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

Of the Socratical•…•… discipline. CHAP. 3.

SOcrates therefore was (a) the first that reduced Philosophy to the refor•…•…tion of manres for al before him aymed at naturall speculation rather then practise

morality: I cannot surely tel whether the tediousnesse (b) of these obscurities mo∣ued Socrates to apply his minde vnto some more set and certaine inuention, for an assistance vnto beatitude: which was the scope of all the other Phylosophers in∣tents, and labours: or (as some doe fauorably surmise) hee (c) was vnwilling that mens mindes being suppressed with corrupt and earthly affects, should ofter to crowd vnto the height of these Physicall causes whose totall, and whose originall relyed soly (as he held) vpon the will of God omnipotent, only and true: where∣fore he held that (d) no mind but a purified one, could comprehend them: and ther∣fore first vrged a reformed course of life, which effected, the mind vnladen of ter∣restriall distractions might towre vp to eternity, & with the owne intelectuall pu∣rity, sticke firme in contemplation of the nature of that incorporeal, & vnchanged and incomprehensible light, which (e) conteyneth the causes of all creation. Yet sure it is that in his morall disputations, (f) he did with most elegant and acute vr∣banity taxe and detect the ignorance of these ouer-weening fellowes that build Castles on their owne knowledge, eyther in this, confessing his owne ignorance, or dissembling his vnderstanding. (g) wher-vpon enuy taking hold, he was wrackt by a (h) callumnious accusation, and so put to death (i) Yet did Athens that con∣demned him, afterward publikely lament for him, and the wrath of the commonty fell so sore vpō his two accusers that one of them was troden to death by the mul∣titude, and another forced to auoid the like by a voluntary banishment. This Socra∣tes (so famous in his life and death) left many of his schollers behind him, whose (l) study and emulation was about moralyty euer, and that summum bonum that * 1.1 greatest good which no man wanting can attain beatitude. (m) VVhich being not euident in Socrates his controuersiall questions, each man followed his own opiniō, and made that the finall good: (n) The finall good is that which attained, maketh man happy. But Socrates his schollers were so diuided, (strange, hauing all one∣maister) that some (o) Aristippus) made pleasure this finall good: others (p) Antist∣henes) vertue. So (q) each of the rest had his choice: too long to particularize.

L. VIVES.

WAs the (a) first] Cicero. Acad. Quest. I thinke (and so do all) that Socrates first called Phylosophy out of the mists of naturall speculations, wherein all the Phylosophers be∣fore * 1.2 had beene busied, and apllyed it to the institution of life and manners, making it y^• meane to inquire out vertue and vice, good and euill: holding things celestiall, too abstruse for natural powers to investigate, & far seperate from things natural: which if they could be known, were not vsefull in the reformation of life. (b) Tediousnesse] Xenophon. Comment. rer. Socratic. 1. wri∣teth that Socrates was wont to wonder, that these dayly and nightly inuestigators, could neuer finde that their labour was stil rewarded with vncertainties: and this he explaneth at large (c) Was vnwilling] Lactantius his wordes in his first booke, are these. I deny not but that Socrates hath more witte then the rest that thought they could comprehend all natures courses, wherein I thinke them not onely vnwise, but impious also, to dare to aduance their curious eyes to view the alti∣tude of the diuine prouidence. And after: Much guiltter are they that lay their impious disputation vpon quest of the worlds secrets prophaning the celestial temple therby, then either they that enter the Temples of Ceres, Bona Dea, Vesta. (d) No minde] Socrates disputeth this at large in Plato's P•…•…adon, at his death: Shewing that none can bee a true Phylosopher that is not abstracted in spirit from all the affects of the body: which then is affected when in this life the soule is loo∣seed from, all perturbations, and so truly contemplated the true good, that is the true God: And therefore Phylosophy is defined a meditation of death, that is, there is a seperation or diuorce betweene soule and body: the soule auoyding the bodies impurities, and so be∣comming pure of it selfe: For it is sin for any impure thought to be present at the speculation * 1.3 of that most pure essence: and therefore (hee thought) men attoned unto God haue far more

