302 A R E T I N T . Jumes of Letters written by him, but they are not in much Menagiana, eftcem : " I have read," fays Mr. Menage, " all Peter Are- p. 396. tin's letters, without finding any thing that I could infert Dutch tdit. " in an y of m y books > there is nothing but the ityle of them '" worth regarding." Some fay that Aretin changed his loofe libertine principles ; but however this may be, it is cer- tain that he compofed feveral pieces of devotion [c] : he wrote a " Paraphrafe on the Penitential Pfa'ms," and another on " Geucfis :" he wrote alfo the "Life of the Virgin " Mary," and that of " St. Catherine of Sienna," and of " St. Thomas Aquinas." He was author likewife of fome comedies, which were efteemed pretty good of their kind. He died in the year 1556, being about fixty-five years
- '. fonnets for each figure. George Va- " alternately, being always a man of
' fari, yhorelatesthisinhis Lives of ' ill principles, and plunged in cor- " the Painters, fays, he does not know " ruption; and if with regard to men, " which would be the greateft impu- te he waslefs pernicious when he exer- ' rity, to caft one's eyes upon the " cifed himfelf upon the former, he 4C drawings of Julio, or to dip into the " was more criminal in the Tight of verfescf Aretim." Origin de 1'im- " God, than when he wrote the latter, primeriede Paris, p. 224. ^ It did not belong to fuch a profane [c] Hence, it was faid of him, " perfon to touch upon holy things s ' Ubi bene, nemomelius; ubi male, " he did them more hurt in explaining " nemopejus." "They are miftaken, "them with a depraved heart, and fays [Mr. Bayle, "vhopretcndthathe " upon bad motives, than if he had " c^mpofed his books, after having re- " openly infulted them; and to him nounced his libertine life, by a fe- " the following words of the Pfalmift ' rious repentance. He compofed books " may be applied. " of piety and books of debauchery Eut to the wicked, thus faith God, How dar'ft thou teach my laws abroad, Or in thy mouth my covenant take ? For ilubborn thou, contirm'd in fin, Haft proof againft inftruftion been. And of my word didft lightly fpeak. When thou a fubtle thief didft fee, Thou gladly didft with him agree, And with adult'rers didft partake. While (lander is thy chief delight, Thy tongue by envy mov'd, and fpight, Deceitful tales does hourly fpread : Thou doft with hateful fcandals wound Thy brother, and with lies confound The offspring of thy mother's bed. Thefe things didft thou, whom ftill I ftrovc To gain with filenceand with love, Till thou didft wickedly furmife, That I was fuch a one as thou ; But I'll reprove and fbame thee now, And fet thy fins before thine eyes. Brady and Tate. Old
