Chapter VIII.

See now, we set before you the reward of these enormities. They give promise of eternal life. Hold it meanwhile as your own belief. I ask you, then, whether, so believing, you think it worth attaining with a conscience such as you will have. Come, plunge your knife into the babe, enemy of none, accused of none, child of all; or if that is another’s work, simply take your place beside a human being dying before he has really lived, await the departure of the lately given soul, receive the fresh young blood, saturate your bread with it, freely partake. The while as you recline at table, take note of the places which your mother and your sister occupy; mark them well, so that when the dog-made darkness has fallen on you, you may make no mistake, for you will be guilty of a crime—unless you perpetrate a deed of incest. Initiated and sealed into things like these, you have life everlasting. Tell me, I pray you, is eternity worth it? If it is not, then these things are not to be credited.  Even although you had the belief, I deny the will; and even if you had the will, I deny the possibility. Why then can others do it, if you cannot? why cannot you, if others can? I suppose we are of a different nature—are we Cynopæ or Sciapodes?9    Fabulous monsters. You are a man yourself as well as the Christian: if you cannot do it, you ought not to believe it of others, for a Christian is a man as well as you. But the ignorant, forsooth, are deceived and imposed on. They were quite unaware of anything of the kind being imputed to Christians, or they would certainly have looked into it for themselves, and searched the matter out. Instead of that, it is the custom for persons wishing initiation into sacred rites, I think, to go first of all to the master of them, that he may explain what preparations are to be made. Then, in this case, no doubt he would say, “You must have a child still of tender age, that knows not what it is to die, and can smile under thy knife; bread, too, to collect the gushing blood; in addition to these, candlesticks, and lamps, and dogs—with tid-bits to draw them on to the extinguishing of the lights:  above all things, you will require to bring your mother and your sister with you.” But what if mother and sister are unwilling? or if there be neither the one nor the other? What if there are Christians with no Christian relatives? He will not be counted, I suppose, a true follower of Christ, who has not a brother or a son. And what now, if these things are all in store for them without their knowledge?  At least afterwards they come to know them; and they bear with them, and pardon them. They fear, it may be said, lest they have to pay for it if they let the secret out: nay, but they will rather in that case have every claim to protection; they will even prefer, one might think, dying by their own hand, to living under the burden of such a dreadful knowledge. Admit that they have this fear; yet why do they still persevere? For it is plain enough that you will have no desire to continue what you would never have been, if you had had previous knowledge of it.

CAPUT VIII.

0311B Ut fidem naturae ipsius appellem adversus eos qui talia credenda esse praesumunt, ecce proponimus horum facinorum mercedem; vitam aeternam repromittunt. Credite interim. De hoc enim quaero, 0312A an et qui credideris, tanti habeas ad eam tali conscientia pervenire. Veni, demerge ferrum in infantem nullius inimicum, nullius reum, omnium filium ; vel si alterius officium est, tu modo adsiste morienti homini antequam vixit ; fugientem animam novam exspecta ; excipe rudem sanguinem, eo panem tuum satia, vescere libenter. Interea discumbens dinumera loca, ubi mater, ubi soror; nota diligenter, ut, quum tenebrae ceciderint caninae, non erres. Piaculum enim admiseris, nisi incestum feceris . Talia initiatus et consignatus vivis in aevum. Cupio respondeas, si tanti aeternitas, aut si non, ideo nec credenda. Etiamsi credideris, nego te velle; etiamsi volueris, nego te posse. Cur ergo alii possint, si vos non potestis? Cur non possitis, si alii possunt? Alia nos , opinor, 0312B natura; cynopaene aut sciapodes ? Alii ordines dentium , alii ad incestam libidinem nervi? Qui ista credis de homine, potes et facere. Homo es et ipse, quod et Christianus. Qui non potes facere, non 0313A debes credere. Homo est enim et Christianus, et quod et tu. Sed ignorantibus subjicitur et imponitur. Nihil enim tale de Christianis asseverari sciebant, observandum utique sibi et omni vigilantia investigandum. Atquin volentibus initiari moris est, opinor, prius patrem illum sacrorum adire, quae praeparanda sint describere . Tum ille: infans tibi necessarius, adhuc tener, qui nesciat mortem, qui sub cultro tuo rideat; item panis, quo sanguinis jurulentiam colligas ; praeterea candelabra et lucernae, et canes aliqui et offulae, quae illos ad eversionem luminum extendant , ante omnia cum matre et sorore tua venire debebis. Quid, si noluerint, vel nullae fuerint? Quid denique singulares christiani? Non erit, opinor, legitimus christianus, nisi frater aut filius. 0313B Quid nunc, et si ista omnia ignaris praeparantur? Certe postea cognoscunt, et sustinent et ignoscunt. Timent plecti, qui si proclament, defendi merebuntur, qui etiam ultro perire malint, quam sub tali conscientia vivere. Age nunc timeant, cur etiam perseverant? Sequitur enim, ne ultra velis id te esse, quod si prius scisses, non fuisses.