Romanæ historiæ anthologia An English exposition of the Romane antiquities, wherein many Romane and English offices are paralleld and divers obscure phrases explained. By Thomas Godwyn Master of Arts: for the vse of Abingdon Schoole.

Lib. 2. Sect. 1.

The generall divisions of the Romane Gods.

CHAP. 1.

De dijs.

THough Satan had much blinded the hearts of men in old time, yet was not the darknesse of their vn∣derstanding so great, but that they did easily perceiue, and therefore willingly acknowledge, that there was some supreame governour, some first mover, as Aristot. saith: some first original of all goodnesse, as Plato teacheth. So that if any made this question, whe∣ther there was a God, or no? he should be vrged to con∣fesse the truth of that rather argumento bacillino, quàm A∣ristotelico, rather with a good cudgell, then with any long dispute. But as they were most certaine, that there was a God, so were they againe very blinde in discerning the true God: and hence hath bin invented such a tedious ca∣talogue of Gods, that as Varro averreth, their number hath exceeded thirty thousand, and proved almost numberlesse. Wherefore I shall omit to make any distinct treatise of the Gods, intending obiter, and by the way to speake of them, which either had priests, or sacrifices instituted for them. Only I purpose to shew what is vnderstood by those gene∣rall distinctions of the Gods, which diverse authors haue vsed. Tully lib. 2. de legibus reduceth all vnto three heads,

Gods celestial, which Varro calleth select, and others haue styled Gods maiorum gentium .i. of the greater nations, be∣cause their power was greater then the others.a 1.1 Alexan∣der Neapolitanus saith, that twelue of these were the Pe∣nates, which Aeneas did take forth with him at the destru∣ction of Troy. Ovid calleth them Deos nobiles, noble Gods: others call thē Deos consentes, quasi consentientes, because Iupiter would do nothing without the consent of all. En∣nius hath delivered them in this distich,

Iuno, Vesta, Minerva, Ceres, Diana, Venus, Mars, Mercurius, Iovis, Neptunus, Vulcanus, Apollo.

The second sort of Gods were called Semidei .i. Demigods: b 1.2 also Indigites .i. Gods adopted, or canonized; men deified. For as the select Gods had possession of heaven by their owne right; so these Gods canonized had it no otherwise then by right of donation, being therefore translated into heaven, because they lived as Gods vpō earth: but because their merit was inferior, and could not parallel the deserts of the Gods select, therefore were they called Gods of in∣ferior note.c 1.3 Servius would haue these called Divi; obser∣ving this difference betweene Dij & Divi, that Dij should signifie those which had bin Gods perpetually, but Divi should signifie men made Gods, though commonly they are vsed one for another. Whence they called all their Em∣perours Divi, because for their deserts they thought them worthy to be Gods. Now thed 1.4 manner how a man became deified was this: The party to be canonized being dead, a pile of wood was made in forme of a great tent, or taberna∣cle, with three other lesser tabernacles one vpon top of a∣nother, the lower-most having in it dry combustible mat∣ter, but in the out-side adorned richly with gold, Ivory, & painted tables: vpon the top of which was placed an eagle made of some light matter, as paper, or thin wood. Hither the dead corps was to be caryed with great solemnities; the Senate, the gentlemen, and al the chiefe magistrats go∣ing before, with hymnes and songs, and al kinde of honor,

which was to be performed even to the Gods themselues. He being in this manner brought, and laide within the se∣cond tabernacle, the fire was kindled, by reason of the smoake and vapor whereof the Eagle was carryed vp into the aire, and, as the Romanes thought, it did transport the soule of the dead body into heaven, in so much that ever af∣ter he was canonized amongst the Gods, and worshipped as a God. And because they were thus turned into Gods, some haue called them Deos animales,e 1.5 quoniam animae hu∣manae verterentur in Deos. The third sort were those morall vertues, by which as by a ladder men clymed into heaven: and therefore did men stile them Gods, because by their meanes men became deified. Late writers perceiving that all the number of the Gods could not bee reduced vnto these three heads, haue added a fourth sort, which they f 1.6 call Semones, quasi semi-homines, because ancient writers, as Rosinus hath obserued, called men hemones, not homines. In which point I shall willingly condescend vnto him; but I shall leaue to the iudgement of others, to determin how iustly he hath restrained the Gods minorum gentium of the lesser nations, only vnto this last classis: whereas my opini∣on is, that the demigods, the morall vertues which haue beene stiled Gods, and these Semones, may all of them bee called Gods of the lesser nations, standing in opposition with the Gods select, which are called Gods of the grea∣ter nations. But that we may vnderstand what is meant by these Semones, we must remember, that by them are signifi∣ed vnto vs not those Gods, which doe appertaine to man himselfe, but to the necessaries of mans living, his victuals, his cloathing, and the like: not to the being of a man, but to the well being of him, of which sort is Salus, Fortuna, with others. We read likewise of other names given in cō∣mon to diverse Gods, not as opposite members of a divisi∣on, but as notes of distinction drawne from the diversity of helpe, which they severally did afford vnto man. In this espect some were called dij Patrij, or tutelares, such as had

