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

L. VIVES.

BEcause (a) we place.] Cir. 2. de nat, deor. The Skie as Ennius, Euripides, the South-sayers and the whole world affirme, is Ioue: the Ayre, betweene that and the Sea, (as the Stoicks hold) is Iuno sister and wife to Ioue by reason of the ayres likenesse, and nearenesse to Heauen, now they made the ayre a woman, because it is the softest thing that (b) is. Neptune Sa∣turnes three sonnes shared the world: Ioue had Heauen, Neptune the Sea: Pluto the Earth. Iuno * 1.1 married Ioue, and was made Lady of the Ayre, this fable arose from thence, because that in the deuiding of the fathers kingdome, Ioue got the East, resembling Heauen, (wherein also mount Olimpus stood, whose likelyhood of name added to the fiction.) Neptune had the nauy: Dis or Pluto the west part of the realme fained to bee hell: Saturne was said to bee banished into Hel because he fled from the East, into Italy, lying in the West: (c) Salacia of Sa∣lum * 1.2

the salt fome, varro: the water old of (faith fest.) was called Salacia, a salum ciendo, of mouing the froth, so the Poet Pacuuius vseth it. Neptune was a cunning seaman, and made Admirall by Ioue, for which posterity deified him. (d) Proserpina. Of hir, before. Hir mother finding her in Hell, begged and obtayned of Ioue that she might be halfe the yeare with her on earth and halfe a yeare with Pluto. Shee had her name A proserpendo, because she crept some while this way and some while that, being all one with the Moone and the earth. Uarro: you may read of her rape almost euery where. (e) foure] First fire, then ayre, then water and lastly earth. (f skie] Heauen it selfe and the vpper region of the aire, they called Ethaer or the skie. the lower parts, ayre onely, though the Poets confound them. (g) Minerua] daughter of Ioue and Themis, saith Euhemerus, Hist. sacr. There were fiue Mineruas, but the Poets confound them all. Tull. de nat deor. One was borne (they say) of Ioues braine and is the Goddesse of all wisdome, and there∣fore was held so borne and a Virgine: and her throne was counted the highest in heauen. Mar∣tian, Nupt. lib. 6.

Virgo armata deceas rerum sapientia Pallas, Aetherius fomes, mens & solertia f•…•…ti, Ingenium mundi, prudentia sacra tonantis, A•…•…dor doctificus, nostrae{que} industria sortis. Quae fa•…•…is arbi•…•…ium sapientis praeuia curae, A•…•… rationis apex, diuum{que} hom númque sacer 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Vl•…•…a terga means rapidi ac splendentis Olympi, Celsior vna Ioue flammantis circulus aet•…•…rae.

Paslas, thou armed Virgin, wisdomes wonder, Fate iudging faire, fount of Aethereall light: Worlds vnderstanding, and arbritre•…•…e of thunder, Ar•…•…s ardor, spring, wherein man cleares his sight, Discretions arch, which reason raigneth vnder, Essence, in gods, and men, su•…•… mounting bright: Towr•…•…ng beyond the Spheares, and all in fire, Thron'd aboue Ioue, far brighter, and far higher.

(h) in the capitol] Now Ioue almighty (saith Tully) that rulest all, and then Iuno his fellow, and thou Pallas Minerua, and all you gods that inhabite the capitoll. &c. Pro equit in exil. Tar∣qui•…•… Priscus in the Sabine warre vow'd a temple to Ioue, Iuno, and Minerua, and playned the top of Mount Tarpeius to make a place for it to stand in, but was slaine •…•…e hee had laid the foundation, so it was renewed and finished by Tarquin the proud, and called the capitoll because of a mans head that was found in digging the foundation. Before this, there was a temple to Ioue, Iuno, and Minerua, on Floras cliffe. Diodor. Sicul. (i) Because.] Saturne was sonne to Caelus and Terra, a most vngratious flellow, but quitted by his Sonne Ioue, who expelled him, as he * 1.3 had expelled his father, and so made the prouerbe true. Do as as you would be done vnto. Here∣after he was called the god of time. Hesiod, Euhem, Diod, Cicero. Saturne, is he (they say) that diuides and distinguishes the times: and therefore the Greekes call him 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, which is, * 1.4 sp•…•…ce of time. Hee was called Saturnus, quasi Satur annis, full of yeares, and was fayg∣ned by the Poets to deuour his children, because time deuoures all things. He was impriso∣ned by Ioue, that is limited by the starres from running too wild a course. (k) their wisest] Uarro de ling. lat. lib. 3. calles Iuno both Terra and Tellus. Plutarch interpreteth Iuno the earth, and the nuptial coniunction of man and wife. Euseb, de prep. Euang, Seruius saith that Ioue is put for the * 1.5 sky, and the ayre; Iuno for earth and water

