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Arnobius
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Introductory Notice to Arnobius.
[4844] To this the commentators have replied, that mules, asses, and dogs were sacrificed to certain deities. We must either admit that Arnobius has here fallen into error, or suppose that he refers merely to the animals which were usually slain, or find a reason for his neglecting it in the circumstances of each sacrifice.
[4845] [The wit of Arnobius must be acknowledged in this scorching satire. Compare the divine ordinances, Exod. xxix. 13, 14.]
[4846] Lit., “by slaughters of,” cædibus.
[4847] Lit., “under,” i.e., under the sacrifices on your altars.
[4848] So all edd., reading cerne-, except both Roman edd., Hild., and Oehler, who retain the ms. cerni-tis—“you see.”
[4849] In translating thus, it has been attempted to adhere as closely as possible to the ms. reading (according to Crusius) qua si—corrected, as above, quæ in LB.; but it is by no means certain that further changes should not be made.
[4850] Lit., “prepare luncheons and dinners thence,” i.e., from the putrefying carcasses.
[4851] The ms. and first four edd. read ingentibus scrofis—“with huge breeding swine,” changed by rest, as above, incient-, from the margin of Ursinus.
[4852] Or “gloomy,” tetris, the reading of ms. and all edd. since LB., for which earlier edd. give atris—“black.”
[4853] Lit., “the tenderness of.”
[4854] [The law of clean and unclean reflects the instincts of man, as here appealed to; but compare and patiently study these texts: Lev. 10.10; Ezek. 22.26; Lev. 11; Acts 10.15; Rom. 14.14; Luke 11.41.]
[4855] Lit., “more.”
[4856] So the ms., Elm., LB., Orelli, Hild., and Oehler, reading vicerit, for which the others read jusserit—“has bidden.”
[4857] Lit., “prevailing with favourableness of omens,” ominum, for which the ms. and first four edd. read h-—“of men.”
[4858] That Arnobius had good reason to appeal to this scepticism as a fact, is evident from the lines of Juvenal (ii. 149–152): “Not even children believe that there are any Manes and subterranean realms.”
[4859] Lit., “and.” Immediately after, the ms. is corrected in later writing color-es (for -is)—“and the darkest colours.”
[4860] Similiter. This is certainly a suspicious reading, but Arnobius indulges occasionally in similar vague expressions.
[4861] Lit., “is white.”
[4862] Or, very probably, “the membranes with (i.e., enclosing) the brains,” omenta cum cerebris.
[4863] Goats were sacrificed to Bacchus, but not, so far as is known, to Mercury. Cf. c. 16, p. 524, n. 3.
[4864] Lit. “by the paction of some transaction is it,” etc.
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