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the practice of the blessed 2.8.4 nature. For neither among the Romans is Ouranos said to be castrated by his own children, nor Cronus making his own offspring disappear for fear of an attack from them, nor Zeus overthrowing the rule of Cronus and shutting his own father up in the prison of Tartarus, nor indeed wars and wounds 2.8.5 and bonds and servitudes of gods among men. And no festival among them is celebrated in black garments or mourning, with beatings of the breast and lamentations of women for disappearing gods, such as are performed among the Greeks concerning the 2.8.6 abduction of Persephone and the sufferings of Dionysus and whatever other things are of this sort. Nor would one see among them, although their customs are already corrupted, no possessions by a deity, no Corybantic frenzies, no Bacchic rites and secret initiations, no all-night festivals in the temples of the gods by men together with women, nor any other marvels similar to these, but all things concerning 2.8.7 the gods are done and said with reverence, as is the case neither among Greeks nor among barbarians. And what I myself have wondered at most of all, is that although countless nations have come to the city, who are under great necessity to worship their ancestral gods with their native rites, the city has not publicly come to zealously adopt any of the foreign practices, a thing which has already happened to many, but even if some sacred rites have been introduced in accordance with oracles, she has adapted them to her own local customs, casting out all mythical trumpery, 2.8.8 as, for instance, the rites of the Idaean goddess. For the praetors celebrate sacrifices and games for her every year according to the laws of the Romans, and a Phrygian man and a Phrygian woman are her priests, and these go about the city begging for the Mother, as is their custom, wearing images on their breasts and being played to on the flute by their followers with the melodies of the Mother and beating timbrels. 2.8.9 But of the native Romans no one goes begging for the Mother or is escorted through the city to the sound of the flute, wearing a colorful robe, nor does he worship the goddess with Phrygian orgies in accordance with a law or a decree of the senate. So reverently is the city disposed toward foreign customs relating to the gods, and it shuns all pomp 2.8.10 in which there is nothing of seemliness. And let no one suppose me to be ignorant that some of the Greek myths are useful to men, some showing the works of nature [through grief], others composed for the consolation of human misfortunes, others for removing disturbances of the soul and terrors and for purging unsound opinions, and others fabricated for the sake of some other benefit. 