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

What opinions of Plato, Prophiry confuted, and corrected. CHAP. 30.

IF it be vnfit to correct ought after Plato, why doth Porphiry correct such, and so many of his doctrines? (a) Sure it is that Plato held a transmigration of mens soules into beasts: yet though (b) Plato the learned held thus, Porphiry his scholler iustly refuted him, holding that mens soules returned no more to the bodies they once left, but into other humane bodies. Hee was ashamed to beleeue the other, least the mother, liuing in a mule, should cary her sonne; but neuer shamed to be∣leeue the later, though the mother liuing in some other maid might beecome her sonnes wife. But how farre better were it to beleeue the sanctified and true Angels, the holy inspired prophets; him that taught the comming of Christ, and the blessed Apostles, that spread the gospell through the world? how farre more honestly might we beleeue that the soules returne but once into their own bodies: rather then so often into others? But as I said, Porphiry reclaimed this opi∣nion much in subuerting those bestial transmigrations, and restraining them only to humaine bodies. He saith also that God gaue the world a soule, that it lear∣ning the badnesse of the corporall substance by inhabiting it, might returne to the father, and desire no more to be ioyned to such contagion. Wherin though he erre something (for the soule is rather giuen to the body to do good by, nor should it learne any euill but that it doth euil,) yet herein he exceeds, corrects all the Platonists, in houlding that the soule being once purified and placed with the father, shal neuer more suffer worldly inconuenience. Wher he ouerthrowes one great Platonisme: viz. that the dead are continually made of the liuing & the liuing of the dead: prouing that (c) Platonical position of Virgill false, wher hee saith that the soules being purified. & sent vnto th' Elisian fields (vnder which fabulous name

they figured the ioyes of the blessed) were brought to drinke of the riuer Lethe that is to forget things past.

Scilicet immemores supera vt conuexa reuisent Rursus & incipiant in corpora velle reuerti.

The thought of heauen is quite out of the brayne. Now gin the wish to liue on earth againe.

Porphiry iustly disliked this, because it were foolish to beleeue that men being in that life which the onely assurance of eternity maketh most happy, should desire to see the corrupton of mortality, as if the end of purification were still to returne to n•…•…w pollution, for if their perfect purification require a forgetfulnesse of all euills: and that forgetfulnesse produce a desire in them to be imbodied againe, and consequently to bee againe corrupted, Truely the height of happyinesse, shall be the cause of the greatest vnhappynesse: the perfection of wisdome the cause of foo•…•…nesse, and the fullnesse of purity, mother vnto impurity. Nor can the •…•…oule e•…•…r be blessed, being still deceiued in the blessednesse: to be blessed it must be se∣•…•…e: to be secure it must beleeue it shalbe euer blessed, and that falsely, because it must sometimes be wretched: wherefore if this ioy must needs rise of a false cause, how can it be truely ioyfull? This Prophiry saw well, and therefore held that the soules once fully purified returned immediatly to the Father, least it should bee any more polluted with the contagion of earthly and corruptible affects.

L. VIVES.

SV•…•… (a) it is.] Plato, Pythagorizing, held that the soules after death passed into other bo∣•…•… •…•…n his Timaeus, an•…•… his last de Repub. and in his Phaedrus also, in which last hee pro∣•…•…ds the necessity of the Adrastian law, commanding euery soule, that hath had any true sp•…•…lation of God to passe straight to the superior circle without impediment: and if it per∣seuer there, then is it to become blessed eternally, continuing the former course, but if it •…•…ge that, and fall vnder the touch of punishment, then must it returne to a body. And if it 〈◊〉〈◊〉 〈◊〉〈◊〉 come to those aforesaid degrees, then the knowledge maketh it a Philosopher, the next degree vnder it, a King, Emperour, or valiant man: the third, a magistrate, or the father of a 〈◊〉〈◊〉: the fourth, a Phisitian or chirurgian: the fift, a Priest or a Prophet, the sixth, a poet, the •…•…nth a tradesman, or an husband man: the eight, a Sophister, or guilder, the ninth a ty∣•…•…. Thus do soules passe vnto life and passing that well, are exalted, if not depressed, for it is 10000. yeares ere the soule returne to his first state: no soule recouereth his broken wings be•…•… that time, but hee that hath beene a true Philosopher; for he that passeth three courses so, shall bee reinstalled at 3000. yeares end: for the rest, some of them shall bee bound vnder the earth in paines, and others inuested with blisse in heauen, at the prefixed time of iudg∣m•…•…, but all shall returne to life after a 1000. yeares, and each one shall haue his choice, so that some that were men before, become beasts, and some that were beasts before, men, if so bee that they were euer men before: for that soule that neuer looked vpon truth, shall neuer haue 〈◊〉〈◊〉 forme. This is Platonisme. Now Plato speaking of these choices, in his last de repub, saith that their election still flolloweth the fashions of their former liues. So that Orpheus his soule chose a swan to liue in, nor would become a woman for his hate of them. Thamiris soule went 〈◊〉〈◊〉 a nightingale, and a swans soule went into a man: Aiax into a lion, Agamemnon into 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…gle, and Thersites into an ape. (b) Plato.] Some read, Plotine. Prophyry writes that in the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 yeare of Gallienus his raigne hee came into Italy, Plotine being then fifty yeares of age, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 that hee heard him fiue yeares. And Plotine was a direct Platonist in this theame of trans∣•…•…gration of soules. So that both their names may well be recited in the text. (c) Platonicall.] Plato de Rep. li. 10. saith, that the soules go into the l•…•…thean field, wherein groweth nothing, and there they all ly downe and drinke of the riuer Amelita, and those that drinke largly, forget al things.

(Amelita indeed is obliuion, or neglect of things past,) this done they fall a sleepe, and about mid-night, a great thunder awaketh them, and so they returne to life. Anchises in Uirgil * 1.1 speaketh of these in this manner.

Has omnes vbi mille rotam voluere per annos, Lethaum ad fluuium Deus euocat, agmine maguo, Scilicet immemores &c.—

And when the thousand yeares are come and gone, God calls them all to Letha, euery one.

So they forget what is past, and respect not what is to come: and this they doe not willingly but of necessity.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Amelita.