borowed of the Gaules. Neither is there any reason to leade vs, but that they
had other woordes, and sentences of their owne sufficient, to expresse their mindes.
But after the Romaines had once subbued them, the better to stablishe, and
confirme their Empiere, they forced them to receiue bothe the Romaine lawes,
and also the Romaine tongue: as they had doone before in seuerall Countries
within Italie, and in other places moe. Whiche thinge vnto some séemed so grée∣uous,
that, as it is reported by Cato, Turrhe••us the laste Kinge of Ethr••ria,
notwithstandinge he were contente to yeeldè his Countrie to the Romaines, yet
coulde neuer be wonne to yeelde his tongue. For the better performance
hereof, they had it enacted by a lawe, that the Iudge in euery Prouince shoulde
heare, and determine maters, and pronounce sentence onely in Latine, as it ap∣peareth
by these woordes: Decreta a praetoribus, Latine debent interponi. By meane
whereof S. Hierome saithe, The Punike tongue in his time, was muche altered from
that it had beene before.
Al these thinges be confessed, and nothinge touche this case, nor serue to any
other purpose, but onely to amase ye ignorant Reader with a countenance of great
learninge.
But that the whole people of the Citie of Hippo, where the Seruice was
ministred in the Latine tongue, vnderstoode, and spake Latine, who can witnesse
better then S. Augustine him selfe, that was then Bishoppe of Hippo? And to
passe ouer that he reporteth of him selfe, that beinge borne in Tagasta a Citie of
Aphrica, he learned the Latine tongue, In••er blandimenta nu••ricum, As he was
plaieinge vnder his N••rce, Signi••ieing thereby, that his Nurces vnderstoode, and
spake Latine: In his Booke De Catechizandis rudibus; He writeth thus: Let
them know, there is no voice, that soundeth in Goddes eares, but the deuotion of the minde.
So shal they not scorne at the head Priestes, and Ministers of the Churche, if they happen in
makinge their praiers vnto God, to speake false Latine, or not to vnderstande the woordes
that they speake, or to speake them out of order. He addeth ••urther, Non qu••d ista
corrigenda non sint, vt populus ad id, quòd planè intelligit, dica••, Amen. Not for
that, suche faultes shoulde not be amended▪ to the ende that the people, to the
thinge that they plainely perceiue, may say, Amen. Here S. Augustine wil∣leth
that the Priestes vtter their Latine Seruice distinctely, and truely, that the
people may vnderstande them. Againe he saithe thus: Volens etiam cau∣sam
Donatistarum ad ipsius humilimi vulgi, & omnin•• imperitorum, at{que} idiotarum
notitiam peruenire, & eorum, quantum fieri posset, per nos inhaerere memoriàe, psal∣mum,
qui eis cantaretur, per Latinas literas f••ci. Beinge desirous that the cause of
the Donatistes shoulde come to the knowlege of the lowest sorte, and of them,
that be vtterly ignorant, and voide of learninge, and, as muche as in vs lay,
might be fixed in their memorie, I wrote a Psalme for them to singe in the La∣tine
tongue. And Possidonius writynge S. Augustines life, saithe, that Uale∣rius,
that was Bishop of Hippo, before S. Augustine, for that he was a Greeke
borne, and had smal skil in the Latine tongue, was the lesse hable to Preache vnto
the people, and to discharge his dewtie there.
I doubte not, but by these fewe woordes, it may wel appeare, that the people
of Hippo vnderstoode the Latine, al be it not in suche good order, as they that had
learned it at the Schoole: and therefore would oftentimes speake amisse, placing
one woorde, for an other: and Gender, for Gender: and Case, for Case: as for
example, Dolus, for Dolor. S. Augustine saith, Multi fratres imperi••iores La∣••inita••is,
loquūtur f••c, vt dicant, Dolus illum torquet, pro eo, quod est, Dolor. And for
that cause in his Sermons vnto the people, he submitteth oftetimes him selfe vn∣to
their capacitie. For thus he speaketh vnto the people, Saepe & verba non Latina