MINUCIUS FELIX. 457 concurrences united,digested,fashioned— what God is the contriver? Although firemay have litup thestars;although [the lightnessof] itsown materialmay have suspended the heaven ; althoughitsown materialmay have establishedthe earthby itsweight;1 and althoughthe sea may have flowed in from moisture,2whence isthisreligion?Whence thisfear? What isthissuperstition? Man, and every animal which is born, isinspiredwith life,and isnourished,8isas a voluntary concretionof the elements,intowhich again man and every animal isdivided,resolved,and dissipated: so allthingsflow back againintotheirsource,and are turned againintothem selves,without any artificer,or judge,or creator. Thus the seedsof fires,being gathered together,causeother suns,and again others,always to shineforth. Thus the vapoursof the earth,being exhaled,cause the mistsalways to grow, which being condensedand collected,causethecloudstorisehigher; and when theyfall,causethe rainstoflow,thewinds to blow, the hailto rattledown ; or when the clouds clashtogether, they causethe thunder to bellow,the lightningsto grow red, the thunderboltsto gleam forth. Thereforethey fallevery where, they rush on the mountains,they strikethe trees; without any choice,4they blastplacessacred and profane; they smite mischievousmen, and often,too,religiousmen. Why should I speak of tempests,various and uncertain, wherein the attack upon allthings is tossedabout without any orderor discrimination?— in shipwrecks,that the fates of good and bad men are jumbled together,theirdeserts confounded ?— in conflagrations,thatthe destructionof inno cent and guiltyis united?— and when with the plague- taintof the sky a region is stained,that allperishwithout distinction?— and when the heat of war israging,that it is the bettermen who generallyfall? In peace also,not only iswickednessput on thesame levelwith [thelotof]thosewho 1 Or," althoughitsweightmay haveestablishedtheearth." 2 Or," althoughthemoisturemay haveflowedintothesea." 3 Variouslyread," israisedup,"or " andisraisedup." Thelis.has " attollitur,"whichby someisamendedinto" etalitur,"or" ettollitur." * Either" delectu" or" dilectu."