L. VIVES.
THey (a) durst not exempt] Sisitheus presenting a Commedy wherein he scoffed at Cleanthes the Stoicke, whereas others were offended at it, they say the Philosopher himselfe replied that it were a shame for a man to fret at such things, seeing that Hercules, and Dionysius being gods, are dayly mocked thus, and yet are not displeased. (b) Labeo] There were three Labeo's; all of great skill in the ciuill law: But the most learned of them all was Antistius Labeo who * 1.1 liued in Augustus his time: he was scholler to Trebatius Testa, and was cunning not onely in the law, but in all antiquity and knowledge, being (as Gellius reports) an exact historian. But Augustus did not much affect him by reason of his great freedome of speech, and largenesse of wit: This opinion of his hee seemes to deriue from Platonisme, and Stoicisme, though with some alteration. For the Platonists held that all the gods were good: but that amongst the Daemones and Heroes, some were good and some were badde. Porphiry, in his booke of sacri∣fices saith, that a true worshipper must neuer sacrifice any liuing creature vnto the gods, but onely vnto those Daemones. And the same author in his booke De via intelligibilium, ex∣plaines more fully which are good Daemones, and which are euill. But of this, in another place. (c) the bad ones] The worse that these gods are, and the more infernall, the sadder kind of in∣uocations doe they desire to be vsed to them: so doe the Hell-gods; Pluto, Proserpine, and o∣thers: * 1.2 Lucane brings in Erichtho inuocating the infernall Deities thus: