23. But perhaps, as you say,
the goddesses took the greatest pleasure in these lewd and lustful
insults, and did not think that an action requiring vengeance to be
taken, which soothed their minds, and which they knew was suggested to
human desires by themselves. But if the goddesses, the Venuses,
being endowed with rather calm dispositions, considered that favour
should be shown to the misfortunes of the blinded youths; when
the greedy flames so often consumed the Capitol, and had destroyed the
Capitoline Jupiter himself with his wife and his daughter,4737
| 4737
Cf. p. 315, n. 2, supra. |
where was
the Thunderer at that time to avert that calamitous
fire, and
preserve
from
destruction his property, and himself, and all his
family?
Where was the queenly Juno when a violent
fire destroyed her famous
shrine, and her priestess
4738
| 4738 So Clemens narrates; but
Thucydides (iv. 133) says that “straightway Chrysis flees by
night for refuge to Phlious, fearing the Argives;” while
Pausanius (ii. 59) says that she fled to Tegea, taking refuge there at
the altar of Minerva Alea. |
Chrysis in Argos? Where the
Egyptian Serapis, when by a similar disaster
his temple fell,
burned to
ashes, with all the
mysteries, and Isis? Where Liber
Eleutherius, when
his temple fell at Athens? Where
Diana,
when
hers fell at
Ephesus? Where
Jupiter of Dodona, when
his fell at Dodona? Where, finally, the prophetic Apollo,
when by pirates and
sea robbers he was both plundered and set on
fire,
4739
| 4739
From Varro’s being mentioned, Oehler thinks that Arnobius must
refer to various marauding expeditions against the temples of Apollo on
the coasts and islands of the Ægean, made at the time of the
piratical war. Clemens, however, speaks distinctly of the
destruction of the temple at Delphi, and it is therefore probable that
this is referred to, if not solely, at least along with those which
Varro mentions. Clement, vol. ii. p. 187. |
so that out
of so many pounds of
gold, which ages without number had heaped up, he
did not have one scruple even to show to the swallows which built under
his eaves,
4740
| 4740
Lit., “his visitors,” hospitis. |
as Varro says
in his
Saturæ Menippeæ?
4741
| 4741
Varro Menippeus, an emendation of Carrio, adopted in LB.
and Orelli for the ms. se
thenipeus. |
It would be an
endless task to
write down what
shrines have been
destroyed throughout the whole
world
by
earth quakes and tempests—what have been set on
fire by
enemies, and by kings and tyrants—what have been stript bare by
the overseers and
priests themselves, even though they have turned
suspicion away from them
4742
| 4742
Lit., “suspicion being averted.” |
—finally, what
have been
robbed by
thieves and Canacheni,
4743
| 4743
It has been generally supposed that reference is thus made to some kind
of thieves, which is probable enough, as Arnobius (end of next chapter)
classes all these plunderers as “tyrants, kings, robbers, and
nocturnal thieves;” but it is impossible to say precisely what is
meant. Heraldus would read
Saraceni—“Saracens.” |
opening
them up, though
barred by unknown means;
4744
| 4744
Lit., “with obscurity of means.” The phrase may refer
either to the defence or to the assault of temples by means of magic
arts. |
which, indeed, would remain
safe and
exposed to no mischances, if the gods were present to defend them, or
had any care for their temples, as is said. But now because they
are empty, and protected by no indwellers, Fortune has power over them,
and they are exposed to all accidents just as much as are all other
things which have not life.
4745
| 4745
Lit., “interior motion.” |
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