St. Augustine, Of the citie of God vvith the learned comments of Io. Lod. Viues. Englished by I.H.

L. VIVES.

TArquin (a) built] The proud. (Liui. lib. 1.) (b) Aesculapius] In the warre of the Sam∣nites he was brought from Epidaurus to Rome, by Ogolnius the Legate, in the shape of a tame Snake, and he swamme ouer into the Ile of Tyber, where his temple was built, and a feast instituted to him in the Calends of Ianuary. Epidaurus (once called Epitaurus: Strab.) is a towne in Achaia, aboue Corinthe, on the Easterne shore, which Pliny called Saronium, and is named at this day Golfo di Engia: it was famous for the Temple of Aesculapius which stood in that territorie, some fiue miles from the Cittie. (c) A most expert Phisitian] Cicero holds there were three Aesculapii. First Apollo's sonne, worshipped in Arcadia. Second brother to the second Mercury, who was sonne to Valens and Phoronis: hee was struck with thunder, and it is said hee is buried at Cynosurae. The third, sonne to Arsippus and Arsinoe, first inuentor of purging, and tooth-drawing: his sepulcher and his graue is to bee seene in Arcadia, not farre from the riuer Lusius. Tarquinius speaking of the famous men (this we haue from Lactantius) saith that Aesculapius was borne of vnknowne parents, and being cast out, and found by hun∣ters, was fed with bitches milke, and afterwards committed to Chyron, of whom hee learned Phisicke: that by birthe he was a Messenian, but dwelt at Epidaurus. Hippocrates saith, that he wrote the booke called Nauicula (as we haue said in our principles of Philosophie) Corn. Cel∣sus saith, he was numbred amongst the gods, for giuing excellence and lustre vnto Phisicke, which before was but rude and vnpolished. (d) Of whence,] She was of ignoble and ob∣scure descent, as Saturne her brother also was. For shee they say was Ops: and therefore they held them as the children of Caelus, knowing not indeed of whence they were, who not-with∣standing prooued so famous and admired. Such as these were, the people thought to come downe from heauen. (e) Pessinus,] Some write Mount Prenestine: this place is faultie in all the copies that euer I could finde. Others write Mount Pessinunt, but it were better to say, Mount Palatine, for there was the mother of the gods placed, at her first comming to Rome. (Liu. lib. 36.) and Victor de Regionibus vrbis. (f) Came out of Egipt] Apuleius in his Asse saith, that the Deities of Egipt were brought thence vnto Rome about Sylla's time, that is, aboue an hundred yeares after the mother of the gods came to Rome. But L. Piso, and A. Gabinius being Consuls, decreed by edict, that they should not come in the Capitoll, though afterwards they did. Tertull. Apologetic. (g) Febris,] Some read, the god Februus, which cannot be good: for Februus is Pluto, vnto whom they sacrificed in February, called so because of Purgation: this is not doubted of. But that it must bee Febris here, that which followeth of Aesculapius, doth approoue, and other subsequences. (h) Let Aesculapius,] Wittily applyed, because hee is a Phisition. (i) Nephew] Or grand-childe: hee was sonne to Apollo, hee to Iupiter, and hee vn∣to Ops. (k) A Romaine Cittizen] This is conceited also: for the Romaines made Febris a god∣desse. (l) Certaine and vncertaine,] For some of their Deities were doubtfull: as Pans, the Syluans, and the Nimphs. Ouid brings in Iupiter speaking thus:

Sunt mihi semidei, sunt rustica Nomina, Faumi,

Et Nymphae, Satyrîque & monticolae Syluani, Quos quoniam caeli nondum dignamur honore, Quas dedimus certè terras habitare sinamus.

We haue of Semy-gods, and Syluanes, store: Nymphs, Fawnes, and Satyres, and many more: Whom since as yet we haue debard the skies, We needs must guard on earth from iniuries.

Such also are Corybantes, Hyppolitus, Atys and Sabbazius, whom Lucian calleth 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, aliens and doubtfull gods, (m) Smoake] Of the sacrifices: or meaning their vanitie, is an allusion vnto smoake, for smoake is often taken for a vaine and friuolous thing, as to sell smoake. (n) As a Beacon] In time of warre, or suspition, the watchmen placed bundels of drye small sticks, vpon their high watch-stands, that when the enemy approached on a sudden, they might fire the sticks, and so giue notice vnto their owne soul∣diers and the neighbouring townes: The Greekes called those bundels 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and by these fires within lesse then halfe an houre, notice might bee giuen vnto the contrey an hundred mile about, to come betimes to the preuenting of their danger. It may also bee vnderstood of the signe giuen in battels.

Notes

• Aesculapius.
• But best of all by Li∣uie h•…•… leaue to say with the text, Pessinus, for Pessinus was a towne in in Phrygia, where Cybel had a tem∣ple, before she had any at Rome.
• Metamorph.
• Sellers of smoake.