The common places of the most famous and renowmed diuine Doctor Peter Martyr diuided into foure principall parts: with a large addition of manie theologicall and necessarie discourses, some neuer extant before. Translated and partlie gathered by Anthonie Marten, one of the sewers of hir Maiesties most honourable chamber.

Of Historie.

* 1.1 20 Let vs now declare somwhat of the histo∣ricall scriptures. An historie (as Quintilian defi∣neth it, in the second booke, and fourth chapter of his institutions) is a declaration of a thing that hath béene doone. From whom Augustine dooth not much varie; saieng, that Historie is the de∣claration of anie thing doone, either by God or by man; comprehending within the compasse of this definition, as well prophane histories, as those of the Bible. Howbeit, all narrations of things doone, are not of one sort. For some are called Chronicles, or Annales, shewing the suc∣cesse of things from yéere to yéere, and time to time; but others are properlie called histories. Howbeit we cannot well doo this, vnlesse we di∣stinguish these two one from the other. Cicero in his second booke De oratore, when he touched these matters, writeth on this wise: The Gréeks them∣selues wrote so in the beginning, as our Cato, Pictor, and Piso did. For historie was nothing else, but a gathering togither of things doon from yéere to yéere: and for the preseruation of such things in publike memorie, the chéefe prelate did put euerie yéere in writing, whatsoeuer was doon woorth the registring within that yéere; and so continued from the originall of the Romane state, euen vnto Publius Mutius, who bare the same office. Which being doone, he not onelie did publish it abroad, but also did set it foorth in a ta∣ble at home, that the people might haue the per∣fect knowledge thereof. Yea, and manie of them (saith he) which are counted the chéefe historiogra∣phers at this daie, followe much of their trade; who without anie curiousnes or eloquence, leaue the monuments of times, persons, places and things, euen simplie as they were doone. Where∣fore as Pherecydes, Hellanicus, Acusilaus, and manie other among the Gréekes, such were our Cato, Pictor, and Piso among vs, who haue small regard to set foorth their matter with good∣lie words: and so it may be vnderstood what they saie, they account breuitie a speciall praise of speaking.

And a little after, it followeth thus; The name of things doone, requireth order of time to be ob∣serued, & will also haue the description of coun∣tries. For in matters which be great and woor∣thie of memorie; we first looke what counsell was taken; secondlie the acts that were doone; and lastlie, what end and successe came thereof. And in counsels is signified what the writer allow∣eth; and in the acts is declared, not onelie what was doone and said, but also in what maner they were executed, &c. By these things we may per∣ceiue what is the nature of Annales, or of histo∣rie. And it séemeth we may affirme, * 1.2 that the nar∣rations of the holie scriptures be rather like hi∣stories, than Annales. For not onelie acts are there set foorth, as they were doone, but also the verie causes, counsels, and meanes are shewed. Also the orations, admonitions, and reprehensi∣ons are otherwise set foorth with som ornaments. All which rather belong vnto histories, than vn∣to bare Chronicles.

21 But since we haue heard the opinion of Cicero, let vs sée also, what Aulus Gellius saith, * 1.3 who in his fift booke, and fift chapter writeth on this sort. Some doo thinke that a historie differeth from a Chronicle in this, that whereas both of them are a declaration of things that be doone, yet that a historie is properlie of such things, as the writer himselfe is present at the execution of those things, which he intreateth of, &c. This di∣stinction he himselfe dooth not followe, and that for some certeine cause. Which distinction neuer∣theles Seruius the Grammarian vsed; and after him Isidorus, in his first booke of Etymologies: which is a maruell, bicause he is not only against Tullie, who said; that An historie is a gathering of things doone from yéere to yéere; but also con∣trarie to Virgil, whose verse is in the first of Ae∣neidos: And if it please you to heare the Chroni∣cles of our labours. Wherein he declareth, that Chronicles also belong to such things, as the wri∣ter was present at.

