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

L. VIVES.

GEnerall (a) forme] Or community of nature. [Our scholians say that wee must neuer res∣pect words in matter of diuinity or Philosophy: this they auouch, hand-smooth, and yet one of their great men at Paris, brought these words of Augustine, (in a question of Philoso∣phy) to confirme the communities of nature, which Occam had written against. So likewise, * 1.1 many of them will haue Tully, Seneca, Hierome, Augustine, Pliny and others, speaking of com∣mon sense, to meane that which Aristotle maketh the iudge ouer all the sences corporall, whereas they, and all latine authors take common sence, for a thing that is vniuersally inhe∣rent, as for a mother to loue her child. And natures community is those generall inclinations that are in all men. This missinterpretation of words hath made foule worke in artes, first cankring and then directly killing them] (b) Imagine some such] This was Uirgils Cacus. Aeneid. 8. Hee was ouercome (saith Dionysius) by Hercules, hee dwelt in an impregnable place, from whence hee plagued all that dwelt neere him: and hearing that Hercules was en∣camped nere him, hee stole out and droue away a great prey: but the greekes iniured him in his strength. He dwelt (saith Solinus) at Salinae, where port Trigemina stands now. Beeing put (saith Gellius) into prison by Tarchon the Tyrrhene Prince, whilest hee was embassador for •…•…ales the Phrigian who ruled with Marsias, he brake prison and came home, and fortifying

all Vulturnum & Campania, he presumed to encroch vpon the Arcadians whom Hercules pro∣tected, who therevpon slew him. Thus out of these. Seruius saith: the fable reported him the sonne of Uulcan, that he breathed fire, and destroyed all that hee came neare, but the truth of all is, he was a theeuish and villenous seruant of Euanders, his sister Caca betrayed him, and therefore had a chappell erected vnto her, wherein the vestalls offered sacrifice. Lactant. (c) Halfe-man] Uirgil, and Seruius call him so. (d) Cacus] Diodorus saith his proper name was L•…•…uius, if his copy bee true. lib. 5. (e) His father Vulcan] Virg. Ouid. Fast. and others call him so because hee burnt vp the corne, and wasted their fields, with fire. (f) The persons] Whose heads he set vppe at the mouth of his caue. Uirg, and Ouid (g) Breatheing of] Fire-breathing Cacus, did Uirgil call him. (h) Commended Hercules] One of whose labours the death of Ca∣cus was for Cacus stole part of his Spanish kine, and drew them into his caue by their tailes, least they should tract them by their steps. But Hercules discouering them by their bellowing, brake into the Caue, & killed him, Liuy, Dionys. Virg. Ouid, and a many more, the story is com∣mon. (i) In their kinde] By that law which the lawyers call naturall. Ulpian 1. lib. Pandect. (k) Tyger] A fierce beast. Virg. and Ouid vse it as the embleme of bloudinesse. (l) Nousle her yong] She loueth her young dearely. Plin. l. 8. (m) Kite] A rauenous and meager foule. It is not seene in winter, and at the Solisticies, it hath the gout in the feete. Plin. l. 10. Aristotle hath one strang note of the Eagles breed, that some of them goe out of their kind, & are hatched Ospreyes: the Osprey hatcheth not Ospreyes but the foules called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Boane-breakers, and they hatch kites, who doe not breed birds of their owne kinde, but others, which die and neuer bring forth a∣ny other. (n) The peace of] Empedocles held all things to consist by concord, and to dissolue by discord, putting them two as the first qualities of the foure elements. (o) Embalmed] As they vse to preserue bodies the longer from putrefaction, drying vp the Viscous humidity, so that thereby the carcases become dry, and at length turne to plaine pouder of dust. (p) Ill tasting] For as a good sent delighteth the sense, so doth a ranke one offend it: nature holding a cor∣respondent affection vnto things that delight, and an inherent distaste of things offensiue to it.

Notes

• * 1.1

  [Lou∣uaine co∣py de∣fectiue.]