20. But you, on the
contrary, forgetting how great4184
| 4184
Lit., “forgetting the so great majesty and sublimity.” |
their
dignity and grandeur are,
associate with them a
birth,
4185
and impute
to them a
descent,
4186
which men of
at all
refined feelings regard as at once execrable and
terrible.
From Ops, you say, his mother, and from his
father Saturn, Diespiter
was
born with his
brothers. Do the gods, then, have
wives; and,
the matches having been previously planned, do they become subject to
the
bonds of
marriage? Do they take upon themselves
4187
| 4187
The ms., first four edd., and
Oberthür read conducunt—“unite;”
for which the rest read condic-unt, as above. |
the
engagements of the bridal couch by prescription, by the cake of spelt,
and by a pretended sale?
4188
| 4188
i.e., usu, farre, coemptione. |
Have they their
mistresses,
4189
| 4189
The word here translated mistresses, speratas, is used of
maidens loved, but not yet asked in marriage. |
their
promised wives, their
betrothed brides, on settled conditions?
And what do we say about their marriages, too, when indeed you say that
some celebrated their nuptials, and
entertained joyous throngs, and
that the
goddesses sported at these; and that
some threw all
things into utter confusion with
dissensions because they had no share
in
singing the Fescennine verses, and occasioned
danger and
destruction
4190
| 4190 Lit.,
“dangers of destructions.” |
to the next
generation of men?
4191
| 4191
Instead of “occasioned,” sevisse, which the
later editions give, the ms. and first four
edd. read sævisse—“that danger and
destruction raged against,” etc. |
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