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reproach us as the vilest of all mankind。 Now I have no mind to make an inquiry into the laws of other nations察for the custom of our country is to keep our own laws察but not to bring accusations against the laws of others。 And indeed our legislator hath expressly forbidden us to laugh at and revile those that are esteemed gods by other people拭on account of the very name of God ascribed to them。 But since our antagonists think to run us down upon the comparison of their religion and ours察it is not possible to keep silence here察especially while what I shall say to confute these men will not be now first said察but hath been already said by many察and these of the highest reputation also察for who is there among those that have been admired among the Greeks for wisdom察who hath not greatly blamed both the most famous poets察and most celebrated legislators察for spreading such notions originally among the body of the people concerning the gods拭such as these察that they may be allowed to be as numerous as they have a mind to have them察 that they are begotten one by another察and that after all the kinds of generation you can imagine。 They also distinguish them in their places and ways of living as they would distinguish several sorts of animals察as some to be under the earth察as some to be in the sea察and the ancientest of them all to be bound in hell察and for those to whom they have allotted heaven察they have set over them one察who in title is their father察but in his actions a tyrant and a lord察whence it came to pass that his wife察and brother察and daughter which daughter he brought forth from his own head made a conspiracy against him to seize upon him and confine hint察as he had himself seized upon and confined his own father before。 35。 And justly have the wisest men thought these notions deserved severe rebukes察they also laugh at them for determining that we ought to believe some of the gods to be beardless and young察and others of them to be old察and to have beards accordingly察that some are set to trades察that one god is a smith察and another goddess is a weaver察that one god is a warrior察and fights with men察that some of them are harpers察or delight in archery察and besides察that mutual seditions arise among them察and that they quarrel about men察 and this so far察that they not only lay hands upon one another察but that they are wounded by men察and lament察and take on for such their afflictions。 But what is the grossest of all in point of lasciviousness察are those unbounded lusts ascribed to almost all of them察and their amours察which how can it be other than a most absurd supposal察especially when it reaches to the male gods察and to the female goddesses also拭Moreover察the chief of all their gods察and their first father himself察overlooks those goddesses whom he hath deluded and begotten with child察and suffers them to be kept in prison察or drowned in the sea。 He is also so bound up by fate察that he cannot save his own offspring察nor can he bear their deaths without shedding of tears。 These are fine things indeed as are the rest that follow。 Adulteries truly are so impudently looked on in heaven by the gods察that some of them have confessed they envied those that were found in the very act。 And why should they not do so察when the eldest of them察who is their king also察hath not been able to restrain himself in the violence of his lust察from lying with his wife察so long as they might get into their bedchamber拭Now some of the gods are servants to men察and will sometimes be builders for a reward察and sometimes will be shepherds察while others of them察like malefactors察are bound in a prison of brass。 And what sober person is there who would not be provoked at such stories察and rebuke those that forged them察and condemn the great silliness of those that admit them for true拭Nay察others there are that have advanced a certain timorousness and fear察as also madness and fraud察and any other of the vilest passions察into the nature and form of gods察 and have persuaded whole cities to offer sacrifices to the better sort of them察on which account they have been absolutely forced to esteem some gods as the givers of good things察and to call others of them averters of evil。 They also endeavor to move them察as they would the vilest of men察by gifts and presents察as looking for nothing else than to receive some great mischief from them察unless they pay them such wages。 36。 Wherefore it deserves our inquiry what should be the occasion of this unjust management察and of these scandals about the Deity。 And truly I suppose it to be derived from the imperfect knowledge the heathen legislators had at first of the true nature of God察nor did they explain to the people even so far as they did comprehend of it此nor did they compose the other parts of their political settlements according to it察but omitted it as a thing of very little consequence察and gave leave both to the poets to introduce what gods they pleased察and those subject to all sorts of passions察and to the orators to procure political decrees from the people for the admission of such foreign gods as they thought proper。 The painters also察and statuaries of Greece察 had herein great power察as each of them could contrive a shape proper for a godВ察the one to be formed out of clay察 and the other by making a bare picture of such a one。 But those workmen that were principally admired察had the use of ivory and of gold as the constant materials for their new statues whereby it comes to pass that some temples are quite deserted察while others are in great esteem察and adorned with all the rites of all kinds of purificationА Besides this察the first gods察who have long flourished in the honors done them察are now grown old while those that flourished after them are come in their room as a second rank察that I may speak the most honorably of them I canВ此nay察certain other gods there are who are newly introduced察and newly worshipped as we察 by way of digression察have said already察and yet have left their places of worship desolateВ察and for their temples察some of them are already left desolate察and others are built anew察 according to the pleasure of men察whereas they ought to have their opinion about God察and that worship which is due to him察always and immutably the same。 37。 But now察this Apollonius Molo was one of these foolish and proud men。 However察nothing that I have said was unknown to those that were real philosophers among the Greeks察nor were they unacquainted with those frigid pretensions of allegories which had been alleged for such thingsВ察on which account they justly despised them察but have still agreed with us as to the true and becoming notions of God察whence it was that Plato would not have political settlements admit to of any one of the other poets察and dismisses even Homer himself察with a garland on his head察 and with ointment poured upon him察and this because he should not destroy the right notions of God with his fables。 Nay察Plato principally imitated our legislator in this point察 that he enjoined his citizens to have he main regard to this precept察 That every one of them should learn their laws accurately。; He also ordained察that they should not admit of foreigners intermixing with their own people at random察and provided that the commonwealth should keep itself pure察and consist of such only as persevered in their own laws。 Apollonius Molo did no way consider this察when he made it one branch of his accusation against us察that we do not admit of such as have different notions about God察nor will we have fellowship with those that choose to observe a way of living different from ourselves察yet is not this method peculiar to us察 but common to all other men察not among the ordinary Grecians only察but among such of those Grecians as are of the greatest reputation among them。 Moreover察the Lacedemonians continued in their way of expelling foreigners察 and would not indeed give leave to their own people to travel abroad察as suspecting that those two things would introduce a dissolution of their own laws此and perhaps there may be some reason to blame the rigid severity of the Lacedemonians察for they bestowed the privilege of their city on no foreigners察nor indeed would give leave to them to stay among them察 whereas we察though we do not think fit to imitate other institutions察yet do we willingly admit of those that desire to partake of ours察which察I think察I may reckon to be a plain indication of our humanity察and at the same time of our magnanimity also。 38。 But I shall say no more of the Lacedemonians。 As for the Athenians察who glory in having made their city to be common to all men察what their behavior was Apollonius did not know察 while they punished those that did but speak one word contrary to the laws about the gods察without any mercy察for on what other account was it that Socrates was put to death by them拭For certainly he neither betrayed their city to its enem