5.1. “Tandem, grandī amne trānsmissō, pervenimus ad interiōrem sōlitūdinem, ubi, dominam eiusque līberōs ex mōre gentis adōrāre iussī, cervīcēs flectimus. 5.2 Hīc, quasi clausus carcere, mūtātō habitū—id est nūdus—ambulāre discō; nam āeris quoque intemperiēs praeter pudīcitiam nihil aliud vēlārī patiēbātur. 5.3 Trāduntur mihi pāscendae ovēs, et in malōrum comparātiōne, hōc fruor sōlāciō, quod dominōs meōs et cōnservōs rārius videō. 5.4 Vidēbar mihi habēre aliquid sānctī Iācōb, recordābar Moȳsī, quī et ipsī in erēmō pecorum quondam fuēre pāstōrēs. Vescēbar recentī cāseō et lacte. Ōrābam iūgiter, canēbam psalmōs, quōs in monastēriō didiceram. 5.5 Dēlectābat mē captīvitās mea, agēbamque Deī iūdiciō grātiās, quod monachum, quem in patriā fueram perditūrus, in erēmō invēneram.
notes
Finally we arrived far in the interior of the wilderness and were handed over to a household and new masters. I wore nothing but a loincloth, and abased myself on the ground to them in the eastern manner. Later I was given the job of shepherd, which meant I thankfully saw the master less. I took consolation from Biblical precedents for my captivity.
grandī amne trānsmissō: ablative absolute. The river is probably the Euphrates.
Pervenimus: other verbs in this paragraph (e.g. flectimus) suggest that pervenimus is a historical present, used often by Jerome for vividness (AG 469).
ad interiōrem sōlitūdinem: the location of this wilderness is uncertain; Malchus is not giving a detailed geographical description.
ex mōre gentis adorare iussī: Greeks and Romans typically describe peoples of the East, especially Persians, as engaging in proskynesis (Latin adoratio) before human rulers; this could range from bowing to full prostration on the ground.
5.2
mūtātō habitū: ablative absolute or ablative of description (AG 415).
āeris intemperiēs: “the extreme heat of atmosphere” < intemperiēs -eī f., “excessiveness” (of climate, etc.).
praeter pudīcitiam: “except for (my) modesty” i.e. “except for my private parts.”
5.3
pāscendae: gerundive, here used as simple participle in agreement with a noun, indicating necessity, obligation, or propriety (AG 500).
sōlāciō < sōlācium -(i)ī n., “consolation”; ablative with fruor.
quod ... rārius videō: substantive clause using quod, “the fact that I rarely see” (AG 572). Light supervision was typical for agricultural and rural slaves such as shepherds in the ancient world.
5.4
habēre aliquid sānctī Iācōb: “to be a little like the holy man Jacob.” Jacob worked as a shepherd for his uncle Laban, so that he could marry Laban’s daughter Rachel (Genesis 29:15-28; 30:31; 31:4). sānctī Iācōb is partitive genitive with aliquid. Use of the word sanctus to refer to a character in the Old Testament is unusual (see Gray).
recordābar Moȳsī: recordor regularly takes a genitive; Moses worked as a shepherd for Jethro so that he could marry Jethro’s daughter Zipporah (Exodus 2:21; 3:1)
fuēre = fuērunt, an archaic and artificial form (Gray).
Vescēbar < vescor, vescī , “to feed on” (+ abl.)
recentī: “fresh” (abl. with vescor)
5.5
Dēlectābat mē captīvitās mea: a striking oxymoron, emphasizing Malchus’ Christian self-abnegation
monachum: “the monk,” i.e. “the state of being a monk.”
fueram perditūrus: “had been about to lose” by returning home. If he had returned home as planned Malchus would never, he thinks, have returned to his life as a monk.