THE NATURE OF THE GODS.

BOOK I. I. THERE are many things in philosophy, my dear Bru tus, which are not as yet fully explained to us, and par ticularly (as you very well know) that most obscure and difficult question concerning the Nature of the Gods, so extremely necessary both towards a knowledge of the hu man mind and the practice of true religion : concerning which the opinions of men are so various, and so different from each other, as to lead strongly to the inference that ignorance 1 is the cause, or origin, of philosophy, and that the Academic philosophers have been prudent in refusing their assent to things uncertain: for what is more unbe coming to a wise man than to judge rashly? or what rash ness is so unworthy of the gravity and stability of a phi losopher as either to maintain false opinions, or, without the least hesitation, to support and defend what he has not thoroughly examined and does not clearly compre hend ? In the question now before us, the greater part of man kind have united to acknowledge that which is most prob able, and which we are all by nature led to suppose, name ly, that there are Gods. Protagoras 2 doubted whether there were any. Diagoras the Melian and Theodorus of Cyrene entirely believed there were no such beings. But they who have affirmed that there are Gods, have express ed such a variety of sentiments on the subject, and the disagreement between them is so great, that it would be

Some read scientiam and some inscientiam ; the latter of which is 

preferred by some of the best editors and commentators. a For a short account of these ancient Greek philosophers, see the

sketch prefixed to the Academics (Classical Library).