31 MARCH 1923, Page 24

After Life in Roman Paganism. By Franz Cumont. (H. Milford.

15s. net.)

When the Catholic missionaries Hue and Gabet visited Tibet in 1844, they were startled to find how close was the parallel between the religious conceptions of Lhassa and those of Rome. Early writers had noticed a similar correspondence between Paganism and Christianity, attributing it to' the arts of evil spirits. Comparative religion brings together these scattered and fragmentary resemblances. Rohde's Psyche has done this for the Greek period ; these admirable lectures deal with the Roman. A larger work is to follow in which M. Cumont hopes to treat the subject at greater length.