 Perhaps the most controversial portions of On Incantations surround his explanation of why both pagan and monotheistic societies give credence to the works of demons. His answer derives from his largely Aristotelian and Averroistic conception of the ordering of the universe (see Perrone Compagni 2011: xxxiii–lxxi). For Pomponazzi, God is both the final and efficient cause of the universe, a view he put forth in his earlier quaestiones on Averroes’ De substantia orbis (Pomponazzi Corsi inediti: 1:299–304). God, possessing knowledge of the essences of all species of beings, arranges the universe through the celestial intelligences (10.2). In turn, the celestial intelligences through the powers of the stars cause the eternal cycles of change in the universe. Accordingly, the entire arrangement of the world, including human society and religion, reflects and derives from God’s power. Thus, pronouncements in favor of the existence of demonic works from serious and important authorities, both religious lawmakers and philosophers including Plato, are the result not of their truth but of their usefulness for creating a virtuous populace. Since a large portion of humanity is incapable of understanding philosophical truths, lawmakers have created and employed myths or fables to inculcate virtue. The legislator, like the physician who deceives a patient for the patient’s own good, composes such fables because they contribute to the larger purpose. These fables should not be judged as philosophical doctrines—they contain neither falsity or truthfulness per se but have an allegorical or poetic meaning. For Pomponazzi, these myths are not cynically used merely to gain political power but are harmonious with the universe’s nature and order, as arranged by God and the celestial intelligences. Political authority and obedience are necessary for ensuring the persistence of political structures that are ordained for humanity, for which nature has given leaders and organization just as it has for flock animals, like bees and quail (10.2). Consequently, the growth and decline of religions are in accordance with the cyclical workings of nature.