68. On the Alban hill, it
was not allowed in ancient times to sacrifice any but snow-white
bulls: have you not changed that custom and religious observance,
and has it not been enacted by decree of the senate, that
reddish ones may be offered? While during the reigns of Romulus
and Pompilius the inner parts, having been quite thoroughly cooked and
softened, were burnt up in sacrificing to the gods, did you not
begin, under king Tullius,3875
| 3875
i.e. Servius Tullius. The first four edd. read
Tullo, i.e., Tullus Hostilius. |
to hold them out half-raw and
slightly
warm, paying no regard to the former usage? While before
the arrival of Hercules in
Italy supplication was made to
father Dis
and Saturn with the heads of men by Apollo’s
advice; have you
not, in like manner, changed this
custom too, by means of
cunning
deceit and ambiguous names?
3876
Since, then, yourselves also
have followed at one time these customs, at another different laws, and
have repudiated and rejected many things on either perceiving your
mistakes or seeing something better, what have we done contrary to
common sense and the discretion all men have, if we have chosen what is
greater and more certain, and have not suffered ourselves to be held
back by unreasoning respect for impostures?
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