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

That such as complaine of the Christian times desire nothing but to liue in filthy pleasures. CHAP. 29.

IF that (a) your Scipio Nasica were now aliue, hee that was once your high Priest, who (when in the fearefull terror of the Carthaginian warres, the most perfect man of all the citie was sought for, to vndertake the entertainment of the Phrigian goddesse) was chosen by the whole Senate, he whose face per∣haps you now durst not looke on, hee would shame you from this grose impu∣d•…•…nce of yours. For what cause is there for you to exclaime at the prosperi∣tie of the Christian faith in these times, but onely because you would follow

your luxury vncontrolled, and hauing remoued the impediments of al trouble∣some oppositions, swim on in your dishonest and vnhallowed dissolution? Your affections do not stand vp for peace, nor for vniuersal plenty and prosperity, to the end that you might vse them when you hauethē, as honest men should do: that is, modestly, soberly, temperately, and religiously: No: but that hence you might keepe vp your vnreasonable expence, in seeking out such infinite vari∣ety of pleasures, and so giue birth vnto those exorbitances in your prosperi∣ties, which would heape more mischiefs vpon you then euer befel you by your enemies.

(b) But Scipio your high Priest, he whom the whole Senate iudged the best man amongst you, fearing that this calamitie would fall vppon you (that I speak of) would not haue Carthage in those dayes the sole paralell of the Romaine Empire vtterly subuerted, but contradicted Cato, that spoke for the destruction of it, because hee feared the foe of all weake spirits, Security: and held that Car∣thage would bee vnto his fellow Cittizens (c) as if they were young punies) both a conuenient tutor, and a necessary terror. Nor did his iudgement delude him: the euent it selfe gaue sufficient proofe whether he spoke true or no: for after∣wards when Carthage was raized downe, and the greatest curber and terror of the Romaine weale-publike vtterly extinguished and brought to nothing; Pre∣sently such an innumerable swarm of inconueniences arose out of this prospe∣rous estate, that the bondes of concord beeing all rent asunder and broken, first with barbarous and (e) bloudy seditions, and next (f) by continuall gi∣uing of worse and worse causes by ciuill warres, such slaughters were effect∣ed, so much bloud was shedde by ciuill warres, and so much inhumanitie was practised in proscribings, riots and rapines, that those Romaines that in the good time of their liues feared no hurt but from their enemies, now in the corrupt time of their liues indured far worse of their owne fellowes: and that lust after soueraignty, which among all other sinnes of the world, was most appropriate vnto the Romaines, and most immoderate in them all, at length getting head and happie successe in a fewe of the more powerfull, it ouerpressed all the rest, wearing them out and crushing their neckes with the yoake of vilde and slauish bondage.

L. VIVES.

IF that your Scipio (a) Nasica] This man was the sonne of Cnius Cornelius Scipio, who was slayne together with his brother Publius, by the Carthaginians in Spaine, in the second * 1.1 war of Affrica. In the 14. year of which war the Decemuiri found a verse amongst the rest of the Prophecies in the books of the Sybils, which fore-told that the enemy should be chased out of Italy if that the mother of the gods were transported from Pessinuns, a citty of Phry∣gia, vnto Rome. Here-vpon an ambassage was sent to Attalus, who as then was King of that country, to demand the mother of the gods of him, in the name of the Senate and people of Rome. The Ambassadours as they went, tooke the Oracle of Delphos in their way, to know what hope there was of attaining this mother of the goddes of the stranger King Attalus. The Oracle badde them bee of good courage, Attalus woulde not bee agaynst the fulfilling of their request for the Image: but withal willed them to haue an especiall care that when shee came into Italy, the best man of the whole Cittie of Rome should giue hir intertainment, and receiue hir into his custodie.

So the shippe returning vnto Ostia with the Image of the goddesse, Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica was by the Senators (which were sworne to giue their opinions of the best man of the Cittie) adiudged as the best man, he being then but a youth and not out of his questor∣ship, which was his first steppe vnto dignity; and so hee by the decree of the Senate, receiued the Phrigian goddesse: Liuie in his 29. booke and many others. (b) But Scipio] In the 600. * 1.2 yeare after the building of Rome, when the Romaine Ambassadors that had bin at Carthage, reported that there they had found a huge deale of furniture for shipping, and all thinges fitt for a Nauall warre, the Senate held a consultation about the beginning of a warre with the Carthaginians. Now Marcus Portius Cato beeing Censor, to assure the Romains their estate at length, gaue counsell not onely to beginne this warre, but vtterly to extirpate and demo∣lish (this terror of theirs) Carthage. But Nasica Scipio (of whom we spoke but now) would not see the people of Rome exposed to the inconueniences of too much Idlenesse, nor that they should swimme in too much security: and therefore would haue something to remaine as a bridle to curb the head-strong appetite of a powerful multitude: Where-vppon he gaue them the counsell not onely not to destroy Carthage, but euen not to beginne a warre with the Carthaginians without a lawfull and sufficient cause. Liuie and others. (c) As if they were young punies [Ualerius writeth that Appius Claudius vsed often to say that imployment did far more ext•…•…l the people of Rome then quiet: that excesse of leisure and rest melted them in∣to * 1.3 slothfulnesse, but the rough name of businesse, kept the manners of the cittie in their pristine state, vndeformed: when the sweet sound of quiet euer ledde in great store of corruption. (d) When Carthage was raized] Salust in his war of Iugurth saith thus: for before Carthage was rai∣zed, the Senate and People of Rome gouerned the weale-publike wel, quietly and modestly betwixt th•…•…-selues: nor was there any contention for glory or domination amongst them: the feare of the foes kept all the Citty in good arts & orders: but that feare being once remoued and abolished, then the attendants of prosperous estates, pride and luxury, thrust in vnrestrained. (e) And bloudy se∣di•…•…. As first y^t of Tiberius Gracchus, then that of Caius his brother, in which two was the first ciuill effusion of Cittizens bloud beheld: the first of these happened tenne yeares after Carthage was destroyed. (f) By continual giuing of worse and worse causes]. For through the sedition of Caius Gracchus was the office of the Tribuneship inuented, and bestowed on Li∣•…•… * 1.4 Drusus, whom the Senators opposed against the Gentlemen, who stood for the law that Gracchus had made. Hence arose the war called Sociale Bellum, because Drusus reformed not the citty as hee promised: and hence arose the warre of Mithridates, who taking aduantage of this discord of Italie, made many thousands of the Italians that traffick'd in his dominions to bee slaine: and hence arose the ciuill warre of Marius who sought to gette the vnder∣taking of this Prouince and warre of Mithridates from Sylla. And from the seedes of this warre, sprung the warres of Sertorius, Lepidus, the conspiracy of Catiline, and lastly the warre of Pompey. And from that sprung the Empire of Caesar, and after his death the ciuil warres of Anthony, of Brutus and Cassius at the Philippi: of Sextus Pompeius in Sicilia, and that of Acti∣•…•…. And lastly the common-weales freedome turned into a tiriannical monarchy.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Scipio Nas∣ica.
• * 1.2

  The origi∣nall of the Carthagi∣nian wars.
• * 1.3

  Labor bet∣ter vn•…•…o Rome then quiet.
• * 1.4

  The 〈◊〉〈◊〉 W•…•…res.