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248 MONTAIGNE'S ESSAYES
inducuntur ; accipimus enim Deorum cupiditates cegritudines,
iracundias: ' Their shapes, their ages, their aparrell,
their furnitures are knowen; their kindes, their
marriages, their kindred, and all translated to the likenesse
of man's weaknesse : For they are also brought
in with mindes much troubled; for we read of the
lustfulnesse, the grievings, the angrinesse of the Gods.'
As to have ascribed Divinity, not only unto faith,
vertue, honour, concord, liberty, victory and piety;
but also unto voluptuousnesse, fraud, death, envy, age
and misery ; yea unto feare, unto ague, and unto evill
fortune, and such other industries and wrongs to our
fraile and transitory life :
Quid juvat hoc, templis nostros induceie moral
O curves in tents animoe et ccelestium inanes 1 1
What boots it, into Temples to bring manners of our kindes?
0 crooked soules on earth, and void of heavenly mindes.
The AEgyptians, with an impudent wisdome forbad,
upon paine of hanging, that no man should dare to say
that Serapis and Isis, their Gods, had whilome beene
but men, when all knew they had been so. And their
images or pictures drawne with a finger acrosse their
mouth imported (as Varro saith) this misterious rule
unto their priests, to conceal their mortall off-spring,
which by necessary reason disannulled all their veneration.
Since man desired so much to equall himselfe to
God, it had beene better for him (saith Cicero) to draw
those divine conditions unto himselfe, and bring them
downe to earth, than to send his corruption and place
his misery above in heaven; but to take him aright,
he hath divers wayes, and with like vanitie of opinion,
doth both the one and other. When Philosophers
blazon and display the Hierarchy of their gods, and to
the utmost of their skill endevour to distinguish their
aliances, their charges, and their powers; I cannot
beleeve they speake in good earnest When Plato
decyphreth unto us the orchard of Pluto, and the commodities
or corporall paines which even after the ruine
¹ PEES. Sat. ii. 62, 61.