(l) •…•…Herein Terra] Terra, is the earth it selfe Tellus, a diminutiue, the goddesse of the earth, though the Poets confound them, yet they alwaies said Tellus her temple and not Terra's. Pluto also and Proserp, were called Tellumo, and Tellus, also Altor, and Runsor were both his names, and hee had charge of all earths businesse: so that some say hee was Ceres Sonne Diodor. lib. 6. Porpheryus calles one part of the earth, Uizy the fat and fertile, Ceres, and the craggy, hilly and stony, Ops, or Rhea. Euseb. de praep Euang, where he saith much of these things. lib. 3. (m) is also] namely Rhea. (n) Mother] for as she was Iuno she was his wife and sister; and as she was Ops his mother. (o) Ceres] the earth is called Ceres, a Gerendo, of bearing corne, or of * 1.6 Cereo to create. Varro! Tully. out of Chrisppus, for the earth is mother to all. Pluto in Cratyl. She was daughter vnto Saturne and Ops, Sister to Uesta and Iuno, all these sisters and mothers they say is but onely earth. Ouid. Fast. 6.

Ves•…•… eadem est, & terra subest, subit ignis vtrique, Significat sed•…•… terra socus{que} suam,

Vaesta is earth, and fire: earth vndergoeth, The name, and so doth fire: Vaesta's both.

And a little after.

Sta•…•… v•…•… 〈◊〉〈◊〉 sud, vi stando Vesta vocatur: Earth stands alone, and therefore Vesta hight.

To this doth Orpheus and Plato both assent (p) yet Vesta] Cic. de nat deor. for Uesta is deriued * 1.7

from the Greekes being called with them Hestia; her power is ouer fires and altars. de legib. 2 Vesta is a•…•… the citties fire, in Greeke, which word we vse almost vnchanged. Ouid East. 6.

Nec in 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Uestam quam viuam intellige flammam, Nataque de flamma corp•…•…ra nulla vides,

Thinke Vesta is the fire that burneth still, That nere brought creature forth, nor euer will,

And being a fire, and called a Virgin, therefore did virgins attend it, and all virginity was sa∣cred vnto it, first for the congruence of society and then of nature which was alike in both: this custome arose in Aegipt, and spred farre, through the Greekes, and the Barbarian countries. Diodor. It was kept so at Athens, and at Delphos, Plutar. Strabo, Uaestas sacrifices and rites came from Ilium to Latium, and so to Rome by Romulus his meanes, and therfore Virgill calles her often times, the Phrigian vesta.

Sic ait et manibus vittas, vestamque potenten, Aeternumque adytis effert penetralibus ignem.

This said, he bringeth forth eternall Fire, Almighty Vaesta, and her pure attire:

Speaking of Panthus the Troyan Priest. There was then for euery Curia, a Vaesta, Dionis. but Numa built the temple of the first publike Vesta, In the yeare of the citty, X L. as Ouid ac∣compteth. (q) Uesta Venus] naturally, for the naturalists call the vpper hemisphere of the earth Uenus, and Vesta also: the nether, Proserpina, Plotinus calleth the earths vertue, arising from the influence of Venus, Uesta. Besides, Vesta being the worlds fire, and the fatnesse comming from Venns, there is little difference, in respect of the benefit of the vniuerse, so that Vesta was euery where worshipped, not as barren, but as fruitfull and augmentatiue, making the citties and nations happy in eternall and continuall increase. (r) How should.] The punishment of an vnchast Uestall was great: but after thirty yeares, they might leaue the profession and * 1.8 marry.

