11. What say you, O fathers
of new religions, and powers?
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Do you cry out, and complain
that these gods are dishonoured by us, and neglected with profane
contempt, viz., Lateranus, the genius of hearths; Limentinus, who
presides over thresholds; Pertunda,
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Perfica, Noduterensis:
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and do
you say that things have sunk into ruin, and that the world itself has
changed its laws and constitution, because we do not bow humbly in
supplication to Mutunus
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and Tutunus? But now look and
see, lest while you imagine such monstrous things, and form such
conceptions, you may have offended the gods who most assuredly exist,
if only there are any who are worthy to bear and hold that most exalted
title; and it be for no other reason that those evils, of which you
speak, rage, and increase by accessions every day.
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Why, then, some one of you will
perhaps say, do you maintain
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that it is not true that these gods
exist? And, when invoked by the diviners, do they obey the call,
and come when summoned by their own names, and give answers which may
be relied on, to those who consult them? We can show that what is
said is false, either because in the whole matter there is the greatest
room for distrust, or because we, every day, see many of their
predictions either prove untrue or wrested with baffled expectation
to suit
the opposite issues.
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i.e., deities. So LB. and Orelli, reading
quid
potestatum?
—“what,
O fathers
of
powers.” The
ms.
gives
qui
—“what say you, O fathers of new religions, who
cry out, and complain that gods of powers are indecently dishonoured by
us, and neglected with impious contempt,” etc. Heraldus
emends thus: “…fathers of great religions and
powers? Do you, then, cry out,” etc.
“Fathers,” i.e., those who discovered, and introduced,
unknown deities and forms of worship.
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The
ms.
reads
pertus
quæ-
(marked as spurious)
dam
; and, according to Hild.,
naeniam
is written over the latter word.
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So the
ms.
Cf. ch. 7 [note 10, p.
478,
supra
].
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The
ms.
is here very corrupt and
imperfect,—
supplices hoc est uno procumbimus atque est
utuno
(Orelli omits
ut-
), emended by Gelenius, with most
edd.,
supp. Mut-uno proc. atque Tutuno
, as above; Elm. and LB.
merely insert
humi
—“on the ground,” after
supp.
[See p. 478, note 6,
supra
.]
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Meursius is of opinion that some words have slipped out of the text
here, and that some arguments had been introduced about augury and
divination.
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Contendis
, not found in the
ms.