Letter 9

From: Braulio of Zaragoza, bishop To: Isidore of Seville, bishop and scholar Date: ~636 AD Context: Braulio writes about the dedication of the Etymologiae and the broader question of how the work should be introduced and circulated. To my most holy Lord and father Isidore, with all due reverence, The question of the dedication is one I have thought about carefully, and I want to explain my reasoning before you see what I have done. I have written a brief preface — not long, not elaborate — that describes the origins of the work in our correspondence and makes clear that while the Etymologiae is entirely your achievement, the particular shape it took and the fact that it was completed when it was owes something to the encouragement you received from friends. I have named myself in this connection, not out of vanity, but because I think it is honest and because a reader who understands the history of the work will understand it better. I have also taken the liberty of organizing the preface in such a way that it explains, in brief, the principle behind the whole: that the origin of a word is the key to its meaning, and that through words we can unlock the structure of all the arts and sciences. Whether this is precisely what you intended, I am not certain — you will know better than I whether I have captured your design. But I thought a reader coming to the work cold would benefit from such an orientation. If you disapprove of any of this, tell me and I will revise. The work is yours. The preface serves it. Your devoted and grateful student, Braulio