Section 13

Martin tries to cut down an ancient sacred tree but meets resistance a crowd of pagans. They offer to cut it down themselves if he allows himself to be tied up and put down underneath where it will fall.

esset adgressus: 'had begun' (> adgredior).

dum templum evertitur: 'while their temple was being demolished'. Dum = 'while' can take the present indicative, whatever the tense of the main verb. Cp. Cicero, Verrines 2.161: dum ego in Sicilia sum, nulla statua deiecta est. But the impf. subjunctive was also used, see below, 14.5.

quievissent: 'had grown quiet' (> quiesco).

commonere: 'he earnestly impressed on them'. Historical infinitive, introducing indirect statement.

nihil esse religionis in stipite: 'that there was nothing sacred in a stump'. religionis is partitive genitive.

sequerentur: 'that they should follow', jussive subjunctive in indirect statement.

ceteris: 'than the rest', abl. of comparison.

aliquam de Deo tuo . . . fiduciam: 'any confidence in your God'.

nosmet ipsi: 'we ourselves' (-met is intensive).

tu ruentem excipe: you catch it as it falls! tu is emphatic.

confisus: 'trusting' (> confido, -ere, -sus sum).

ad istius modi condicionem: 'to a deal of that type'.

hīc: 'at this point'(Adv.).

facilemque arboris suae habuere iacturam: 'and they considered the loss of their tree easy (to bear)'.

eo loci . . . quo: 'in that place where'. loci is partitive genitive.

vinctus: 'tied up' (> vincio, -ire).

aderat eminus turba mirantium: 'a crowd of people was present looking on in amazement from a distance'.

iamque paulatim ... minitari: 'And now the pine was gradually starting to sway to and fro and, on the point of falling, it threatened its own destruction' (White). Sulpicius is drawing out the suspense.

cum iam fragorem sui pinus concidens edidisset: 'now when the pine had given out a crashing noise from itself as it fell' (edidisset > ēdo).

cadenti . . . ruenti . . . opponit: 'he put in the way of it as it fell . . . as it rushed down' (> oppono + dat.).

signum salutis: 'the sign of salvation', i.e. the cross.

velut turbinis modo retro actam (sc. esse) putares: 'you would think it had been driven back by a kind of whirlwind,' a vivid appeal to the reader in the generalizing 2nd person singular.

prostraverit: 'flattened' (> prosterno), pf. subj. in a result clause.

stupere . . . flere . . . praedicari: 'were amazed at . . . wept . . . was praised', historic infinitives.

satisque constitit: 'and it was generally agreed that' (> consto, -are).

nemo fere . . . fuit, qui non . . . crediderit: 'there was almost no one who did not believe in' (+ acc.). crediderit is pf. subj. in a relative clause of characteristic.

impositione manus desiderata: 'with the laying on of hands having been asked for'. The pagans asked for the laying on of hands, abandoned their errors, and believed.

quod: the antecedent is nomen.

adeo convaluit: 'has become so strong' (> convalesco).

sit repletus: 'has been filled' (> repleo), pf. subj. in a relative clause of characteristic.