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

What the excellence of a religious Christian is in these Philosophicall artes. CHAP. 10.

NOw if a christian for want of reading, cannot vse such of their words as fits disputations, because hee neuer heard them: or cannot call that part tha•…•… treates of nature, either naturall in Latine, or physicall in Greeke: nor that tha•…•… inquires the truth, rationall or Logicall: nor that which concernes rectifying of manners, and goodnesse of ends Morall; or Ethicall: yet thence it followes not that he knowes not, that from the true God is both Nature, whereby hee made vs like his Image, Reason, wherby we know him and Grace wherby we are bles∣sed in beeing vnited to him. This then is the cause why wee prefer these before the other: the other spent their wittes in seeking out of the causes of things, the meanes of learning, and order of life: these knowing GOD, found th•…•… their was both the cause of the whole creation, the light of all true learning, and the fount of all felicity. So that what Platonists or others soeuer held th•…•…s of GOD, they held as we doe. But wee choose rather to deale with the (a) Pl•…•…∣tonists then others, because their workes are most famous; for both the Greekes (whose language is very greatly' esteemed of the nations) do•…•… preserue and extoll them, and the Latines, mooued by their excelle•…•… and glory learning them more willingly themselues, and by recordi•…•…

them in their tongues also, left them the more illustrious and plaine to vs, and to all posterity.

L. VIVES.

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VVIth the (a) Platonists] From Plato and Aristotles time, vnto Aphrodiseus, that liued vn∣der Seuerus and his sonne. Aristotle was rather named amongst the learned then ei∣ther read, or vnderstood: Aprodiseus first aduentured to explaine him, and did set many on to search farther into the author, by that light hee gaue: yet did Plato keepe aboue him still, vn∣till the erection of publike schooles in France and Italy, that is, as long as the Greeke and La∣tine tongues were in account: [but when learning grew Mercenary, and Mimicall, all their aime was gaine, and contention, and verbosity, and sond subtility, with vile fained wordes of arte, and friuolous quillets, then was Aristotles logike and physikes held fit for their pur∣pose, and many better bookes of his throwne aside. But as for Plato because they vnder∣stood him not, (nay and Aristotle much lesse, yet) because hee teacheth no trickes, oh neuer name him? I speake not this to imply Aristotles learning more insufficient then Plato's, but it is a shame that Plato, a holy Philosopher should bee thrust by, and Aristotles best part also, and the rest so read, that he must speake their pleasures, beeing such fooleries, as not Aristotle, no, not any mad man of his time would haue held or divulged.]

Notes

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  [This is no good doctrine inthe Lo∣uanists o∣pinion, for it is left out, as dis∣tastefull to the schoole∣men, though not to the direct truth.]