THE IRRELIGIOUSNESS OF ARTISTS.--Homer is so much at home amongst his gods, and is so familiar with them as a poet, that he must have been deeply irreligious; that which the popular faith gave him--a meagre, rude, partly terrible superstition--he treated as freely as the sculptor does his clay, with the same unconcern, therefore, which Æschylus and Aristophanes possessed, and by which in later times the great artists of the Renaissance distinguished themselves, as also did Shakespeare and Goethe. 126. THE ART AND POWER OF FALSE INTERPRETATIONS.--All the visions, terrors, torpors, and ecstasies of saints are well-known forms of disease, which are only, by reason of deep-rooted religious and psychological errors, differently _explained_ by him, namely not as diseases. Thus, perhaps, the _Daimonion_ of Socrates was only an affection of the ear, which he, in accordance with his ruling moral mode of thought, _expounded_ differently from what would be the case now. It is the same thing with the madness and ravings of the prophets and soothsayers; it is always the degree of knowledge, fantasy, effort, morality in the head and heart of the _interpreters_ which has _made_ so much of it. For the greatest achievements of the people who are called geniuses and saints it is necessary that they should secure interpreters by force, who _misunderstand_ them for the good of mankind. 127. THE VENERATION OF INSANITY.--Because it was remarked that excitement frequently made the mind clearer and produced happy inspirations it was believed that the happiest inspirations and suggestions were called forth by the greatest excitement; and so the insane were revered as wise and oracular. This is based on a false conclusion. 128. THE PROMISES OF SCIENCE.--The aim of modern science is: as little pain as possible, as long a life as possible,--a kind of eternal blessedness, therefore; but certainly a very modest one as compared with the promises of religions. 129. FORBIDDEN GENEROSITY.--There is not sufficient love and goodness in the world to permit us to give some of it away to imaginary beings. 130.