non ut his
fidem habeant, sed ut subditos religionis metu facilius in officio
contineant_, to keep people in obedience. [6390]_Nam naturaliter_ (as
Cardan writes) _lex Christiana lex est pietatis, justitiae, fidei,
simplicitatis_, &c. But this error of his, Innocentius Jentilettus, a
French lawyer, _theorem. 9. comment. 1. de Relig_, and Thomas Bozius in his
book _de ruinis gentium et Regnorum_ have copiously confuted. Many
politicians, I dare not deny, maintain religion as a true means, and
sincerely speak of it without hypocrisy, are truly zealous and religious
themselves. Justice and religion are the two chief props and supporters of
a well-governed commonwealth: but most of them are but Machiavellians,
counterfeits only for political ends; for _solus rex_ (which Campanella,
_cap. 18. atheismi triumphali_ observes), as amongst our modern Turks,
_reipub. Finis_, as knowing [6391]_magnus ejus in animos imperium_; and
that, as [6392]Sabellicus delivers, "A man without religion, is like a
horse without a bridle." No way better to curb than superstition, to
terrify men's consciences, and to keep them in awe: they make new laws,
statutes, invent new religions, ceremonies, as so many stalking horses, to
their ends. [6393]_Haec enim (religio) si falsa sit, dummodo vera credatur,
animorum ferociam domat, libidines coercet, subditos principi obsequentes
efficit._ [6394]Therefore (saith [6395]Polybius of Lycurgus), "did he
maintain ceremonies, not that he was superstitious himself, but that he had
perceived mortal men more apt to embrace paradoxes than aught else, and
durst attempt no evil things for fear of the gods." This was Zamolcus's
stratagem amongst the Thracians, Numa's plot, when he said he had
conference with the nymph Aegeria, and that of Sertorius with a hart; to
get more credit to their decrees, by deriving them from the gods; or else
they did all by divine instinct, which Nicholas Damascen well observes of
Lycurgus, Solon, and Minos, they had their laws dictated, _monte sacro_, by
Jupiter himself. So Mahomet referred his new laws to the [6396]angel
Gabriel, by whose direction he gave out they were made. Caligula in Dion
feigned himself to be familiar with Castor and Pollux, and many such, which
kept those Romans under (who, as Machiavel proves, _lib. 1. disput. cap.
11. et 12._ were _Religione maxime moti_, most superstitious): and did curb
the people more by this means, than by force of arms, or severity of human
l