The saints who play so great a part in the history of Christianity are, solely and simply, the old Pagan deities under new names.  The ancient creeds were intertwined with the daily life of the people, and passed on, practically unchanged, although altered in name.  “Ancient errors, in spite of the progress of knowledge, were respected.  Civilisation, as it grew, only refined them, embellished them, or hid them under an allegorical veil” ("Histoire Abregee de Differens Cultes,” Dulaure, t. i., p. 20).  “A remarkable passage in the life of Gregory, surnamed Thaumaturgus, i.e., the wonder-worker, will illustrate this point in the clearest manner.  This passage is as follows [here it is given in Latin]:  ’When Gregory perceived that the ignorant multitude persisted in their idolatry, on account of the pleasures and sensual gratifications which they enjoyed at the Pagan festivals, he granted them a permission to indulge themselves in the like pleasures, in celebrating the memory of the holy martyrs, hoping that, in process of time they would return, of their own accord, to a more virtuous and regular course of life.’  There is no sort of doubt that, by this permission, Gregory allowed the Christians to dance, sport, and feast at the tombs of the martyrs upon their respective festivals, and to do everything which the Pagans were accustomed to do in their temples, during the feasts celebrated in honour of their gods” (Mosheim’s “Eccles.  Hist.,” 2nd century; note, p. 56).  “The virtues that had formerly been ascribed to the heathen temples, to their lustrations, to the statues of their gods and heroes, were now attributed to Christian churches, to water consecrated by certain forms of prayer, and to the images of holy men.  And the same privileges that the former enjoyed under the darkness of Paganism, were conferred upon the latter under the light of the Gospel, or, rather, under that cloud of superstition that was obscuring its glory.  It is true that, as yet, images were not very common [of this there is no proof]; nor were there any statues at all [equally unproven].  But it is, at the same time, as undoubtedly certain, as it is extravagant and monstrous, that the worship of the martyrs was modelled, by degrees, according to the religious services that were paid to the gods before the coming of Christ” (Ibid, 4th century; p. 98).  The fact is, that wherever there was a popular god, he passed into the pantheon of Christendom under a new name, as “Christianity” spread.  Dulaure, in his work above-quoted, gives a mass of details—­mostly very unsavoury—­which leave no doubt upon this point.  The essence of the old worship was the worship of Nature, as we have seen, and a favourite deity was Priapus; this god was worshipped under the names of St. Fontin, St. Guerlichon, or Greluchon, St. Remi, St. Gilles, St. Arnaud, SS.  Cosmo and Damian, etc., in the various provinces of France, Italy, and other Roman Catholic lands; and his worship, with its distinctive rites of the most indecent character, remained in practice up to, at least, 1740 in France, and 1780 in Italy. (See throughout the above work.) If Christians knew a little more about their creed they would be far less proud of it, and far less devout, than they are at present.