5.

But let it be assumed that there are these gods, as you wish and believe, and are persuaded; let them be called also by those names by which the common people suppose that those meaner gods ¹ are known. ² Whence, however, have you learned who make up the list of gods under these names? ³ have any ever become familiar and known to others with whose names you were not acquainted? ⁴ For it cannot be easily known whether their numerous body is settled and fixed in number; or whether their multitude cannot be summed up and limited by the numbers of any computation. For let us suppose that you do reverence to a thousand, or rather five thousand gods; but in the universe it may perhaps be that there are a hundred thousand; there may be even more than this,--nay, as we said a little before, it may not be possible to compute the number of the gods, or limit them by a definite number. Either, then, you are yourselves impious who serve a few gods, but disregard the duties which you owe to the rest; ⁵ or if you claim that your ignorance of the rest should be pardoned, you will procure for us also a similar pardon, if in just the same way ⁶ we refuse to worship those of whose existence we are wholly ignorant.