CONTENTS

PART I
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER I
Isidore’s Life and Writings
  PAGE
1.  Importance of Isidore 15
  a.  Place in history of thought 15
  b.  Influence 17
2.  Historical setting 18
  a.  The Roman culture in Spain 18
  b.  Assimilation of the barbarians 18
  c.  Predominance of the church 19
3.  Life 20
  a.  Family 20
  b.  Leander 20
  c.  Early years and education 21
  d.  Facts of his life 22
4.  Impression made by Isidore on his contemporaries 23
  Braulio’s account 23
5.  Works 24
  a.  Braulio’s list 24
  b.  Works especially important as giving Isidore’s intellectual outlook 25
    (1)  Differentiae 26
      Stress on words 26
    (2)  De Natura Rerum 27
      View of the physical universe 27
      General organization of subject-matter 28
    (3)  Liber Numerorum 29
      Mysticism of number 29
    (4)  Allegoriae 29
    (5)  Sententiae 29
    (6)  De Ordine Creaturarum 30
  c.  His main work—the Etymologies 30
    (1)  Description 30
    (2)  Contents 31
    (3)  Antiquarian character 32
    (4)  Leading principle of treatment—word derivation 33
    (5)  Inconsistency of thought 34
    (6)  Circumstances of production 34
CHAPTER II
Isidore’s Relation to Previous Culture
1.  Dependance on the past 35
2.  Ignorance of Greek 35
3.  Relation to Latin writers 37
  a.  The function of the Christian writers 37
  b.  The development of the pagan thought 37
    (1)  The encyclopædias 38
      (a)  Characteristics 38
          Decay of thought 38
          Epitomizing tendency 39
          Literary scholarship 39
          Scientific scholarship 40
      (b)  Method of production 40
      (c)  Acceptability of encyclopædias to the church fathers 41
      (d)  Debt of Isidore to them 41
    (2)  The encyclopædias of education 43
4.  The personal element contributed by Isidore 44
5.  Sources used by Isidore 45
  a.  Confusion of the tradition 45
  b.  Investigations and their results 45
CHAPTER III
Isidore’s General View of the Universe
1.  Introductory considerations 48
  a.  The difficulties in ascertaining the world-view 48
    (1)  Inconsistencies 48
    (2)  Unexplained preconceptions 48
  b.  Conditions favoring the construction of a world-view 49
2.  The physical universe 50
  a.  Form of the universe 50
      Question of the sphericity of the earth 50
      Greek cosmology versus Christian cosmology 54
  b.  Size of the universe 54
  c.  Constitution of matter 55
      The four elements 55
        Properties 55
        Cosmological bearing 57
        Bearing on the physical constitution of man 59
        Use of the theory in medicine 59
        Phenomena of meteorology explained by the theory 60
        Seasons 61
  d.  Parallelism of man and the universe 62
3.  The solidarity of the universe 63
  a.  Strangeness of Isidore’s thinking 63
  b.  The conception of solidarity 64
  c.  Number 64
  d.  Allegory 65
4.  The supernatural world 67
  a.  Contrast between mediæval and modern views 68
  b.  Method of apprehending the supernatural world 68
  c.  Relative importance of natural and supernatural 68
    (1)  In nature 68
    (2)  In man 69
    (3)  Asceticism 70
  d.  Inhabitants of supernatural world 70
    (1)  Theology 70
    (2)  Angelology 70
    (3)  Demonology 72
5.  View of secular learning 73
  a.  Philosophy 73
    (1)  Conception of philosophy 73
    (2)  Attitude toward pagan philosophy 74
  b.  Poetry 74
  c.  Science 75
    (1)  Attitude toward pagan science 75
    (2)  Condition of pagan science 76
    (3)  Low place accorded to science 76
    (4)  Science harmonized with religious ideas 77
    (5)  Perversity of pagan scientists 78
6.  View of the past 79
  a.  Pagan past as a whole dropped 79
  b.  Idea of the past dominated by Biblical tradition 79
  c.  Importance of Hebrew history 80
CHAPTER IV
Isidore’s Relation to Education
1.  Problem of Christian education 81
2.  Cassiodorus’ solution 82
  a.  Theology 83
  b.  The seven liberal arts 83
3.  The educational situation in Spain 84
4.  Isidore’s solution 85
  a.  Attitude toward the secular subject-matter 85
  b.  Comprehensive educational scheme 86
    (1)  First eight books of the Etymologies 86
    (2)  The higher and the lower education 87
5.  Bearing of Isidore’s educational scheme on the development of the universities 88
PART II
THE ETYMOLOGIES
Book I
  On Grammar
    Introduction 89
    Analysis 92
    Extracts 95
Book II
  1.  On Rhetoric (chs. 1–21)
    Introduction 105
    Analysis 107
    Extracts 111
  2.  On Logic (chs. 22–30)
    Introduction 113
    Analysis 115
    Extracts 115
Book III
  1.  On Arithmetic (chs. 1–9)
    Introduction 123
    Extracts (chs. 1–9) 125
  2.  On Geometry (chs. 10–14)
    Introduction 131
    Translation (chs. 10–14) 132
  3.  On Music (chs. 15–23)
    Introduction 134
    Extracts (chs. 15–23) 136
  4.  On Astronomy (chs. 24–71)
    Introduction 140
    Extracts (chs. 24–71) 142
Book IV
  On Medicine
    Introduction 155
    Extracts 158
Book V
  1.  On Laws (chs. 1–25)
    Introduction 164
    Extracts (chs. 1–25) 166
  2.  On Times (chs. 28–39)
    Introduction 173
    Extracts (chs. 28–39) 175
Books VI-VIII
  [Theology]
    Introduction 183
    Analysis 184
    Extracts—Book VI. On the Books and Services of the Church 185
    Extracts—Book VII. On God, the Angels and the faithful 192
    Extracts—Book VIII. On the Church and the different sects 196
Book IX
  On Languages, Races, Empires, Warfares, Citizens, Relationships
    Introduction 207
    Analysis 208
    Extracts 208
Book X
  Alphabetical List of Words
    Extracts 214
Book XI
  On Man and Monsters
    Analysis 215
    Extracts 215
Book XII
  On Animals
    Introduction 222
    Analysis 223
    Extracts 223
Books XIII and XIV
  [On Universe and Earth]
    Introduction 233
    Analysis 233
    Extracts—Book XIII. On the Universe and its parts 234
    Extracts—Book XIV. On the Earth and its parts 243
Book XV
  On Buildings and Fields
    Analysis 248
    Extracts 249
Book XVI
  On Stones and Metals
    Analysis 252
    Extracts 253
Book XVII
  On Agriculture
    Analysis 258
Book XVIII
  On War and Amusements
    Analysis 258
    Extracts 259
Book XIX
  On Ships, Buildings and Garments
    Analysis 261
Book XX
  On Provisions and Utensils Used in the House and in the Fields
    Analysis 263
Appendix I
    Isidore’s Use of the Word Terra 264
Appendix II
    Subdivisions of Philosophy 267
Bibliography 270