Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Note to the Reader
- INTRODUCTION
- THE ETYMOLOGIES
- Analytical table of contents
- Book I Grammar (De grammatica)
- Book II Rhetoric and dialectic (De rhetorica et dialectica)
- Book III Mathematics (De mathematica)
- Book IV Medicine (De medicina)
- Book V Laws and times (De legibus et temporibus)
- Book VI Books and ecclesiastical offices (De libris et officiis ecclesiasticis)
- Book VII God, angels, and saints (De deo, angelis et sanctis)
- Book VIII The church and sects (De ecclesia et sectis)
- Book IX Languages, nations, reigns, the military, citizens, family relationships (De linguis, gentibus, regnis, militia, civibus, affinitatibus)
- Book X Vocabulary (De vocabulis)
- Book XI The human being and portents (De homine et portentis)
- Book XII Animals (De animalibus)
- Book XIII The cosmos and its parts (De mundo et partibus)
- Book XIV The earth and its parts (De terra et partibus)
- Book XV Buildings and fields (De aedificiis et agris)
- Book XVI Stones and metals (De lapidibus et metallis)
- Book XVII Rural matters (De rebus rusticis)
- Book XVIII War and games (De bello et ludis)
- Book XIX Ships, buildings, and clothing (De navibus aedificiis et vestibus)
- Book XX (Provisions and various implements)
- APPENDIX Correspondence of Isidore and Braulio
- INDEX
Book XVIII - War and games (De bello et ludis)
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 September 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Note to the Reader
- INTRODUCTION
- THE ETYMOLOGIES
- Analytical table of contents
- Book I Grammar (De grammatica)
- Book II Rhetoric and dialectic (De rhetorica et dialectica)
- Book III Mathematics (De mathematica)
- Book IV Medicine (De medicina)
- Book V Laws and times (De legibus et temporibus)
- Book VI Books and ecclesiastical offices (De libris et officiis ecclesiasticis)
- Book VII God, angels, and saints (De deo, angelis et sanctis)
- Book VIII The church and sects (De ecclesia et sectis)
- Book IX Languages, nations, reigns, the military, citizens, family relationships (De linguis, gentibus, regnis, militia, civibus, affinitatibus)
- Book X Vocabulary (De vocabulis)
- Book XI The human being and portents (De homine et portentis)
- Book XII Animals (De animalibus)
- Book XIII The cosmos and its parts (De mundo et partibus)
- Book XIV The earth and its parts (De terra et partibus)
- Book XV Buildings and fields (De aedificiis et agris)
- Book XVI Stones and metals (De lapidibus et metallis)
- Book XVII Rural matters (De rebus rusticis)
- Book XVIII War and games (De bello et ludis)
- Book XIX Ships, buildings, and clothing (De navibus aedificiis et vestibus)
- Book XX (Provisions and various implements)
- APPENDIX Correspondence of Isidore and Braulio
- INDEX
Summary
i. War (De bellis) 1. Ninus, king of the Assyrians, was the first to wage war. Not at all content with his own boundaries, this Ninus, breaking the compact of human society, began to lead armies, to destroy other lands, and to massacre or subject free peoples. He completely subjugated the whole of Asia up to the borders of Libya in an unprecedented slavery. From this point on the world strove to grow fat in reciprocal bloodshed with one slaughter after another.
2. Now there are four kinds of war: just, unjust, civil, and more than civil. A just war is that which is waged in accordance with a formal declaration and is waged for the sake of recovering property seized or of driving off the enemy. An unjust war is one that is begun out of rage, and not for a lawful reason. Cicero speaks of this in the Republic (3.35): “Those wars are unjust that are taken up without due cause, for except for the cause of avenging or of driving off the enemy no just war can be waged.” 3. And he adds this a little further on: “No war is considered just unless it is officially announced or declared, and unless it is fought to recover property seized.” Civil (civilis) war occurs when factions arise among fellow-citizens (civis) and hostilities are stirred up, as between Sulla and Marius, who waged civil war against each other within one nation.
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- The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville , pp. 359 - 372Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2006