Section 27 | Dickinson College Commentaries

1. Nēmō umquam illum vīdit īrātum, nēmō commōtum, nēmō maerentem, nēmō rīdentem; ūnus īdemque fuit semper: caelestem quōdammodo laetitiam vultū praeferēns extrā nātūram hominis vidēbātur. numquam in illius ōre nisi Christus, 2. numquam in illius corde nisi pietās, nisi pax, nisi misericordia inerat. plērumque etiam prō eōrum, quī illius obtrectātōrēs vidēbantur, solēbat flēre peccātīs, quī remōtum et quiētum venēnātīs linguīs et vīpereō ōre carpēbant. 3. et vērē nōnnūllos expertī sumus invidōs virtūtis vītaeque eius, quī in illō ōderant, quod in sē nōn vidēbant et quod imitārī nōn valēbant. atque, ō nefās dolendum et ingemēscendum, nōn aliī ferē īnsectātōrēs eius, licet paucī admodum, nōn aliī tamen quam epīscopī ferēbantur. 4. nec vērō quemquam nōminārī necesse est, licet nōsmet ipsōs plērīque circumlātrent: sufficiet ut, sī quī ex hīs haec lēgerit et agnōverit, ērubēscat. nam sī īrāscitur, dē sē dictum fatēbitur, cum fortasse nōs dē aliīs sēnserimus. 5. nōn refugimus autem, ut, sī quī eius modī sunt, nōs quoque cum tālī virō ōderint. 6. illud facile cōnfīdō, omnibus sānctīs opusculum istud gratum fore. dē cēterō sī quī haec īnfidēliter lēgerit, ipse peccābit. 7. ego mihi cōnscius sum mē, rērum fidē et amōre Christī impulsum ut scrīberem, manifesta exposuisse, vēra dīxisse: parātumque, ut spērō, habēbit ā Deō praemium, nōn quīcumque lēgerit, sed quīcumque crēdiderit.

notes

commotum: 'agitated', 'worked-up'.

quodammodo: 'in a certain way', 'a kind of'.

extra naturam hominis videbatur: 'he seemed above human nature'.

numquam in illius ore nisi Christus: 'never (was anything) on his lips except Christ'.

pro eorum . . . peccatis: 'for the sins of those'.

remotum et quietum: substantival, 'a secluded and quiet man', i.e. Martin.

qui in illo oderant quod: 'who hated in him that which'.

ingemescendum: 'lamentable'.

non alii . . . non alii . . . quam: 'none other than' (repeated for emphasis).

fere: 'for the most part', 'mostly'.

licet pauci admodum: 'though quite few'.

ferebantur: 'were said (to be)'.

licet nosmet ipsos plerique circumlatrent: 'although quite a few are barking all around at me myself', a reference to Sulpicius' critics, who claimed that he exaggerated Martin's abilities. circumlatrent (> circumlatro (1)) is subj. in concessive clause (AG 527).

sufficiet ut: 'it will be sufficient that'.

ex his: 'of these men', i.e., from among the critics.

dictum: (sc. esse) 'that it has been said' (indirect statement after fatebitur).

non refugimus . . . ut: 'I do not mind that'.

nos quoque: 'me too', another polite 1st person plural, referring to Sulpicius himself.

opusculum istud: 'the present work'. Opusculum is diminutive of opus, used here for modesty. iste = meus is late Latin. See Lönnergen, De Syntaxi Sulpicii Severi, p. 10.[4]

de cetero: 'for the rest, otherwise'.

ego mihi conscius sum me: 'I am conscious in myself that I', introducing indirect statement.

non quicumque legerit, sed quicumque crediderit: 'not he who has read, but he who has believed'. This is the subject of habebit above. legerit and crediderit are subjunctive in a relative clause of characteristic. 'Believed' is the emphatic final word in the work.

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