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

Of the power giuen to the diuels, to the greater gloryfying of the Saints that haue suffered martyrdome, and conquered the ayry spirits, not by appeasing them, but adhering to God. CHAP. 21.

THe Diuells hadde a certayne temporary power allowed them, whereby to excite such as they possessed, against GODS Citty, and both to accept sacrifices of the willing offerers, and to require them of the vnwil∣•…•…g, yea euen to extort them by violent plagues: nor was this at all preiudicial,

but very commodious for the Church, that the number of Mar tirs might bee fulfilled: whom the Citty of God holds so much the dearer, because they spe•…•… their blood for it against the power of impiety: these now (if the church admi•…•… the words vse) we might worthily call our (a) Heroes. For this name came from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Iuno, and therefore one of her sonnes (I know not which) was called He•…•…▪ the mistery beeing, that Iuno was Queene of the ayre, where the Heroes (the well deseruing soules) dwell with the Daemones. But ours (if wee might vse the word) * 1.1 should be called so, for a contrary reason, namely not for dwelling with the Dae∣mones in the ayre, but for conquering those Daemones, those aereall powers, and in them, all that is called Iuno: whome it was not for nothing, that the Poets made so enuious, and such an opposite to (c) good men beeing deified for their vertue. But vnhappily was Virgill ouer-seene in making her first to say, Aeneas conquers men, and then to bring in Helenus warning Aeneas, as his ghostly father in these wordes.

Iunoni cane vota libens, dominam{que} potentem, Supplicibus supera donis—

Purchas'd great Iunos (d) wrath with willing prayers and (e) conquer'd her with humble gifts—

And therfore Porphyry (though not of him-selfe) holds that a good God or Ge∣nius neuer commeth to a man till the bad be appeased: as if it were of more powe•…•… then the other, seeing that the bad can hinder the good for working, and must be intreated to giue them place, wheras the good can do no good vnlesse the others list, and the others can do mischeefe maugre their beards. This is no tract of true religion▪ our Martirs do not conquer Iuno, that is the ayry powers, that mallice their vertues, on this fashion: Our Heroes (If I may say so) conquer no•…•… Her•…•… by humble gifts but by diuine vertues. Surely (f) Scipio deserued the name of African rather for conquering Africa, then for begging or buying his honour of his foes.

L. VIVES.

Our (a) Heroes] Plato in his order of the gods, makes some lesse then ayry Daemones, and more then men, calling them demi-gods: now certainly these bee the Heroes: for so 〈◊〉〈◊〉 * 1.2 they called that are begotten of a god and a mortall, as Hercules Dionysius, Aeneas, Aesc•…•…∣pius, Romulus, and such: one of whose parents being a god, they would not call them bare men, but somewhat more, yet lesse then the Daemones. And so holds Iamblicus. Hierocles the S•…•… (relating Pythagoras his verses, or as some say Philolaus his) saith that Angels and Heroes (as P•…•…∣to saith) are both included in the ranke of Daemones: the celestiall are Angels, the earthly He•…•…▪ the meane Daemones. But Pythagoras held (quoth he) that the goddes sonnes were called He•…•… Daemones: And so they are, in that sence that Hesiod cals the men of the golden age, Ter•…•… Daemones: for hee putteth a fourth sort of men, worse then the golden ones but better then the third sort, for the Heroes. But these and the other also he calleth men, and Semi-gods: saying

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.—

A blessed kinde of Heroes they were Surnamed Semi-gods—

To wit, those y^• Plato meaneth: for these ar more ancient & venerable then they that •…•…ailed 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Iason in the fatal ship, & sought in the war of Troy. For Hesiod cals thē warlike, and thence 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Me•…•…der saith) were they held wrathful, & violent: if any one went by their temples (called 〈◊〉〈◊〉 * 1.3

