Chap. X.—Of False Piety, and of False and True Religion.

It is worth while to investigate their piety, that from their merciful and pious actions it may be understood what is the character of those things which are done by them contrary to the laws of piety. And that I may not seem to attack any one with harshness, I will take a character from the poets, and one which is the greatest example of piety. In Maro, that king  

what proofs of justice did he bring forward to us?  

What can be more merciful than this piety? what more merciful than to immolate human victims to the dead, and to feed the fire with the blood of men as with oil? But perhaps this may not have been the fault of the hero himself, but of the poet, who polluted with distinguished wickedness “a man distinguished by his piety.”977    Ibid., i. 10.   Where then, O poet, is that piety which you so frequently praise? Behold the pious Æneas:—  

Why, therefore, at the very same time when he was sending the men in chains to slaughter, did he say,  

when he ordered that those whom he had in his power alive should be slain in the place of cattle? But this, as I have said, was not his fault—for he perhaps had not received a liberal education—but yours; for, though you were learned, yet you were ignorant of the nature of piety, and you believed that that wicked and detestable action of his was the befitting exercise of piety. He is plainly called pious on this account only, because he loved his father. Why should I say that  

and yet slew them? For, though adjured by the same father, and  

he did not spare them,  

What! can any one imagine that there was any virtue in him who was fired with madness as stubble, and, forgetful of the shade of his father, by whom he was entreated, was unable to curb his wrath? He was therefore by no means pious who not only slew the unresisting, but even suppliants. Here some one will say: What then, or where, or of what character is piety? Truly it is among those who are ignorant of wars, who maintain concord with all, who are friendly even to their enemies, who love all men as brethren, who know how to restrain their anger, and to soothe every passion of the mind with calm government. How great a mist, therefore, how great a cloud of darkness and errors, has over-spread the breasts of men who, when they think themselves especially pious, then become especially impious? For the more religiously they honour those earthy images, so much the more wicked are they towards the name of the true divinity. And therefore they are often harassed with greater evils as the reward of their impiety; and because they know not the cause of these evils, the blame is altogether ascribed to fortune, and the philosophy of Epicurus finds a place, who thinks that nothing extends to the gods, and that they are neither influenced by favour nor moved by anger, because they often see their despisers happy, and their worshippers in misery. And this happens on this account, because when they seem to be religious and naturally good, they are believed to deserve nothing of that kind which they often suffer. However, they console themselves by accusing fortune; nor do they perceive that if she had any existence, she would never injure her worshippers. Piety of this kind is therefore deservedly followed by punishment; and the deity offended with the wickedness of men who are depraved in their religious worship,983    Hominum prave religiosorum.   punishes them with heavy misfortune; who, although they live with holiness in the greatest faith and innocence, yet because they worship gods whose impious and profane rites are an abomination to the true God, are estranged from justice and the name of true piety. Nor is it difficult to show why the worshippers of the gods cannot be good and just. For how shall they abstain from the shedding of blood who worship bloodthirsty deities, Mars and Bellona? or how shall they spare their parents who worship Jupiter, who drove out his father? or how shall they spare their own infants who worship Saturnus? how shall they uphold chastity who worship a goddess who is naked, and an adulteress, and who prostitutes herself as it were among the gods? how shall they withhold themselves from plunder and frauds who are acquainted with the thefts of Mercurius, who teaches that to deceive is not the part of fraud, but of cleverness? how shall they restrain their lusts who worship Jupiter, Hercules, Liber, Apollo, and the others, whose adulteries and debaucheries with men and women are not only known to the learned, but are even set forth in the theatres, and made the subject of songs, so that they are notorious984    Omnibus notiora.   to all? Among these things is it possible for men to be just, who, although they were naturally good, would be trained to injustice by the very gods themselves? For, that you may propitiate the god whom you worship, there is need of those things with which you know that he is pleased and delighted. Thus it comes to pass that the god fashions the life of his worshippers according to the character of his own will,985    Pro qualitate numinis sui.   since the most religious worship is to imitate.  

0580B CAPUT X. De falsa pietate, et de falsa et vera religione.

