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

Of the violent lust of the Souldiers, executed vpon the bodies of the captiues; against their consents. CHAP. 17.

BVt why should he that hath done no man euill, do himselfe euill, and by de∣stroying himselfe, destroy an innocent man, for feare to suffer iniurie by the guilte of another, and procure a sinne vnto himselfe, by auoiding the sinne of another? O but his feare is, to be defiled by anothers lust! tush, anothers lust cannot pollute thee; if it doe, it is not anothers but thine owne. But chasti∣tie being a vertue of the minde, and (a) accompanied with fortitude, by which it learnes rather to endure all euills, then consent to any, and (b) no man of this fortitude and chastitie, being able to dispose of his body as he list, but one∣ly of the consent and dissent of his minde; what man of witte will thinke hee looseth his chastity, though his captiued body be forcedly prostitute vnto ano∣thers beastialitie? If chastitie were lost thus easilie, it were no vertue of the minde; nor one of (c) those goods, whereby a man liues in goodnesse; but were to be reckoned amongst the goods of the body, with strength, beautie, health, and such like: (d) which if a man do decrease in, yet it doth not follow that he decreaseth in his vprightnesse of life: but if chastitie be of (e) another kinde, why should we endanger our bodies to no end, which feare to loose it? for if it be (f) a good, belonging to the mind, it is not lost though the body be violated. Moreouer it is the vertue of holy continencie, that when it with∣stands the pollution of carnall concupiscence, thereby it sanctifies euen the body also: and therefore when the intention stands firme, and giues no way to vicious affects, the chastitie of the body (g) is not lost, because the will re∣maines still in the holy vse, and in the power too, as farre as it can. For the body is not holy in that it is whole, or vntouched in euery member, for it may be hurt and wounded by many other casualties: And the Physitian of∣tentimes for the preseruation of the health, doth that vnto the body which the eye abhorres to beholde. (h) A Midwife trying a certaine maides inte∣gretie of the Virginall part, (whether for malice, or by chance, it is vncer∣taine) spoiled it. Now I thinke none so foolish as to thinke that this virgin lost any part of her bodily sanctitie, though that part endured this breach of integritie. And therefore the intent of the minde standing firme, (which firm∣nesse it is that sanctifies the body) the violence of anothers lust cannot depriue so much as the (i) body of this sanctity, because the perseuerance of the minde

in continency euer preserueth it. But shall we say that any woman whose cor∣rupt minde hath broken her promise vnto God, and yeelded her self willingly to the lust of her deceiuer, (though but in purpose,) is as yet holy in her bodie, when she hath lost that holinesse of minde which sanctified her body? God forbid. And heere let vs learne, that the sanctity of bodie is no more lost, if the sanctity of minde remaine, (though the bodie bee rauished) then it is kept, if the mindes holinesse bee polluted, though the bodie it selfe bee vn∣touched. Wherefore if there bee no reason, that a woman that hath alrea∣die suffred an others villanie against her owne will, should destroy her selfe by voluntary death, how much lesse ought this course to bee followed before there bee any cause? and why should murder bee committed, when the guilt which is feared (beeing feared from another) is as yet in doubt of euent? Dare they (against whom wee defend the sanctity not onely of the Christian womens mindes, but euen of their bodies in this last captiuitie) contradict this cleere reason, wherein we affirme, that whilest the chast resolution is vn∣changed by any euill consent, the guilt is wholy the rauishers, and no part of it imputable vnto the rauished?

L. VIVES.

ACcompanied (a) With fortitude] For the vertues are all combined togither as the Philosophers teach. But there are some more peculiarly cohaerent then other some. (b) No man of this fortitude] Herevpon Plutarch (as I remember) affirmes out of Menan∣der that it is not the part of a valiant and complete man to say I will not suffer this, but, I will not doe this. (c) Those goods] The vertues: for the Platonistis, and the Peripatetike Philosophers diuide al goods into three sorts: mentall, bodily, and fortunes, or externall. (d) Which if a man] This is the Platonistis and Peripatetikes opinion as well as the Stoikes: who * 1.1 held, that bodily and externall goods might haue reference vnto beatitude, but none at all vnto a good and sanctified life. (e) Another kinde] If it bee but a bodily good, it is not of such worth as we should loose the whole body for it: for the body is of more worth then it, if it be but such. (f) The body bee violated] So did Brutus and Collatinus comfort sor∣rowfull Lucretia, (of whom the next Chapter treateth) by turning the guilt of the falte from her that was offended, vpon the author of the fact: neither the minde sinneth (sayth Liuy) nor the body: and where consent wanted, guilt wanteth also. And the Nurse in Se∣neca's Hippolitus saith: the minde inferreth loosenesse, tis not chance. (g) Is not lost] The bodies chastitie flowes from that of the minde, (h) A midwife] Hee seemes to relate a thing done, because hee sayth A certaine maidens &c. (i) So much as the body] How simply was that spoken either of Brutus, or Liuy (both being wise and iudicious men) speaking of the bloud of Lucretia being then newly slaine. I sweare by this bloud, most chaste before this Kings villany: as though after his villany it were not as chaste still, if her minde were not touched with lust, as they hold it was not.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Three sorts of good.