Or last of all, was it because the perill of perjurie would reach in common to the whole common wealth, if a wicked, godlesse and forsworne person, should have the charge and superintendance of the praiers, vowes, and sacrifices made in the behalfe of the citie. 45. _What is the reason that upon the festivall day in the honour of_ Venus, _which solemnitie they call_ Veneralia, _they use to powre foorth a great quantitie of wine out of the temple of_ Venus. IS it as some say upon this occasion, that _Mezentius_ sometime captaine generall of the Tuscans, sent certeine embassadors unto _Aeneas_, with commission to offer peace unto him, upon this condition, that he might receive all the wine of that [141]yeeres vintage. But when _Aeneas_ refused so to doe, _Mezentius_ (for to encourage his souldiers the Tuskans to fight manfully) promised to bestow wine upon them when he had woon the field: but _Aeneas_ understanding of this promise of his, consecrated and dedicated all the said wine unto the gods: and in trueth, when he had obteined the victorie, all the wine of that yeere, when it was gotten and gathered together, he powred forth before the temple of _Venus_. Or, what if one should say, that this doth symbolize thus much: That men ought to be sober upon festivall daies, and not to celebrate such solemnities with drunkennesse; as if the gods take more pleasure to see them shed wine upon the ground, than to powre overmuch thereof downe their throats? 46. _What is the cause that in ancient time they kept the temple of the goddesse_ Horta, _open alwaies_. WHETHER was it (as _Antistius Labeo_ hath left in writing) for that, seeing _Hortari_ in the Latine tongue signifieth to incite and exhort, they thought that the goddesse called _Horta_, which stirreth and provoketh men unto the enterprise and execution of good exploits, ought to be evermore in action, not to make delaies, nor to be shut up and locked within dores, ne yet to sit still and do nothing? Or rather, because as they name her now a daies _Hora_, with the former syllable long, who is a certeine industrious, vigilant and busie goddesse, carefull in many things: therefore being as she is, so circumspect and so watchfull, they thought she should be never idle, nor rechlesse of mens affaires. Or els, this name _Hora_ (as many others besides) is a meere Greeke word, and signifieth a deitie or divine power, that hath an eie to overlooke, to view and controll all things; and therefore since she never sleepeth, nor laieth her eies together, but is alwaies broad awake, therefore her church or chapel was alwaies standing open.