[10] Igitur ascendentibus illīs dē nāvī et cōnsīderantibus quam partem itūrī essent, occurrit eīs senex nimiae gravitātis, capillīs niveō colōre et faciē clārus, quī tribus vicibus sē ad terram prōstrāvit antequam ōsculārētur virum Deī. [11] At vērō sānctus Brendānus et quī cum eō erant ēlevāvērunt eum dē terrā. [12] Ōsculantibus sē invicem, tenuit manum sānctī patris īdem senex, et ībat cum illō per spatium quasi ūnīus stadiī ad monastērium.
[13] Tunc sānctus Brendānus, cum frātribus suīs, restitit ante portam monastēriī et dīxit senī: [14] “Cuius est istud monastērium? et quis praeest ibi? aut unde sunt quī commorantur illīc?” [15] Ita sānctus pater dīversīs sermōnibus senem interrogābat et numquam poterat ab illō ūllum respōnsum accipere, sed tantum, incrēdibilī mānsuētūdine, manū silentium īnsinuābat. [16] Statim, ut agnōvit sānctus pater illīus locī dēcrētum, frātrēs suōs ammōnēbat, dīcēns: “Cūstōdīte ostia vestra ā locūtiōnibus, nē polluantur istī frātrēs per nostram scurrīlitātem.”
notes
The monks are met by a saintly old man (the abbot), who leads them to a monastery. Brendan asks about the personnel of the monastery, but realizes eventually that the old man has taken a vow of silence
[10] capillīs niveō colōre: capillīs is ablative of material (AG § 403.2); niveō colōre is ablative of quality (ablative of description) (AG § 415).
et faciē clārus: a non-parallel construction after capillīs niveō colōre
[12] Ōsculantibus sē invicem: ablative absolute; i.e., (illīs) sē osculantibus invicem
[14] cuius est, etc.: The three questions concern (a) the person in charge of this and other related monasteries (b) the abbot of this particular monastery (c) the origins of this particular monastic community.
[15] sed tantum: “but only”
īnsinuābat: the subject is now the senex.
[16] dēcrētum: the rules for monastic life
istī frātrēs: the monks already on the island
vocabulary
| cōnsīderō cōnsīderāre cōnsīderāvī cōnsīderātus | to consider 10 |
| gravitās gravitātis f. | weight |
| capillus capillī m. | hair |
| niveus –a –um | snowy, snow-white |
| vicis (gen.) f. | a recurring occasion, a turn, a time |
| prostrō prostrāre prostrāvī prostrātum | to fall to one’s knees; fall flat on one’s face (ML; CL prosternō prosternere) |
| ōsculō (1) | to kiss (usually but not always deponent in CL) |
| ēlevō –āre –āvī –ātum | to raise, lift up 11 |
| invicem | alternately 12 |
| teneō tenēre tenuī tentus | to hold, keep; to reach in journeying, make [OLD 5a] |
| per | through; by means of [OLD 14] |
| spatium spati(ī) n. | space; expanse [OLD 3] |
| stadium –iī n. | a stade (a Greek unit of measurement, equal to 625 Roman feet); a furlong (1/8 of a mile, 660 feet) |
| monastērium –ī n. | a monastery |
| restō restāre restitī | to remain, be left; to stop, stay put 13 |
| monastērium –ī n. | a monastery |
| praesum praeesse praefuī praefutūrus | to be in charge of (+ dat.) 14 |
| commoror commorārī commorātus | to linger, stay, live (in a place) |
| rēspōnsum –ī n. or rēsponsus –ūs m. |
an answer, response 15 |
| incrēdibilis incrēdibilis incrēdibile | incredible |
| mānsuētūdō –inis f. | mildness, gentleness [OLD 2] |
| silentium (silentum) silenti(ī) n. | silence |
| īnsinuō īnsinuāre īnsinuāvī īnsinuātus | to convey information, make known [OLD 5b]; advise, recommend (ML) |
| āgnōscō āgnōscere āgnōvī agnitus | to recognize, acknowledge 16 |
| dēcrētum dēcrētī n. | decision, decree, verdict |
| admoneō admonēre admonuī admonitus | to admonish, remind |
| custōdiō custōdīre custōdīvī custōdītus | to guard |
| ōstium ōsti(ī) n. | door |
| locūtiō (loquūtiō) –ōnis f. | speech, discourse |
| polluō –ere –uī –ūtus | to make foul, dirty, soil |
| per | through; by means of [OLD 14] |
| scurrīlitās –ātis f. | untimely humor |