But I will speake againe of Gellius. He re∣porteth that there were others, which thought histories to be either the exposition or demon∣stration of things that haue béene doon: and they be Annales or Chronicles, when the acts of ma∣nie yéeres are afterward compiled, an order of euery yéere being kept. According to which iudg∣ment, the historie of the scriptures cannot be na∣med among Chronicles: séeing in the declarati∣ons of things doone in them, the course of yéeres manie times is not obserued. Afterward the same Gellius, according to the mind of Sempro∣nius Asellio added this much; But the difference betwéene those which would leaue Chronicles behind them, and others which indeuoured to dis∣course of the worthie acts of the Romans was this: In their Chronicles they onlie shewed what déeds were doon euerie yéere, but the histories not

onelie shewed what was doone, but also how, by what order, deuise, and counsell the same was at∣chéeued. And a little after, the same Asellio in the same booke; Chronicles can neither mooue the more couragious sort to defend the Common∣weale, nor yet the more cowardlie to doo amisse. Wherefore, since by the knowledge of the scrip∣ture, men be admonished and stirred vp to the right worshipping of God, to repentance of their life, to put their whole confidence in God: and fi∣nallie, to take in hand all offices which apper∣taine to good life and conuersation, they rather containe historie than chronicle. I haue vsed manie words touching this matter, but I trust not without some f••uit.

* 1.4 22 But it must not be thought, that historie was deuised by man, séeing God himselfe is the author thereof; who would, that the forefathers should declare vnto their children and posteritie, the maruellous things that he did in Aegypt, in the red sea, and in the wildernesse: yea, and he bad (as we read in Exodus) that the warre a∣gainst Abimelech, * 1.5 & the victorie which the Israe∣lites had of him, should be recorded in writing: but this kind of writing began before Moses. For euen he maketh mention, * 1.6 aswell of a booke of the wars of the Lord, as also of an other booke of iust men. The prophets also oftentimes ming∣led histories with their prophesies. I omit Dauid who manie times garnished his psalmes, which he soong, with histories of the scriptures. I passe ouer our euangelists in the new testament, and the Acts written by Luke, wherin are large and most profitable histories. Of these bookes if God be authour, as we must beléeue he is, euen God himselfe shalbe counted the authour of historie. And this is not vnbeséeming for him, séeing historie is an excellent thing: for as Cicero wri∣teth in his booke De oratore, it is a testimonie of times, * 1.7 a light of the truth, the life of memorie, the maister of life, and the messenger of antiqui∣tie, &c.

Verie singular are these commendations, and not fit for euerie historie; but for such onelie, wherein those rules are obserued, which this au∣thour hath in the same place set downe; that is to wit, * 1.8 that there be no false thing told, that there be no bashfulnes in telling the truth, & that there be giuen no suspicion of fauour or hatred. Wher∣in, although the Latine Historiographers were better than the Gréekes; * 1.9 which (as Quintillian saith) were in these matters almost as lewd as the poets; yet Augustine in his 131 epistle to one Memorius a bishop, giuing no small praise to historie, among other liberall disciplines, and writing of the truth saith; that he could not per∣ceiue how those stories, which are compiled by men, can be well able to kéepe the truth: séeing that writers are constrained to giue credit vnto men, and oftentimes to gather rumors and re∣ports of the multitude; who neuerthelesse are to be excused, if they kéepe the course that is requi∣red in a historie, and write nothing of affection or set purpose to beguile men. * 1.10 But there is no∣thing more true than the histories reuealed and written by the inspiration of God, as these histo∣ries of ours be.

