Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

44 THE GODS OF THE NATIONSand country to us the Roman signified when heswore by the genius of the emperor. Nothingcould be more tolerant than this polytheism, if theinnovation extended only to the borrowing or ere-ating a new divinity, to reforming a rite or a ceremony,42or to suchlike modifications of worshipwhich admitted that on which it rested ; but no-thing more intolerant than the same polytheismwhen the worship itself was attacked. A movementagainst the Capitoline Jupiter would be notonly sacrilege but high treason, and the refusal tocall to witness the emperor's genius was in fact todeny his imperial authority. The worship of thegods was as much identified with the empire ofRome in the West as with the civilisation oGreece * throughout c the East.ut as if these two powers were not tiessufficiently strong to hold polytheism together,there was another feeling distinct from both, whichformed its last bulwark. The iron hand whichheld in its grasp these vast countries, many ofthem so large that by themselves they might havebeen empires, was strong enough to prevent orcrush insurrection, but provided only the majestyof the Roman peace was accepted, did not seekto disturb a large remnant of local feeling andinterest still representing the former life and polityof the several provinces. Now whatever of national,tribe, or race feeling existed, was grouped*2 Beugnot, i. 17.