Operae pretium est cognoscere illorum pietatem, ut ex iis, quae clementer ac pie faciunt, possit intelligi qualia sint quae ab his contra jura pietatis geruntur. Ac ne quem videar inclementer incessere, aliquam mihi personam poeticam sumam, quae sit 0581A vel maximum pietatis exemplum. Apud Maronem rex ille, 0581A Quo justior alter Nec pietate fuit, nec bello major et armis,quae nobis documenta justitiae protulit? Vinxerat et post terga manus, quos mitteret umbris Inferias, caeso sparsurus sanguine flammas.Quid potest esse hac pietate clementius, quam mortuis humanas victimas immolare, et ignem cruore hominum tanquam oleo pascere? sed fortasse hoc non ipsius vitium fuerit, sed poetae, qui Insignem pietate viruminsigni scelere foedaverit. Ubi est igitur, o poeta, pietas illa quam saepissime laudas? Ecce pius Aeneas 0581B Sulmone creatos Quattuor hic juvenes, totidem quos educat Ufens, Viventes rapit, inferias quos immolet umbris, Captivoque rogi perfundat sanguine flammas.Cur ergo dicebat eodem ipso tempore quo vinctos homines ad immolationem mittebat, Equidem et vivis concedere vellem;cum quos vivos habebat in potestate, vice pecudum juberet occidi? Sed haec, ut dixi, culpa non illius fuit, qui litteras fortasse non didicerat, sed tua, qui cum esses eruditus, ignorasti tamen quid esset pietas, et illud ipsum, quod nefarie, quod detestabiliter fecit, pietatis esse officium credidisti. Videlicet ob hoc unum pius vocatur, quia patrem dilexit. Quid quod: 0582A Bonus Aeneas haud aspernanda precantestrucidavit; adjuratus enim per eumdem patrem, et per Spes surgentis Iuli,nequaquam pepercit, Furiis accensus et ira.Quisquamne igitur hunc putet aliquid in se virtutis habuisse, qui et furore tamquam stipulo exarserit, et manium patris, per quem rogabatur, oblitus, iram fraenare nequiverit? Nullo igitur modo pius, qui non tantum non repugnantes, sed etiam precantes interemit.

Dicet hic aliquis: Quae ergo, aut ubi, aut qualis est pietas? Nimirum apud eos, qui bella nesciunt, qui concordiam cum omnibus servant, qui amici sunt etiam 0582B inimicis, qui omnes homines pro fratribus diligunt; qui cohibere iram sciunt, omnemque animi furorem tranquilla moderatione lenire. Quanta igitur caligo, quanta tenebrarum et errorum nubes hominum pectora obduxit; qui cum se maxime pios putant, tum maxime fiunt impii! Quanto enim religiosus terrenis istis simulacris inserviunt, tanto magis scelerati adversus nomen verae divinitatis existunt. Itaque pro merito impietatis suae gravioribus malis saepe vexantur, quorum causam quia nesciunt, fortunae culpa omnis adscribitur: et locum invenit Epicuri philosophia, nihil ad deos pertinere censentis; nec gratia eos tangi, nec ira moveri, quia et contemptores eorum saepe videant beatos, et cultores saepe miseros. Quod 0582C eo fit; quia cum religiosi videantur, et natura boni, 0583A nihil tale creduntur mereri, quale saepe patiuntur. Consolantur se tamen accusatione fortunae; nec sentiunt quod si esset ulla, cultoribus suis nunquam noceret. Merito igitur hujusmodi pietatem poena consequitur, et offensa divinitas scelere hominum prave religiosorum gravi eos infortunio mactat; 0583A qui licet sanctis moribus vivant, in summa fide atque innocentia, tamen quia deos colunt, quorum ritus impios ac profanos Deus verus odio habet, a justitia, et a nomine verae pietatis alieni sunt.

Nec est difficile docere, cur deorum cultores boni et justi esse non possint. Quomodo enim sanguine abstinebunt qui colunt cruentos deos, Martem atque Bellonam? quomodo aut parentibus parcent, qui expulsorem patris sui Jovem; aut natis ex se infantibus, 0583B qui Saturnum? quomodo pudicitiam tuebuntur, qui colunt deam nudam et adulteram, et quasi apud deos prostitutam? Quomodo se a rapinis et fraudibus abstinebunt, qui Mercurii furta noverunt, docentis non fraudis esse decipere, sed astutiae? quomodo libidines coercebunt, qui Jovem, Herculem, Liberum, Apollinem, caeterosque venerantur quorum adulteria, et stupra in mares et foeminas, non tantum doctis nota sunt, sed exprimuntur etiam in theatris, atque cantantur, ut sint omnibus notiora? Possuntne inter haec justi esse homines, qui, etiamsi natura sint boni, ab ipsis tamen diis erudiantur ad injustitiam? Ad placandum enim Deum quem colas, iis rebus opus est, quibus illum gaudere ac delectari 0583C scias. Sic fit ut vitam colentium Deus pro qualitate 0584A nominis sui formet, quoniam religiosissimus est cultus, imitari.