23 Besides the commoditie of the truth, * 1.11 the knowledge whereof is without doubt most ex∣cellent, we obtaine other commodities also, and those not small, by the reading of histories. By them we may gather great and abundant store and matter of most profitable arguments. For (as Quintillian saith) histories and examples be iudgements and testimonies. And the vse of ex∣amples is of two sorts at the least; * 1.12 one is that we should imitate and vse them: also that we should allow and commend those things which we perceiue haue béene doone by excellent men. We know out of the diuine historie, that Abra∣ham was a holie man, and in the fauour of God; * 1.13 and that he was a kéeper of hospitalitie: whereof we may gather, that hospitalitie is a verie good vertue, and is acceptable to God: and so we may conclude of the contrarie; that such things as godly men haue eschewed, we also are to take héed of. For when we consider of Dauid, that might two times haue killed Saule his chéefest enimie, and yet would not; * 1.14 we may gather ther∣by, that priuate persons (although they may) yet must not reuenge their owne proper iniuries. * 1.15 The other vse of examples is this, that out of ma∣nie things seuerallie told, we vnderstanding them to be alike, may gather thereby some pro∣fitable rule, to applie them to things generallie. As by the storie of the Sodomites, we note that intollerable lusts were gréeuouslie punished: wée knowe that for the same cause the whole tribe of Beniamin was almost extinguished: * 1.16 we read, that for incest, Ruben the eldest sonne of Ia∣cob was put besides the inheritance: that for cō∣mitting of adulterie, Dauid suffered the indig∣nation of the Lord: that for fornication, * 1.17 Ammon and Absolom were destroied: that Troie (as the Ethniks report) was subuerted for adulterie. Thus by the marking of these things seuerallie doone, we saie it is manifest, that all vnlawfull and wanton lusts of men, are surelie punished by the hand of God. To which proposition, if we adde the next; to wit, that now also in these daies, throughout all christendome, there reigneth the like incest, abhomination, and wanton life, we may make a certeine conclusion, that most bit∣ter punishments hang ouer our age for these horrible sinnes.

24 But yet in this kind of argument we must take very great héed of a fault which might easilie arise: and this commeth two waies.

First, * 1.18 that we take not in hand to imitate such dooings of holie men, as they sometimes enter∣prised naughtilie. For as they were men, so they did manie times amisse; yea and that shameful∣lie. Wherefore the things which they did, must be first examined with great iudgement, before we make them our examples to followe. * 1.19 Augustine in his second booke against the second epistle of Gaudentius writeth in this maner: * 1.20 We must not (saith he) alwaie imitate & allow whatsoeuer thing honest men haue doone: but it is necessarie to compare the iudgement of the scriptures ther∣with, and to marke whether they allow of those acts or no. This godlie father giues vs a good warning, that as godlie men, although they plea∣sed God many waies, and haue great credit gi∣uen them, through the testimonie of the scrip∣tures; yet that all their dooings must not be iud∣ged sound and blamelesse: for euerie man is a lier, and sinneth manie times. For who will folowe the abhominable adulterie of Dauid, and the vngodlie betraieng of his faithfull souldier? Or who will imitate the forswearing of Peter, or his fained dissimulation? None I hope, that hath anie sparke of godlinesse in him.

Moreouer it happeneth diuers times, that the worke which some haue doone well and iustlie, is neuertheles forbidden in others. * 1.21 For God, which made the lawe for man, is not so tied thereby, as it should not be lawfull for him, when he thinketh good, to exempt some from the generall bond. It is not lawfull for anie man to steale; and yet it was permitted, yea commanded vnto the He∣brues, to carrie awaie the goods, which they had borowed of the Aegyptians, vnknowne to them and against their wils. What is best therefore for vs to doo in such cases? Trulie this; when we sée anie thing set foorth in the scriptures, * 1.22 to weigh it well and diligentlie with the generall rules of Gods commandements: wherevnto if we per∣ceiue that they be consonant, let vs then boldlie vse them; but if they disagrée with them, let vs as∣sure our selues that they were certaine misdéeds, or else speciall prerogatiues permitted to some: & let vs refraine from following of such examples. These cautions being vsed, there is great profit to be reaped of histories; especiallie those histo∣ries which be in the scriptures. And this did Chry∣sostome so well perceiue, * 1.23 as in his preface vpon the exposition of the epistle to Philemon, he wi∣sheth, that all those things had béene committed to writing, which were either said or doone by the apostles, when they sate, when they did eate, when they wrote, and such like. And the same father in his 57. homilie vpon Genesis writeth, that histories were giuen of the holie ghost to be followed. * 1.24 Augustine also in his second booke De doctrina christiana, the 28. chapter sheweth, that Manie darke and hard places may be resolued by the knowledge of histories. Moreouer, who∣soeuer shall exercise themselues much in peru∣sing of the scriptures, may the more fruitfullie consider the examples and dooings of our times. There happened once a man to be somewhat de∣formed, * 1.25 who neuerthelesse was desirous of god∣lie children, but yet he maried a foule wife: and therefore euerie man laughed him to scorne. * 1.26 But he went into the citie, and bought himselfe verie faire & curious pictures, brought them home, and placed them in his chamber; and gaue his wife commandement, that euerie daie for a certaine space of time, she should fixe hir sight vpon those pictures: which commandement she obserued, & therefore bare vnto him goodlie children. Euen so shall it happen to vs, which although for our sinnes naturallie ingraffed in vs, we are most foule and vglie to behold, and are led aswell by the power of the diuell, as by ill conuersation of men, vnto lewd and licentious life: yet notwith∣standing, if we will earnestlie and diligentlie make a choise of examples of the godlie, descri∣bed and plainelie set foorth to vs in the holie scrip∣tures, & will well consider of them in our minds; verelie we shall yéeld foorth excellent works, and such as be acceptable vnto the Lord.

