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| Of the Scenic Plays, the Celebration of Which the Gods Have Exacted from Their Worshippers.
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Chapter 26.—Of the Scenic Plays,
the Celebration of Which the Gods Have Exacted from Their
Worshippers.
“But,” says Cicero, “Homer
invented these things, and transferred things human
to the
gods: I would rather transfer things divine to us.”177
The poet,
by ascribing such crimes to the gods, has justly displeased the
grave man. Why, then, are the scenic plays, where these crimes
are habitually spoken of, acted, exhibited, in honor of the gods,
reckoned among things divine by the most learned men? Cicero
should exclaim, not against the inventions of the poets, but
against the customs of the ancients. Would not they have
exclaimed in reply, What have we done? The gods themselves have
loudly demanded that these plays should be exhibited in their
honor, have fiercely exacted them, have menaced destruction unless
this was performed, have avenged its neglect with great severity,
and have manifested pleasure at the reparation of such neglect.
Among their virtuous and wonderful deeds the following is
related. It was announced in a dream to Titus Latinius, a Roman
rustic, that he should go to the senate and tell them to recommence
the games of Rome, because on the first day of their celebration a
condemned criminal had been led to punishment in sight of the
people, an incident so sad as to disturb the gods who were seeking
amusement from the games. And when the peasant who had received
this intimation was afraid on the following day to deliver it to
the senate, it was renewed next night in a severer form: he lost
his son, because of his neglect. On the third night he was warned
that a yet graver punishment was impending, if he should still
refuse obedience. When even thus he did not dare to obey, he fell
into a virulent and horrible disease. But then, on the advice of
his friends, he gave information to the magistrates, and was
carried in a litter into the senate, and having, on declaring his
dream, immediately recovered strength, went away on his own feet
whole.178
| 178 Livy, ii. 36; Cicero, De
Divin. 26. | The
senate, amazed at so great a miracle, decreed that the games should
be renewed at fourfold cost. What sensible man does not see that
men, being put upon by malignant demons, from whose domination
nothing save the grace of God through Jesus Christ our Lord sets
free, have been compelled by force to exhibit to such gods as
these, plays which, if well advised, they should condemn as
shameful? Certain it is that in these plays the poetic crimes of
the gods are celebrated, yet they are plays which were
re-established by decree of the senate, under compulsion of the
gods. In these plays the most shameless actors celebrated Jupiter
as the corrupter of chastity, and thus gave him pleasure. If that
was a fiction, he would have been moved to anger; but if he was
delighted with the representation of his crimes, even although
fabulous, then, when he happened to be worshipped, who but the
devil could be served? Is it so that he could found, extend, and
preserve the Roman empire, who was more vile than any Roman man
whatever, to whom such things were displeasing? Could he give
felicity who was so infelicitously worshipped, and who, unless he
should be thus worshipped, was yet more infelicitously provoked to
anger?E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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