proper spirit, it was essential that his roll of spirits should have no omissions. Then, if he were in doubt what spirit to name, he could make assurance doubly sure by naming all. Let it not be imagined that this State-organised magic, though it appear to us inconsistent with civilisation, is mere matter of inference, or belongs purely to pre-historic times. Not only did it survive the introduction of polytheism, it was a firm article of Roman faith in the most glorious days of the Republic, and until B.C. 211 or later, the belief was so living as to give birth continually to fresh spirits, as fresh departments of human activity were opened up.[55] Nor did it cease then. It changed, but it did not die. In the worship of such abstractions as Fortuna, Spes, Juventas, Concordia, Pietas, Libertas, Felicitas, Annona, &c., we have evidence that abstract names exercised as great a hold over the minds of Romans of the Empire as they had over the earliest Italians. On some _indigetes_ Greek cults and myths were grafted, and these _numina_, which were in truth but _nomina_, henceforth lived as gods. Mercurius was declared to be Hermes. Minerva, the spirit of memory, was seen to be Athênê, the goddess of wisdom. Saturnus was identified with Kronos, and was henceforth worshipped in the Greek fashion with uncovered head (_R. Q._ 13). Opis was identified with Dêmêtêr, Venus with Aphroditê, and Libitina, the _numen_ of funerals, was interpreted, by a pedantic etymological confusion with Libentina, as a bye-name of the new goddess (_R. Q._ 23). The _indiges_ Liber[56] was recognised in Dionysius Eleutherios (_R. Q._ 104).