Section 1

Pagan historians wrote to secure their own literary immortality, and to inspire readers to emulate the deeds of their subjects. But eternal life is secured by living a holy life. These other works have led many people to pursue empty philosophies and vain forms of virtue. My subject is a very holy man, who will show readers the way to true wisdom and divine virtue. It is based on wholly reliable sources.

Plerique mortales: 'very many mortals', i.e. many people, a turn of phrase borrowed from Sallust, War with Catiline ch. 51. This whole section reflects critically on Sallust's famous discussion of the aims and value of writing history, War with Catiline chs. 1-3.

studio: '(literary) study', dative with dediti ('given over to, devoted to')

gloriae saeculari 'worldly fame', dative with dediti.

exinde: 'from that source', looking forward to the main verb, quaesierunt.

quaesierunt: 'sought' (> quaero, -ere, quaesii, quaesitum).

stilo: 'with a stylus', i.e., by writing about them.

illustrassent: 'had given luster to'. illustrassent = illustravissent, plupf. subj.

et . . . et: both . . . and.

licet incassum: 'though to no purpose' (adverbial, modifying propagabant).

non parva aemulatio: 'no small desire to emulate' the deeds of great men--the conventional justification of biography among Roman writers.

haec cura eorum: 'this study of theirs', i.e., the works of pagan biographers.

ipsis: dative with profuit ('was beneficial to')

quid . . . emolumenti: 'what advantage' (emolumenti is partitive genitive, AG 356).

tulit: 'derived (for itself)'

legendo Hectorem: 'by reading (about) Hector'

sed non acerrime ... dementia: 'but it is also madness not to fight against them very strenuously'.

quippe qui ... aestimantes: 'in as much as they, valuing human life on the basis of worldly deeds alone'.

cum hominis officium sit: 'although it is the duty of a human being' (cum is concessive).

potius ... quam: 'rather than'

in tantum valuit: 'has become so strong' (> valesco, -ere).

unde facturus mihi operae pretium videor: 'and so I seem to myself to be about to do something worth the trouble', an allusion to the famous opening of the preface to Livy's History of Rome, facturusne operae pretium sim si a primordio urbis . . .

exemplo aliis mox futuram: 'which will serve as an example for others later'. exemplo is 'predicative' dative or dative of purpose (Woodcock sec. 68, AG 382).

utique . . . incitabuntur: 'will certainly be roused'. The indicative mood of the verb marks this as a confident assertion.

in quo ita nostri quoque rationem commodi ducimus, ut: 'in (doing) this I am taking into account my own advantage as well, in such a way that'. rationem ducere = 'take account of'. The first person plurals here and below (expetemus, viximus, possimus,dedimus) refer to the author alone, but the tone is polite rather than pompous.

dedimus . . . operam: 'I have devoted myself to the task'.

ut se . . . gesserit: indirect question, 'how he conducted himself'.

ad omnia illius . . . pervenire: 'to include all of his deeds'

vel . . . vel: 'both . . . and' (late Lat.).

in quibus ipse tantum sibi conscius fuit: 'to which only he himself was privy'.

quantum in ipso fuit: 'as much as he could'

voluisset: subjunctive because it is assumed to be true, rather than personally vouched for by the speaker. "No doubt because he wanted . . ."

nobis: 'by me' (dative of agent), plural for singular, as with omisimus and credidimus below.

si tantum excellentia notarentur: 'if only the highlights were pointed out'.

simul et legentibus consulendum fuit: 'at the same time it was necessary to consider the interests of the readers as well'.

ne quod his pareret copia congesta fastidium: 'lest a heaped-up abundance (of material) produce any annoyance for them' (i.e., the readers).

fidem . . . adhibeant: 'trust, believe in' (+ dat.).

probatum: 'proven true'.

alioquin: 'in other circumstances' i.e., when dealing with information what was not confirmed and definite.

maluissem: 'I (would have) preferred'