to digge a place for it. They digged 20. foot deep, and there they found an old altar inscrib'd, To Dis and Proserpina. (This the Romaines had inhumed after their infernall sacrifices, beeing to fight with the Albasnes, for so the deuil bad them doe ere they ioyned battaile.) Ualesius returnes, and finding the altar, offers blacke offrings to Dis and Proserp. and spreading beddes for the gods, staied there three nights (for so long after were they sicke) with reuells and dances, that these children had escaped this sicknesse. This custome. P. V. Poplicola, one of Valesius his progeny brought into the Citty, in the first yeare of the freedome. Three daies and nights the people watched at the altars of Ioue and Apollo, offring a white bull, and cer∣taine children whose parents were liuing sung a song to Apollo. Then watched they at Iu∣no's: offring a white Heifer; this was in the day time: on the night at Dianas, Proserpina's, Terra's and the Destenies, offring black creatures, and burning of tapers: and then were Stage∣plaies presented to Apollo, and Diana, and the Circian Games: and those stately and famous spectacles were called ye Secular plaies, because they were acted once euery age, taking an age here for the longest space of mans life: Some giue it more yeares, some lesse, as it is in Censo∣rinus. The Romaines called an C yeares, an age: as Valerius, Antias, Varro, & Liuie lib. 136. doe report. But by the Quindecimvirs commentaries, and Augustus his Edict, together with Horace his verse, it includes a space of ten yeares more, and euery C. X. yeare, those plaies were kept. Though this verse of Horace, Certus vndenos deciès per annos, which Censorinus and others trust to, I cannot see but may be read Certus vt denos decies per annos, and so diuers doe reade it. But there is another Greeke verse cited by Zosimus, cut of the Sybills bookes, hee saith, wherein is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 without point or accent. Besides, the crier called the people inthese words Come to those plaies that none of you euer saw, nor hereafter euer shall see. Hence came Vitellius flattery to Claudius, presenting those plaies: May you doe it often. Poplicola, as wee said, first presented them: Ab vrbe cond. CCXLIIII. yeares: they were renewed Ab. vr. Con. D. I. Consulls, P. CL. Pulcher and L. Iuni. Brutus, the XI. yeare of the first African warre: acted againe, the third yeare of the second Punick warre: Consulls, M. Manlius M. Censorinus. Fourthly, before their time, L. Aem. Lepidus, and L. Aurel. Orestes, Consulls, the fift: Augustus and Arippa presented, hauing brought them to the iust time: Consulls, Furnius and Sillanus: the sixt, C L. Caesar, too soone for the time: Himselfe and L. Vitellius, the third Consulls. The seauenth, Domitian, after a true computation, Himselfe and L. Minutius Ruffus being Consulls: the eight Septimius Severus, at their iust time: Conss. Chilo, and Vibo. the ninth Phillip Vostrensis ab vrbe Cond. a M. years: Aemilianus and Aquilinus being Conss. Cassiodore. Thus much of the Secular plaies from Varro, Valer. Horat. L. Florus, Festus, Zosimus, Herodian, Suetonius, Censorinus, Cassiodorus, Porphiry, Aeron, and Politian, now to the rest. (b) Renewed] Here seemes a difference betweene the plaies of Dis and Proserpina, and the Secular plaies, but indeede there is none, vnlesse Augustine diuide the infernall Orgies, from the sacrifices offered at the same time to other gods: and truely the Infernall Orgies and the Secular plaies seeme to differ in their originall: for Festus saith thus: The Tauri were games made in honour of the infernall gods, vpon this occasion. In the raigne of Tarquin the proude, there falling a great death amongst the child-bearing women, arising out of the too great plenty of bulls-flesh, that was sold to the people, herevpon they ordained games in honour of the Infernalls, calling them Tauri. Thus farre Festus. Besides, the Secular plaies were kept vnto Apollo on the day, and Diana on the night, but the Tauri were kept to the Infernall powres. (c) Surely brasse] Some put Aerei, ayry, for arei, brazen, and more fitting to Augustines opinion: for the Platonists say the diuells are ayrie creatures, whose doctrine Augustine doth often approue in some things, as wee will shew hereafter. In blushing the bloud adornes the face with red-nesse. (d) Ouer-flowing] Oros. L. 4. (e) Fire] Ib. Liu. lib. 19. Ouid. Fast. 6. Sencca's declamers dispute whether Metellus should bee depriued of his Priest∣hood or no beeing blind; the law commanding them to haue a perfect man to their Priest. (f) Harbour and temple] Because there was the fire worshipped as is immediately declared. (g) Honoured] Their honour was vniuersall great, their very Magistrates gaue the way vnto V•…•…stas Priests. (h) Metellus] L. Caecilius Metellus was High Priest, twice Consull, Dictator, Maister of the Horse, Quindecemvir in the sharing of the landes, and hee was the first that led Elephants in. Triumph in the first African warre, of whom Q. Metellus his sonne left re∣corded in his funerall oration, that he attained the ten things so powrefull and so admirable that the wisest haue spent all their time in their quest. That is, to bee a singular warriour, an excellent orator, a dreadlesse commander, a fortunate vndertaker, a especiall aduancer of honor,