[1] Igitur sānctus Brendānus, cum nāvigāsset contrā merīdiem iter septem diērum, appāruit illīs in mare quaedam fōrmula quasi hominis sedentis super petram, [2] et vēlum, ante illum, ā longē quasi mēnsūrā ūnīus sagī, pendēns inter duās forcellās ferreās; et sīc agitābātur flūctibus sīcut nāvicula solet quandō perīclitātur ā turbine. [3] Aliī ex frātribus dīcēbant quod avis esset, aliī nāvim putābant. Vir Deī, cum audīsset eōs intrā sē cōnferentēs tālia, ait: “Sinite contendere; dīrigite cursum nāvis usque ad illum locum.”
[4] Cum vērō vir Deī illūc appropinquāsset, restitērunt undae, in circuitū quasi coāgulātae, et invēnērunt hominem sedentem suprā petram, hispidum ac dēfōrmem; [5] et undae ex omnī parte, quandō effluēbant ad illum, percutiēbant eum usque ad verticem, et, quandō recēdēbant, appārēbat illa petra nūda in quā sedēbat īnfēlīx ille. [6] Pannus quoque, quī ante illum pendēbat—aliquandō ventus minābat illum ā sē, aliquandō percutiēbat eum per oculōs et frontem.
notes
Judas. They see a rock with a figure sitting under a cloth suspended from two forks and blown by the wind. The monks don't know what they're looking at, but, coming closer, they see an ugly and unkempt man. who tells them that he is Judas. The cloth is sometimes blown away from him and sometimes it hits him in the face.
Although there was a rich tradition of post-Biblical stories about Judas, the account here has details not attested elsewhere. Most importantly, Judas here gets days off from eternal damnation, just as the neutral angels get to spend Sundays and holy days as birds (11.17). The idea of a respite from damnation has its origins in Judaism and a feeling that the Sabbath should be a day of rest even for the dead, but the concept was never orthodox Christian doctrine. Our author's immediate source was probably the Visio Pauli.
[1] Igitur sānctus Brendānus, cum nāvigasset: = Igitur, cum sānctus Brendānus nāvigāsset.
appāruit illīs: it appeared to Brendan and also his followers.
[2] ā longē quasi mēnsūrā ūnīus sagī: “in length about the measure of a single cloak.” ā longē in CL means “from a distance” (OLD longē 2b). If ablative, mensūrā would be an ablative of degree of difference (AG § 414); it could also be mēnsūra, nominative, in a kind of apposition with vēlum.
sīc agitābātur: the subject is vēlum.
[3] Aliī ex frātribus: “some of the brothers”; alius in CL would be quīdam; see on 22.6.
[4] restitērunt undae in circuitū quasi coāgulātae: either the waves around the rock were miraculously calmed, to make it easier for Brendan to land (Orlandi and Guglielmetti), or they congealed to make it harder (O’Meara).
invēnērunt: the subject is now Brendan and his followers.
[5] undae ... percutiēbant eum usque ad verticem: the waters had just been calmed, but our narrator describes Judas as he normally was on the rock, with the waves hitting him all the way to the top of his head.
īnfēlīx ille: the subject is held to the end of the sentence; this may or may not be a reflection of Irish.
[6] Pannus quoque, quī ante illum pendēbat: pannus here is another word for the vēlum hanging in front of him; another “nominative absolute,” or anacolouthon, since the subject changes, temporarily, to ventus.
aliquandō ventus minābat illum ā sē: = aliquandō ventus minābat illum (pannum) ā sē [= hominem].
aliquandō percutiēbat eum: = aliquandō (pannus) percutiēbat eum.
vocabulary
|
nāvigō nāvigāre nāvigāvī nāvigātus |
to go by ship, sail; to row1 |
|
contrā |
against; towards, in the direction of (OLD 14a) |
|
merīdiēs merīdiēī m. |
noon; the south |
|
septem; septimus –a –um |
7; 7th |
|
fōrmula –ae f |
shape, outline (OLD 1b) |
|
petra –ae f. |
a rock, crag |
|
vēlum vēlī n. |
sail; curtain; cloth2 |
|
mēnsūra –ae f. |
(proper) amount; the full extent or amount (OLD 4b) |
|
sagum –ī n. or |
cloak; curtain (LL) |
|
pendeō pendēre pependī |
to hang |
|
forcella forcellae f. |
pitchfork |
|
ferreus –a –um |
made of iron |
|
nāvicula –ae f. |
boat (ML); (CL) small boat |
|
perīclitor perīclitārī perīclitātus |
to be in danger (from) (OLD 4) |
|
turbō (turben) turbinis m. |
whirlwind |
|
sinō sinere sīvī situs |
to allow3 |
|
contendō contendere contendī contentus |
to argue (OLD 8e) |
|
dīrigō (dērigō) –ere –rēxī –rēctus |
to make straight, direct, guide |
|
ūsque |
until (often with ad or dum) |
|
illic illaec illuc |
there; in that place (illīc); to that place illūc)4 |
|
appropinquō appropinquāre appropinquavī |
to approach, draw near |
|
restō restāre restitī |
to remain, be left; to stop, stay put |
|
circuitus –ūs m. |
circuit, circle; outer edge, perimeter (OLD 5) |
|
coāgulō –āre –āvī –ātus |
to curdle; collect |
|
petra –ae f. |
a rock, crag |
|
hispidus –a –um |
shaggy, hairy |
|
dēfōrmis dēfōrme |
ugly |
|
effluō –ere –xī |
to flow out, slip away5 |
|
percutiō percutere percussī percussum |
to strike, kill |
|
ūsque |
until (often with ad or dum) |
|
vertex verticis m. |
the crown of the head (OLD 2) |
|
petra –ae f. |
a rock, crag |
|
īnfēlīx īnfēlīcis |
unfortunate, unhappy |
|
pannus –ī m. |
a scrap of clothing (OLD 2)6 |
|
pendeō pendēre pependī |
to hang |
|
minō mināre mināvī |
to push (ML; CL to drive animals) |
|
percutiō percutere percussī percussum |
to strike, kill |
|
per |
through; by means of (OLD 14) |