audieram enim ego adhuc puer de vita aeterna promissa nobis per humilitatem domini dei nostri descendentis ad superbiam nostram, et signabar iam signo crucis eius, et condiebar eius sale iam inde ab utero matris meae, quae multum speravit in te. vidisti, domine, cum adhuc puer essem et quodam die pressu stomachi repente aestuarem paene moriturus, vidisti, deus meus, quoniam custos meus iam eras, quo motu animi et qua fide baptismum Christi tui, dei et domini mei, flagitavi a pietate matris meae et matris omnium nostrum, ecclesiae tuae. et conturbata mater carnis meae, quoniam et sempiternam salutem meam carius parturiebat corde casto in fide tua, iam curaret festinabunda ut sacramentis salutaribus initiarer et abluerer, te, domine Iesu, confitens in remissionem peccatorum, nisi statim recreatus essem. dilata est itaque mundatio mea, quasi necesse esset ut adhuc sordidarer si viverem, quia videlicet post lavacrum illud maior et periculosior in sordibus delictorum reatus foret. ita iam credebam et illa et omnis domus, nisi pater solus, qui tamen non evicit in me ius maternae pietatis, quominus in Christum crederem, sicut ille nondum crediderat. nam illa satagebat ut tu mihi pater esses, deus meus, potius quam ille, et in hoc adiuvabas eam, ut superaret virum, cui melior serviebat, quia et in hoc tibi utique id iubenti serviebat.
For I, still a boy, had already heard about the eternal life promised to us through the humility of our Lord God, descending to our pride*; and I was even then being signed with the sign of his cross, and seasoned with his salt** already from the womb of my mother, who hoped greatly in you. You saw, Lord -- one day when I was yet a boy and burned with unexpected stomach pains almost to the point of death -- you saw, my God, because you were then my preserver, with what agitation of the soul and what faith I begged for the baptism of your Christ, my God and Lord, from the piety of my mother and of the mother of all of us, your church. And the mother of my flesh, greatly troubled -- because she worried more for my eternal salvation than for her own heart, pure in your faith -- now would have hurriedly seen to it that I was consecrated and cleansed with the sacraments of salvation, acknowledging by you***, Lord God, the remission of my sins, if I had not immediately recovered. Thus my cleansing was delayed, as though it were necessary that I should continue to be filthy if I were to live -- because, of course, after that cleansing I was to become older and more experienced in squalor through the guilt of my sins. Thus I believed, as did she, and all the household, save only my father; so that -- though he did not conquer in me the law**** of maternal piety -- I ceased to believe in Christ, just as he had not yet believed. For my mother busied herself to make sure that you would be father to me, my God, more than him; and you aided her in this, that she overcame the husband who she, though better than him, served -- because in this she also served you, who had commanded it, above all.
* This seems a bit odd.
** Not entirely certain if this is a metaphor, or some early Christian custom (but if the latter, I've never heard of it.)
*** I'm not sure how to take the ablative here.
**** Or maybe "bonds of maternal piety" or "customs of maternal piety"...I'm not quite sure what he means.
***** I'm assuming this is what is meant, since he just said that he
did believe.
Feedback/help is very welcome.
