11. What say you, O fathers of new religions, and powers?894    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. 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,895    The ms. reads pertus quæ- (marked as spurious) dam; and, according to Hild., naeniam is written over the latter word. Perfica, Noduterensis:896    So the ms. Cf. ch. 7 [note 10, p. 478, supra]. 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 Mutunus897    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.] 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.898    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. Why, then, some one of you will perhaps say, do you maintain899    Contendis, not found in the ms. 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.

XI. Quid dicitis, o patres novarum religionum, quid potestatum? Hoscine a nobis deos violari, et negligi sacrilego clamitatis, quiritaminique contemptu Lateranum Genium focorum, Limentinum praesidem liminum, Pertundam, Perficam, Nodutim Terensem? et quia non supplices Mutuno procumbimus atque Tutuno, ad interitum res lapsas, atque 1023A ipsum dicitis mundum leges suas et constituta mutasse? At quin videte, perspicite, ne dum talia confingitis monstra, taliaque molimini, deos offenderitis certissimos, si modo sunt ulli, qui istius nominis mereantur sustinere atque habere fastigium, nec propter aliam causam mala ista, quae dicitis, ferveant, et quotidianis accessionibus inolescant. Cur ergo e vobis fortasse aliquis dixerit, esse falsum istos deos contendis ? Et invocati ab haruspicibus parent, et suis acciti nominibus veniunt, et fidelia reddunt responsa quaerentibus? Possumus obtinere falsum esse quod dicitur, vel quod suspicionibus plenissima res tota est: vel quod multas quotidie praedictionum videmus, 1024A aut aliter cadere, aut in contrarios exitus frustrata exspectatione torqueri.