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

Of the functions of Mars and Mercury. CHAP. 14.

BVt in all the worlds parts they could finde neuer a corner for Mars and Mer∣cury to practise in the elements, and therefore, they gaue them power in mens actions, this of eloquence, & the other of warre. Now for Mercury (a) if he haue power of the gods language also, then is he their King, if Iupiter borrow all his phrase from him: but this were absurd. But his power stretcheth but vnto mans onely, it is vnlikely that Ioue would take such a base charge in hand as suckling of not onely children, but cattell also, calues or foales, as thence he hath his name Romulus, and leaue the rule of our speech (so glorious a thing and that wherein we excell the beasts) vnto the sway of another, his inferiour. I but how if Mercury be (b) the speech onely it selfe, for so they interprete him: and there∣fore he is called Mercurius, (c) quasi Medius currens, the meane currant, because to speak is the only currant meane for one man to expresse his minde to another by, and his greeke name (d) 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, is nothing but interpreter & speech, or, interpre∣tation which is called in greeke also 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and thence is hee (e) Lord of mer∣chants, because buying and selling is all by wordes and discourses. Herevpon they (f) wing his head and his feete, to signifie the swift passage of speech, and call him (g) the messenger, because all messages, and thoughts whatsoeuer are transported from man to man by the speech. Why very well. If Mercury then be but the speech, I hope hee is no god then, by their owne confessions. But they make gods of no gods, and offring to vncleane spirits, in stead of beeing inspired with gods, are possessed with deuills. And because the world and elements had no roome for Mars to worke in nature, they made him god of war, which is a worke of man not to be desired after. But if Mars be warre as Mercury is speech, I would it were as sure that there were no warre to bee falsly called god, as it is plaine that Mars is no god.

L. VIVES.

MErcury (a)] There were fiue Mercuries (Cicero.) The first, sonne to Caelus and Dies, the second to Valens, and Pheronis, this is he that is vnder the carth calleth otherwise Trypho∣nius, third sonne to Ioue and Maia, fourth father to Nilus, him the Egiptian held it sacri∣ledge

to name. 5. Hee that the Pheneates worshipped hee killed Argus, they say, and there∣fore gouerned Egipt, and taught the Egiptians lawes and letters. They call him Theut. Thus farre Tully. Theut is named by Plato in his Phaedon, and Euseb. de praeparat. Euang. lib. 1. who saith the Egiptians called him Thoyth, the Alexandrians, Thot, the Greekes 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and that he first taught letters and looked into the secrets of Theology. Diodorus saith hee first inuen∣ted spelling of words, and giuing of names to things, as also rites and ceremonies. Lib. 1. for the wordes, Horace d•…•… testifie it out of Alcaeus: and therefore the Egiptians thought him the inuentor and god of languages, calling him the interpreter of God and men: both because hee brought religion as it were from the gods to men, and also because the speech, and prai∣er passeth from men to the gods, with which is no commerce. Thence comes Aristides his fable, there was no commerce nor concord between man and man, vntill Mercury had sprink∣led them with language; and the inuenting of letters missiue was a fit occasion to make them thinke that hee was a god, hauing power by their secrecy to dispatch things with such cele∣rity. (b) The speech onely] Mercury (they say) is the power of speech, and is faigned to bee straight, seeing the tongue runnes so smoothe, but in a set speech some will haue a solar vertue, which is Mercury, others a Lunary, that is Hecate, other a power vniuersall called Her•…•…is, Porph, Physiologus. One of the causes of his beeing named Cyllenius is (saith Festus P•…•…s (because; the tongue doth all without hands, and them that want handes are called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 though this is a name common to all lame persons. Others hold that he had it from some place. (c) Mercurius quasi] Of Merx, marchandise, saith Festus, and I thinke truely it comes of Mercor, to buy or sell, whence our word Merchant also commeth. (d) 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉] Of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, to interprete. This it is to be the gods messenger: not to interprete their sayings, but faithfully to discharge their commaunds, which the speech can doe, transferring things from soule to soule, which nought but speech can doe: and since soules were taken for gods thence was hee counted the gods interpreter. Plato in Cratylo: 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 &c. They that doth 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, (saith he) that is speake, wee iustly call Ironies. But now hauing gotten, as wee thinke, a better word, wee call it Hermes. Iris also may bee deriued 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, to speake, for shee is a messenger also. Hee that dealeth in any other mans affaire, is called an interpreter, a meane; and an arbitrator. Ser. in Aeneid. 4. and Cicero in diuers places. Urigil also, In Di∣do's words to Iuno, the meane of attonement betweene her and Aeneas, saith thus.

Tu harum interpres curarum et conscia Iuno. Thou Iuno art the meane, and knowes my grieues.

(e) Lord of Merchants] Without language farewell traffique. Diodorus saith that some 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Mercury to haue found out weights, and measures: and the way to gaine by trading. There is a Greeke prouerbe 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, common gaine. (f) Winged] His feete wings are called Zalaria, & in Homere, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉: he had head-wings also behind each of his eares. Apuleius. Apo∣logus, his wings were aboue his hat, as he saith in Plautus his Amphitruo. I weare these fethers in my hat. Beroald. Sueton in August. (g) Messenger] Diodor. Sicul. lib. 6. Acron in Horat. Car. lib. 1.