Plutarch's Romane Questions: With dissertations on Italian cults, myths, taboos, man-worship, aryan marriage, sympathetic magic and the eating of beansPlutarch
Religion
Plutarch's Romane Questions: With dissertations on Italian cults, myths, taboos, man-worship, aryan marriage, sympathetic magic and the eating of beans
Plutarch
Rome -- Religion -- Early works to 1800; Rome -- Social life and customs -- Early works to 1800
But against this there may be opposed many objections: for first and
formost, they lost that battell upon another day, and calling it
_Alliensis_, by the name of the river _Allia_, where it was strucken, they
have it in abomination for that cause. Againe, whereas there be many daies
reputed dismal and unfortunate, they doe not observe so precisely and with
so religious feare, other daies of like denomination in every moneth, but
ech day apart onely in that moneth wherein such and such a disaster,
hapned: and that the infortunitie of one day should draw a superstitious
feare simply upon all the morrowes after _Calends_, _Nones_, and _Ides_,
carieth no congruitie at all, nor apparence of reason.
Consider moreover and see, whether, as of moneths they used to consecrate
the first to the gods celestiall; the second to the terrestriall, or
infernall, wherein they performe certeine expiatorie ceremonies and
sacrifices of purification, and presenting offirings and services to the
dead: so of the daies in the moneth, those which are chiefe and principall,
as hath beene said, they would not have to be kept as sacred and festivall
holidaies; but such as follow after, as being dedicated unto the spirits,
called _Dæmons_, and those that are departed; they also have esteemed
cõsequently as unhappy, & altogether unmeet either for to execute or to
take in hand any businesse: for the Greeks adoring and serving the gods
upon their new moones and first daies of the moneth, have attributed the
second daies unto the demi-gods and _Dæmons_: like as at their feasts also
they drinke the second cup unto their demi-gods, and demi-goddesses. In
summe, Time is a kinde of number, and the beginning of number is (I wot not
what,) some divine thing, for it is Unitie: and that which commeth next
after it is Deuz or two, cleane opposite unto the said beginning, and is
the first of all even numbers: as for the even number it is defective,
unperfect, and indefinit, whereas contrariwise, the uneven or odde number
it selfe is finite, complet, and absolute: and for this cause like as the
_Nones_ succeed the _Calends_ five daies after; so the _Ides_ follow the
_Nones_ nine daies after them; for the uneven and odde numbers doe
determine those beginnings, or principall daies; but those which presently
ensue after the said principall daies being even, are neither ranged in any
order, nor have power and puissance: and therefore men doe not enterprise
any great worke, nor set foorth voiage or journey upon such daies: and
heereto wee may to good purpose annex that pretie speech of _Themistocles_:
For when the morrow (quoth he) upon a time quarrelled with the festivall
day which went next before it, saying, that herselfe was busied and tooke a
great deale of pains, preparing & providing with much travel those goods
which the feast enjoied at her ease, with all repose, rest, and leisure:
the Festivall day made this answer: Thou saidst true indeed; but if I were
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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