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

That the varietie of temporall estates dependeth not vpon the pleasure or displeasure of these deuills, but vpon the iudgements of God almighty. CHAP. 23.

NAy what say you to this, that these their gods doe seeme to assist them in ful∣filling their desires, and yet are not able to restraine them from brooding vp such desires: for they that helped (a) Marius, an vnworthy base borne fellow, to runne through the inducement and managing of such barbarous ciuill warres, * 1.1 to be made seuen times Consull, to die an old man in his seuenth Consulship, and to escape the hands of Sylla, that immediatly after bare downe all before him, why did not these gods keepe Marius from affecting any such bloody deeds, or exces∣siue crueltie? If his gods did not further him in these actes at all, then haue wee good aduantage giuen vs by their confession, that this temporall felicitie which they so greatly thirst after, may befall a man without the gods furtherance: and that other men may be as Marius was, enguirt with health, power, ritches, ho∣nours, friends, and long life, and enioy all these, mauger the gods beards: and againe, that other men may be as Regulus was, tortured in chaines, slauerie, mise∣rie, ouer-watchings, and torments, and perish in these extremities, do all the gods what they can to the contrary: which if our aduersaries doe acknowledge, then must they needs confesse that they do nothing benefit their worshippers (b) com∣modity, and consequently that all the honor giuen them as out of superfluitie: for if they did rather teach the people the direct contraries to vertue and piety, the rewards whereof are to be expected after mens deaths, then any thing that way furthering them: and if in these transitorie and temporall benefits, they can neither hinder those they hate, nor further those they loue: why then are they followed with such zeale and feruencie? why do you mutter that they are depar∣ted, as from a course of turbulent and lamentable times, and hence take occasion to throw callumnious reproches vpon the religious christians? If that your gods haue any power to hurt or profit men in these worldly affaires, why did they stick to that accursed Marius, and shrinke from that honest Regulus? doth not this con∣uince them of iniustice and villanie? Doe you thinke that there was any want of their worship on the wretches party? thinke not so: for you neuer read that Regulus was slacker in the worship of the gods then Marius was. Nor may you perswade your selues, that a corrupted course of life is the rather to be followed, because the gods were held more friendly to Marius then to Regulus: for (c) Me∣tellus, the honestest man of all the Romaines, (d) had fiue Consuls to his sonnes,

and liued happy in all temporall estate: and (e) Cateline, that villenous wretch, was oppressed with misery and brought to naught in the warre which his owne guilt had hatched: good men that worship that God who alone can giue felicity, do shine, and are mighty in the true and surest happinesse: wherefore, when as the contaminate conditions of that weale-publike, did subuert it, the gods neuer put to their helping hands to stop this invndation of corruption into their manners, but rather made it more way, and gaue the Common-wealth a larger passe vnto distruction. Nor let them shadow them-selues vnder goodnesse, or pretend that the Citties wickednesse draue them away. No, no, they were all there, they are produced, they are conuicted, they could neither helpe the Citty by their instruc∣tiōs, nor conceale themselues by their silence. I omit to relate how (f) Marius was commended vnto the goddesse Marica by the pittiful Minturniās in hir Wood, & how they made their praiers to hir that she would prosper all his enterprizes, and how he hauing shaken of his heauy disperation, returned with a bloudy army euē vnto Rome it selfe: Where what a barbarous, cruell, and more then most inhumain victory he obtained, let them that list to read it, looke in those that haue recorded it: This as I said I omit: nor do I impute his murderous felicity vnto any Marica's, or I cannot tell whome, but vnto the most secret iudgement of the most mighty God to shut the mouthes of our aduersaries, and to free those from error that doe obserue this with a discreet iudgement and not with a preiudicate affect. For if the diuels haue any power or can do any thing at all in these affaires, it is no more then what they are permitted to do by the secret prouidence of the almighty: and in this case, they may be allowed to effect somwhat to the end that we should nei∣ther take too much pleasure in this earthly felicity, in that wee see that wicked men like Marius may inioy it, neither hold it as an euil, & therfore to be vtterly refused, seeing that many good honest men, and seruants of the true & liuing God haue possessed it in spite of all the diuels in hell: and that we should not be so fond as to thinke that these vncleane spirits are either to be feared for any hurt, nor ho∣noured for any profit they can bring vpon mans fortunes. For they are in power, but euen as wicked men vpon earth are, so that they cannot do what they please, but are meere ministers to his ordinance, whose iudgements no man can either comprehendfully, or reprehend iustly.

L. VIVES.

THey that helped Marius] Ater he returned out of Affrica, hee called all the slaues to his standard, and gaue them their freedome: and with all cruelty spoyled the Collonies of Os∣tiae, * 1.2 Antium, Lavinium, and Aritia. Entring the Citty, he gaue his soldiars charge that to whom∣soeuer he returned not the salute, they should immediatly dispatch him. It is vnspeakeable to consider the innumerable multitude of all sortes, Noble and ignoble, that were slaughtered by this meanes. His cruelty Lucan in few wordes doth excellently describe.

