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

L. VIVES.

THeir (a) Doctri•…•…] Plato diuided speach into fiue parts. 1. ciuill, vsed in politike affaires, counsels and such like. 2. rethoricall, which is demonstratiue, or iudiciall, contayning praise or dispraise, accusation or defence. 3. ordinary discourse of one man with another. 4.

worke-mens conference in matters mechanicall: 5. Logicall, consisting of dialogismes, ques∣tions and answers. This last is by some ascribed to bee Plato's inuention; as Phauorinus: others gi•…•…e it to Alexamenes Teius, Aristotle: Some also to Zeno the Elean: certaine it is that Plato g•…•…e much ornament vnto discourse, replenishing it with all parts of learning, grauity and elegance: Wherein though the Logicall formes bee not expresly taught, yet they are laid dow•…•… 〈◊〉〈◊〉 practise, and their vse fully expressed: And particularly demonstration is practi∣•…•…d 〈◊〉〈◊〉 his Timaus S•…•…phismes, in Euthydemus, whence Aristotle had many of his fallacians: 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…tes his induction is of most power of all, and seemes to take the originall from him: 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…ates vsed it more nimbly then any man liuing. And from him Quintilian biddes his 〈◊〉〈◊〉 fetch it. (b) Epicurus] Hee held the Sunne to bee no bigger then it seemed: And th•…•… if the sence once mistake, one should neuer trust it after. Cicero, (Plutarc, Placit. lib. 4.) The Stoikes held the sences true, but their obiects now true, and now false. But Epicu∣•…•… held sence an obiect all true, mary opinion hee said erred sometimes; and Cicero saith 〈◊〉〈◊〉 〈◊〉〈◊〉, That vnto the formes receiued by our sences hee adioyned the assent of the minde, w•…•…ch hee will haue fixed, and voluntary in euery one of vs. Hee didde not affirme all that wee saw was true: But onely such as brought with them certaine peculiar declarations 〈◊〉〈◊〉 which they pretended. (c) These men] The Stoikes; for the Epicures reiected Logike, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 and vnprofitable. The Stoikes vsed it exceedingly. And Chrysippus, Cleanthes and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…saisters of that sect, wrote much in that kinde: but all concerning the later part: 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the first, Inuention they commonly meddle not with as Cicero saith in his To∣•…•…d) 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉] The first apprehensions, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, or vnderstanding of thinges. These •…•…th giuen man, whence the knowledge of many great seueralties arise, which mo∣•…•…se from visible and palpable obiects, producing eyther knowledge, ignorance •…•…n, the meane betweene both. Cicero calleth them begunne conceits, and saith 〈◊〉〈◊〉 first named the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, as if one should say, a premeditate apprehension of a thing 〈◊〉〈◊〉, without which we can neither vnderstand, inquire nor dispute. Mary the Stoikes 〈◊〉〈◊〉 vsed this word also, which Tully translateth anticipationes: And Chrysippus 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to bee a naturall vnderstanding of vniuersalities. Laert. (e) Heere do I] Hee pro∣•…•… the affirmers of these positions rather trusted vnderstanding then sence. (f) affirming 〈◊〉〈◊〉] A Stoicall Paradoxe. (g) But those whome] Plato so dealt that hee debarred the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 power to iudge the truth, allowing that only to the mind, prouing the authority of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 fitte to bee trusted, because it beholdeth alone the simple truth, vniforme and 〈◊〉〈◊〉, in that manner as it is. (h) The light] This sunne they held was the light 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and that the prince of the World was the light of the soule to vnderstanding, •…•…ge wisedome, and iudgement; and therefore hee is the father of all light: For from * 1.1 〈◊〉〈◊〉 inuisible, the light visible hath his originall, as I shewed before out of Plato. The 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…noes teacheth. In Doctrina Platonis.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Cie•…•…r. A∣cad. Quest. lib. 1.