(s) is there two] so saith Plato In Conuiuio. Heauenly, procuring excellence of conditions, earthly, prouoking vnto lust; the first, daughter to Caelus, the later to Ioue and Dione, much younger then the first. There was also a Uenus that stirred vp chast thoughts. And therefore when the Romaine women ranne almost mad with lust, they consecrated a statue of Uenus verticor∣dia, out of the Sibills bookes, which might turne the hearts from that soule heate vnto ho∣nesty. * 1.9 Ualer. lib. 8. Ouid. Fast, 4. (t) Phaenicians] This Iustin reporteth of the Cipprians, lib. 18. It was their custom (saith he) at certen set daies to bring their daughters to the sea shore ere they were married, and there to prostitute them for getting of their dowries, offring to Venus for the willing losse of their chastities. I thinke this was Uenus her law left vnto the Ciprians whome shee taught first to play the mercenary whores. Lactant. The Armenians had such anther custome Strabo. and the Babilonians being poore, did so, with their daughters for gaine. The Phenicians honored Uenus much for Adonis his sake who was their countryman, they kept her feasts with teares, and presented her mourning for him, Macrob. She had a Statue on Mount Liba∣nus, which leaned the head vpon the hand and was of a very sad aspect: so that one would haue thought that true teares had fallen from hir eyes. That the deuills brought man-kind to this, wilbe more apparant (saith Eusebius) if you consider but the adulteries of the Phaenici∣ans, at this day in Heliopolis and elsewhere they offer those filthy actes as first fruits vnto their gods. Euseb. de. praeparat. Euang: which I haue set downe that men might see what his opinion was hereof, though my copy of this worke of his be exceeding falsly transcribed. This custome of prostitution, the Augilares of Africke did also vse, that maried in the night. Herodot. Solin. Mela.

The Sicae also (of the same country') practised the same in the Temple of Uenus the ma∣tron, Ualer. The Locrians being to fight, vowed if they conquered, to prostitute all their daugh∣ters * 1.10 at Uenus feast. (v) Iunos Sonne.] It may bee Mars that lay with Uenus, and begot Harmonias, (for hee was Iunos sonne, borne (they faigned) without a father, because they knew not who was his father) It may be Mars, by that which followes, cooperarius Mineru•…•…, * 1.11 for both are gods of warre: but, It is rather ment of Vulcan, sonne to Ioue and Iuno, (though vsually called Iunos sonne and Apator) who was a Smith in Lemnos, and husband vnto Venus that lay with Mars. So it were Vulcans wrong to call her whore, for to be a cuckold is a dis∣gracefull thing. (x) Minerua's forger] Or fellow workers, for they both haue charge of Ioues

thunder, and somtimes through his bolts. Virgil

Ipsa Iouis rapidum iaculata é nubibus ignem. Quite through the cloud shee threw Ioues thundring fire.

Which there are but three may do (saith Seruius) Iupiter, Minerua and Uulcan, though Pliny bee of another mind. De disciplin. Etrusc. & Rom (lib. 2.) Minerua looketh vnto I•…•…ues Aegis, which was indeed his apparrell; made by Minerua's wisdome and Vulcans labour: And though Ioues bonnet be fire, yet Pallas made it. Mart. Nupt. Or is Vulcan her fellow forger, because he begat Apollo on hir, that hath the tuition of Athens? Cic. de nat. (lib. 3.) But Augustines minde I thinke rather is this, that Uulcan is Minerua's fellow forger. Because she is called the goddesse of all arts, euen the mechanicall: and he is godde of the Instruments vsed in all these mechanicall artes. Fire is the instrument of all artes (saith Plutarch) if one knew how to vse it. De vtilit. inimic. Besides Vulcan is said to gouerne artes him-selfe. The warlike artes (saith Eusebius) were Minerua's charge, the pyrotecknical, or such as worke in fire, Vulcans: Theo∣doret saith that the Greekes vsed the word Vulcan for artes, because few artes can be practised without fire. Phurnutus saith that all arts are vnder Minerua and Vulcan, because shee is the Theory, and he the Instrument of practise. And therefore Homer saith of a worke-man thus: 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Whome Vulcan taught and Minerua.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Sa•…•…es So•…•…ne.
• * 1.2

  〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• * 1.3

  Saturne.
• * 1.4

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.5

  Terra Tellus,
• * 1.6

  Ceres.
• * 1.7

  Vesta.
• * 1.8

  Two 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• * 1.9

  The Cipri∣an virgines custom.
• * 1.10

  Mars.
• * 1.11

  Vulcan.