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On the Vanity of Idols

Cyprian of Carthage

Section 5

About this work

Author: Cyprian of Carthage

5. Kingdoms do not rise to supremacy through merit, but

‹ Section 4 Section 6 ›

are

varied

by

chance

.

Empire

was

formerly

held

by

both

Assyrians

and

Medes

and

Persians

;

and

we

know

,

too

,

that

both

Greeks

and

Egyptians

have

had

dominion

.

Thus

,

in

the

varying

vicissitudes

of

power

,

the

period

of

empire

has

also

come

to

the

Romans

as

to

the

others

.

But

if

you

recur

to

its

origin

,

you

must

needs

blush

.

A

people

is

collected

together

from

profligates

and

criminals

,

and

by

founding

an

asylum

,

impunity

for

crimes

makes

the

number

great

;

and

that

their

king

himself

may

have

a

superiority

in

crime

,

Romulus

becomes

a

fratricide

;

and

in

order

to

promote

marriage

,

he

makes

a

beginning

of

that

affair

of

concord

by

discords

.

They

steal

,

they

do

violence

,

they

deceive

in

order

to

increase

the

population

of

the

state

;

their

marriage

consists

of

the

broken

covenants

of

hospitality

and

cruel

wars

with

their

fathers

-

in

-

law

.

The

consulship

,

moreover

,

is

the

highest

degree

in

Roman

honours

,

yet

we

see

that

the

consulship

began

even

as

did

the

kingdom

.

Brutus

puts

his

sons

to

death

,

that

the

commendation

of

his

dignity

may

increase

by

the

approval

of

his

wickedness

.

The

Roman

kingdom

,

therefore

,

did

not

grow

from

the

sanctities

of

religion

,

nor

from

auspices

and

auguries

,

but

it

keeps

its

appointed

time

within

a

definite

limit

.

Moreover

,

Regulus

observed

the

auspices

,

yet

was

taken

prisoner

;

and

Mancinus

observed

their

religious

obligation

,

yet

was

sent

under

the

yoke

.

Paulus

had

chickens

that

fed

,

and

yet

he

was

slain

at

Cannæ

.

Caius

Cæsar

despised

the

auguries

and

auspices

that

were

opposed

to

his

sending

ships

before

the

winter

to

Africa

;

yet

so

much

the

more

easily

he

both

sailed

and

conquered

.

Notes

9
“Parricida.”