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ill refute even ins formis argument. Ot ius iso sexes theone is stronger, the other mea r. For ius males are more robust, the femeses moro tesbio. But a god is not liabis to ebleneas; steretors there is no iamias sex. To this is addedinat last conclusion of the former argument, that them am nogoti, since thoro are semeses also among the gods. CHAP. XVII.- neerning αε εαme opinion of the Stoies, and
On theso accounts tho Stoics form a different conception otthe gods; and becauso they do not perceivo What tho truth is, they attempt to join thom With the system of natural illings. And Cicero, folloWing thom, brought for ard this opinion r specting the gods and their religio . Do Fou see then, hesus, hoW an argument has been draWn iram physical subjecis Which havo been weli and usesully found out, to tha existenco offalso and fictilious gods Τ And this circumstanco gave esse tofalso opinions and turbulent error' and almost old-Womanlysuperstitions. For both the forma of the god' and their ages, and clothing and ornament' are lino n to us; and moreoVerstela races, and marriages, and ali their relationstips, and allthings reduced to the similitudo of human infirmi . What canbs said moro plata, more true e chiel of the Roman phialosophy, and invested With the most hono able priesthood, refutos ths falso and fictilious gods, and testifies that their Worshipconsista os almost ol&Womanly superstitions : ho complaina thalmen aro entangled in false opinions and turbulent errore. Fortho whois of his third book respecting the Nature of the Goti ait
gester overthrows and destros ali religion. What more, there- fore, is expected hom Can we surpass Cicero in eloquenco lm no means; but confidencs mas manting to him, betag ignorant of tho truth, as ho himself simply acknowledges in thesame w h. For he says that he can more eastly say What is
no than What is; that is, that he is a Mo that tho received system) is falso, but is ignorant of the truth. It is plain, there-
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Tho prieata es Cybele mere callod Galli.
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What is the meaning of this so diligent and anxions caro Why this secret abodo ' Wby this banishment, either to sogreat a distance, or to a Woman, or into solitude Why, in the nexi place, the change of namel Lasuri Why such a determined hatred of horses What do alli these things impin
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offerings to the dead, Ι mill inow from particular instances. They say that it is virtue y Whicli exalta man to heaven, ot, hoWever, that concerning Whicli philosophera discuss, Whichconsista in goods of the foui, but this connected With tho Mis, which is called fortitude; and since this Was pr eminent in Hercules, it is belleved to havo deserved immortali . Who isso Molishly sensetess as to judge strength oi body to M a divineor even a human good, When it has been assigned in greater measum to catile, and it is osten impatred by ono disease, oris tessened by old age iraeis, and altogether fatis d soHercules, When he perceived that his muscies mero diffigured by ulcere, netther Wished to be healed nor to νοπ old, that
lineas than he once had. They supposed that he ascendedinto heaven frem tho funorat pilo on whieli ho had burni himselfalius; and those very qualities Whicli they most soolishly admired, they expressed hy statues and images, and consecrated, so thatthey might for ever remain as memorials of the folly of those who had belleved that gods omed their origin to tho flaughter of beasta. But this, perchance, may bo tho sauit of tho Greeis,
it produces no injurγ; but in the case of a hing, becauso it
casiona widet spread disasters, they so admire it M to imagine that bravo and warithe gonerais arε admittod to tho assembly of tho gods, and that there is no other Way to immortali ty than tolead armies, to lay Wasis the territory of othera, to destroy cities,
Virtus ' in ita Mat meming denotes valour, the property os a man mo ; then it is used is signisy morat excellence.' Liti, than himself.
