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

Of the Romanes fondnesse in thinking that those Gods could helpe them which could not helpe Troy, in her distresse. CHAP. 3.

BEhold vnto what Patrones the Romanes reioyced to committe the protec∣tion of their Cittie! O too too pitteous error! Nay, they are angry at vs when wee speake thus of their Gods: but neuer with their teachers and in∣uentors, but pay them money for learning them such fooleries: yea and more∣ouer haue vouchsafed their Authors, both stipends from the common treasury and ample honours besides: and namely in Virgill, who was therfore taught vn∣to their children, because that they thinke this great and most renowned Poet being fastned in their mindes, whilst they are young, will neuer easily be for∣gotten: according to that of Horace.

(a) Quo semel est imbuta recens seruabit odorem,—Testa diu. * 1.1 The liquors that new vessels first containes, Behinde them leaue a tast that long remaines.

Euen in the fore-named Poet Virgill, is Iuno presented as the Troians foe, inci∣ting Aeolus the King of windes against them in these wordes▪

(b) Gens inimica mihi Tyrrhenum nauigat aequor Ilium in Italiam portans, victos{que} penates. * 1.2

The nation that I hate, in peace sayles by, with Troy and Troyes falne Gods to Italy.

(c) Yea would any wise-man haue commended the defence of Rome vnto Gods already proued vnable to defend them-selues? but suppose (d) Iuno spoke this as a woman in anger, not knowing what shee said: what saies (the so often sur∣named (e) godly) Aeneas him-selfe? does he not say plainly-

(f) Panthus Otriades, arcis, Phoebi{que} sacerdos, Sacra manu, Victos{que} deos parvum{que} nepotem * 1.3 Ipse trahit, cursu{que}, amens ad limina tendit.

Panthus a Priest of Phaebus and the Tower, Burdned with his falne gods, and in his hand His poore young nephew, flyes vnto the strand?

Doth he not hold these Gods (which he dares call falne) rather commended vn∣to him, then he to them: it being said to him-

(g) Sacra suos{que} tibi commendat Troia penates? * 1.4 To thee doth Troy commend her Gods, her all?

If Virgill then call them fallen Gods, and conquered Gods, needing mans helpe for their escape after their ouerthrow and fall, how mad are men to thinke that there was any witte shewen in committing Rome to their keeping, or that it could not be lost, if first it lost not them? To worship conquered and cast Gods, as guardians, and defenders, what is it but to put by good deityes, and adore

wicked (i) diuells? Were there not more wisdome shewen in beleeuing, (not that Rome had not come to this calamitie, vnlesse it had first lost them, but) that they had long since come to nothing had not Rome beene as the especially carefull keeper of them? Who sees not (that will see any thing) what an idle presumption it is, to build any impossibility of beeing conquered, vpon defen∣ders that haue bene conquered? and to thinke that Rome therefore perished be∣cause it had lost the Gods (k) guardians; when possibly, the onely cause why it pe∣rished, was, because it would set the rest vpon such soone perishing guardians? Nor listed the Poets to lye when they sung thus of these subuerted Gods; it was truth that inforced their vigorous spirits to confesse it. But of this, more fitly in another place hereafter: At this time (as I resolued at first) I wil haue a little bout (as wel as I can) with those vngrateful persons, whose blasphemous tongues throw those calamities vpon Christ, which are onely the guerdons of their owne peruersnesse: But wheras Christs name alone was of power to pro∣cure them their vndeserued safety, that, they do scorne to acknowledge: and being madde with sacrilegious petulancy, they practise their foule tearmes vp∣pon his name, which like false wretches they were before glad to take vppon them to saue their liues by: and those filthy tongues which (when they were in Christes houses) feare kept silent, to remaine there with more safety, where euen for his sake they found mercy; those selfe-same, getting forth againe, shoot at his deity with al their envenomed shafts of mallice, and curses of hostility.

L. VIVES.

QVo (a) semel] Horace Epist. 2. Commonly cited to proue the power of custome in young and tender mindes: such is this too,

Ne{que} amissos Colores Lana refert madefacta fuco. Wooll dyde in graine, will not change hew, nor staine.

(b) Gens inimica] Aeneads the 1. Iuno was foe to Troy: first, because they came from Dar∣danus, sonne of Ioue and Electra, one of his whores. Secondly because Ganymede, Trois son being taken vp to heauen was made Ioues cup-bearer and Hebe, Iunos daughter put by. Thirdly because Antigone, Laomedons daughter, scorned Iunos beauty, being therfore tur∣ned into a storke: Lastly because shee was cast, in the contention of beauty, by the iudge∣ment of Paris, Priams sonne. (c) Yea? would any wise man] The discourse of these Penates, houshould or peculiar Gods, is much more intricate then that of the Palladium. I thinke they are called Penates, quasi Penites, because they were their penitissimi, their most inward & proper Gods. Macrobius holdes with them that say they are our Penates by which we do penitùs spirare, by whom we breath, and haue our body, & by whom we possesse our soules reason. So the Penates are the keepers or Gods Guardians of particular estates. The Penates of all mankind were held to be Pallas, the highest Aether, Ioue the middle Aether, and Iuno the lowest. Heauen also hath the Penates as Martianus Capella saith in his Nuptiae. And on earth, euery Citty and euery house hath the peculiar Gods Guardians. For euery house is a little Citty: or rather euery Citty a great house. And as these haue the Gods, so hath the fire also: Dionysius Halicarnasseus writeth that Romulus ordained perticular Vesta's for euery Court, ouer all which, his successor Numa set vp a common Vesta, which was the fire of the Citty, as Cicero saith in his 2. De legibus. But what Penates Aeneas brought into Italie, is vncertaine. Some say Neptune and Apollo, who (as we read) built the wals of Troy: Other say Vesta: For Virgill hauing said.

