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

The confessions of such as doe worship those Pagan gods, from their owne mouthes. CHAP. 30.

CI•…•…ro (a) beeing Augur, derideth the Auguries, and (b) blames men for letting their actions relie vpon the voyce of a Crowe or a Dawe. O but this (c) Academick saith, that all things are vncertaine; hee is not worthy to bee trusted in any of these mysteries. (d) Q. Lucil. Balbus in Tullies second booke, De •…•…t. •…•…eor. disputeth hereof, and hauing prooued these superstitions to be Phy∣sicall in nature, yet condemneth the institution of Images and their fables, in these words. Perceiue you not then that from the vsefull obseruation of these things * 1.1 in nature, the tract was found to bring in those imaginarie and forged gods? hence came all the false opinions, errors and old wiues tales: for now are wee acquainted with the shapes, ages, apparell, kindes, mariages, kindreds, and all are squared out by •…•…aine fancies: nay they haue turbulence of effects also. Wee haue heard of their des•…•…res, sorrowes and passions. Nor wanted they warres, if all tales bee true: They fought in (c) parties, not onely in Homer, but all on a side also against the (f) Ti∣•…•…ans, * 1.2 and Giants: and hence ariseth a sottish beleefe of their vanitie, and ex∣•…•…ame (g) inconstancie. Behold now what they them-selues say that worship these forgeries; hee affirmeth that these things belonged to superstition, but he teacheth of religion as the Stoikes doe. For (quoth hee) not onely the Philo∣sophers, but all our ancestors made a difference betweene religion and superstition. For (h) such as prayed whole dayes together, and offered for their childrens liues, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 were called Superstitious. Who perceiue•…•…h not now that hee, standing (i) in awe of this citties custome, did not-with-standing commend the religion of his

auncestors and would faine haue seuered it from superstition, but that he cannot tell how? for if the auncients called those Superstitious, that prayed and sacrificed whole daies together, were not they worthy of that name also, whome he repre∣hendeth for inuenting so many distinct ages, images, and sexes. &c. for the whole number of the gods? if the institutors of those be culpable, it implieth guilt also vnto these ancients that inuented and adored such idle fooleries: and vnto him also (for all his eloquent euasions) that must be tied by necessiity to this absurd worship: and dare not speake in a publike oration what hee deliuereth here in a priuat disputation. Thankes therefore be giuen to our Lord Iesus Christ, from all vs Christians, not to (k) Heauen and Earth (as he would haue it) but vnto him that made Heauen and Earth, who hath ouerturned and abolished those super∣stitions (which Balbus durst scarcely mutter at) by his heauenly humility, his Apos∣tles preaching and his martirs faith, that died for the truth and liued in the truth, hauing by these meanes rooted all errors not only out of the hearts of the religi∣ous, but euen out of the Temples of the superstitious.

L. VIVES.

CIcero being (a) Augur.] And of their College: elected by Q. Hortensius the Orator. (b) Blameth.] De diuinat. lib. 2. (c) Academike.] That sect would affirme nothing, but confute the assertions of others, which Cicero vseth in many of his dialogues, professing himselfe a de∣fender * 1.3 of that sect, d•…•… na. de. li. 2. (d) Balbus.] An excellent Stoike. (e) On sides.] On the one side I•…•… Pallas, Neptune: against them, Apollo Uenus and Mars in the Troyan wars. (f) Titans.] Sonne to Earth and Titan, Saturnes brother: they claimed the Kingdome of Iupiter, by the agreement * 1.4 of their fathers, first they did but wrangle, but afterwards to armes. It was a great warre, yet the Titans were subdued. Buu then followed a greater, the rest of the Titans reneuing th•…•… forces and chasing Ioue and all his friends into Aegipt. The first was called the Titans war, thi•…•… the Giants. (g) Inconstancy.] Thus farre Tully. (h) Such as] Lactantius disliketh this deriuation of Superstitious and Religious, deriuing religious of religo to bind, because they are bound to God▪ superstitious of superstes, aliue, because they were of the false religion, which was professed in the liues of their auncestors. lib. 4. of Religions, and read Gellus. lib. 4. But Tully doth not confine the name to those praying fellowes, but saith it was of large vse afterwards in other * 1.5 respects (i) in awe.] In the bookes. De nat. deor, and De diuinat, it is plaine that Tully durst n•…•… speake his mind freely of those gods, because of the inueterat custome of his country. (k) heauen and] whome Tully with the Stoicks maketh the chiefe of the gods.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Tullies dis∣like of ima∣ges and fables of the gods.
• * 1.2

  The gods war•…•…es.
• * 1.3

  An accade∣•…•….
• * 1.4

  The Titan•…•…
• * 1.5

  Religious Superstiti∣o•…•….