maxime cupiunt adorationem hominum, now and of old, they still and most especially desire to be adored by men.  See but what Vertomannus, l. 5. c. 2. Marcus Polus, Lerius, Benzo, P. Martyr in his Ocean Decades, Acosta, and Mat.  Riccius expedit.  Christ. in Sinus, lib. 1. relate. [6374]Eusebius wonders how that wise city of Athens, and flourishing kingdoms of Greece, should be so besotted; and we in our times, how. those witty Chinese, so perspicacious in all other things should be so gulled, so tortured with superstition, so blind as to worship stocks and stones.  But it is no marvel, when we see all out as great effects amongst Christians themselves; how are those Anabaptists, Arians, and Papists above the rest, miserably infatuated!  Mars, Jupiter, Apollo, and Aesculapius, have resigned their interest, names, and offices to Saint George.

“([6375](Maxime bellorum rector, quem nostra juventus
Pro Mavorte colit.)”------

St. Christopher, and a company of fictitious saints, Venus to the Lady of Loretto.  And as those old Romans had several distinct gods, for divers offices, persons, places, so have they saints, as [6376]Lavater well observes out of Lactantius, mutato nomine tantum, ’tis the same spirit or devil that deludes them still.  The manner how, as I say, is by rewards, promises, terrors, affrights, punishments.  In a word, fair and foul means, hope and fear.  How often hath Jupiter, Apollo, Bacchus, and the rest, sent plagues in [6377]Greece and Italy, because their sacrifices were neglected?

[6378] “Dii multa neglecti dederunt
        Hesperiae mala luctuosae,”

to terrify them, to arouse them up, and the like:  see but Livy, Dionysius Halicarnassaeus, Thucydides, Pausanius, Philostratus, [6379]Polybius, before the battle of Cannae, prodigiis signis, ostentis, templa cuncta, privates etiam aedes scatebant. Oeneus reigned in Aetolia, and because he did not sacrifice to Diana with his other gods (see more in Labanius his Diana), she sent a wild boar, insolitae magnitudinis, qui terras et homines misere depascebatur, to spoil both men and country, which was afterwards killed by Meleager.  So Plutarch in the Life of Lucullus relates, how Mithridates, king of Pontus, at the siege of Cizicum, with all his navy, was overthrown by Proserpina, for neglecting of her holy day.  She appeared in a vision to Aristagoras in the night, Cras inquit tybicinem Lybicum cum tybicine pontico committam ("tomorrow I will cause a contest between a Libyan and a Pontic minstrel"), and the day following this enigma was understood; for with a great south wind which came from Libya, she quite overwhelmed Mithridates’ army.  What prodigies and miracles, dreams, visions, predictions, apparitions, oracles, have been of old at Delphos, Dodona, Trophonius’ den, at Thebes, and Lebaudia, of Jupiter Ammon in Egypt, Amphiaraus in Attica, &c.; what strange cures performed by Apollo