32. But let there be, as you
wish, honour in wine and in incense, let the auger and displeasure of
the deities be appeased by the immolation and slaughter of
victims: are the gods moved by garlands also, wreaths and
flowers, by the jingling of brass also, and the shaking of cymbals, by
timbrels also, and also by symphonious pipes?4916
What
effect has the clattering of castanets, that when the deities have
heard them, they think that honour has been shown to them, and lay
aside their
fiery spirit of resentment in forgetfulness? Or, as
little
boys are frightened into giving over their
silly wailings by
hearing
the sound
ofrattles, are the
almighty deities also soothed in the same
way by the whistling of
pipes? and do they become mild,
is their
indignation softened, at the
musical sound of
cymbals? What is
the meaning of those calls
4917
| 4917
At daybreak on opening, and at night on closing the temple, the
priests of Isis sang hymns in praise of the goddess (cf. Jos. Scaliger,
Castigationes ad Cat., etc., p. 132); and to these Arnobius
refers sarcastically, as though they had been calls to awake, and
lullabies to sing her asleep. |
which you
sing in the morning, joining
your voices to the
music of the pipe? Do the gods
of
heaven fall
asleep, so that they should return to their posts?
What
is the meaning of those
slumbers4918
| 4918
At daybreak on opening, and at night on closing the temple, the
priests of Isis sang hymns in praise of the goddess (cf. Jos. Scaliger,
Castigationes ad Cat., etc., p. 132); and to these Arnobius
refers sarcastically, as though they had been calls to awake, and
lullabies to sing her asleep. |
to which you commend them with
auspicious
salutations that they may be in good
health? Are they
awakened from
sleep; and that they may be able to be overcome by it,
must soothing lullabies be heard? The purification, says
my
opponent, of the mother of the gods is to-day.
4919
| 4919
i.e., March 27th, marked Lavatio in a calendar prepared during
the reign of Constantius. |
Do the gods, then, become dirty;
and to get rid of the
filth, do those who
wash them need
water,
and even some cinders to rub them with?
4920
| 4920
Lit., “and some rubbing of cinders added,” aliqua
frictione cineris; an emendation of Ursinus for the possibly
correct ms. antiqua f.
c.—“the ancient rubbing,” i.e., that practiced in
early times. |
The
feast of
Jupiter is
to-morrow.
Jupiter, I suppose,
dines, and must be satiated with
great banquets, and long filled with eager cravings
for food by
fasting, and hungry after the usual
4921
| 4921
Lit., “anniversary.” |
interval. The vintage festival of
Æsculapius is being celebrated. The gods, then, cultivate
vineyards, and, having collected gatherers, press the
wine for their
own uses.
4922
| 4922 So
the later edd., adopting the emendation of ad suas
usionesfor the corrupt ms.
ad (or ab) suasionibus. |
The
lectisternium of Ceres
4923
| 4923
i.e., feast at which the image of Ceres was placed on a couch, probably
the Cerealia, celebrated in April. This passage
flatly contradicts Prof. Ramsay’s assertion (Ant., p. 345)
that lectisternium is not applied to a banquet
offered to a goddess; while it corroborates his statement that such
feasts were ordinary events, not extraordinary solemnities, as Mr.
Yates says (Smith’s Ant., s.v.). See p. 519, n.
2. |
will be on the next Ides, for the
gods have couches; and that they may be able to
lie on softer cushions,
the pillows are shaken up when they have been pressed down.
4924
| 4924
Lit., “the impression of the cushions is lifted up and
raised,” i.e., smoothed. |
It is
the birthday of
Tellus;
4925
| 4925
Thus the 25th of January is marked as the birthday of the Graces, the
1st of February as that of Hercules, the 1st of March as that of Mars,
in the calendar already mentioned. |
for the gods are born, and have festal
days on which it has been settled that they began to
breathe>
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