For to what but to felicity should men consecrate themselves, were felicity a goddess? However, as it is not a goddess, but a gift of God, to what God but the giver of happiness ought we to consecrate ourselves, who piously love eternal life, in which there is true and full felicity? But I think, from what has been said, no one ought to doubt that none of those gods is the giver of happiness, who are worshipped with such shame, and who, if they are not so worshipped, are more shamefully enraged, and thus confess that they are most foul spirits. Moreover, how can he give eternal life who cannot give happiness? For we mean by eternal life that life where there is endless happiness. For if the soul live in eternal punishments, by which also those unclean spirits shall be tormented, that is rather eternal death than eternal life. For there is no greater or worse death than when death never dies. But because the soul from its very nature, being created immortal, cannot be without some kind of life, its utmost death is alienation from the life of God in an eternity of punishment. So, then, He only who gives true happiness gives eternal life, that is, an endlessly happy life. And since those gods whom this civil theology worships have been proved to be unable to give this happiness, they ought not to be worshipped on account of those temporal and terrestrial things, as we showed in the five former books, much less on account of eternal life, which is to be after death, as we have sought to show in this one book especially, whilst the other books also lend it their co-operation. But since the strength of inveterate habit has its roots very deep, if any one thinks that I have not disputed sufficiently to show that this civil theology ought to be rejected and shunned, let him attend to another book which, with God's help, is to be joined to this one. FOOTNOTES: [226] Ps. xl. 4. [227] Plato, in the _Timæus_. [228] Ch. xi. and xxi. [229] See Virgil, _Ec._ iii. 9. [230] Of the four books _De Acad._, dedicated to Varro, only a part of the first is extant. [231] Cicero, _De Quæst. Acad._ i. 3. [232] In his book _De Metris_, chapter on phalæcian verses. [233] Tarquin the Proud, having bought the books of the sibyl, appointed two men to preserve and interpret them (Dionys. Halic. _Antiq._ iv. 62). These were afterwards increased to ten, while the plebeians were contending for larger privileges; and subsequently five more were added. [234] Ch. 31. [235] _Fabulare._ [236] _Fabulosum._ [237] _Civile._ [238] _Timeri._ [239] _Vereri._ [240] _Intercido_, I cut or cleave. [241] _Paranymphi._ [242] Comp. Tertullian, _Adv. Nat._ ii. 11; Arnobius, _Contra Gent._ iv.; Lactantius, _Inst._ i. 20. [243] Mentioned also by Tertullian, _Apol._ 12, but not extant. [244] _Numina._ Another reading is _nomina_; and with either reading another translation is admissible: "One is announcing to a god the names (or gods) who salute him."