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

17$ AUGUR. AUiGUT I
came the-practice in later times to employ only swered the same purpose; but on all other occachickens (pulli) for the purpose. They were sions a place had to be consecrated, and a tent to
kept in a cage, under care of a person called be pitched, as, for instance, in the Campus Marputilarius; and when the auspices were to be tils, when the comitia centuriata were to be held.
taken, the pullarius opened the cage and threw The person who was then taking the auspices
to the chickens pulse or a kind of soft cake. If waited for the favourable signs to appear but it
they refused to come out or to eat, or uttered a was necessary during this time that there should
cry (occinerent), or beat their wings, or flew away, be no interruption of any kind whatsoever (silenthe signs wrere considered unfavourable. (Liv. x. tiumz), and hence the word silen2tim was used in
40; Val. Max. i. 4. ~ 3.) On the contrary, if a more extended sense to signify the absence of
they ate greedily, so that something fell from their every thing that was faulty. Every thing, on the
mouth and struck the earth, it was called tripz- contrary, that rendered the auspices invalid was
diesr solistionem (tripudiua, quasi terripavimnn, called vitimun (Cic. de Div. ii. 34; Festus, s. v. sisolistimzzmn, from solunz, according to the ancient lentio sys-gere); and hence we constantly read in
writers, Cic. de Div. ii. 34), and was held a Livy and other writers of vitio magistratus creati,
favourable sign. Two other kinds of tripudia are vitio lex lata, &c. The watching for the auspices
mentiosied by Festus, the tripsiiumn oscinzon, from was called spectio or serrare de coeao, the declarathe cry of birds, and sonisvium, from the sound of tion of what was observed nuntiatio, or, if they
the pulse falling to the ground: in what respects were unfavourable, obnuntiatio. In the latter case,
the latter.differed from the tripudizlon solistimnzem, the person who took the auspices seems usually to
we are not informed. (Cic. ad Faam. vi. 6; see have said alio die, by which the business in hand,
also Festus, s. Vapzls, tripudissm, osciomr tripu- whether the holding of the co aitia or any thing
dizes.) else, was entirely stopped. (Cic. de Leg. ii. 12.)
4. Ex quadrvpediibus. Auguries could also be Having explained what the auspices were and
taken from four-footed animals; but these formed how they were taken, we have now to determine
no part of the original science of the augurs, and who had the power of taking them. In the first
were never employed by them in taking auspices place it is certain that in ancient times no one but
on behalf'of the state, or in the exercise of their a patrician could take the auspices, and that a
art properly so called. They must be looked upon plebeian had no power of doing so. The gods of
simply as a mode of private divination, which was the Roman state were the gods of the patricians
naturally brought under the notice of the augurs, alone, and it was consequently regarded as an act
and seems by them to have been reduced to a of profanation. for any plebeian to attempt to inkind of system. Thus, we are told that when a terpret the will of these gods. Hence the possesfox, a wolf, a horse, a dog, or any other kind of sion of the auspices (habere auspicia) is one of the
quadruped ran across a person's path or appeared in most distinguished prerogatives of the patricians;
an unusual place, it formed an augury. (See e.g. they are said to be penes patru7n, and are called
Hor. Carenu. iii. 27.) Thejage auspicinum belonged azspicia patrum. (Liv. vi. 41, x. 8', comp. iv. 6.)
to this class of auguries. (Cic. de Div. ii. 36; Fest It would further appear that every patrician might
s. v. juages ezspieinum; Serv. ad Fir-g. Aen. iii. 537.) take the auspices; but here a distinction is to be
5. Ex diris, sc. sigais. Under this head was observed. It has already been remarked that in the
included every kind of augury, which does not fall most ancient times no transaction, whether private
under any of the four classes mentioned above, or public, was performed without consulting the
such as sneezing, stunmbling, and other accidental auspices (snisi auspicato, Cic. de Div. i. 16; Val.
things. (Comp. Serv.ad yViy. Aen. iv. 453.) There Max. ii. 1. ~ 1); and hence arose the distinction of
was an important augury of this kind connected auspicia privata and auspicia pzblica. One of the
with the army, which was called ex acunzinibus, most frequent occasions on which the auspicia
that is, the flames appearing at the points of spears privata were talken, was in case of a marriage
or other -weapons. (Cic. de Div. ii. 36, de Nat. (Cic., Val. Max. ii. cc.); and hence after private
Deor. ii. 3; Dionys. v. 46.) auspices had become entirely disused, the Romans,
The ordinary mamnner of taking the auspices, in accordance with their usual love of preserving
properly so called (i.e. ex caelo and ex avibus), was ancient forms, were accustomed in later times to
as follows: The person who was to take them first employ auspices in marriages, who, however, acted.marked out with a wand (litsus) a division in only as friends of the bridegroom, to witness the'the heavens called temnplumz or tescmeP, within payment of the dowry and to superintend the
which he intended to make his observations. The various rites of the marriage. (Plaut. Cas. prol.
station where he was to take the auspices was 85; Suet. Claud. 26; Tac. Ann. xi. 27.) The
also separated by a solemn formula from the rest employment of the auspices at marriages was one
of the land, and was likewise called temrnplum or great argument used by the patricians against
tescuen. He then proceeded to pitch a tent in it co2nubinum between themselves and the plebeians;:(tabernaczultnm capere), and this tent again was as it would occasion, they urged, perts'lsactionenl
also called te:lnjlupom, or, more accurately, ternplunz c auspiciorumn publicoruenz privatorunque. (Lizv. iv.
minus. [TREiPLUMa.] Within the walls of Rome, 2.) The possession of these private auspicia is
or, more properly speaking, within the pomoerium, expressed in another passage of Livy by psrivstici7
there was no occasion to select a spot and pitch a auspicia Iabeere. (L[iv. vi. 41.) In taking these
tent on it, as there was a place on the Arx on the private auspices, it would appear that any patrician
summit of the Capitoline hill, called A uguracdlunm X
which had been consecrated once for all for this - There canl be no reasonable doubt that by
purpose. (Festus, s. v. Auguraculh6im; comp. Liv. patres in these passages the whole body of the
i, 18, iv. 18; Cic. de Off. iii. 16.) In like manner patricians is meant, and not the senators, as
there was in every Roman camp a place called Rubino asserts. (Comp. Becker, RiSn Alterti. vol.:(egu'aCile (Tac. Anil. ii. 13, xv. 30), which an- ii: part i. p. 304, &c.)