The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville - Pot-pourri

Only the words in my Peri Archon 44 brought this
misfortune on me.
Impious darts attacked me when I was assailed by these
words.
V. Hilary
Nurturing Gaul sent me, born in Poitiers,
Herown Doctor Hilary with thundering speech.
VI. Ambrose
Doctor Ambrose, celebrated for his miracles and hymns,
Shines here with his chapters and his text.
VII. Augustine
He lies who says he has read you entirely.
What reader could possess your complete works?
Foryou, Augustine, glow with a thousand volumes.
Your own books bear witness to what I say.
However pleasing may be the wisdom of books by many
authors,
If Augustine is there, he himself will suffice you.
VIII. Jerome
Translator Jerome, most learned in the various
languages,
Bethlehem praises you, the whole world resounds with
your name;
Our library also celebrates you through your books.
IX. John
IamJohn by name, called ‘Chrysostom,’
Because a golden tongue45 makes my work glitter.
Constantinople glows with me as its teacher
AndIameverywhererenownedformybooksasa
Doctor.
Ihave established morals, I have spoken of the rewards
of virtues,
AndIhave taught wretched culprits to bemoan their
crimes.
Internal evidence alone defines the method and purpose
of the Etymologies, because apart from the brief
44 Origen was accused of heresy, partly on the basis of statements
he made in Peri Archon. For the text (i.e. Rufinus’s Latin translation)
and an account of the controversy see H. Crouzel and M. Simonetti,
ed. and French trans., Origène: Traité des principes, Tomes i and ii,
Sources Chrétiennes 252 (Paris, 1978).
45 Cf. , “gold” and , “mouth.”
46 The four poets in the title are Christians; the next six (Vergil,
Horace, Ovid, Persius, Lucan, and Statius) are pagans.
47 Callirhoe was the name of an Athenian fountain, here taken as
the inspiration of the pagan poets.
The character of the Etymologies
The character of the Etymologies 17
X. Cyprian
With a brighter eloquence than all the rest, Cyprian, you
gleam.
At one time you were aDoctor,nowyouarehereasa
martyr.
XI. Prudentius, Avitus, Juvencus, Sedulius
If Maro, ifFlaccus, if Naso and Persius raise a shudder,
If Lucan and Papinius 46 disgust you,
Sweet Prudentius of distinguished speech is at hand;
With his various poems this noble one is enough.
Read through the learned poem of eloquent Avitus.
Behold – Juvencus is there with you, and Sedulius,
Both equal in tongue, both flourishing in verse.
They bear large cups from the gospel fountain.
Leave off, therefore, waiting on pagan poets –
While you can have such good things, what is Callirhoe 47
to you?
XII. Eusebius, Orosius
Histories of events and circumstances of a bygone age,
This chest holds them collected together on
parchment.
XIII. Gregory
Hippo, as much as you are distinguished for your
teacher Augustine,
So much is Rome for its Pope Gregory.
XIV. Leander
Youare held to be not much unequal to the ancient
Doctors,
Leander the Bishop: your works teach us this.
XV. Theodosius, Paulus, Gaius
Collected here is a most ample series of the laws of
justice;
These rule the Latin forum with their true
speaking.
dedication to Sisebut (appended Letter VI) no statement
from Isidore survives. Obviously he compiled the work
on the basis of extensive notes he took while reading
through the sources at his disposal. Not infrequently he
repeats material verbatim in different parts of the work;
either he copied extracts twice or he had a filing system
that allowed multiple use of a bit of information. Presumably
he made his notes on the slips of parchment
that he might have called schedae: “A scheda is a thing
still being emended, and not yet redacted into books”
(VI.xiv.8).