Vir ferus & fat•…•… •…•…vpienti perdere Romam. Sufficiens,—

Cruel & fittest instrument for fate. To wrack Rome by.—

And yet this bloudy man (as I said before) in his seauenth Consulship, died quietly in his bed, as Lucan saith:

Folix •…•…uersa Consull moritarus in vrb•…•…. Happy dead Consull in his ruin'd towne.

Soone after his death, came Sylla out of Asia, and rooted out Marius his sonne and all the whole faction of them vtterly. (b) Commodity] Saint Augustine plaies with these Antitheses, Compendio & Superfluo: Compendio Breifely, or Compendio to their commodity,

whose contrary is Dispendium, Excesse or Superfluity. (c) Metellus.] Ualerius, lib. 7. and Pli∣ny lib. 7. Q. Metellis Macedonicus was iudged of all men the most happy, as a man endowed * 1.3 with all good qualities of body and minde. Hee was Consul, he was Censor, hee managed great warres with happy successe, he attained the glory of a triumph: hee left foure sonnes, three of thē were Consuls, two of which triumphed: one of which was Censor: his fourth was Prae∣tor, & prickt for the Consulship, and (as Uelleius saith) hee attained it: Besides hee had three daughters all married to Noble and mighty houses, whose children he him-selfe liued to see; and by this illustrious company, all sprung from his owne loines (beeing of exceeding age) he was borne forth to his funerall. (d) Fiue Consuls to his sonnes] [This history is depraued by some smattering fellow: For I do not thinke that Saint Augustine left it so. Vnlesse you will take Quin{que} filios Consulares, for Fiue sonnes worthy to be Consuls: as my fine Commentator ob∣serued most acutely: which hee had not done vnlesse his skill in Logike had beene so excellent * 1.4 as it was: so hee findes it to be Consulares quasi Consulabiles, or Consulificabiles, that is (in the magisteriall phrase) in potentia to become Consuls.] (e) And Cateline] The life and conditions of L. Sergius Cateline, are well knowne because Salust him-selfe the author that reporteth them, is so well knowne. It is said that amongst other reasons, pouerty was one of the cheefe, * 1.5 that set him into the conspiracy against his countrey, for he was one whose excessiue spending exceeded all sufficient meanes for a man of his ranke. In Syllas time he got much by rapine, and gaue Sylla many guifts; who vsed his help in the murder of M. Marius, & many others. (f) I omit to relate that Marius] C. Marius hauing escaped alone out of the first battell of the ciuill wars, fled to Minturnae a town of Campania. The Minturnians to do Sylla a pleasure sent a fel∣low to cut his throat: but the fellow being terrified by the words, and maiesty of the man, and * 1.6 running away as one-wholy affrighted, the Minturnians turned their mallice to reuerence, and began to thinke now that Marius was one whome the goddes had a meseriall care of: so that they brought him into the holy Wood which was consecrated to Marica, a little without the towne, and then they sette him free to go whether hee would: Plutarch in the life of Marius. Velleius saith they brought him to the marish of Marica: She that was first called Circe (saith Lactantius) after her deifying, was enstiled Marica. Seruius (in Aenaeid. lib. 8.) saith, Marica * 1.7 was the wife of Faunus, and that she was goddesse of the Minturnians shores, neare the riuer Ly•…•…: H•…•…race:

〈◊〉〈◊〉 Maricae litterribus tenuisse Lyrim, Held Lyris swimming neare Maricas, shores.

But if we make her the wife of Faunus, it cannot be so: for the Topicall Gods, that is, the local gods of such and such places, do neuer change their habitations, nor go they into other coun∣tries: But Poeticall licence might call her Marica of Laurentum, when indeed she was Marica of Minturnum. Some saie that by Marica should be vnderstood Uenus: who had a Chappel neere vnto Marica wherin was written 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the Temple of Venus. Hesiod saith that Latinus was the sonne of Ulisses and Cyrce: which Virgill toucheth, when hee calles him His gransires forme, the sonnes: Solis aui specimen. But because the times do not agree, therefore we must take the opinion of Iginius touching this point, who affirmes that there were many that were called by the names of Latinus: and that therefore the Poet wresteth the concordance of the name, to his owne purpose. Thus much saith Seruius.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The happy successe of wicked Marius.
• * 1.2

  Marius his cruelty.
• * 1.3

  Metellus, his felicity
• * 1.4

  [] Paris copy •…•…eanes 〈◊〉〈◊〉 this.
• * 1.5

  Cateline. (
• * 1.6

  Marius his fligt.
• * 1.7

  Marica.