him, in his exodus from barbarism, to regard his gods as "pillars of
fire by night, and pillars of cloud by day."

Even so late a religion as that of Numa was full of little gods to be
invoked on special occasions--Vatican, who causes the infant to utter
his first cry, Fabulinus, who prompts his first word, Cuba, who keeps
him quiet in his cot, Domiduca, who watches over one's safe home-coming
(Walter Pater); and Numa believed that all diseases came from the gods
and were to be averted by prayer and sacrifice. Besides the major gods,
representatives of Apollo, AEsculapius and Minerva, there were scores of
lesser ones who could be invoked for special diseases. It is said that
the young Roman mother might appeal to no less than fourteen goddesses,
from Juno Lucina to Prosa and Portvorta (Withington). Temples were
erected to the Goddess of Fever, and she was much invoked. There is
extant a touching tablet erected by a mourning mother and inscribed:

Febri divae, Febri
Sancte, Febri magnae
Camillo amato pro
Filio meld effecto. Posuit.

It is marvellous what a long line of superhuman powers, major and minor,
man has invoked against sickness. In Swinburne's words:

God by God flits past in thunder till his glories turn to shades,
God by God bears wondering witness how his Gospel flames and
fades;
More was each of these, while yet they were, than man their
servant seemed;
Dead are all of these, and man survives who made them while he