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But they have not found how to refer Mercury and Mars to any parts of
the world, and to the works of God which are in the elements; and
therefore they have set them at least over human works, making them
assistants in speaking and in carrying on wars. Now Mercury, if he
has also the power of the speech of the gods, rules also over the king
of the gods himself, if Jupiter, as he receives from him the faculty
of speech, also speaks according as it is his pleasure to permit him,
which surely is absurd; but if it is only the power over human speech
which is held to be attributed to him, then we say it is incredible
that Jupiter should have condescended to give the pap not only to
children, but also to beasts, from which he has been surnamed
Ruminus, and yet should have been unwilling that the care of our
speech, by which we excel the beasts, should pertain to him. And
thus speech itself both belongs to Jupiter, and is Mercury. But if
speech itself is said to be Mercury, as those things which are said
concerning him by way of interpretation show it to be;, for he is said
to have been called Mercury, that is, he who runs between, because
speech runs between men: they say also that the Greeks call him
'Ermhs, because speech, or interpretation, which certainly belongs
to speech, is called by them e?rmhnei?a: also he is said to preside
over payments, because speech passes between sellers and buyers: the
wings, too, which he has on his head and on his feet, they say mean
that speech passes winged through the air: he is also said to have been
called the messenger, because by means of speech all our thoughts are
expressed;, if, therefore, speech itself is Mercury, then, even
by their own confession, he is not a god. But when they make to
themselves gods of such as are not even demons, by praying to unclean
spirits, they are possessed by such as are not gods, but demons. In
like manner, because they have not been able to find for Mars any
element or part of the world in which he might perform some works of
nature of whatever kind, they have said that he is the god of war,
which is a work of men, and that not one which is considered desirable
by them. If, therefore, Felicitas should give perpetual peace,
Mars would have nothing to do. But if war itself is Mars, as speech
is Mercury, I wish it were as true that there were no war to be
falsely called a god, as it is true that it is not a god.
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