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"But," says Cicero, "Homer invented these things, and
transferred things human to the gods: I would rather transfer things
divine to us." The poet, by ascribing such crimes to the gods, has
justly displeased the grave man. Why, then, are the scenic plays,
where these crimes are habitually spoken of, acted, exhibited, in
honor of the gods, reckoned among things divine by the most learned
men? Cicero should exclaim, not against the inventions of the poets,
but against the customs of the ancients. Would not they have exclaimed
in reply, What have we done? The gods themselves have loudly
demanded that these plays should be exhibited in their honor, have
fiercely exacted them, have menaced destruction unless this was
performed, have avenged its neglect with great severity, and have
manifested pleasure at the reparation of such neglect. Among their
virtuous and wonderful deeds the following is related. It was
announced in a dream to Titus Latinius, a Roman rustic, that he
should go to the senate and tell them to recommence the games of Rome,
because on the first day of their celebration a condemned criminal had
been led to punishment in sight of the people, an incident so sad as to
disturb the gods who were seeking amusement from the games. And when
the peasant who had received this intimation was afraid on the following
day to deliver it to the senate, it was renewed next night in a severer
form: he lost his son, because of his neglect. On the third night he
was warned that a yet graver punishment was impending, if he should
still refuse obedience. When even thus he did not dare to obey, he
fell into a virulent and horrible disease. But then, on the advice of
his friends, he gave information to the magistrates, and was carried
in a litter into the senate, and having, on declaring his dream,
immediately recovered strength, went away on his own feet whole. The
senate, amazed at so great a miracle, decreed that the games should be
renewed at fourfold cost. What sensible man does not see that men,
being put upon by malignant demons, from whose domination nothing save
the grace of God through Jesus Christ our Lord sets free, have been
compelled by force to exhibit to such gods as these, plays which, if
well advised, they should condemn as shameful? Certain it is that in
these plays the poetic crimes of the gods are celebrated, yet they are
plays which were re-established by decree of the senate, under
compulsion of the gods. In these plays the most shameless actors
celebrated Jupiter as the corrupter of chastity, and thus gave him
pleasure. If that was a fiction, he would have been moved to anger;
but if he was delighted with the representation of his crimes, even
although fabulous, then, when he happened to be worshipped, who but
the devil could be served? Is it so that he could found, extend, and
preserve the Roman empire, who was more vile than any Roman man
whatever, to whom such things were displeasing? Could he give
felicity who was so infelicitously worshipped, and who, unless he
should be thus worshipped, was yet more infelicitously provoked to
anger?
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