vndertaken the protection of any citie, or towne: which opinion hath sometimes beene entertained by our Eng∣lish-men, and thence haue risen these, and the like speeches S. George for England, S. Denys for France, S. Patricke for Ireland, &c. And the Romans being fully perswaded of the truth thereof, whensoever they went about to beseege any towne, by certaine enchantments, or spels they would first call out these Tutelar Gods; because they deemed it a matter impossible to captivate the citie, as long as these Gods were within; or at least they thought it a crime vn∣expiable to take the Gods as prisoners. And least other na∣tions might vse the same meanes in beseeging Rome, ther∣fore, g 1.7 as diverse authors haue thought, the true name of the Romane citie was never knowne, least thereby the name of their Tutelar God might bee descryed. Others namely the Tyrians haue tied fast their God Hercules with a golden chaine, thereby the more to secure themselues of his residence among them.h 1.8 Others haue beene called Dij communes, namely Mars, Bellona, and Victoria, because in time of war they are not bound to either side: but some∣times they helpe one side, and sometimes the other. And as they supposed some Gods to haue the protection of whole countries, so did they beleeue that others had the charge of particular men; and that so soone as any man was borne two spirits did presently accōpany him invisibly, the one tearmed the bonus Genius, or good angell, perswading him to that which should be good: the other called the malus Genius, or evill angell, tempting him to that which should be hurtfull: insomuch that they thought all the actions of man to be guided by these angels called Genij, so that if a∣ny misfortune befell a man, they would say that the mat∣ter was enterprised Dijs iratis .i. our Genius being displea∣sed with vs. Virgil calleth these bad Angels Manes, as it appeareth by that, Quis{que} suos patimur manes, .i. Every man hath his evil Angell .i. some misfortune. They are therefore called Genij, because they haue tuition of vs

so soone, as we are Geniti .i. borne, although every place had also his genius, as hereafter shall appeare. This opinion was the more confirmed by a vision which appeared vnto i 1.9 Brutus in Asia neere vnto the time of his death: for Bru∣tus, watching vpon a certaine night in his pavillion, the candle being nere spent, saw a fierce tragical person ap∣peare vnto him, somewhat bigger then a man, and hee pre∣sently being of an vndaunted spirit, demanded whether he were a God, or a man? To whom the vision answered, Brutus, I am thy evill Genius, which haunteth thee, thou shalt see me at the citie Philippi againe. And the same visi∣on appeared vnto him, as he was fighting at Philippi: which was the last fight that ever he fought. And because that Iu∣no was wont to be invocated in time of child-birth, there∣fore many haue thought that every man hath not his two angels, but one angell, and Iuno to obserue him. This Ge∣nius, as often as he is vnderstood for the good or evil angel which hath charge of a mans body, is painted in forme of a man, as we read he did appeare to Brutus; though some time he is painted as a young boy, sometime as an old de∣crepite man,k 1.10 but alwaies with a crowne of plane-tree, which therefore was called genialis arbor. In the right hand he held a platter over an altar garnished with flow∣ers. In the left he held a scourge hanging downe. The sacri∣fice that was performed vnto the Genius was wine, and flowers: wherevpon (as if by wine, and fragrant odors were signified all kind of pleasures) certaine proverbial speeches haue beene occasioned: as when we see a man giuen much to his pleasure, and daintie feeding, we say hee doth indul∣gere Genio .i. pamper or make much of his Genius: on the contrary he that is abstemious, & debarreth himselfe of his pleasure is said defraudare Genium, to defraud his Genius: & Gentalis also signifieth iocund, or pleasant.l 1.11 It was also the custome after meals to haue a cuppe passe round the table, much like vnto our poculum charitatis, and it was called poculum bon•• genij. But the reason, why they would not sa∣crifice

vnto their Genius by killing some host, as they did to their other Gods, was, because they iudged it vnfit to depriue any creature of his life vpon that day, when they first begā their life. (For this sacrifice was performed year∣ly by every one vpon his birth day.) The other Genius, which is supposed to haue chiefe power over high waies, and places, being therefore called Genius loci, was pictu∣red in the forme of a snake, in which forme Virgil faineth him to haue appeared to Aeneas, when hee performed the funerall rites due vnto his father Anchises, Aenead. lib. 5.

—Adytis cum lubricus anguis ab imis Septem ingens gyros, septena volumina traxit.

And Persius,

Pinge duos angues, pueri sacer est locus, extra Meiite, .i. duos genios.

Another sort of Gods was supposed to haue the keeping of mens houses:m 1.12 which they painted in forme of a dogge: because those to whom the charge of houses is committed ought to resemble dogges, that is, to seeme fierce, and an∣gry towards strangers, but gentle, and kind to those of the houshold. They were named Lares, and because of the charge, they had over mens houses, this word Lar is sun∣dry times taken for an house it selfe, as parvo sub Lare, Ho∣rat: in a little cottage, Homo incerti Laris .i. a man that hath no house to dwell in. Sen. in Med. And the custome in sa∣crificing vnto them, was to eate vp all whatsoever was left of the offering. For they thought it an heynous matter to send any part of that sacrifice abroad either among their friends, or the poore: and therevpon when we see a glutton leaue nothing in the platter, not somuch as the curtesy∣morsell, we say, Lari sacrificat .i. he sacrificeth to his hous∣hold God.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Alex. Geni∣al. dier. lib. 6. cap. 6.
• b 1.2

  Servius. in lib. Georgic.
• c 1.3

  In Aeneid. lib. 5.
• d 1.4

  Rosin an∣tiq. l. 3. c. 18.
• e 1.5

  Serv. in Ae•• lib. 3.
• f 1.6

  Rosin. an∣tiq. lib. 2. c. 19.
• g 1.7

  Sylvius in epist. virotū illuctrium.
• h 1.8

  Alex. Gen. dier. l. 6. c. 4.
• i 1.9

  Plutarch. in Bruto.
• k 1.10

  Rosin. An∣tiq l. 2. ca. 14▪
• l 1.11

  Vid. Erasm. Adag.
• m 1.12

  Franc. Syl∣vius in orat. pro Sext. Ro∣scio Amer.