CHAP. IX.

Some farther considerations to show that the design of the mysteries was not to detect the errors of the Pagan polytheism. The legislators and magistrates who instituted and conducted the mysteries, were themselves the chief promoters of the popular polytheism from political views, and therefore it is improbable that they intended secretly to subvert it by the mysteries. Their scheme, upon such a supposition, absurd and inconsistent. The mysteries were, in fact, of no advantage for reclaiming the heathens from their idolatries. The primitive Christians not to be blamed for the bad opinion they had of the Pagan mysteries.

THE observations which have been made may perhaps be judged sufficient to show that little stress can be laid upon the boasted expedient supposed to have been contrived by the civil magistrate for detecting the error of polytheism, and instructing men in the knowledge of the one true God. But it may be of use to add some farther considerations on this subject.

And here it is proper to take notice of an argument, which the celebrated author of the Divine Legation seems to regard as a plain proof, that the mysteries were designed to detect and overthrow the error of the vulgar polytheism. He observes that what the legislators and civil magistrates had principally in view in instituting and conducting the mysteries, was the promoting the practice of virtue among the people for the good of the society." But there was one insuper"able obstacle to it, the vicious examples of their gods. It "was therefore necessary to remedy this evil, which they did "by striking at the root of it. The mystagogue taught the "initiated, that Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Mars, and the "whole rabble of licentious deities, were indeed only dead "mortals, subject in life to the same passions and vices with "themselves. The fabulous gods being thus routed, the su"preme Cause of all things took their place," &c. See the passage quoted at large above, p. 152.

I readily agree, with this learned writer, that the ill effect of the vicious examples of the gods could not be effectually prevented, but by overturning the vulgar polytheism, and dis

carding the popular deities. But the ancient heathens were of a different opinion. Some of them made no scruple of declaring their disapprobation of the vicious actions ascribed to their gods in the poetical fables: and yet it does not appear that they were for rejecting the deities themselves, to whom those actions were ascribed, or turning the people from the worship of them. As, by our author's acknowledgment, they were only the poetical stories about the vicious actions of the gods, that, in their opinion, made polytheism hurtful to the state, they thought they might still maintain the established deities in the worship which was rendered to them according to the laws, and yet prevent the ill influence of those fables upon the people. To this purpose it was pretended, that those stories were not to be understood in the gross literal sense; and that they had a hidden meaning contained under them. Of this we have a specimen in the physical explication given by Varro of the story of Proserpine's having been ravished by Pluto, which was one of the things represented in the Eleusinian mysteries.* This was undoubtedly a fundamental defect in their scheme. For whilst the poetical mythology kept its place in the public religion and worship, and the stories and ancient traditions concerning the gods were held sacred among the people, no physical or allegorical interpretations, which were for the most part strained, could prevent the ill influence which the literal and obvious meaning would naturally have upon them. And for this' reason among others it could scarce be expected that the mysteries should have a good effect, in rectifying the religion or morals of the people. They were by no means intended to abolish the public system of polytheism, and whilst that continued in force with which those fables were so closely interwoven, all attempts to defeat the bad effects of them were ineffectual and vain.

That the mysteries were not designed to overthrow the vul

* Apud August. De Civ. Dei, lib. vii. cap. 20. p. 136. Edit. Bened.

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gar polytheism, may, I think, be fairly argued from this consideration, that the legislators and civil magistrates who first instituted the mysteries, and continued to have the chief direction of them, "had," as our learned author observes, "the "chief hand in the rise of the vulgar polytheism, and contriv"ed that polytheism for the sake of the state, to keep the people in awe, and under a greater veneration for their "laws." And could it be expected from such legislators and magistrates, that they, who by his own acknowledgment, regarded not truth but utility,† should, in good earnest, attempt to draw the people off from that polytheism which they themselves had encouraged and established for the welfare of the state, and to keep the people under a greater veneration for the laws? After having said that "the fabulous gods were "routed in the mysteries, and that the initiated were taught "the doctrine of the Unity, the supreme Cause of all things," he observes, that "these were the truths, which Varro tells "us, it was inexpedient for the people to know, imagining the error of the vulgar polytheism to be so inveterate, that it was not to be expelled without throwing the society into "convulsions." And any one that duly considers the maxims by which the ancient legislators and great men of the state governed themselves, will not readily believe that they were capable of forming a scheme, the tendency of which was, in their opinion, to throw the society into convulsions. If it be urged, that this was the very reason of their "discovering

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* Div. Leg. ubi supra, p. 156.