25 But those things that be written, * 1.27 séeme vn∣to men to be so vnpure and foule, as they doo thinke them vnwoorthie to be read in the holie scriptures. But vnderstand thou, that the sum of those things which he had in the holie scripture, are so distributed, as some perteine onelie to be knowne, others to be imitated: wherefore such things as be set foorth after this maner, put thou among that sort which belong vnto know∣ledge onelie, not that thou doo expresse them by imitation. I grant that they haue mysteries in them, yet are they not for that cause to be follow∣ed. For the mysterie and excellent signification, which was peculiar to the dooings of the fathers, causeth not, but that those things are otherwise to be counted sinnes. The Manicheis which re∣fuse the old testament, haue speciallie this foolish∣nesse, to thinke that in receiuing of the scripture, whatsoeuer things are taught, if they be not disa∣lowed or condemned in that place, they ought to be allowed and commended of vs. Wherefore (saie they) séeing these things be not condemned, if the old testament be receiued, it shalbe lawfull to imitate them. These things doth Augustine answere in his 22. booke against Faustus, the 62. chapter. We read of the fact of Herod, which is handled in the gospell, when he killed an infinit sort of children at Bethleem; neither dooth the E∣uangelist there ad an execration of so great a cru∣eltie: shall we therefore saie, that we ought to expresse so horrible an act by imitation?

They make a great stir that Iuda was in the number of the patriarchs: as though it be of ne∣cessitie,

that they which are carried into some high calling, should streightway be counted good men. * 1.28 Was not Iudas Iscariot among the num∣ber of the twelue apostles? Perhaps they will saie, he continued not. I grant; but Peter, which committed the crime of denieng (Christ) was al∣waies reckoned the first of that order. * 1.29 Why then (saie they) was it requisite that Iuda should be so commended in the last prophesie of his father? * 1.30 To the end (answereth Augustine) that whilest thou thinkest this Iuda, by reason of his facts, to be vnméete for so great a praise and commenda∣tion, thou shouldest séeke for another of his stock, to whom so great a renowme may iustlie be ap∣plied: and this shall be Christ. Wherefore those things that be taught in the holie scripture one∣lie; that some thing may be discerned or percei∣ued of vs, it skilleth but a little how those be as touching maners, whether honest or dishonest: euen as in a historie, it maketh no matter, whe∣ther some letters be blacke; so thou reade them, and discerne what they signifie vnto thée. But those things which so teach, as that we our selues should worke, and doo that which is there decla∣red, then vndoubtedlie it forceth verie much how they be. God would that in them we should chéef∣lie haue regard vnto his cunning; to wit, that he is able to vse euill things well.

Who will denie, but that adulterie is an euill thing? And yet thereby God would, that a child should be begotten, who may be planted in his church, and among his people. Againe, whereas Caiphas, being an ill man, said with an ill hart; It is expedient that one should die for the peo∣ple: * 1.31 God would most effectuallie expresse vnto vs an holie prophesie, touching the redemption & saluation of the people of God. The selfe-same thing may be said of Iudas the traitour, whose act without all doubt was to be detested: and yet ne∣uertheles, God thereby procure•• our saluation. Assuredlie it was not the mind of Iudas Isca∣riot to bring anie good thing to passe. Neither ment the same Iuda to signifie anie thing by his fact, but by the prouidence and cunning of God it was brought to passe, that good things should be deriued from thence: from the one, the redem∣ption through Christ; and from the other, the flesh of Christ, and an excellent signification of our saluation. But in verie déed, the Manicheis doo therefore chéeflie among other things take hold of that fact of Iuda, to defame the genealogie of Christ according to the flesh; and exclame that hée was vnwoorthilie borne of such ancestours. Howbeit, as Christ hath borne vpon him our sinnes, & hath refused no humane kind, although it were wicked, so that they will beléeue him: so hath he not refused to deriue his stocke from an∣cestours which haue sinned.