Sacra suos{que}, &c. To thee doth Troy commend her Gods, &c.—Addes presently,

Sic ait, & manibus vittas, Vestamque potentem, Aeternum{que} adytis effert penetr alibus ignem.

This said, he fetcheth forth th' eternall fire: Almighty Vesta, and her pure attire—

Now I thinke Vesta was none of the Penates, but the fire, added to them, and therefore the Dictator, and the rest of the Romaine Magistrates on the day of their instalment sacrificed to Vesta and the Gods guardians. Of this Vesta and these Gods thus saith Tully in his twentith booke de natura deorū. Nam vestae nomen, &c. The name of Vesta we haue from the Greekes: it is that which they call 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. And her power is ouer fires and altars: Therefore in the wor∣ship of that Godesse which is the guardian to the most inward and internall things, all the praiers and sacrifices offered are externall: Nor are the Penates far different from the power afore∣said: being either deriued from Penu, which is whatsoeuer man eateth, or of penitūs, in that they * 1.5 are placed within, and therefore called of the Poets, Penetrales, chamber or closetary gods. Thus far Tully. But here is no time for further dispute of this matter. Dionysius in his first booke saith he saw in a certaine blinde obscure temple not far from the Forum, two Images of the Troian gods, like two young men, sitting, and hauing Iauelins in their hands (two very old peeces of worke) and vpon them inscribed D. Penates: and that in most of the temples were Images in fashion and habit like these old ones. I make no question these were Castor and Pollux: for in other places they are called the Romanes Penates, which Prudentius testifies vnto Symmachus in these wordes.

—Gemini quo{que} fratres Corruptâ de matre nothi Ledeia Proles Nocturni{que} equites celsae duo numina Romae, Impendent &c.

—And the two brothers The bastard twins of Laeda and the Swan, Night-riders, as the Patron gods do watch The wals of stately Rome, &c.—

But these were not the Patron Gods of Troy, for euen in the beginning of the Troyan warre, presently vpon the rape of Hellen, they died. And therefore she being ignorant of their death, lookes for them amongst the other Greeke Nobles from the walles of Troy. Homer. Iliad. 3. Neither were these two the Dij magni, the great Gods, for Heauen and earth (as Varro saith in his. 3. booke de lingua Latina) are (as the Samothracians principles doe teach) the Dii magni, the great Gods, and those whom I haue named by so many names. For * 1.6 neither were the two mens shapes which Aeneas set vp before the gates at▪ Samothracia, these great Gods, nor as the vulgar opinion holdeth, were the Samothracians Gods, Castor and Pollux: Thus farre Varro. The Troyan Penates were those 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, those great gods which sate as protectors of the Citty and Latium. Amongst which the Palladium was one, and the Sempiternall fire another, and herevpon it is that Virgill sings this.

—Vesta{que} mater Quae Tuscum Tyberim, & Romana palatia seruas &c.

—And mother Vesta, she that lookes, To Romes faire buildings, and old Tybers brookes &c.

Though indeed they held it a wicked fact to name the peculiar god Guardian of the Cit∣ty, nor hold that it is Vesta. Valerius Soranus lost his life for being so bold as to name that name. But of this too much already, (d) But suppose Iuno spoke] For Seruius and Donate say that Iuno called them the fallen gods to make them the more contemptible, and free Aeolus from suspecting that he went about to do ought against the gods. (e) Godly] Godly in duty * 1.7 vnto his gods, his Father, and his Sonne, all whome he saued from burning. For Godlinesse is a dutifull worship vnto God, our Country, our Parents, and our kinsfolkes: breefely, a thanke∣fulnesse vnto all to whome we are indebted. (f) Panthus] This is our of the second of the Ae∣neads, beginning at this verse.

Ecce autem telis Panthus delapsus. Achiuūm. Panthus Otriades &c.

(g) Sacra suos{que}] These are Hectors words spoken to Aeneas in a dreame. (h) That Rome had not come] An Argument from the euent of one thing, to the euent of the like: the sence is corrupted in the latine: it should haue beene: non Romam ad istam cladem: that it had run thus: Vt sapientius multò existimaret si non illud putaret, Romam ad hanc cladem non fuisse venturam, nisi illi periissent, sed illud potius putaret illos olim &c. (i) deuills] for the old wri∣ters acknowledged some of these Daemones, or Genii to be very euill▪ and slothfull. For one Genius excelled another in vertue, wisdome, and power. Augustus his Genius was more cheerefull and lofty then was Marke Anthonies, as that same Aegiptian magician affir∣med in Plutarke in Marke Anthonies life. Nor doth our Christian religion deny that there is preheminence of some aboue others aswell amongst the Angells as the Deuills, (k) Gods guardians] Iust such guardians as Plato in his Policy saith that drunken and lux∣urious Magistrates are, that need guardians for themselues.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Epist. 2.
• * 1.2

  Aene. 1.
• * 1.3

  Aene. 2.
• * 1.4

  Aene. 2.
• * 1.5

  What Pe∣nu is.
• * 1.6

  Who were the Dij magni.
• * 1.7

  Piety.