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

L. VIVES.

OF (a) Sertorius] Q. Sertorius Mirsinius, seeing the faction of Marius (which he fauoured) to go downe the winde, by the leaders follies, gotte away with the forces hee led, through * 1.1 all the ragged and difficult passages into Spaine, and there warred valiantly against the Syllans. At last being put to the worst by Pompey, hee was stabbed at supper by the treason of Perpenna, Antonius, and others his fellowes: A worthy Captaine hee was, hadde he hadde a worthier meane to haue shewed him-selfe in. (b) Cateline] Hee was for Sylla, and cutte many throates at his command. Afterward rebelling and taking armes against his country, hee was ouer∣throwne * 1.2 and slaine by Cicero and C. Antony Consuls. (c) Lepidus] In his, and Q. Luctatius * 1.3 Catulus his Consulship Sylla dyed and was buried in Mars his field. At his buriall the two Consuls were at great wordes about the reformation of the state, Lepidus desiring to recall Sylla's proscripts, and to restore them their goddes, and Catulus contradicting him together with the Senate: not that it was not iust, but because it would bee the originall

of a new tumult, the most dangerous of all in that little breathing time of the state. from wordes they fell to weapons. G. Pompey and Q. Catulus ioined battell with Lepidus, ouer∣threw him with ease, and despoyling him of his whole strength returned to Rome without any more stirre or other subsequence of war. The victory was moderately vsed, and armes presently laid aside. (d) Pompey.] Cn. Pompey the great, C. Pompey Strabo's sonne mette Syl∣la * 1.4 comming out of Asia, with three legions which hee hadde taken vppe amongst the Pise∣nes: hereby furthering Sylla greatly in his victory, who vsed him as one of his chiefe friendes, and surest Captaines in ending the ciuill warre in Cicilie, Afrike, Italy and Spaine. Hee try∣umphed twise beeing but agent of Rome, no Senator. Hee hadde great good fortune in subduing the Pyrats. He conquered Mithridates and all the East, getting greate and glorious triumph therby, and wondrous wealth. He was of mighty power and authority in the State, all which I haue more at large recorded in my Pompeius fugiens. Lastly, warring against Cae∣sar for the Common-wealth hee was foiled, fledde away to Ptolomey the young King of Aegipt, where to doe Caesar a pleasure, hee was murdered. (e) Caesar.] This man was sonne to L. Caesar, whose Aunt Iulia was wife vnto Marius; beeing Consull, by Pompeys meanes, * 1.5 hee gotte the Prouince of France for fiue yeares: and those expired, for fiue more, of the Con∣suls, Pompey and Crassus. In which tenne yeares hee conquered all France: and fretting that Pompey could doe more in the state then hee, pretending other causes, hee brought his forces against his country. Lucan.

Nec quenquam iam ferre potest Caesarue priorem Pompeiusue parem—

Caesar indureth no superiour, Pompey no equall—

Suetonius in Caesars life writes a Chapter of the causes of these warres. But Pompey beeing dead, Caesar gotte to bee perpetuall Dictator and then gouerned all the state like a King.