26 But we must note well, that in the Gréeke translation, * 1.32 the seuentie interpretours doo differ from our numbers, or from the numbers that are had in the Hebrue veritie: which thing (saith Augustine in his 15. booke De ciuitate Dei) wée should not iudge to be doon bicause the Hebrues be liers, or that they corrupted their bookes: sée∣ing he thinketh it may not be granted, that all the Iewes, so manie as wrote, could conspire in such sort togither, as all their copies were falsifi∣ed. Which reason let them note, which so greatlie blame the Hebrue bookes of falshood, lieng, and corruption. But Augustine affirmeth, that this was not doone by the fault of the interpretours, as if they had ment to kéepe the truth secret from the nations, but that it came by the ouersight of the writers of their translation, which may soone be deceiued in describing of numbers, as we sée by dailie experience. For since that numbers ap∣péere to be a thing of no great importance, they are not carefullie; naie rather they are negli∣gentlie lookt vnto. But in other things, where the seuentie interpretours either séeme to translate otherwise, than is in the Hebrue, or doo adde anie thing for exposition sake; that he thinketh was doone by the power of prophesie, which directed them. Wherof sée what Ierom saith; But to come to our computation of yéeres, thou maiest per∣ceiue, that hereof it coms to passe, that there is a difference betwéene the Hebrues account and ours, as touching the yéeres since the beginning of the world: bicause they of old time followed also the description of the seuentie interpretours. And the Hebrues followed the whole historie, * 1.33 as they themselues haue it, with whom we may a∣grée in all those things, which are not preiudici∣all at all vnto Christ, and the true worshipping of him. But that the Greeke translation, which now taketh place, is not that which the seuentie interpre∣tours made; it is noted vpon the epistle to the Ro∣mans, the 11. chapter, and 26, verse, in these words: There shall come out of Sion.

Further, there be manie excellent writings lost; but yet as God would, * 1.34 there be manie also preserued: and especiallie those which bring grea∣test profit, and are most auailable for the instru∣ction of men. Neither must we imagine, * 1.35 that it came by chance, that so manie & so great works perished. For There is not a sparowe that ligh∣teth vpon the ground by chance; as the sonne of God testifieth. And it is euident, that All the haires of our head are certeinlie numbered of God. But wherefore (saith some man) were they written, séeing they should afterward perish? There is no doubt, but they serued for that age: & euerie thing is not alike conuenient for all pla∣ces, times, & persons. Wherfore we answere, that so it séemed good vnto God; and thereby wée ga∣ther, that those bookes had not béene profitable for vs. Howbeit they are iustlie and greatlie bla∣med,

which make much adoo about the losse of manie bookes, when as they in the meane time haue not perused ouer those, which be now extant of the holie scriptures. And I am certeinlie per∣suaded, that it tendeth to the profit of the elect, that there haue so manie miscarried. Also there be certeine monuments extant of ecclesiasticall writers, not verie whole, but as it were frag∣ments of them; by the taste whereof wée may knowe, that the rest which be lost were not of such value, as the losse of them should be much la∣mented.

Plato in his dialogue Phaedrus reporteth, that a Daemon, who (as I take it) was a wise man, cam to Thamus king of Aegypt, & offered him foure of his deuises; namelie, number, geometrie, lots, and letters: and when he came to the commen∣dation of letters, hée declared that they were a great helpe to memorie, and a singular furthe∣rance to wisedome. The king examining his sai∣engs, some part he allowed, and some he did not. And when he had considered of letters, hée pro∣nounced the contrarie of them: * 1.36 For letters (saith he) helpe not the memorie, as thou bearest mée in hand; but they rather confound the same. For when men haue once put in writing those things which they haue heard, or found out, they are no longer carefull to ponder them in their mind, and to repeate them often to themselues: and if letters were not, they would often meditate those things which are found out and knowne, and would be dailie more and more ripe in them. Further, as touching the increase of wisedome, men will herafter (saith he) despise their teachers, by turning themselues vnto written books; which being often red, doo tell but one tale. This was the opinion of a king of Aegypt; which in verie déed, I allow not. For I affirme, that books are of sin∣gular great profit, for else God would not haue bestowed the scriptures vpon men; yet that king seemed to saie somewhat. For if there be not a mean and in reding of books, they may doo hurt.

