18. And as we are now speaking of the animals sacrificed, what cause, what reason is there, that while the immortal gods—for, so far as we are concerned, they may all be gods who are believed to be so—are of one mind, or should be of one nature, kind, and character, all are not appeased with all the victims, but certain deities with certain animals, according to the sacrificial laws? For what cause is there, to repeat the same question, that that deity should be honoured with bulls, another with kids or sheep, this one with sucking pigs, the other with unshorn lambs, this one with virgin heifers, that one with horned goats, this with barren cows, but that with teeming1612    The ms. and first four edd. read ingentibus scrofis—“with huge breeding swine,” changed by rest, as above, incient-, from the margin of Ursinus. swine, this with white, that with dusky1613    Or “gloomy,” tetris, the reading of ms. and all edd. since LB., for which earlier edd. give atris—“black.”victims, one with female, the other, on the contrary, with male animals? For if victims are slain in sacrifice to the gods, to do them honour and show reverence for them, what does it matter, or what difference is there with the life of what animal this debt is paid, their anger and resentment put away? Or is the blood of one victim less grateful and pleasing to one god, while the other’s fills him with pleasure and joy? or, as is usually done, does that deity abstain from the flesh of goats because of some reverential and religious scruple, another turn with disgust from pork, while to this mutton stinks? and does this one avoid tough ox-beef that he may not overtax his weak stomach, and choose tender1614    Lit., “the tenderness of.” sucklings that he may digest them more speedily?1615    [The law of clean and unclean reflects the instincts of man, as here appealed to; but compare and patiently study these texts: Lev. x. 10 and Ezek. xxii. 26; Lev. xi. and Acts x. 15; Rom. xiv. 14 and Luke xi. 41.]

XVIII. Et quoniam nobis in manibus hostiarum sermo versatur: quae causa, quae ratio est, ut cum 1240B dii immortales, sint enim et per nos licet, quicumque esse creduntur, sint unius sententiae, vel unius debeant esse naturae, generis, et qualitatis unius, non omnibus omnes hostiis, sed quibusdam quidam sacrorum mulceantur legibus ? Quae est enim causa, requiram, ut eadem rursus ut ille tauris deus, haedis alius honoretur, aut ovibus: hic lactentibus porculis, alter intonsis agnis: hic virginibus buculis, capris 1241A ille cornutis: hic sterilibus vacculis, at ille incientibus scrofis: hic albentibus, ille tetris, alter feminei generis, alter vero animantibus masculinis? Si enim honoris et reverentiae causa mactantur diis hostiae, quid refert aut interest, cujus animalis e capite luatur hoc debitum, cujus ira offensioque ponatur? An numquid alterius alteri minus gratior et jucundior sanguis est? alter vero alterius voluptatem infundit et gaudium? aut, ut fieri moris est, observationis alicujus et religionis metu ille caprina abstinet se earne, porcinum alius execratur attactum, huic ovilia foetulenta sunt viscera; ac, ne stomachum fatiget invalidum, hic bubulam duritiem vitat, et lactentium lenitatem, quo digerat expeditius, sumit?