, occasion
astūtia -ae f.: adroitness, shrewdness, craft, cunning
vomitus -ūs m.: a throwing up, vomiting
monachus -ī m.: a monk
dēcipiō dēcipere dēcēpī dēceptus: to deceive, cheat
apertus aperta apertum: without covering, uncovered; open, frank, outspoken
scrīptūra -ae f.: a writing, written characters; Biblical Scripture
Adam (indecl.) m.: Adam
Ēva (Hēva) -ae f.: Eve (name), esp. the first woman
dīvīnitās -tātis f.: divinity
sup-plantō -āre: to trip up the heels of, throw down
persuādeō persuādēre persuāsī persuāsus: to persuade, convince (+ dat.)
prōvolvō -ere -volvī -volūtus: to roll forward or along; roll, whirl over or along
genū genūs n.: knee
obsecrō obsecrāre obsecrāvī obsecrātus: to beseech, beg for
arātrum -ī n: plough
vae: alas, woe to
pessimus -a -um: worst
reputō reputāre reputāvī reputātus: to think, consider
ūtilitās ūtilitātis f.: usefulness, advantage
sōlācium sōlāci(ī) n.: comfort, consolation
prōsequor prōsequī prōsecūtus sum: to accompany, follow
monastērium -ī n.: a monastery
efferō efferre extulī ēlātus: to carry out; bring out; carry out for burial; raise; transport (emotionally)
extrēmum: at last, finally
Satanas (Satana) -ae m.: Satan
notō notāre notāvī notātus: to mark, sign, censure
cautērium -iī n.: branding iron; cauterizing iron (used in medicine for burning off unwanted tissue)
excūsātiō excūsātiōnis f.: excusing, excuse
ovis -is n.: sheep
ovīle -is n.: a sheepcote, sheepfold (> ovis)
lupus lupī m.: wolf
morsus morsūs m.: a biting, bite