Saint Austins, care for the dead, or his bouke intit'led De cura pro mortuis, translated for the vse of those who ether haue not his volumes, or haue not knowlige in the Latin tungue

THE TRANSLATORS INTENT.

THe motiue of my transla∣tion is partly to delite the Rieder with the Curiosi∣tie o'the discourse, & part∣ly to acquainte him wi' the notorius difference which in it appieres betwixt the doctrine, spirit, & style o'those Primitiue ages (in part of which Saint Austin flourished) & the do∣ctrine, spirit, & style o' the pretensiue Re∣formers of our present tymes, concerning some points of Religion in controuersie betwixt them, & vs Roman Catholiques, which the tenor o' the Tractate will parti∣cularly declare, & specifie; especially tou∣ching Purgatorie, & prayer to Saints; which place of Purgatorie, Saint Austines doctrines (professedly asserting in seueral parts o'this his briefe elucubration, prayer for Soules departed in state of saluation) so necessarily supposes, that I must occasi∣onally

exhorte the erroneous perusers for their own soules safetie touching this par∣ticular, to adhere to antiquitie, & renounce noueltie, seriously yet farther reflecting on that which the same S. Austin (applying a certaine passage o'the Apostle to this same purpose) in another place deliuers concer∣ning the paines of Purgatorie:* 1.1 sufficient to cause al its contemners to tremble. Bicause (quoth S. Austin) it is said, he shall be saued as it were by fyer, that fyer is contemned: ey plainely althou' they be saued by fyer, yet that fyer, is more grieuous than al that one can suf∣fer in this life. For which cause the same re∣nowned Father immediately afore in the same place, & occasion, most ingeniously, & iudiciously termes the paines of Purgato∣rie an emendatorie fyer, ernestly desiring God to purge him in this life, & render him such a one that now he stands not niede of it. In so much that by thiese passages, & by this present Treatise it will finally appiere that they who refuse to pray for Soules in Pur∣gatorie,* 1.2 ar no such Christians as ancient S. Austin, & others o'former ages: this Father being (euen as Caluin himselfe confesses) the best & most fidelious witnesse of all the aneient writers.

But let this suffice briefely to infinuate both the scope o'this matter, & the transla∣tors purpose; in which if perchance the viewer findes not the claritie which he de∣sires, let him please not to attribute it to the Interpreters defect, but to the difficul∣tie o' the Authors style; whoe (supposing the translator in realitie has vsed no smale industrie in elucidating the sence) partly by reason of his owne most in genious profun∣ditie, & partly by the Printers neglect, not only in this but in the rest of his wourkes, has diuers verie obscure & intricate passa∣ges. Nether let anie one maruelle at anie noueltie appiering ether in the transla∣tors orthographie, or phrase, supposing he most commonly both writes his wourds according to their sounde in pronuntiati∣on: & som'at latinyzes & frenchifyes his style in this & other his translations, pur∣posely to mitigate the asperitie, or ruff∣nesse of our vulgar tungue, & the more to facilitate it for those strangers who de∣fire to lerne it, & peruse our wrytings; & yet rather chuseing to streine the property of his owne natiue language than in anie sorte to diminishe the energie ether o'the Authors style, or sence: but let him totally

applie his mynde to the scope & matter, of this most famous Father: for in this dout∣lesse we wil haue bothe pleasure, & profit,

Finally the Translator in most humble manner presentes his labor as a perpetua∣ted DEDICATORIE of his religious affecti∣on & respect to the excellent Princesse, & gratious great Ladie, the Ladie Duches of Richmond, expecting no other reward for his seruice, than that her excellēcie wil at her conuenient leisure & retired tymes, gratiously voutsafe to peruse this briefe treatise o' the antient & renowned Father Saint Austin; & seriously reflecte how much she is traduced by her Preichers, & Directors concerning the doctrine of prayer for soules departed, Masse, merit, & Mediation of Saints; for thence dout∣lesse her Grace by diuyne grace, & assi∣stance will yet further conceue, & con∣clude that, in sembleable sorte she is se∣duced from the true dictamen of Anti∣quitie in other points of her faith, & Re∣ligion vnder a false pretext of Scripture, & the written Wourd of God: as by diuyne assistance I intend professedly to demonstrate in an other occasion.

Notes

• * 1.1

  1 Cor. 3. 15. in Psal. 37.
• * 1.2

  Iohn. Calu. Instit. lib. 4. cap. 14, ••i••e,