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

The ruine of the Argiue kingdome: Picus Saturnes sonne succeeding him in Laurentum. CHAP. 15.

〈◊〉〈◊〉 was the Argiue kingdome translated (a) to Mycaenae, where (b) A∣•…•… •…•…on ruled: and then (c) arose the kingdome of the Laurentines, 〈◊〉〈◊〉) Picus Saturnes sonne was the first successor in, (e) Delborah a wo∣•…•… •…•…ng Iudgesse of the Iewes: GODS spirit indeed iudged in her, for 〈◊〉〈◊〉 a Prophetesse: (her (f) prophecie is too obscure to drawe vnto 〈◊〉〈◊〉 with-out a long discourse.) And now had the Laurentines had a 〈◊〉〈◊〉 in Italy, (g) from whence, (after their discent from Greece) the Ro∣•…•… pedegree is drawne. Still the Assyrian Monarchy kept vp: Lampares •…•…ith King ruling there now, when Picus began his kingdome in Lau∣•…•… His father Saturne (the Pagans say) was no man: let the Pagans looke 〈◊〉〈◊〉 some of them haue written that hee was, and that hee was (h) King •…•…ore his sonne Picus. Aske these verses of Virgill, and they will tell 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…id. 8.

Is genus indocile ac dispersum montibus altis * 1.1 Composuit, legesque dedit, latiumque vocari Maluit: his quoniam latuisset tutus in oris. Aureàque vt perhibent illo sub rege fuêre.—Secula.

Th'vndocill sort on Mountaines high disperst He did compose, and gaue them lawes, and first Would call it Latium, when he latent lay, In whose raigne was the golden age men say.

Tush, but these they say are fictions (l) Sterces was Saturnes father, hee that inuented (m) manuring of the ground with dung, which of him was called * 1.2 Stercus: Some say they called him Stercutius: Well howsoeuer hee gotte the name of Saturne, hee was the same Sterces or Stercutius whome they deified for his husbandry. And Pyrus his sonne was deified after him also; (n) a cun∣ning sooth-sayer, and (o) a great soldier as they report him to bee. Hee be∣gotte (p) Faunus, the second King of Laurentum, and hee was made a Syl∣uane god. All these men were deified before the Troyan warre.

L. VIVES.

TRanslated (a) vnto Mycaenae] Pausanias his wordes here-vppon. All know the villa∣ny of Danaus daughters vpon their cousine Germaines, and how Lynceus succeeded * 1.3 Danaus in the Kingdome: who dying, Abas his sonnes diuided the Kingdome amongst them. Acrisius had Argoes Praetus, Eraeum, Mydaea and Tyrinthus, and all that lay to the sea: In Tyrinthus are monuments yet of Praetus his dwelling there. Afterward Acrisius hearing how his grand-childe Perseus was aliue, and of great renowne, hee retyred to Larissa neare the riuer Peneus: Now Perseus was wonderfull desirous to see him, and sought all the meanes to honour him that might bee, and comming to Larissa to him, they mette, and Perseus after a while began to practise the casting of the quoyte (his owne inuen∣tion) to shew his strength: now Acrisius by chance came vnder the fall of the quoyte, and so was brayned according to the Oracle concerning his death. Perseus returning to Argos, and beeing ashamed of his grandsiers death, changed Kingdomes with Megapenthes the sonne of Praetus: and then built Mycenas, calling it so, because his swordes 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, scab∣berd * 1.4 fell off there: which hee tooke for a signe to settle there. Yet some say it was named so of Mycenae daughter to Inachus the second, and wife to Arestor. Homer doth name such a woman. (b) Agamemnon] Pelops begotte Atreus and Thyestes on Hippodame, and Atreus begotte Agamemnon and Menelaus of Aerope, as Homer holdeth. But Hesiod saith they * 1.5 were the sonnes of Plisthenes, Thyestes sonne, vnlesse wee read Thyestes for Plisthenes, which is more likely. This Agamemnon ledde all the Heroes against Troy: Though some say that hee was putte once from the Empire and Palamedes crowned, who beeing slayne by the craft of Ulysses, the empire returned to Agamemnon. (c) Laurentum] The eldest Citty of Latium: the seate of the Aborigines where the Kingdome was founded by Saturne: called * 1.6 Laurentum of the laurell wood, that grew neare it. (d) Picus] Saturnes sonne by Fauna. Virg. lib. 7. Ouid. Meta. 14. He marryed Cyrce, who perceiuing that he loued Pomona, turned him into a bird called a Pye: wherfore the Latines held that for Mars his bird, and it was ora∣culous. Dyonis. Alex. Ouid saith hee was thus transformed for refusing the loue of Cyrce, but she was not his wife. So holds Seruius also. (l) Delborah] Hierome readeth it Deborah, * 1.7 that is (sayth hee) a Bee: or a Pratler The Tribe of Nephthalim vnder her directions and Baruchs conduct ouerthrew the mighty armie of Sisara, Iudg. 4. Ioseph. de antiqui. lib. 5. Shee ruled the people fourty yeares, and hadde peace all the while in Israell,

