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256 MONTAIGNE'S ESSAYES
being round in a fishes belly, to returne to his hands
againe. And to what purpose are the manglings and
dismembrings of the Corybantes, of the Meenades, and
now a dayes of the Mahumetans, who skar and gash
their faces, their stomacke and their limbes, to gratifie
their prophet: seeing the offence consisteth in the will,
not in the breast, nor eyes, nor in the genitories, health,
shoulders, or throat ? Tantus est perturbatce mentis et
sedibus suis pulsed furor, ut sic Dii placentur, quemadmodum
ne homines quidem saviunt: 1 'So great is the
fury of a troubled minde put from the state it should
be in, as the Gods must be so pacified, as even men
would not be so outragious.' This naturall contexture
doth by her use not only respect us, but also the service
of God and other mens: it is injustice to make it
miscarie at our pleasure, as under what pretence soever
it be to kill our selves. It seemeth to be a great
cowardise and manifest treason to abuse the stupide
and corrupt the servile functions of the body, to spare
the diligence unto the soule how to direct them according
unto reason. Vbi tratos Deos timent, qui sic propitios
habere merentur. In regies libidinis voluptatem
castrati sunt quidam; sed nemo sibi, ne vir esset, jubente
Domino manus intulit: 2 'Where are they afeard of
Gods anger, who in such sort deserve to have his
favour ; some have beene guelded for Princes lustfull
pleasure ; but no man at the Lords command hath laid
hands on himselfe to be lesse than a man.' Thus did
they replenish their religion and stuffe it with divers
bad effects.
sapius olim
Religio peperit scelerosa atque impra facta?
Religion hath oft times in former times
Bred execrable facts, ungodly crimes.
Now can nothing of ours, in what manner soever, be
either compared or referred unto divine nature, that
doth not blemish and defile the same with as much imperfection.
How can this infinite beauty, power, and
1 AUG. Civ. Dei. 1. vi. c. 10. ² lb. ex SEN,
³ LUCR. 1. I. 82.