technical sense, was represented by no statue, and her
title of Mater never suggested to the true Roman worshipper anything but
her motherly grace and beneficence.[289] Far more than any other cult,
that of Vesta represents the reality and continuity of Roman religious
feeling; and the remains of her latest dwelling, and the statues of her
priestesses with no statue of herself among them, may still give the
visitor to the Forum some dim idea of the spirit of Roman worship.[290]

NOTES TO LECTURE VI

[219] Arnobius (v. 155) fortunately mentions that this
story came from the second book of Valerius Antias,
whose bad reputation is well known. It was plainly meant
to account for the cult-title of Jupiter Elicius, and
the origin of the _procuratio fulminis_, and was
invented by Greeks or Graecising Romans at a time (2nd
century B.C.) when all reverence for the gods had
vanished as completely as in Greece. Yet Dr. Frazer
writes of Numa as "an adept at bringing down lightning
from heaven" (_Early History of Kingship_, p. 204).

[220] On this subject, the evolution of the knowledge of
God, I may refer to Professor Gwatkin's _Gifford
Lectures_ of 1904-5, published by Messrs. T. & T. Clark,
Edinburgh.

[221] The meaning of _deus_ is well put by Mr. C. Bailey
in his sketch of _Roman Religion_ (Constable & Co.), p.
12.

[222] Guesses can be made about these, but little or
nothing is to be learnt from them to help us in this
lecture.

[223] I adhere to what was said in _R.F._ p.
312 foll. We do not know, and probably never shall know,
the original deity concerned in that festival. The
ritual is wholly unlike that of the _rustica Faunalia_
(_R.F._ p. 256 foll.). I believe that it dates from a
time anterior to the formation of real gods--possibly
from an aboriginal people who did not know any. (I am
glad to see this view taken in the latest summary of
German learning on this subject, _Einleitung in die
Altertumswissenschaft_, by Gaercke and Norden, vol. ii.
p. 262.) At the moment of printing an interesting
discussion of the Lupercalia, by Prof. Deubner, who
treats it as a historical growth, in which are embodied
ideas and rites of successive ages, has appeared in
_Archiv_ (1910, p. 481 foll.). See Appendix B.

[224] Wissowa, _R.K._ pp. 170 and 250 foll.

[225] Strabo,