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273 Subegisse oculis, "reduced to his own eyesight."
275 Magis obtinendus divinitati deputatur.
278 Rather murders of children and other kindred.
280 Tertullian does not correctly quote Pindar (Pyth. iii. 54-59), who notices the skilful hero's love of reward, but certainly ascribes to him the merit of curing rather than killing: Alla\ ke/rdei kai\ sofi/a de/detai e@trapen kai\ ka0kei=non a9ga/nori misqw=| xruso\j e0n xersi\n fanei\j a@ndr0 e0k qana/tou komi/sai h!dh a0lwko/ta: xersi\ d' a!ra Kroni/wn r\i/yaij di0 a0mfsi=n a0mpnoa\n ste/rnwn kaqe/len w0ke/wj, ai!qwn de\ kerauno\j e0ne/skimyen mo/ron-"Even wisdom has been bound by love of gain, and gols shining in the hand by a magnificent reward induced even him to restore from death a man already seized by it; and then the son of Saturn, hurling with his hands a bolt through both, speedily took away the breath of their breasts, and the flashing bolt inflicted death" (Dawson Turner).
281 Tertullian does not follow the legend which is usually received. He wishes to see no good in the object of his hatred, and so takes the worst view, and certainly improves upon it. The "bestia" is out of reason. [He doubtless followed some copy now lost.]
287 Jobis exoletus, Ganymede, or Aquarius.
288 He makes a similar postponement above, in c. vii., to The Apology, cc. xxii. xxiii.
293 Perhaps another form of Diana.
295 This seems to be the meaning of an almost unintelligible sentence, which we subjoin: "Geniis eisdem illi faciunt qui in isdem locis aras vel aedes habent; praeterea aliis qui in alieno loco aut mercedibus habitant." Oehler, who makes this text, supposes that in each clause the name of some god has dropped out.
302 We insert this clause at Oehler's suggestion.
304 The incident, which was closely connected with the third Punic war, is described pleasantly by Pliny, Hist. Nat. xv. 20.
307 "Antiquitas" is here opposed to "novitas," and therefore means "the arts of old times."
308 In aemulis. "In," in our author, often marks the instrument.
309 Compare The Apology, xxv. xxvi., pp. 39,40.
310 The verb is in the singular number.
315 Apollo; comp. The Apology, c. xiv., p. 30.
323 Morabantur. We have taken this word as if from "mores" (character). Tertuallian often uses the participle "moratus" in this sense.
326 Compare The Apology, c. xxvi.
327 We have treated this "tanquam" and its clause as something more than a mere simile. It is, in fact, an integral element of the supremacy which the entire sentence describes as conferred on the Romans by the Almighty.
328 That is, the Christians, who are well aware of God's purposes as declared in prophecy. St. Paul tells the Thessalonians what the order of the great events subsequent to the Roman power was to be: the destruction of that power was to be followed by the development and reign of Antichrist; and then the end of the world would come.
1 Daemons. Gr. dai/mwn, which some hold to = dah/mwn, "knowing," "skilful," in which case it would come to be used of any superhuman intelligence; others, again, derive from dai/w, "to divide, distribute," in which case it would mean a distributor of destinies; which latter derivation and meaning Liddell and Scott incline to.
5 Pareretur. As the word seems to be used here with reference to his father, this, although not by any means a usual meaning, would seem to be the sense. [As in the equivalent Greek.]
6 A Cretibus, hominibus natis. The force seems to be in the absurdity of supposing that, 1st, there should eb human beings (hominibus) born, (as Jupiter is said to have been "born,") already existing at the time of the "birth" of "the highest god;" 2ndly, that these should have had the power to do him so essential service as to conceal him from the search of his own father, likewise a mighty deity, by the simple expedient of rattling their arms.
7 See Hom. Il. ii. 446-9; but Homer says there were 100 such tassels.
8 Oehler's "virginis" must mean "virgines."
9 So Scott: "He drave my cows last Fastern's night."-Lay of Last Minstrel.
12 i.e., Western: here=Italian, as being west of Greece.