Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

AUG UR. AUGUR. 175
they care for men, and that if they care for men to do; they assigned no reason for the decision of
they must send them signs of their will (Cic. de Jupiter, - they simply announced, yes or no.
Leg. ii. 13), expressed so completely the popular The words zauguriurm and auspicium came to be
belief, that whoever questioned it, would have used in course of time to signify the observation
been looked upon in no other light than an atheist. of various kinds of signs. They were divided into
aBut while all nations sought to become acquainted five sorts: ex caelo, ex avibus, ex thipudiis, ex quawith the will of the gods by various modes, which dru(pedibus, ex diris. Of these, the last three
gave rise to innumerable kinds of divination, there formed no part of the ancient auspices. The obarose in each separate nation a sort of national servation of signs in the heavens, such as lightbelief that the particular gods, who watched over ning, was naturally connected with observing the
them, revealed the future to them in a distinct and heavens in order to watch the birds; and therepeculiar manner. Hence, each people possessed a fore, must in early times have formed part of the
national /auruTc6 or diviszatio, which was supported auspices; for in an early stage of society, lightby the laws and institutions of the state, and was ning and similar phenomena have been always
guarded from mixture with f -reign elements by looked upon as sent by the gods. A few words
stringent enactments. Thus, the Romans looked must be said on each of these five kinds of augury.
upon astrology and the whole prophetic art of the 1. Ex caelo. This included the observation of
Chaldaeans as a dangerous innovation; they paid the various kinds of thunder and lightning, and
little attention to dreams, and hardly any to in- was regarded as the most important, mazoximzum
spired prophets and seers. They had on the con- az6.sicizum. (Serv. ad Virg. Aen. ii. 693; Cic. de
trary learnt from the Etruscans to attach much Div. ii. 18, &c.; Festus, s.v. Coelestia.) The inimportance to extraordinary appearances in nature terpretation of these phenomena was rather Etrus- Prodigiac; in common with other neighbouring can than Roman; and the only point connected
nations they endeavoured to learn the future, espe- with them which deserves mention here, is, that
cially in war, by consulting the entrails of victims; whenever it was reported by a person authorised
they laid great stress upon favourable or unfavour- to take the auspices, that Jupiter thundered or
able ostieza, and in times of danger and difficulty lightened, the comitia could not be held. (Cic. de
were accustomed to consult the Sibylline books, Div. ii. 14, Philipp1. v. 3.)
which they had received from the Greeks; but the 2. Ev avibous. It was only a, few birds which
mode of divination, which was peculiar to them, could give auguries among the Romans. (Cie. de
and essentially national, consisted in those signs Div. ii. 34.) They were divided into two classes:
included under the name of auspicia. The ob- Oscines, those which gave auguries by singing, or
servation of the auspices was, according to the their voice, and Aites, those which gave auguries
unanimous testimony of the ancient writers; more by their flight. (Festus, s.v. Oscines). To the
ancient even than Rome itself, which is constantly former class, belonged the raven (corvus) and the
represented as founded under the sanction of the crow (cornix), the first of these giving a favourable
auspices, and the use of them is therefore asso- omen (auspicium ratunz ) when it appeared on the
ciated with the Latins, or the earliest inhabitants right, the latter, on the contrary, when it was seen
of the city. There seems therefore no reason to on the left (Plaut. Asiz. ii. 1. 12; Cic. de Div. i.
assign to them an Etruscan origin, as many modern 39); likewise the owl (noctua, Festus, s. v. Oscines),
writers are inclined to do, while there are several and the hen (gallina, Cic. de Div. ii. 26). To the
facts pointing to an opposite conclusion. Cicero, aves alites belonged first of all the eagle (aquila),
who was himself an augur, in his work De Divi- who is called pre-eminently the bird of Jupiter
vatione, constantly appeals to the striking difference (Jovis ales), and next the vulture (vultar), and
between the auspicia and the Etruscan system of with these two the avis sansqcalis, also called ossidivination; and, while he frequently mentions fircga, and the immussulaus or immsusclzdus are proother nations which paid attention to the flight of bably also tobe classed. (Comp. Virg. Aen. i. 394;
birds as intimations of the divine will, he never Liv. i. 7, 34; Festus, s. v. ssanqualis; Plin. H. N.
once mentions this practice as in existence among x. 7.) Some birds were included both among the
the Etruscans. (Cic. de Div. i. 41, ii 35, 38; de oscines and the aliles: such were the Pices Martius,
Nat. Deoer. ii. 4.) The belief that the flight of and Feronius, and the Parrha (Plin. H. N. x. 18.
birds gave some intimation of the will of the gods s. 20; Heor. Cars. iii. 27. 15; Festus, s. v. Osciseems to have been prevalent among many nations aum tlipudizmnz). These were the principal birds
of antiquity, and was common to the Greeks, as consulted in the auspices. Every sound and mowell as the Romans; but it was only among the tion of each bird had a different meaning, accordlatter people that it was reduced to a complete ing to the different circumstances, or times of the
system, governed by fixed rules, and handed down year when it was observed, but the particulars do
from generation to generation. In Greece, the not deserve further notice here. When the birds
oracles supplanted the birds, and the future was favoured an undertaking, they were said addicere,
learnt from Apollo and other gods, rarely from adsnittere or secundare, and were then called addicZeus, who possessed very few oracles in Greece. tivae, adsmissivae, secundae, or praepetes: when unThe contrary was the case at Rome: it was from favourable they were said abdicee, arcere, refragar i,
Jupiter that the future was learnt, and the birds &c., and were then called adversae or alterae. The
were regarded as his messengers. (Aves internun- birds which gave unfavourable omens were termed
tiac Jovis, Cic. de Divin. ii. 34; Interpretes Jovis funebres, ihlibilae, Isgqusbres, malae, &c., and such
optimi smaimni publici augures, Cic. de Leg. ii. 8). auspices were called clicisa and cla7matoria.
It must be remarked in general, that the Roman 3. Ex Tripudiis. These auspices were taken
auspices were essentially of a practical nature; they from the feeding of chickens, and were especially
gave no information respecting the course of future employed on military expeditions. It was the
events, they did notinform men what was to happen, doctrine of the augurs that any bird could give
but simply taught them scwhat thley tcore to do, or niot a tripudium (Cic. de Div. ii. 34); but it be