| Keywords |
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| ID |
18 |
| Text |
Etymologiarum sive Originum libri XX (622 - 633) Isidore of Seville |
| Quotation |
De civibus. (...) Cives vocati, quod in unum coeuntes vivant, ut vita communis et ornatior fiat et tutior. 3 Domus unius familiae habitaculum est, sicut urbs unius populi, sicut orbis domicilium totius generis humani. Est autem domus genus, familia, sive coniunctio viri et uxoris. Incipit autem a duobus, et est nomen Graecum. 4 Nam familia est liberi ex liberis legibus suscepti, a femore. Genus autem a gignendo et progenerando dictum, aut a definitione certorum prognatorum, ut nationes, quae propriis cognationibus terminatae gentes appellantur. Populus est humanae multitudinis, iuris consensu et concordi communione sociatus. Populus autem eo distat a plebibus, quod populus universi cives sunt, connumeratis senioribus civitatis. Plebs autem reliquum vulgus sine senioribus civitatis. 6 Populus ergo tota civitas est; vulgus vero plebs est. Plebs autem dicta a pluralitate; maior est enim numerus minorum quam seniorum. (...) Vulgus est passim inhabitans multitudo, quasi quisque quo vult. |
| Translation |
Citizens (civis) are so called because they live 'assembled' (coire) in one body, so that their common life might be made richer and safer. A house is the dwelling place of a family, as a city is the dwelling place of a single populace, and as the world is the domicile of the whole humankind. But 'house' also refers to a lineage, a family, or the union of husband and wife (...) A ‘race’ (genus) is so called from begetting and procreating, or from the delimiting of particular descendants, as are nations that, delimited by their own kinships are called ‘stocks of people’ (gens). A populace (populus) is composed of a human multitude , allied through their agreed practice of law and by willing association. A populace is distinct from the plebeians (plebs), because a populace consists of all the citizens, including the elders of the city. Therefore the populace is the whole city, but the common people are the plebeians. The plebeians are named for their plurality (pluralitas), for there are more people of lesser status than there are elders. (...) The 'common people' (vulgus) is the multitude living here and there - as if it were "each one where he wishes". (Barney-Lewis-Beach-Berghof, CUP 2006, p. 203.) |
| Quotation source |
ix.4.2-6 |
| Associated use case(s) |
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| Comment |
The 'gens' is a specific group of people among a 'natio', that's to say a group of relatives. A 'natio' is a big container of various 'gentes'. |
