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246 MONTAIGNE'S ESSAYES
roame among his opinions, and in fine depriveth God
of sense, and maks him remove and transchange himselfe
from one forme to another; and then saith that
is both heaven and earth. Theophrastus in all his
fantazies wandereth still in like irresolutions, attributing
the worlds superintendency now to the intelligence,
now to the heaven, and now to the starres. Strabo,
that it is Nature having power to engender, to augment
and to diminish, without forme or sense. Zeno, the
naturall Law, commanding the good and prohibiting
the evill; which Lawe is a breathing creature, and
removeth the accustomed Gods, Iupiter, Iuno, and
Vesta. Diogenes Apolloniates, that it is Age. Xenophanes
makes God round, seeing, hearing not breathing,
and having nothing common with humane Nature.
Aristo deemeth the forme of God to bee incomprehensible,
and depriveth him of senses, and wotteth not
certainely whether he bee a breathing soule or something
else. Cleanthes, sometimes reason, othertimes
the World ; now the soule of Nature, and other-while
the supreme heat, enfoulding and containing all. Perseus,
Zenoes disciple, hath beene of opinion that they
were surnamed Gods who had brought some notable
good or benefit unto humane life, or had invented
profitable things. Chrysippus made a confused huddle
of all the foresaid sentences, and amongst a thousand
formes of the Gods which he faineth, hee also accompteth
those men that are immortalized. Diagoras and
Theodorus flatly denied that there were anie Gods:
Epicurus makes the Gods bright-shinmg, transparent,
and perflable, placed as it were betweene two Forts,
betweene two Worlds, safely sheltered from all blowes,
invested with a humane shape, and with our members,
which unto them are of no use.
Ego Deum genus esse semper duxi, et dicam ccelitum,
Sed eos non curare opinor, quid agat humanum genus, 1
I still thought and wil say, of Gods there is a kinde;
But what our mankinde doth, I thinke they nothing minde.
1 ENN. in CIC. De Div. 1. ii.