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Arnobius
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Introductory Notice to Arnobius.
[3970] This argument seems to have been suggested by the saying of Xenophanes, that the ox or lion, if possessed of man’s power, would have represented, after the fashion of their own bodies, the gods they would worship. [“The fair humanities of old religion.”—Coleridge (Schiller).]
[3971] Ennius (Cic., de Nat. Deor., i. 35): Simia quam similis, turpissima bestia, nobis.
[3972] So the ms., followed by Oehler, reading nobis, for which all other edd. give vobis—“to you.”
[3973] Meursius would read naccas—“fullers,” for nautas; but the latter term may, properly enough, be applied to the gods who watch over seamen.
[3974] Or, “for the others are not gods,” i.e., cannot be gods, as they do not possess the power of divination. Cf. Lact., i. 11: Sin autem divinus non sit, ne deus quidem sit.
[3975] The ms., followed by LB. and Hild., reads sidereis motibus—“in the motions of the stars;” i.e., can these be in the stars, owing to their motion? Oehler conjectures molibus—“in the masses of the stars;” the other edd. read montibus, as above.
[3976] The ms., both Roman edd., and Oehler read habetur Diana—“is Diana esteemed;” the other edd., ut habeatur, as above.
[3977] i.e., Æsculapius.
[3978] i.e., Minerva. [Elucidation II. Conf. n. 4, p. 467, supra.]
[3979] “With nice skill…for them,” curiose iis; for which the ms. and first five edd. read curiosius—“rather skilfully.”
[3980] The ms. reads unintelligibly et imponere, for which Meursius emended componat, as above.
[3981] Mercury, grandson of Atlas by Maia.
[3982] Lit., “by the long duration of time.”
[3983] Lit., “skilled in notions”—perceptionibus; for which præceptionibus, i.e., “the precepts of the different arts,” has been suggested in the margin of Ursinus.
[3984] Lit., “and have skill (sollertias) in which individuals excel.”
[3985] According to Oehler, Portunus (Portumnus or Palæmon—“the god who protects harbours”) does not occur in the ms., which, he says, reads per maria præstant—“through the seas they afford;” emended as above by Ursinus, præstat Portunus. Oehler himself proposes permarini—“the sea gods afford.”
[3986] Pales, i e., the feeding one; Inuus, otherwise Faunus and Pan.
[3987] Otherwise, “from the absence of rain.”
[3988] So the margin of Ursinus, reading meretrix; but in the first four edd., LB., and Oberthür, genetrix—“mother,” is retained from the ms.
[3989] So LB., reading cura-t, the ms. omitting the last letter.
[3990] Lit., “salted fruits,” the grits mixed with salt, strewed on the victim.
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