INTRODUCTION 



telling. It does not surprise us that in several places 

 Pliny speaks of Magian vaiiitas, so large was the 

 element of witchcraft and sorcerv. 



By the time of Phny, however, the word Magus 

 had lost much of its association with the East. This 

 is well illustrated by a sentence in X\T. § 249 : nihil 

 habent Druidae — ita suos appellant magos — visco et 

 arbore in qua gignatur, si modo sit robur, sacratius. 

 Mayhoff has here a small " m," as though to mark 

 that the word in this context is not a proper. but a 

 common noun. Moreover, in § 11 of Book XXX 

 PHny speaks of a magices factio a Mose et lanne et 

 Lotape ac ludaeis pendens, words suggesting that 

 magice in the first centurv a.d. included much that 

 would be called to-day thaumaturgv. Incidentally, 

 it may be noticed that in ancient times conjuring 

 was not yet distinguished from " black magic." It 

 is easier now to separate honest deception from 

 dishonest ; in ancient times thev were hopelesslv 

 confused, as were also legitimate " suggestion " and 

 witchcraft. A sceptical mind would regard all magice 

 as fraud, a superstitious mind would accept it all as 

 truly miraculous, and ordinarj' men were puzzled and 

 uncertain. We can be sure, however, that on the 

 whole creduHty outweighed scepticism, as it did until 

 the commonplaces of modern science leavened the 

 popular mind. Witches are no longer bumed aUve. 

 and those who entertain superstitious beUefs are 

 laughed at. Unless we remember this difference 

 between ancient and modern times we cannot fully 

 appreciate the almost venomous attack of Lucretius 

 on religio. 



PUny's mind was of a very ordinary tvpe, and shows 

 much of the uncertainty the ordinary man used to 