Of this ciuill warre wrote hee him-selfe, Plutarch, Appian, Florus, Eutropius, and Ci∣cero who was present, and pertaker in the whole businesse. (h) Augustus] C. Octauius, Cneius his sonne (a Praetorian) and Actia's, the daughter of Actius Balbus and Iulia, Caesars sister. * 1.6 Caesar made him heire of the nineth part of his estate, and called him by his name. Sueton. Many of the old soldiers after Caesars death came vnto him for his Vncles sake, by whose meanes (as Tully saith) hee defended the causes of the Senate against Anthony when hee was but a youth: ouer-threw him, chased him into France vnto Lepidus: at whose returne, hee made a league trium-virate with them, which was the direct ruine of the Common-wealth. The Trium-viri were Anthony, Lepidus and hee him-selfe. The conditions were, that Antho∣ny should suffer his Vncle Sext. Iul. Caesar to be proscribed: Lepidus his brother Lucius, and * 1.7 Octauius, Cicero; whome hee held as a father. This was Anthonies request, because Cicero in his Orations hadde proclaimed him an enemy to the Common-weale: Of these three, Tully was killed by Anthonies men, the other two escaped. The Octauians warred with Brutus and Cassius, and at Phillippi by Anthonies helpe ouerthrew them. Then hee warred with L. Anthony, the Tryumvirs brother, and at Perusia made him yeelde the Towne him-selfe: After∣ward with Pompey the greats sonne, and tooke the Nauy from him: and then with Lepidus depriuing him of the Triumvirship: Lastly with Marke Anthony the Tryumvir whome hee conquered, and so remayned sole Emperour of Rome, hauing ended all the ciuill wars, and beeing saluted Augustus by Ualerius Messala in the name of the whole Senate and people of Rome.

In the foure and fortith yeare of his reigne ab V. C. DCCLI. an happy peace breathing on the bosome of all the earth both by Sea and Land, mankind beeing in absolute quiet from contention, THE PRINCE OF NATVRE, THE CREATOR, THE KING OF KINGS, AND THE LORD OF LORDS, IESVS CHRIST was borne in Bethelem * 1.8 a cittie in Iuda. (g) Many excellent] The Triumviri proscribed farre more of euery sort then Sylla didde. Those three Iun•…•…nal calls (bitterly) Sylla's Shollers, and faith they excelled their men in the art of proscription.

(h) Cicero] Hee was slaine being 63. yeares of age: After the reckoning of Liuie and Aufidius * 1.9

Bassus The diuers opinions of his death are to be read in Seneca. (Suasor. lib. 1.) Augustine calles him an excellent Common-wealths-man, because his tongue (like a sterne) did turne the Shippe of the State which way hee would: which he knowing, vsed this verse to the great vexation of his enemies.

Cedant arma togae, concedat laurea lingua.

That armes should yeeld to arts tis fit: Stoope then the wreath, vnto the witte.

Pliny the elder meeting him, Haile thou (quoth hee) that first deserued a tryumph by the gowne, and a garland by thy tongue. (i) C. Caesar] Brutus, Cassius, and sixty Senators more * 1.10 conspired against Caesar, and in Pompeies court killed him with daggers the Ides of March.

(k) Anthony] He and Dolabella were then Consuls. Anthony hauing the command of the armies, affected the Soueraignty of the state exceedingly, which at first Tully by his Orati∣ons * 1.11 suppressed: but then (as I said) he became Triumvir. The story of his warre is as well recorded in Tullyes Philipques as can bee. (l) Kept vp.] Tully by his eloquence armed him and Hircius and Pansa the Consuls against Anthony. (m) Far mistaken] Brutus hadde giuen Tul∣ly * 1.12 sufficient warning of Octauius, not to make him too powerfull, nor trust him too much: that his witte was childish, though good, and better fortunes might make him insolent. And here are yet two most graue Epistles of Brutus vpon his theame, one to Tully and another to Atticus: wherin Brutus his manlynesse and iudgement is clearly apparent. I think not Tul∣ly so foolish, though that he could not fore-see this as well as he didde many other euents not so apparant: which he shewed in his frequent vse of these wordes, Octauius Caesar is to be com∣mended, adorned, extolled, Velleius and Brutus in an Epistle to Cicero do both make mention of this.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Sertorius.
• * 1.2

  Cateline.
• * 1.3

  Lepidus. Catulus.
• * 1.4

  Cn. Pom∣pey.
• * 1.5

  Iul. Caesar.
• * 1.6

  C. Octauius.
• * 1.7

  The Tri∣umviri.
• * 1.8

  Christ borne. Luc. 2.
• * 1.9

  Ciceroes death.
• * 1.10

  Caesars death.
• * 1.11

  M. Antony.
• * 1.12

  Brutus.