cockes. There is no fault in the text: [Our interpreter knew not the force of the coniuncti∣on: and thought that Female, Faemina, had belonged onely vnto man, and that homo was one∣ly of the masculine gender. See what sort of men the age before vs respected and reueren∣ced: they would take vpon them the interpretation of worthy authors, and yet knew not that •…•…mo might belong to a woman, nor faemina to a beast. Wee doe wonder how wee haue our liberall artes so corrupted, but considering that these men haue had the medling with them, wee haue more reason to wonder how wee haue any sparke of them left vs at all.] This alteration, Pliny saith, is possible: bringing confirmation of diuers examples, and his owne credite, saying hee had seene it verefied himselfe: But considering the seuerall natures of the sexes, it is hard for a male, to become a female: but not so hard for the other change. For the masculine member to be drawne in, and dilated into the feminine receptacles, is exceeding hard, mary for the female partes to bee excrescent, and coagulate into the masculine forme, may be some-what, but not neare so difficulte as is thought, though it bee seldon seene. (f) It rained] Often, say authors. Liuius Iul. Obsequ. &c. (g) chalke] Consulls Q. Metellus, and Tul. Didius. Obsequ. (h) Stones] This is not rare. First it did so in Tullus Hostilius his time, and then it was strange. But after it grew ordinary, to perticularize in this were idle. (i) Direct stones] Some reade, directly earth, &c. (k) Aetna] Aetna is a hill in Sicily, sacred to Vulcan, cas•…•…ing out fire in the night by a vent, ten furlongs about; the vent is called the cauld•…•…on. Solinus saith it hath two of them. Aetna, Briareus Ciclops his son, or Aetna, sonne to Caelus and Terra otherwise called Thalia, gaue it the name. Seruius. Uirgill describes it in a large Poeme, which some say is Ouids: but Seneca saith, Ouid durst not deale with it, because Virgil had done it before him. Others say Cornelius Seuerus did it. The fire doth much harme to the bordering partes of the Island. This that Augustine declareth, happened in the Consul∣ships of Cn. Seruil. Scipio, and C. Laelius: and in M. Aemilius and L. Aurelius their Consul∣ships, the flames burst forth with an earth-quake, and the sea was heated therewith, as farre as the Island Liparae, so that diuers shippes were burnd, and diuers of the saylours stifled with the sulphurous vapor. It killed an inumerable company of fish which the Liparians feeding vpon, got a pestilent disease in their bellies, which vnpeopled almost all the whole Is∣land. Obseq. This was a little before Gracchus his sedition, and it was such, that many were driuen to flie from their dwellings into other places. Oros. (l) Sicily] Oros. lib. 5. and 12. (m) Catina] Or Catana, it is called by both names, though their be one Catina in Spaine, and ano∣ther in Arcadia. This that Augustine relateth of is recorded by Pliny lib. 3. (n) That yeares] And nine yeares more, saith Orosius. (o) Locusts] This was in the Consulships of P. Plautius 〈◊〉〈◊〉 M. Fulu. Flaccus, before C. Gracchus his sedition. Liu. lib. 9. Oros. Eutrop. Iul. Obseq. (p) 80000.] So saith Orosius, but of Micipsa his Kingdome. Of this sicknesse in al, died 800000. men, saith Obsequens. 900000. saith Eutropius (who is indeede no good computator) in Nu∣midia, about Carthage, 200000. of the Romaine souldiars that kept the legion there, 30000. so saith Orosius, putting onely 80. for 90. (q) Onely in Masinyssa's] Or rather Micipsa's his sonne. For Masinissa himselfe was dead. But it might bee called his, because Rome gaue it him, for his worthy deserts. (r) Many more] Our historians write not so; perhaps Augustine followed others, or els like an Orator, applied the history to his owne vse and purpose, which Cicero doth allow in his Brutus, and hath practised some-times himselfe, as wee haue obserued in his Orations, and as Pedianus hath noted therein also. (s) 30000.] Beeing left at Vtica as the Guarison of Afrike. (t) a difference of reading: we haue giuen it the truest sence.