CHAP. VI.] THE DIVINE INSTITUTES. [15

He adduces proof that the universe is governed by Him, arguing regarding the nature of the gods: “Nothing is superior to God; the world must therefore be governed by Him. Therefore God is obedient or subject to no nature; consequently He Himself governs all nature.” But what God Himself is, he defines in his Consolation: 1 [See (Sigonius) p. 144, ed. Paris, 1818.] “Nor can God Himself, as He is comprehended by us, be comprehended in any other way than as a mind free and unrestrained, far removed from all mortal materiality, perceiving and moving all things.”

How often, also, Annaeus Seneca, who was the keenest Stoic of the Romans, follows up with deserved praise the supreme Deity! For when he was discussing the subject of premature death, he said: “You do not understand the authority and majesty of your Judge, the Ruler of the world, and the God of heaven and of all gods, on whom those deities which we separately worship and honour are dependent.” Also in his Exhortations: “This Being, when He was laying the first foundations of the most beautiful fabric, and was commencing this work, than which nature has known nothing greater or better, that all things might serve their own rulers, although He had spread Himself out through the whole body, yet He produced gods as ministers of His kingdom.” And how many other things like to our own writers did he speak on the subject of God! But these things I put off for the present, because they are more suited to other parts of the subject. At present it is enough to demonstrate that men of the highest genius touched upon the truth, and almost grasped it, had not custom, infatuated by false opinions, carried them back; by which custom they both deemed that there were other gods, and believed that those things which God made for the use of man were to be held and worshipped as gods, as though they were endowed with perception.

CHAP. VI. — OF DIVINE TESTIMONIES, AND OF THE SIBYLS AND THEIR PREDICTIONS.

Now let us pass to divine testimonies; but I will previously bring forward one which resembles a divine testimony, both on account of its very great antiquity, and because he whom I shall name was taken from men and placed among the gods. According to Cicero, Caius Cotta the pontiff, while disputing against the Stoics concerning superstitions and the variety of opinions regarding the gods—in order that he might, after the custom of the Academics, make everything uncertain—says that there were five Mercuries. Having enumerated four, he says the fifth was he by whom Argus was slain; he then fled into Egypt and gave laws and letters to the Egyptians. The Egyptians call him Thoth; from him the first month of their year, September, received its name among them. He also built a town, which is still called in Greek Hermopolis (the town of Mercury), and the inhabitants of Phena honour him with religious worship. Although he was a man, he was of great antiquity and most fully imbued with every kind of learning, so that the knowledge of many subjects and arts earned him the name of Trismegistus. 2 [See vol. i. p. 289, note 2, this series.] He wrote books in great numbers relating to the knowledge of divine things, in which he asserts the majesty of the supreme and only God, and makes mention of Him by the same names we use—God and Father. And that no one might inquire His name, he said that He was without name, and that on account of His very unity He does not require the peculiarity of a name. These are his own words: “God is one, but He who is one only does not need a name; for he who is self-existent is without a name.” God, therefore, has no name because He is alone; nor is there any need of a proper name, except in cases where a multitude of persons requires a distinguishing mark. But God, because He is always one, has no peculiar name.

It remains for me to bring forward testimonies respecting the sacred responses and predictions, which are much more to be relied upon. For perhaps those against whom we are arguing may think that no credence is to be given to poets, as though they invented fictions, nor to philosophers, inasmuch as they were liable to err, being themselves but men. Marcus Varro, than whom no man of greater learning ever lived, in those books respecting divine subjects which he addressed to Caius Caesar the chief pontiff, when he was speaking of the Quindecemviri, 3 The Quindecemviri were the fifteen men to whom the care of the Sibylline books was entrusted. At first two (Duumviri) were appointed. The number was afterwards increased to ten, and subsequently to fifteen. It appears probable that this last change was made by Sulla. says that the Sibylline books were not the production of one Sibyl only, but that they were called by one name "Sibylline" because all prophetesses were called by the ancients Sibyls, either from the name of one, the Delphian priestess, or from their proclaiming the counsels of the gods. For in the Aeolic dialect they used to call the gods by the word Sioi, not Theoi; and for counsel they used the word bule, not boule; — and so the Sibyl received her name as though Siobule. 4 [i.e., Counsel of God. See p. 14 supra, and 16 infra.]