13. Because of the Christians, my opponents say, the gods inflict upon us all calamities, and ruin is brought on our crops by the heavenly deities. I ask when you say these things, do you not see that you are accusing us with bare-faced effrontery, with palpable and clearly proved falsehoods? It is almost three hundred years24    See Introduction.—something less or more—since we Christians25    [Our author thus identifies himself with Christians, and was, doubtless, baptized when he wrote these words.] began to exist, and to be taken account of in the world. During all these years, have wars been incessant, has there been a yearly failure of the crops, has there been no peace on earth, has there been no season of cheapness and abundance of all things? For this must first be proved by him who accuses us, that these calamities have been endless and incessant, that men have never had a breathing time at all, and that without any relaxation26    Sine ullis feriis, a proverbial expression, “without any holidays;” i.e. without any intermixture of good. they have undergone dangers of many forms.

XIII. Christianorum, inquiunt, causa mala omnia dii ferunt, et interitus comparatur ab superis, frugibus. Rogo, cum haec dicitis, non calumniari vos 0734B improbe, in apertis conspicitis manifestisque mendaciis? 0735A Trecenti sunt anni ferme, minus vel plus aliquid, ex quo coepimus esse christiani, et terrarum in orbe censeri: numquid omnibus his annis continua fuerunt bella, continuae sterilitates, pax nulla in terris, nulla protinus vilitas aut abundantia rerum fuit? Hoc enim primum efficiendum est, ei qui nos arguit, perpetuas et juges calamitates fuisse has, numquam omnino respirasse mortalia, et sine ullis (ut dicitur) feriis, multiplicium formas sustinuisse discriminum.