2.8.11 But although I know these things, I am nevertheless no less reverently disposed toward them, and I prefer the theology of the Romans, reflecting that the benefits from the Greek myths are small and unable to help 2.8.12 many, but only those who have investigated the reasons for which they are composed. And rare are those who have partaken of this philosophy; but the great and unphilosophical multitude is accustomed to take the stories about them for the worse and suffers one of two things: either it scorns the gods as wallowing in great misfortune or it refrains from none of the most shameful and lawless deeds, seeing that they are attributed to the gods. 2.8.13 But concerning these matters for those the only theoretical part of philosophy 2.8.4 in the prison of Tartarus his own father, nor indeed wars and wounds 2.8.5 and bonds and servitudes of gods among men. And no festival among them is celebrated in black garments or mourning, with beatings of the breast and lamentations of women for disappearing gods, such as are performed among the Greeks concerning the 2.8.6 abduction of Persephone and the sufferings of Dionysus and whatever other things are of this sort. Nor would one see among them, although their customs are already corrupted, no possessions by a deity, no Corybantic frenzies, no Bacchic rites and secret initiations, no all-night festivals in the temples of the gods by men together with women, nor any other marvels similar to these, but all things concerning 2.8.7 the gods are done and said with reverence, as is the case neither among Greeks nor among

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ἐπιτήδευμα τῆς μακαρίας 2.8.4 φύσεως. οὔτε γὰρ Οὐρανὸς ἐκτεμνόμενος ὑπὸ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ παίδων παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις λέγεται οὔτε Κρόνος ἀφανίζων τὰς ἑαυτοῦ γονὰς φόβῳ τῆς ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐπιθέσεως οὔτε Ζεὺς καταλύων τὴν Κρόνου δυναστείαν καὶ κατακλείων ἐν τῷ δεσμωτηρίῳ τοῦ Ταρτάρου τὸν ἑαυτοῦ πατέρα, οὐδέ γε πόλεμοι καὶ τραύ 2.8.5 ματα καὶ δεσμὰ καὶ θητεῖαι θεῶν παρ' ἀνθρώποις. ἑορτή τε οὐδεμία παρ' αὐτοῖς μελανείμων ἢ πένθιμος ἄγεται, τυπετοὺς ἔχουσα καὶ θρήνους γυναικῶν ἐπὶ θεοῖς ἀφανιζομένοις, ἃ παρ' Ἕλλησιν ἐπιτελοῦνται περί τε 2.8.6 Περσεφόνης ἁρπαγὴν καὶ ∆ιονύσου πάθη καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα τοιαῦτα. οὐδ' ἂν ἴδοι τις παρ' αὐτοῖς, καίτοι διεφθαρμένων τῶν ἐθῶν ἤδη, οὐ θεοφορήσεις, οὐ κορυβαντιασμούς, οὐ βακχείας καὶ τελετὰς ἀπορρήτους, οὐ διαπαννυχισμοὺς ἐν ἱεροῖς θεῶν ἀνδρῶν σὺν γυναιξίν, οὐκ ἄλλο τῶν παραπλησίων τούτοις τερατευμάτων οὐδέν, ἀλλ' εὐλαβῶς ἅπαντα πραττόμενα καὶ λεγόμενα τὰ περὶ 2.8.7 τοὺς θεούς, ὡς οὔτε παρ' Ἕλλησιν οὔτε παρὰ βαρβάροις. καὶ ὃ πάντων μάλιστα ἔγωγε τεθαύμακα, καίπερ μυρίων ὅσων εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἐπεληλυθότων ἐθνῶν, οἷς πολλὴ ἀνάγκη σέβειν τοὺς πατρίους θεοὺς τοῖς οἴκοθεν