On the God of Socrates

...congealed from a clear and serene element, and for that reason not readily visible to any man unless they offer a sight of themselves by divine will. This is because no earthly solidity in them occupies the path of light—solidity which would necessarily strike and delay our sharpest vision. Instead, they possess the threads of bodies 145 so rare, splendid, and thin that they allow all the rays of our sight to pass through them due to their rarity, reflect them due to their splendor, and elude them due to their subtlety.

5 This is the source of that || and || Homerica Minerva The Roman name for the Greek goddess Athena as depicted in Homer’s Iliad., who intervenes in the midst of the Greek assembly to restrain Achilles. If you will wait a moment, I shall recite the Greek verse in English—or rather, let it be here for the present. 38 Minerva, therefore, as I have said, arrived by the command of Juno to moderate Achilles’ temper; she was visible to him alone, while no one of the others beheld her original Greek: οἴῳ φαινομένη, τῶν δ’ ἄλλων οὔτις ὁρᾶτο.

From this same source comes that Virgilian Juturna A water nymph and sister of Turnus in Virgil’s Aeneid., who, 10 moving through the midst of thousands to bring aid to her brother, mingles with the men and is not perceived by anyone. [This is exactly what the Plautine soldier A reference to the character Pyrgopolynices from Plautus's comedy 'Miles Gloriosus' (The Braggart Soldier). boasts about upon his shield: that he dazzles the eyes of the enemy in the heat of battle.]

39 And so as not to pursue the rest at too great a length, it is from this general number of daemons that poets are accustomed—not at all far from the truth—to fashion gods who are "haters" and "lovers" XII 146 of certain men. They portray them as making some prosper and || exalting them ||, while conversely opposing and afflicting others. Therefore, they are said to feel pity 15 and indignation, to be pained and to rejoice, and to suffer every form of the human mind. With a similar motion of the heart and a "sea of the mind," they toss about on all the tides of thought—all of which disturbances and tempests are exiled far from the tranquility of the celestial gods 40.

For all the heavenly beings enjoy an eternal equality in the same state of mind. This state is never pushed from its boundaries toward pain or toward pleasure; nor is it moved by anyone from its perpetual path toward any sudden 20 habit. It is not moved by another's force (for nothing is more powerful than God), nor by its own will (for nothing is more perfect than God). Furthermore, how can anyone be seen to have been perfect who migrates from a prior state to another "more correct" state? Especially since no one 147 willingly takes up new ways unless...

5 Augustine, The City of God 9.7: Finally, from this he says (i.e., Apuleius) that there is that Homeric Minerva, who intervenes in the midst of the Greek assembly to restrain Achilles. 7 Homer, Iliad 1.198: appearing to him alone, while none of the others saw her. 10 Virgil, Aeneid 1.440. 11 Plautus, The Braggart Soldier 1.1.4: let it dazzle the eyes of the enemy in the sharp battle-line. 12 "From this general... exiled" Augustine, The City of God 9.3. Augustine, The City of God 8.17: since daemons are haters of some men and lovers of others... ibid. 9.7: he says... they are from the number of evil daemons, whom poets fashion as gods who are haters and lovers of certain men, not far from the truth. 15 "similar... toss about" Augustine, The City of God 9.6. ibid. 8.17: every motion of the heart and sea of the mind and all the disturbances and tempests of the soul, by which he asserts daemons seethe and toss, true religion bids us lay aside. Compare ibid. 10.27.

2 offerunt (they offer) I have written offert in manuscript O in eis (in them) manuscript F' 3 fila (threads) manuscripts F and M² filda unless it is f. in M 5 et (and) omitted in O, added commonly 6 omerica manuscript M cetibus (assemblies) manuscript F' graiu manuscripts F and M² grauu manuscript M 7 opperiamini manuscript F' nuntiabo manuscript M 8 ast (but) older editions est manuscript O 9 nemo tuetur (no one beholds) manuscripts F and M² ne mutuetur manuscript M virgiliana manuscript O 10 ulli (by any) manuscripts F and M² illi manuscript M prorsus (exactly) through to hostibus (enemy) I have excluded following Bosscha placimus manuscript M 11 acie manuscript M 12 hac ne cetos os manuscript M * ac ne ceteros manuscript M² demonu (marks added F²?) manuscript F 14 hos prosperare (these he makes prosper) omitted in O, added by Colvius from Augustine et evehere illos contra (and exalting them, while conversely) Colvius from Augustine et vere illos scdm manuscript F' et vere illos secundu (transposition marks added M¹) manuscript M 16 per omnes Augustine cotacionum nci unless it is f. M¹ turbelae Augustine 17 ad eorum manuscript M a deorum manuscript M² 18 versus (turned) Scaliger usus manuscript O 20 vi (by force) in erasure M² nichil twice in F 21 perotentius fectius manuscript M (otentius erased M¹) videri perfectius manuscript F' prioraestatu manuscript M priore*statu manuscript M²