knowledge then the impure that know him not. In Plato's Cratylus, hee saith good men are onely wise: and that none can be skilfull in matters celestiall, without Gods assistance. In Epinomede. There may be other beginnings found, eyther knowne to God or his f•…•…es, saith Apulcius out of Plato. (e) Which conteyneth] This is Plato's opinion related by Augus∣tine, not his owne. [This I adde because our truth-hunter sets it as Augustines, and then * 1.4 comes in with his realityes and formalities, such as Augustine neuer dreamed of.] For Plato saith, God is the mindes light, like as the sunne wee see is the light of the body, whereby we see, So is God the cause of our vnderstanding, whose sacred light infuseth things, and the knowledge of truth into vs. De Rep. 6. The sunne is the light of the world visible, and God of the inuisible. Na∣zanz. (f) He did with most] Plato, Xenophon, Aeschines, Xenocrates and other reduced Socra∣tes his wordes into Dialogues, wherein hee most elegantly reprehendeth their ignorance that perswaded both them-selues and the multitude that they knew all things: Such were Protogoras, Gorgias, Euthydemus, Dionysodorus, and others. (g) Wher-vpon] His disputation (saith Plato) ouerthrew him. Three (saith Laertius) accused him, Anytus, Melitus & Lycon, an Orator in Anytus his defence of the trades-mens tumultuous crew and the other Cittizens, whome Socrates had often derided. Melitus defended the Poets, whom Socrates would haue expelled the Citty. Of these thinges read Plato and Xenophon in their Apologies for Socrates: But the playnest of all is Laertius in his life of Socartes. He was condemned by two hundred eighty one sentences. (h) Callumnious] My accusers (saith Socrates) nor my crymes, can kill me: but enuy onely which both hath destroyed and will destroy the worthyest euer. (i) Yet did Athens] They did so greeue for his death, that they shut vp all the schooles: and made a sad vacation all ouer the Citty, put Melitus to death, banished Anitus and erected Socrates a brazen sta∣tue of Lysippus his workemanship. (k) Many] All the sects almost, deriued from Socrates; * 1.5 the Platonists, Academikes, Cyrenaikes, Cynikes, Peripatetiques, Megarians and Stoikes. (t) Stu∣dy and emulation] This onely question made all the sects. (m) Which being not] For his dispu∣tations rather were confutations of others, then doctrines of his owne. For professing him∣selfe to know nothing, hee thought it vnfit to affirme any thing. Plato's Thaeatetus. (n) The finall good] To which all things haue reference. Cic. de finib. For this (saith hee lib. 3.) beeing the vtmost (you knowe I interprete the greeke 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, so) Wee may call it the last, or the end, for which all thinges are desired, and it selfe onely for it selfe: as Plato, Aristotle and the rest affirme. (o) Aristippus] A Cyrenian, the first Socratist that taught for money, as hee would haue also paid for his learning: (But Socrates neuer tooke pay, saying his Genius forbad him) * 1.6 Hee suffered also Dionysius of Syracusa the younger, to deride him, and flattered him for gayne. Hee made bodily pleasure the greatest good. Diog. Laert. Of them the Cyrenaikes Phylosophers had their originall. An end of this with a briefe note out of Hierome vppon Ecclesiastes, speaking of pleasure. Let this (quoth he) Be affirmed by some Epicurus, or Aristip∣pus, or the Cynikes, or such Phylosophicall cattell: it must bee the Cyrenaikes, for what had the Cynikes to doe with bodily pleasures? (p) Antisthenes] The author of the Cynikes, or Dog∣sect, * 1.7 maister to Diogines of Synope the Cynike: hee held vertue the greatest good. (q) Each of] The diuersity of opinions herein, you may read in Cicero his 2. de finibus. And wee haue toucht them briefely in the preface to his worke de legibus.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The final good. The Socra∣tists of di∣uers opi∣nions.
• * 1.2

  Socrates.
• * 1.3

  The true Phyloso∣pher.
• * 1.4

  [The Lo∣uanists leaue this.]
• * 1.5

  Socrates his statue.
• * 1.6

  Aristippus.
• * 1.7

  Antisthe∣nes.