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But ho Who has flaughtered countlesa thousanti of men, has inundatod plians With blood, and insected rivors, is not oesyadmitted into tho temple, but ovon into heaven. In Ennius Africanus thus speata : Is it is pormitted any one to ascendio the regions of the goti ovo, the greatest gais of heaven is open to mo alone.' Becauso, in truth, he extinguished and destroyed a great part of the human race. Oh hoW great thodatanora in Which you mers involved, o Africanus, or rathero post, in that you imagined tho ascent in heaven to M opento mon through siau ters and bloodshed i And Cicero also sented to this delusion. It is so in truth, ho said, o Ahia canus, for the fame gais Was open to Hercules; as thoughho himself had been d Asopor in heaven at tho time Whenthis took place. I indoed cannot determino whether I should raster thinh it a subject of mei or os ridicule, When Ι ses grave and learned, and, as they appear to thenaseives, Wise men, involved in such miserable Waves of errore. Is this is the virius' vhicli rendera us immortat, I sor my part should prefer to die,
rather than to bo tho causo os destruction to as many as po
endum public tranquilliu: they mill ptunder and rago; and by
attached. NoW let us proceed to tho remaining subjecta. ris conse ring of benefiis gave tho name of gods to Ceres and Liber. Iam able to prove hom the sacred writings that Wine and cornwero used by men betore tho ompting of Coelus and Saturnus.
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despise Samian vesseis ' There are also other aris, tho inventore os Which greatly profited tho liso ot man. Why have not
the othor things in whicli the healing ari consista CHAP. XIX.-riat si is impossibie for any one to worship thetrue God together with false deuies. But somo ono will say that this supreme Being, Who made allthings, and those also Who conserred on men particular benefiis, are entiuod to their respective Morehip. Flast os ali, it has never happened that the worshipper of these has also been a Worshipper of God. Nor can this possibiy happon. For it tho honοur pald to Him is aliared by others, ΗΘ altogether ceasesto be Worshipped, sines His religion requires us in belleus that Hs is the one and Only God. The excellent poet exclaims, thatali thoso who refined liso by tho invention os aris are in tho
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Ι no. como to the superstitions peculiar to the Romans, since I hos spinen of thoso Which aro common. The Wolf, the nurso of Romulus, Was invested Mith divino honoura. AndI could endum this, it it had beon tho animal itsolt whosasgum sile beare. Liu laetates that them Was an imago os Larentina, and indeed not of her dy, but of her mind and character. For alis Was the mite os Faustulus, and on account
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mas, as Verrius Writes, tha paramour os Hercules. NoW ho
resolved that an argument should bo inhen Dom the namoitself. They protended that ahe was the goddess Who presides over flowers, and that alio must be appeased, stat the crops, together mith tho trem or vines, might produco a good and abundant blossom. The poet solioned up this idea in his Fasti, and related that there Was a nymph, by no means obscure, WhΟWas called Chloris, and that, on her marriage With Zephyrus, sho received from her husband as a medding gist the controlover ali fio era. These things are spolien With propriety, butio bellevo them is nnbecoming and shamesul. And Whenthe truth is in question,) ought disguises of this hind to deceiveus ' Those games, thereiore, are celebrated With ali Wanton-ness, as is suilablo to the memory of a harioti For besides licentio nem os Wotas, in Whicli ali lewdn s is mured sortii, momen are also stripped of their garmenta at tho demand of the people, and then perform the ossico os mimeplayers, andaro dotainod in tho sight of tho peoplo Mith indecent gestures,
ovon to the satiating of unchaste Ves. Tatius consecrated an image of Cloacina, Which had been found in tho great se er; and cause ho did not knoν whoselthenem it Was, he gave it a name froin the place. Tullus Hostilius fashioned and worshippod Fear and Pallor. Whatshali I say respecting him, but that ho mas morthy of havingliis gias alWays at hand, as men commonly Wish The conductos Marcus Marcellus concerning the consecration of Ηonourand Valour differs iram this in Modness of the names, butagrees With it in reality. The senato acted mith the samo
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neither relatives nor parenis, and passion rusties to mison and the sWOrde no peace, no concord, When Wars rago in public
Lacedaemonians to invent for themselves νει from evenis.
For When they Were besieging the Messentans, and they the Messentans) had gone out secretiy, escaping the notice of thebesiegers, and had hastened to ptunder Lacedaemon, theyWers routed and put to flight by the Spartan women. But the Lacedaemonians, having learned the stratagem of the onemy,