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

What a great meanes of the subuersion of the Romaine estate, the induction of those scurrilous plaies, was, which the surmized to be propitiatory vnto their gods. CHAP. 27.

TErtullius (a) a graue man, and a good Philosopher, being to be made Edile, cri∣ed out in the eares of the whole City, that amongst the other duties of his magistracy, he must needes goe pacifie mother Flora, with the celebration of some sollemne plaies: (b) which plaies, the more fowly they were presented, the more deuotion was held to be shewen. And (c) in another place (being then Consul, he saith that when the City was in great extremity of ruine, they were faine to present plaies continually for ten daies togither; and nothing was omitted which might helpe to pacifie the gods, as though it were not fitter to anger them with temperance, then to please them with luxurie: and to procure their hate by honesty, rather then to flatter them with such deformity. For the barbarous inhumanity of those (d) men, for whose villanous acts the gods were to bee ap∣peased were it neuer so great, could not possibly doe more hurt, then that fil∣thinesse which was acted as tending to their appeasing, because that in this, the gods will not bee reconciled vnto them, but by such meanes as must needes pro∣duce a destruction of the goodnesse of mens mindes, in lieu of their pre∣uenting the daungers imminent onely ouer their bodies: nor will these Deities defend the citties walls, vntill they haue first destroied all goodnesse within the walles. This pacification of the gods, so obscaene, so impure, so wicked, so impudent, so vncleane, whose actors the Romaines diss-enabled from all magistracie, (e) and freedome of City, making them as infamous as they knew them dishonest: this pacification (I say) so beastlie, and so directlie opposite vnto all truth of Religion, and modestie, these fabulous inuentions of their gods filthinesse, these ignominious facts of the gods themselues

(either fouly fained, or fowlier effected) the whole citty learned both by seeing and hearing: obseruing plainly, that their gods were well pleased with such pre∣sentations, and therefore they did both exhibite them vnto their Idols, and did imitate them themselues: But as for that (I know not indeed well what) honest instruction, and good counsell, which was taught in such secret, and vnto so few, that I am sure was not followed, if it be true, that it were taught belike it was ra∣ther feared, that too many would know it, then suspected that any few would follow it.

L. VIVES.

TErtullius (a) a graue man] it should surely be Tullius: for this that Saint Augustine quo∣teth is out of his orations: Wherefore it must either be: Tullius that graue man, and that smatterer in Philosophie: (Saint Augustine so deriding his speculation, that could not free him from such grosse errors,) or Tullius that graue man and thrise worthy Philosopher: to shew, that the greatest Princes were infected with this superstition, and not the vulgar onely, nor the Princes onely but the grauest princes, and those that were Philosophers, not meane ones, but of chiefe note: adding this, to amplifie the equitie of his Philosophie, as Ter maximus, the thrise mighty. Now (saith Tully in verrem, Actio. 6. that I am made Aedile, let mee reckon vp the charge * 1.1 that the citie hath imposed vpon mee. I must first present the most sacred Playes and ceremoniall solemnities vnto Ceres, Liber and Proserpina: then, I must reconcile mother Flora vnto the Citie and people of Rome, with the celebration of her enterludes, &c. (b) Which playes] They were such that the actors would not play them as long as Cato the elder was present. Seneca, Valeri∣us, Plutarch and Martiall doe all report this. (c) In another place] In Catilinam. Actio. 3, (d) Men for whose] he meaneth Cateline and his conspiratours, (e) Freedome of Citie] some copies read Tributa amouit, but the ancient ones do read it Tribu mouit, with more reason.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The office of the Aedile.