† Speaking of the hidden doctrines of the schools of philosophy, and those of the mysteries of religion, he says "they could not be the same, because their ends were very different: the end of philosophy being only truth, the end of religion "only utility." p. 151. And, in a marginal note, ibid. it is said concerning the legislator and civil magistrate, that "whilst he was too little solicitous about truth, he "encouraged a polytheism destructive of society, to regulate which, he, success"fully however, employed the mysteries." With what success these mysteries were employed to regulate the vulgar polytheism, sufficiently appears from the observations which I have here made, and shall further make upon this subject. Div. Leg. ubi supra, p. 155, 156. VOL. I.

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"the delusion of polytheism in the mysteries only to such of "the initiated as were judged capable of the secret;" and that "this being supposed the shaking foundations, was to be done "with all possible circumspection, and under the most tre"mendous seal of secrecy;"* let us see whether this will account for the conduct of the legislators and magistrates, and render their scheme consistent. Upon this view of it the expedient must stand thus: the legislators and magistrates, being convinced of the error and evil tendency of the vulgar polytheism, and yet being persuaded that it would be dangerous to the state to let this be generally known, contrived the mysteries, in which the initiated were to be instructed, that the deities commonly adored were no gods but only dead men, and that there is only one true God, the Creator and Governor of the world; and at the same time were to be laid under the strictest obligations to keep this to themselves, and not to divulge it. The language of the mystagogue to the initiated must therefore be supposed to have been to this purpose :-I am now going to reveal to you a thing which is of the highest importance to you to know, because I look upon you to be persons fit to be entrusted with the secret; and that is, that those which are commonly esteemed gods, and the worship of which makes up the public religion of the state, are not gods, nor ought to be regarded as such: that they are only dead men: that this rabble of licentious deities, Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Mars, and others of the like sort, ought to be routed and discarded; and that you should acknowledge and adore the one only God, the Creator and Governor of the universe. But then you are bound by the most sacred oaths and engagements to keep what I now tell you an inviolable secret. Το reveal it would expose you to the divine vengeance, and to the capital punishments denounced by the laws against the

* He goes on to show that they were taught that the gods would punish the revealers of the secret, and not only them but the hearers of it too: besides which the state decreed capital punishments against the betrayers of the mysteries. Div. Leg. ubi supra, p. 180.

betrayers of the mysteries; and it would be of the most pernicious consequence to spread this doctrine among the people. You must still go on to worship the popular gods as before, and must never attempt the least alteration in the established religion and worship.

This appears to me to be a strange inconsistent scheme. And it is hard to conceive what the legislator could propose by so odd and unaccountable a management. It was not the virtue of a few individuals but of the society in general that he must be supposed to have in view: and how could this end be answered by committing the secret, which is supposed to be of such importance to the morals of the people, only to a few of the initiated, who were at the same time brought under the most solemn engagements not to discover it? And even as to those few to whom the secret was communicated, to what purpose would it be to instruct them in doctrines they were not to make use of? Or, what opinion could they have of the honesty of those that should instruct them to despise those popular deities, whom yet they would have them publicly adore? And who should discover to them the delusion of the vulgar polytheism, and the falsehood of the religion of their country, and yet urge it upon them as a them as a duty to conform to it? If the mysteries were founded upon such a plan, it is not to be wondered at, that they had little effect on the minds and manners of men.

But I cannot bring myself to believe that the legislators ever intended, that there should be any thing in the mysteries which should expose the established religion and worship to contempt. If Virgil has, according to our author's most ingenious conjecture, made a genuine representation of the mysteries, in the 6th book of his Æneid, "non temnere divos"not to contemn the gods," was a lesson carefully inculcated there.* Instead of being intended to prejudice persons

"Let the con

* It was one of the laws of Charondas, as Stobæus informs us, "tempt of the gods be reckoned among the greatest crimes." Stob. serm. 42.