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| Preface to Desiderius.
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Preface to Desiderius.
Severus to his dearest
brother Desiderius sendeth greeting. I had determined, my like-minded
brother, to keep private, and confine within the walls of my own house,
the little treatise which I had written concerning the life of St.
Martin. I did so, as I am not gifted with much talent, and shrank from
the criticisms of the world, lest (as I think will be the case) my
somewhat unpolished style should displease my readers, and I should be
deemed highly worthy of general reprehension for having too boldly laid
hold of a subject which ought to have been reserved for truly eloquent
writers. But I have not been able to refuse your request again and
again presented. For what could there be which I would not grant in
deference to your love, even at the expense of my own modesty? However,
I have submitted the work to you on the sure understanding that you
will reveal it to no other, having received your promise to that
effect. Nevertheless, I have my fears that you will become the means of
its publication to the world; and I well know that, once issued, it can
never1
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“Delere licebit
Quod non edideris: nescit vox missa
reverti.”
—Hor. Art Poet. 389–90. | be recalled. If this shall happen, and you come
to know that it is read by some others, you will, I trust, kindly ask
the readers to attend to the facts related, rather than the language in
which they are set forth. You will beg them not to be offended if the
style chances unpleasantly to affect their ears, because the kingdom of
God consists not of eloquence, but faith. Let them also bear in mind
that salvation was preached to the world, not by orators, but by
fishermen, although God could certainly have adopted the other course,
had it been advantageous. For my part, indeed, when I first applied my
mind to writing what follows, because I thought it disgraceful that the
excellences of so great a man should remain concealed, I resolved with
myself not to feel ashamed on account of solecisms of language. This I
did because I had never attained to any great knowledge of such things;
or, if I had formerly some taste of studies of the kind, I had lost the
whole of that, through having neglected these matters for so long a
course of time. But, after all, that I may not have in future to adopt
such an irksome mode of self-defense, the best way will be that the
book should be published, if you think right, with the author’s
name suppressed. In order that this may be done, kindly erase the title
which the book bears on its front, so that the page may be silent; and
(what is quite enough) let the book proclaim its subject-matter, while
it tells nothing of the author.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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