νομίμοις, οὐδενὸς εἰς ζῆλον ἐλήλυθεν τῶν ξενικῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων ἡ πόλις δημοσίᾳ, ὃ πολλοῖς ἤδη συνέβη παθεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἴ τινα κατὰ χρησμοὺς ἐπεισῆκται ἱερά, τοῖς αὐτόθι αὐτὰ νομίμοις μεθήρμοσεν, ἅπασαν ἐκβαλοῦσα τερθρείαν μυθικήν, 2.8.8 ὥσπερ τὰ τῆς ἱερᾶς θεᾶς ἱερά. θυσίας μὲν γὰρ αὐτῇ καὶ ἀγῶνας ἄγουσιν ἀνὰ πᾶν ἔτος οἱ στρατηγοὶ κατὰ τοὺς Ῥωμαίων νόμους, ἱερᾶται δ' αὐτῆς ἀνὴρ Φρὺξ καὶ γυνὴ Φρυγία καὶ περιάγουσιν ἀνὰ τὴν πόλιν οὗτοι μηναγυρτοῦντες, ὥσπερ αὐτοῖς ἔθος, τύπους τε περικείμενοι τοῖς στήθεσι καὶ καταυλούμενοι πρὸς τῶν ἑπομένων τὰ μητρῷα μέλη καὶ τύμπανα κροτοῦντες. 2.8.9 Ῥωμαίων δὲ τῶν αὐθιγενῶν οὔτε μηναγυρτῶν τις οὔτε καταυλούμενος πορεύεται διὰ τῆς πόλεως, ποικίλην ἐνδεδυμένος στολήν, οὔτε ὀργιάζει τὴν θεὸν τοῖς Φρυγίοις ὀργιασμοῖς κατὰ νόμον ἢ ψήφισμα βουλῆς. οὕτως εὐλαβῶς ἡ πόλις ἔχει πρὸς τὰ οὐκ ἐπιχώρια ἔθη περὶ θεῶν καὶ πάντα ὀττεύεται τῦφον, 2.8.10 οὗ μηδέν ἐστι τὸ εὐπρεπές. καὶ μηδεὶς ὑπολάβῃ με ἀγνοεῖν ὅτι τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν μύθων εἰσί τινες ἀνθρώποις χρήσιμοι, οἱ μὲν ἐπιδεικνύμενοι τὰ τῆς φύσεως ἔργα [διὰ λύπην], οἱ δὲ παραμυθίας ἕνεκα συγκείμενοι τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων συμφορῶν, οἱ δὲ ταραχὰς ἐξαιρούμενοι ψυχῆς καὶ δείματα καὶ δόξας καθαιροῦντες οὐχ ὑγιεῖς, οἱ δὲ ἄλλης τινὸς ἕνεκα συμπλασθέντες ὠφελείας. 2.8.11 ἀλλὰ καίπερ ἐπιστάμενος ταῦτα οὐδενὸς χεῖρον ὅμως εὐλαβῶς διάκειμαι πρὸς αὐτούς, καὶ τὴν Ῥωμαίων μᾶλλον ἀποδέχομαι θεολογίαν, ἐνθυμούμενος ὅτι τὰ μὲν ἐκ τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν μύθων ἀγαθὰ μικρά τέ ἐστι καὶ οὐ πολλοὺς δυνάμενα 2.8.12 ὠφελεῖν, ἀλλὰ μόνον τοὺς ἐξητακότας ὧν ἕνεκα γίνεται. σπάνιοι δ' εἰσὶν οἱ μετειληφότες ταύτης τῆς φιλοσοφίας· ὁ δὲ πολὺς καὶ ἀφιλοσόφητος ὄχλος ἐπὶ τὰ χείρω λαμβάνειν φιλεῖ τοὺς περὶ αὐτῶν λόγους καὶ πάσχει θάτερον, ἢ καταφρονεῖ τῶν θεῶν ὡς ἐν πολλῇ κακοδαιμονίᾳ κυλινδουμένων ἢ τῶν αἰσχίστων τε καὶ παρανομωτάτων οὐδενὸς ἀπέχεται, θεοῖς ὁρῶν αὐτὰ προσκείμενα. 2.8.13 ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ μὲν τούτων τοῖς αὐτὸ μόνον τὸ θεωρητικὸν τῆς φιλοσοφίας 2.8.4 τῷ δεσμωτηρίῳ τοῦ Ταρτάρου τὸν ἑαυτοῦ πατέρα, οὐδέ γε πόλεμοι καὶ τραύ 2.8.5 ματα καὶ δεσμὰ καὶ θητεῖαι θεῶν παρ' ἀνθρώποις. ἑορτή τε οὐδεμία παρ' αὐτοῖς μελανείμων ἢ πένθιμος ἄγεται, τυπετοὺς ἔχουσα καὶ θρήνους γυναικῶν ἐπὶ θεοῖς ἀφανιζομένοις, ἃ παρ' Ἕλλησιν ἐπιτελοῦνται περί τε 2.8.6 Περσεφόνης ἁρπαγὴν καὶ ∆ιονύσου πάθη καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα τοιαῦτα. οὐδ' ἂν ἴδοι τις παρ' αὐτοῖς, καίτοι διεφθαρμένων τῶν ἐθῶν ἤδη, οὐ θεοφορήσεις, οὐ κορυβαντιασμούς, οὐ βακχείας καὶ τελετὰς ἀπορρήτους, οὐ διαπαννυχισμοὺς ἐν ἱεροῖς θεῶν ἀνδρῶν σὺν γυναιξίν, οὐκ ἄλλο τῶν παραπλησίων τούτοις τερατευμάτων οὐδέν, ἀλλ' εὐλαβῶς ἅπαντα πραττόμενα καὶ λεγόμενα τὰ περὶ 2.8.7 τοὺς θεούς, ὡς οὔτε παρ' Ἕλλησιν οὔτε παρὰ