It is said of Socrates and Pythagoras, that they wrote nothing themselues; * 1.37 but that their schol∣lers after them set foorth some bookes in their names. No nor our Sauiour Christ did not leaue behind him anie writing of his owne doo∣ings; but his apostles did register his sermons, acts, and miracles. Yea and it is not said in the historie, that Salomon wrote these things, but that he spoke and disputed. Wherefore it should séeme, that those things which be extant, and written in his name, were receiued from his mouth: which may well bée perceiued by the booke of the Prouerbs. The cause why so manie of his saiengs haue béene omitted, perchance is; for that they which tooke the words from his mouth, did not thoroughlie marke all things. Besides this, so manie were the exiles of the Hebrues, as it is a maruell that these scriptures, which we haue, were preserued; and these by Esdras were restored and amended. Wherefore we must well and thankfullie vse them, as a hea∣uenlie and diuine gift. And I am out of doubt, that the apostles gaue more epistles vnto the churches, than we haue in these daies. And I am thoroughlie persuaded, that those which are lost, be lost by the appointment of God. Of Paule, and his epistles and stile, looke the preface vpon the epistle to the Romans.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Ibidem. Looke the epistle vp∣on the booke of Sam. and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and the pre∣face vpon the second booke of Sam.

  A defini∣tion of hi∣storie. The diffe∣rence be∣tweene chronicles and histo∣ries.
• * 1.2

  The narra∣tions of the scriptures be rather histories, than chro∣nicles.
• * 1.3

  Aulus Gel∣lius opinion of chroni∣cles and histories.
• * 1.4

  God is the authour of historie.
• * 1.5

  Exod. 17, 14
• * 1.6

  Histories before Mo∣ses time. Num. 21, 15 Ios. 10, 13. 2. Sam. 1, 18.
• * 1.7

  The praise of historie.
• * 1.8

  The rules of a true historie.
• * 1.9

  The Latine histories of more credit than the Greeke.
• * 1.10

  The histo∣ries of the scriptures most true.
• * 1.11

  The com∣modities comming by histo∣ries.
• * 1.12

  Two maner of vses of examples.
• * 1.13

  Gen. 18, 2.
• * 1.14

  1. Sam. 24, 7. 1. Sam. 26, 7.
• * 1.15

  Out of the preface vp∣on the 2. booke of Samuel, pag, 2. Gen. 19.
• * 1.16

  Iudg. 19, 20. Gen. 49, 4.
• * 1.17

  2. Sa. 13, 29. 2. Sam. 19, 9.
• * 1.18

  What faults we must be∣ware of, when we reason by examples.
• * 1.19

  Augustine.
• * 1.20

  The falles of saints must not be imitated.
• * 1.21

  Sometimes God will haue some men to doo things re∣pugnant to the generall lawe. Exod. 11, 2.
• * 1.22

  The doings of godlie men must be weighed by the gene∣rall rules of the lawe of God.
• * 1.23

  Chrysost.
• * 1.24

  Augustine.
• * 1.25

  A pleasant historie.
• * 1.26

  A simili∣tude.
• * 1.27

  In Gen. 38. Why cer∣taine disho∣nest things are rehersed in scriptur••.
• * 1.28

  Matt. 10, 4.
• * 1.29

  Matt. 26, 69.
• * 1.30

  Gen. 49, 8.
• * 1.31

  Iohn. 11, 49.
• * 1.32

  In Gen. 5. at the be∣ginning.
• * 1.33

  There Pe∣ter Martyr sheweth by proo••e, that either it is not that translation, or else that it is in ma∣nie places corrupted.
• * 1.34

  In 1. King. 4, 22. Looke In Gen. 5, 21.
• * 1.35

  Why manie old bookes perished. Matt. 10, 29, and 30.
• * 1.36

  A kings o∣pinion as touching written monu∣ments.
• * 1.37

  Socrates & Pythago∣ras wrote nothing themselues.