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great and able emperor was alfo extremely uneafy, when he happened to change his fhoes, and put the right foot fhoe on the left foot*. In fhort, it cannot be doubted, but the votaries of the established fuperftition of antiquity were as numerous in every ftate, as thofe of the modern religion are at prefent. Its influence was as univerfal; though it was not fo great. As many people gave their affent to it; though that affent was not feemingly fo ftrong, precife, and affirmative.

We may obferve, that, notwithstanding the dogmatical, imperious ftyle of all fuperftition, the conviction of the religionists, in all ages, is more affected than real, and fcarcely ever approaches, in any degree, to that folid belief and perfuafion which governs us in the common affairs of life. Men dare not avow, even to their own hearts, the doubts which they entertain on fuch fubjects: They make a merit of implicit faith; and diguise to themselves their real infidelity, by the ftrongest affeverations and moft pofitive bigotry. But nature is too hard for all their endeavours, and fuffers not the obscure, glimmering light, afforded in thofe fhadowy regions, to equal the ftrong impreffions, made by common fenfe and by experience. The ufual courfe of men's conduct belies their words, and fhows, that their affent in these matters is fome unaccountable operation of the mind between disbelief and conviction, but approaching much nearer to the former than to the latter.

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Since, therefore, the mind of man appears of fo loose and unsteady a texture, that, even at prefent, when so many perfons find an interest in continually employing on it the chiffel and the hammer, yet are they not able to engrave theological tenets with any lafting impreffion;

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*Sueton. Aug. cap. 90, 91, 92. Plin. lib. ii. cap. 7..

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how much more muft this have been the cafe in ancient times, when the retainers to the holy function were so much fewer in comparison? No wonder, that the appearances were then very confiftent, and that men, on some occafions might feem determined infidels, and enemies to the ef tablished religion, without being fo in reality; or at leaft, without knowing their own minds in that particular.

Another caufe, which rendered the ancient religions much loofer than the modern, is, that the former were traditional and the latter are fcriptural; and the tradition in the former was complex, contradi&tory, and, on many occafions, doubtful; fo that it could not poffibly be reduced to any ftandard and canon, or afford any determinate articles of faith. The ftories of the gods were numberlefs like the popish legends; and though every one, almoft, believed a part of these stories, yet no one could believe or know the whole While, at the fame time, all must have acknowledged, that no one part stood on a better foundation than the reft. The traditions of different cities and nations were alfo, on many occafions, directly oppofite; and no reafon could be affigned for preferring one to the other. And as there was an infinite number of ftories, with regard to which tradition was nowife pofitive; the gradation was infenfible, from the most fundamental articles of faith, to those loofe and precarious fictions. The pagan religion, therefore, feemed to vanish like a cloud, whenever one approached to it, and examined it piecemeal. It could never be afcertained by any fixed dogmas and principles. And though this did not convert the generality of mankind from fo abfurd a faith; for when will the people be reasonable? yet it made them faulter and hesitate more in maintaining their principles, and

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was even apt to produce, in certain difpofitions of mind, fome practices and opinions, which had the appearance of determined infidelity.

To which we may add, that the fables of the pagan religion were, of themselves, light, eafy, and familiar; without devils, or feas of brimftone, or any object that could much terrify the imagination. Who could forbear fimiling, when he thought of the loves of Mars and Venus, or the amorous frolics of Jupiter and Pan? In this refpect, it was a true poetical religion;. if it had not rather too much levity for the graver kinds of poetry. We find that it has been adopted adopted by modern bards; nor have these talked with greater freedom and irreverence of the gods, whom they regarded as fictions, than the ancients did of the real objects of their devotion.

The inference is by no means juft, that, because a system of religion has made no deep impreffion on the minds of a people, it must therefore have been pofitively rejected by all men of common sense, and that oppofite principles, in fpite of the prejudices of education, were generally established by argument and reasoning. I know not, but a contrary inference may be more probable. The lefs importunate and affuming any fpecies of fuperftition appears, the lefs will it provoke men's fpleen and indignation, or engage them into enquiries concerning its foundation and origin. This in the mean time is obvious, that the empire of all religious faith over the understanding is wavering and uncertain, fubject to every variety of humour, and dependent on the prefent incidents, which ftrike the imagination. The difference is only in the degrees. An ancient will place a ftroke of impiety and one of fuperftition alternately, throughout a

whole

whole difcourfe*: A modern often thinks in the fame way, though he may be more guarded in his expreffion.

Lucian tells us exprefsly t, that whoever believed not the most ridiculous fables of paganism was deemed by the people profane and impious. To what purpose, indeed, would that agreeable author have employed the whole force of his wit and fatire against the national religion, had not that religion been generally believed by his countrymen and contemporaries?

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Livy acknowledges as frankly, as any divine would at prefent, the common incredulity of his age; but then he condemns it as feverely. And who can imagine, that a fuperftition, which could delude fo ingenious a man, would not alfo impofe on the generality of the people?

The Stoics beftowed many magnificent and even impious epithets on their fage; that he alone was rich, free, a king, and equal to the immortal gods. They forgot to add, that he was not inferior not inferior in prudence and understanding to an old woman. For furely nothing can be more pitiful than the fentiments, which that fect entertained with regard to religious matters; while they seriously agree with the common augurs, that, when à raven

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* Witness this remarkable paffage of Tacitus: "Præter multiplices rerum humanarum cafus, celo terraque prodigia, & "fulminum monitus & futurorum præfagia, læta, triftia, ambi

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gua, manifefta. Nec enim unquam atrocioribus populi Ro"mani cladibus, magifque juftis judiciis approbatum eft, non "effe curæ Diis fecuritatem noftram, effe ultionem." Hift. lib. 1. Auguftus's quarrel with Neptune is an inftance of the fame kind. Had not the emperor believed Neptune to be a real being, and to have dominion over the fea, where had been the foundation, of his anger? And if he believed it, what madness to provoke ftill farther that deity? The fame observation may be made upon Quintilian's exclamation, on account of the death of his children, lib. vi. Præf.

+ Philopfeudes.

‡ Lib. x. cap. 40.

croaks from the left, it is a good omen; but a bad one, when a rook makes a noife from the fame quarter. Panatius was the only Stoic, among the Greeks, who fo much as doubted with regard to auguries and divinations*. Marcus Antoninus + tells us, that he himself had received many admonitions from the gods in his fleep. It is true, Epictetus forbids us to regard the language of rooks and ravens; but it is not, that they do not speak truth: It is only, because they can foretel nothing but the breaking of our neck or the forfeiture of our eftate; which are circumftances, fays he, that nowife concern us. Thus the Stoics join a philofophical enthusiasm to a religious fuperftition. The force of their mind, being all turned to the fide of morals, unbent itfelf in that of religion

Plato introduces Socrates affirming, that the accufation of impiety raised against him was owing entirely to his rejecting fuch fables, as thofe of Saturn's caftrating his father Uranus, and Jupiter's dethroning Saturn: Yet in a fubfequent dialogue 4, Socrates confeffes, that the doctrine of the mortality of the foul was the received opinion of the people. Is there here any contradiction? Yes, furely: But the contradiction is not in Plato; it is in the people, whofe religious principles in general are always compofed of the moft difcordant parts; especially in an age, when fuperftition fate fo eafy and light upon them +4.

Cicero de divin. lib. i. cap. 3 & 7.

+ Lib. i. § 17.

Ench. § 17.

The

The Stoics, I own, were not quite orthodox in the established religion; but one may fee, from thefe inftances, that they went a great way: And the people undoubtedly went every length.

§ Eutyphro.

+ Phædo.
++ See NOTE [DDD].

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