them from being brought upon men and induced by other devices
similar to these? So that the cause is no longer divine, but human.
For whoever is able, by purifications conjurations, to drive away such
an affection, will be able, by other practices, to excite it; and,
according to this view, its divine nature is entirely done away
with. By such sayings and doings, they profess to be possessed of
superior knowledge, and deceive mankind by enjoining lustrations and
purifications upon them, while their discourse turns upon the divinity
and the godhead. And yet it would appear to me that their discourse
savors not of piety, as they suppose, but rather of impiety, and as if
there were no gods, and that what they hold to be holy and divine,
were impious and unholy. This I will now explain.

For, if they profess to know how to bring down the moon, darken
the sun, induce storms and fine weather, and rains and droughts, and
make the sea and land unproductive, and so forth, whether they
arrogate this power as being derived from mysteries or any other
knowledge or consideration, they appear to me to practice impiety, and
either to fancy that there are no gods, or, if there are, that they
have no ability to ward off any of the greatest evils. How, then,
are they not enemies to the gods? For if a man by magical arts and
sacrifices will bring down the moon, and darken the sun, and induce
storms, or fine weather, I should not believe that there was
anything divine, but human, in these things, provided the power of the
divine were overpowered by human knowledge and subjected to it. But
perhaps it will be said, these things are not so, but, not
withstanding, men being in want of the means of life, invent many
and various things, and devise many contrivances for all other things,
and for this disease, in every phase of the disease, assigning the
cause to a god. Nor do they remember the same things once, but
frequently. For, if they imitate a goat, or grind their teeth, or if
their right side be convulsed, they say that the mother of the gods is
the cause. But if they speak in a sharper and more intense tone,
they resemble this state to a horse, and say that Poseidon is the
cause. Or if any excrement be passed, which is often the case, owing
to the violence of the disease, the appellation of Enodia is
adhibited; or, if it be passed in smaller and denser masses, like
bird's, it is said to be from Apollo Nomius. But if foam be emitted by
the mouth, and the patient kick with his feet, Ares then gets the
blame. But terrors which happen during the night, and fevers, and
delirium, and jumpings out of bed, and frightful apparitions, and
fleeing away,-all these they hold to be the plots of Hecate, and the
invasions the and use purifications and incantations, and, as
appears to me, make the divinity to be most wicked and most impious.
For they purify those laboring under this disease, with the same sorts
of blood and the other means that are used in the case of those who
are stained with crimes, and of malefactors, or who have been
enchanted by men, or who have done any wicked act; who ought to do the
very reverse, namely, sacrifice and pray, and, bringing gifts to the
temples, supplicate the gods. But now they do none of these things,
but purify; and some of the purifications they conceal in the earth,
and some they throw into the sea, and some they carry to the mountains
where no one can touch or tread upon them. But these they ought to
take to the temples and present to the god, if a god be the cause of
the disease. Neither truly do I count it a worthy opinion to hold that
the body of man is polluted by god, the most impure by the most
holy; for were it defiled, or did it suffer from any other thing, it
would be like to be purified and sanctified rather than polluted by
god. For it is the divinity which purifies and sanctifies the greatest
of offenses and the most wicked, and which proves our protection
from them. And we mark out the boundaries of the temples and the
groves of the gods, so that no one may pass them unless he be pure,
and when we enter them we are sprinkled with holy water, not as
being polluted, but as laying aside any other pollution which we