(f) Her prophecy] Iud. 5. (g) From whence] In a continuall succession from the Laurentes vnto 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Aenaeas his wife, to Syluius Posthumus their sonne, and so to the Kings of Alba, downe vnto •…•…itor, Amulius, Ilaean Romulus, and Remus. (h) King there] Wherevpon it was called Saturni•…•… •…•…hough the ancient poet Eusebius thinke otherwise. Read his words in Dion. lib. 1. (i) Uirgil] •…•…nders words. Ae•…•…id. 8. (k) Golden age] Of this before. It was such as Plato required in his resp•…•…blica▪ and that was 〈◊〉〈◊〉 as Adam liued in before his fall: so that Eusebius saith that Plato had that place from Moyses •…•…w. (l) Sterces] This they say was Saturne * 1.8 that taught manuring, call him what they will. Macrob. Saturnal. But Pliny saith that Stercutius who was deified for dung-finding, was Saturnes sonne. But there was a Saturne * 1.9 long before this, three hundred yeares before the Troyan warre, as Theophilus writeth out of Talus: liuing in the time of Belus the Babilonian. Alex. Polyhistor called Belus him∣selfe▪ Saturne: which were it so, either our times are false accoun•…•…d, or he was eight hunde∣red yeares before that warre. It may bee (as hee that wrote the Aequiuoca saith) that the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of euery noble family were called Saturnes, and their sonnes Ioues. (m) Manuring] T•…•…ght by Pliny lib. 16. Uarro, and other writers of husbandry. Cato in Tully, wonders that H•…•… ommiteth it, Homer hauing mentioned it before him. (n) A cunning sooth-saier] There∣fore was hee said to be turned into a pie, because hee kept one alwaies for Aug•…•…y: and there∣•…•… Virgill saith he was painted with the Augurs staffe by him. Aeneid.

Ipse Quirinali lituo▪ paruâ{que} sedebat, * 1.10 Succinctus trabea.—

He in a sory paule did sit, An augurs crosier ioyn'd with it.

(〈◊〉〈◊〉) Warriour] Ouid. Met. 14. and Uirgil calleth him the Horse-breaker, which in Greeke is 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…ch as Warrior: wherefore they feigne him changed into a hardy bird; who pearceth an 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…ith her bill: and is holy vnto Mars. The Romans honour it much, and affirme that it •…•…ed Romulus and Remus from hurt when they were cast out in their infancy. (p) Faunus] * 1.11 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…as also called Fatuus, and his sister Fauna, and Fatua. Of these we haue spoken before. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 saith that some held Mars to bee his great grand-father, and that the Romans wor∣•…•… him as their countries Genius, with songs and sacrifices. So saith Trogus. They say •…•…e •…•…d Euander and his few Arcadians vpon mount Palatine; and his wife Fatua (saith Tro∣•…•…) was euery day filled with the spirit of prophecy: so that it grew a prouerbe to say of pro∣•…•…, that they were infatuate, Faunus killing her, she was deified and named Bona daea and her •…•…stity is said to be such, as no man lyuing euer saw her, but her owne husband. Varro. from * 1.12 this Faunus come all the fawnes, Syluanes, and Satires.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Aeneid. 8.
• * 1.2

  Stercus.
• * 1.3

  The Ar∣giue King∣dome.
• * 1.4

  Mycenae.
• * 1.5

  Agamem∣non.
• * 1.6

  Lauren∣tum. Picus.
• * 1.7

  Delborah.
• * 1.8

  Stercutius.
• * 1.9

  Saturnes many.
• * 1.10

  Virg. A•…•…nid. li. 7
• * 1.11

  Faunus.
• * 1.12

  Bona D•…•…a▪