[32] Cui daemonēs respondērunt: “Duplicēs poenās sustinēbit in istīs sex diēbus īnfēlīx Jūdās, propter quod illum dēfendistī in istā praeteritā nocte.” [33] Quibus venerābilis pater dīxit: “Nōn habēbitis potestātem inde, neque prīnceps vester, sed potestās Deī erit.” [34] Iterum subiūnxit: “Praecipiō vōbīs, in nōmine Dominī nostrī Iēsu Chrīstī, et prīncipī vestrō, nē istum extollātis amplius cruciātibus quam anteā.” [35] Cui respondērunt: “Numquid Dominus es omnium, ut tuīs sermōnibus obēdiāmus?” [36] Quibus vir Deī ait: “Servus suus sum, et quicquid in suō nōmine praecipiam, inde habeō ministerium dē quibus quōs ille mihi concēdit.” [37] Et ita secūtī sunt eum usque dum nōn poterant Iūdam vidēre. Reversī sunt quoque daemonēs et levāvērunt īnfēlīcissimam animam inter illōs cum magnō impetū et ululātū.
notes
The demons say that that at least Judas will be punished, receiving twice as many torments as normal, for a week. Brendan orders them not to do it, and when they question his authority Brendan says that he is a servant of God, and that God's will prevail. The demons take Judas away.
[32] in istīs sex diēbus: the six days of the week when Judas is normally in Hell; the demons think he will be at their mercy.
[33] Nōn habēbitis potestātem inde: apparently “you won’t have power for that” or “over him”; inde in CL is usually “from there,” though it can also mean “in accordance with that” (OLD 11).
[34] et prīncipī vestrō: = et (praecipiō) prīncipī vestrō.
nē istum extollātis amplius cruciātibus quam anteā: “that you do not lift this man up with more tortures than before.” This has to mean “don’t torture him more” but it is not easy to see how extollō can have this meaning (see Orlandi and Guglielmetti 2014 ad loc.). I wonder if extollō could be used ironically: “do not exalt him with more tortures.”
[36] Servus suus sum: CL would be (e.g.) Servus eius [= Dominī omnium] sum.
et quicquid in suō nōmine praecipiam: CL would be et quicquid in nōmine eius [= Dominī omnium] praecipiam.
dē quibus quōs: CL would be dē illīs quōs or dē aliquibus quōs.
[37] Et ita secūtī sunt eum usque dum nōn poterant Iūdam vidēre: O’Meara takes the subject of secūtī sunt to be the daemones, and the subject of nōn poterant to be (presumably) Brendan and his companions: “The demons followed him until Judas could no longer be seen.” I wonder if Et ita secūtī sunt doesn’t mean “and so they (Brendan and his companions) continued on their journey,” until they could no longer see Judas. Certainly the demons did not lose sight of Judas, as we see in the next sentence.
īnfēlīcissimam animam: Judas.
vocabulary
| daemōn –onis m. | spirit, a spirit intermediary between humans and gods32 |
| duplex –icis | double |
| sex; sextus –a –um | 6; 6th |
| īnfēlīx īnfēlīcis | unfortunate, unhappy |
| Iūdas –ae or Iūda (indecl.) m. |
Judas or Judah (name); the tribe of Judah |
| praetereō praeterīre praeterīvī/praeteriī praeteritus | to go past |
| venerābilis –e | venerable, deserving of respect33 |
| subiungō –ere –iūnxī –iūnctus | to join under or to; fasten34 |
| Iēsūs –ū m. | Jesus (Christ) |
| Christus –ī m. | Christ |
| extollō –ere | to raise; exalt, distinguish |
| amplius | further, more, in addition |
| cruciātus –ūs m. | torture |
| anteā | before, formerly |
| numquid | is there really anything? (expecting an answer in the negative)35 |
| oboediō (oboēdiō or obaudiō) –īre | to obey, serve |
| ministerium –ī n. | management of (OLD 4) |
| ūsque | until (often with ad or dum) |
| Iūdas –ae or Iūda (indecl.) m. |
Judas or Judah (name); the tribe of Judah |
| daemōn –onis m. | spirit, a spirit intermediary between humans and gods |
| levō levāre levāvī levātus | to lift up |
| īnfēlīx īnfēlīcis | unfortunate, unhappy |
| ululātus –ūs m. | howling, yelling |