〈◊〉〈◊〉 must passe in reuerend silence, least hee should anger the Heroes, and set altogether by the * 1.4 •…•…es. And many such temples were er•…•…cted in Greece. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 mentioneth diuers to Vlis∣s•…•…s, T•…•…talus, and Acrisius. The Latines hadde them also: Plin. lib. 19. mentioneth of one. Pla∣•…•…o deriues Heros, of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Loue: because the loue betweene a god or goddesse and a mortall▪ pro∣duced the Heroes. Some draw it from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, to speake, because they were eloquent states-men. Hierocles allowes the deriuation from loue, but not in respect of the birth, but their singular loue of the gods, inciting vs to the like. For Ia•…•…blichus saies they rule ouer men, giuing vs life▪ reason, guarding and freeing our soules at pleasure. (But we haue showne these to be the powers of the soule, and each one is his owne Daemon) Some deriue it from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, earth, they being earthly Daemones. For so Hesiod calleth the good soules departed, and Pythagoras also, bidding 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…or∣ship the earthly Daemones. Homers interpretor liketh this deriuation. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 (saith he) in one lan∣guage is earth: and of earth was mankind made. Capella (Nupt. lib. 2.) sayth that all between vs and the Moone, is the Kingdome of the Manes and father Dis. But in the highest part are the Heroes, and the Manes below them: and those Heroes, or semi-gods, haue soules and holy mindes in mens formes, and are borne to the worlds great good: So was Hercules, Dionys▪ Tryp∣tole•…•…s &c. and therefore the name comes of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Iuno because shee rules the ayre, whither the good soules ascend, as Hierocles witnesseth in these verses of Pythagoras or Philolaus, re∣lating their opinion herein.

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉

If quit from earthly drosse to heau'n thou soare Then shalt thou be a God, and dye no more.

But Plato thinketh them to become Sea-goddes: I beleeue because hee holdes them gros∣ser bodyed then the Daemones whome he calleth purely a•…•…reall: and so thought fitte to giue them h•…•…bitation in the most appropin quate part of nature, the water. Hera also the Latines vse for a Lady or a Queene: V•…•…rg. Aen. 3. and so Heroes, if it deriue from Hera, may bee taken for •…•…ords or Kinges. (b) One of her sonnes] I thinke I haue read of this in the Greeke commenta∣•…•…es, but I cannot remember which: these things (as I said before) are rather pertinent to chance then schollership. (c) Good mens] As to Hercules, Dionysius and Aeneas. (d) Great] The tran∣slation of Hera. For Proserpina whom Charo•…•… (Aeneids 6.) calls Lady, is the infernal Iuno. And I•…•… the celestiall is called the great, and the infernall also (saith Seruius.) For father Dis, is called Iupiter infernall. So Claudian sings in the silent ring of the spirits, at the wedding of Or∣•…•…s and Proserpina.

Nostra parens Iuno, tu{que} •…•…germane tona•…•…tis * 1.5 Et gener, vnanimis con•…•…ortia d•…•…cite somni M•…•…tua{que} alternis 〈◊〉〈◊〉 〈◊〉〈◊〉.

Iuno our mother, and thou Ioues great sonne And brother, sweetly may you take your rest, Linckt in each others armes▪ and breast to breast.

And Protesilaus in Lucian, calls Plato, Iupiter. (e) Conquer] Shewing (saith Donate) that the greatest enemies are sooner conquered by ob•…•…ysance then opposition. (f) Scipio] The first ge∣nerall * 1.6 that euer got sur name from his prouincial conquests, was P. Cornelius Scipio, Publius his sonne. Hee subdued Af•…•…ica▪ and s•…•…buerted Haniball, and was instiled African. I speake of Generals and prouinciall conquests: Coriolanus had that name from the conquest of a towne, and Sergius Fi•…•…enas, was so surnamed for subduing the Fidenates.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The Mar∣t•…•…rs the di∣uels con∣querers.
• * 1.2

  Heroes and Semigods.
• * 1.3

  〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• * 1.4

  He•…•….
• * 1.5

  Rap•…•…. Pro∣se•…•…p. lib. 2.
• * 1.6

  Scipio A∣frican.