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

178 AUGUR. AUGUR
72untiatio (perhaps also spectio cum nuntiatione), and sors and praetors. The quaestors and the curule
belonged only to the highest magistrates, the con- aediles, on the contrary, had only the auspiciac
sunls, dictators, interreges, and, with some modifica- sninora, because they received them from the contions, to the praetors. In the other case, the person suls and praetors of the year, and their auspices
who took the causes only exercised the spectio in were derived from the mnajora of the higher mareference to the duties of his own office, and could gistrates. (Messalla, ap. Gell. xiii. 15.)
not interfere with any other magistrate: this was It remains to trace the history of the college of
called spectio sine nuntiatione, and belonged to the augurs. We have already seen that it was a comother magistrates, the censors, aediles, and quaes- mon opinion in antiquity that the augurship owed
tors. Now as the augurs did not possess the its origin to the first king of Rome, and it is acauspices, they consequently could not possess the cordingly stated, that a college of three augurs was
spectio (habere spectionaem); but as the augurs were appointed by Romulus, answering to the number
constantly employed by the magistrates to take the of the early tribes, the Ramnes, Tities, and Luauspices, they exercised the spectio, though they cerenses. This is the account of Cicero (de Rcp.
did not possess it in virtue of their office. When ii. 9), who supposed Numa to have added two
they were employed by the magistrates in taking more (ii. 14), without, however, stating in what
the auspices, they possessed the right of the nun- way these latter corresponded to the tribes. On
tiatio, and thus had the power, by the declaration the other side stand different statements of Livy,
of unfavourable signs (obnuntiatio), to put a stop first, one (iv. 4) which is probably an error, in
to all important public transactions (Cic. de Leg. which the first institution of augurs is attributed
ii. 12). In this way we are able to understand to Numa, seemingly on the theory that all the
the assertion of Cicero (Philipp. ii. 32), that the Roman religion was derived from the second king:
augurs possessed the nzintiatio, the consuls and the secondly, a statement of far more importance (x. 6),
other (higher) magistrates both the spectio and that at the passing of the Ogulnian law the augurs
ncntiatio; though it must, at the same time, be were but four in number, which Livy himself, who
borne in mind that this right of nuntiatio only be- recognised the principle of the number of augurs
longed to them in consequence of their being em- corresponding to that of the tribes, supposes to
ployed by the magistrates. (Respecting the passage have been accidental. This is improbable, as
of Festus, s. v. spectio, which seems to teach a dif- Niebuhr has shown (Hist. of Rome, vol. iii. p.
ferent doctrine, see Rubino, p. 58.) 352), who thinks the third tribe was excluded
2. As to the manner in which the magistrates from the college of augurs, and that the four,
received the auspices, there is no reason to suppose, therefore, represented the Ramnes and Tities only.
as many modern writers have done, that they were It is hard to suppose, however, that this supeconferred upon them in any special manner. It riority of the Ramnes and Tities over the third
was the act of their election which made them the tribe could have continued down to the time of
recipients of the auspices, since the comitia, in the Ogulnian law (B.C. 300): moreover, as two
which they were appointed to their office, were augurs apiece were appointed from each of the two
held auspicato, and consequently their appointment first tribes, and the remaining five from the plebs,
was regarded as ratified by the gods. The auspices, it does not appear how the Luceres could ever have
therefore, passed immediately into their hands obtained the privilege. A different mode of reupon the abdication of their predecessors in office. conciling the contradictory numbers four and three
There are two circumstances which have given is sought for in another statement of Cicero (de
rise to the opinion that the magistrates received Div. i. 40), that the kings were augurs, so that
the auspices by some special act. The first is, that after their expulsion another augur may have been
the new magistrate, immediately after the midnight added instead of them to the original number
on which his office began, was accustomed to observe which represented the tribes. Probably this is
the heavens in order to obtain a happy sign for one of the many cases in early Roman history in
the commencement of his duties (Dionys. ii. 6). which the only conclusion we can come to is, that
But he did not do this in order to obtain the the theory of what ouzght to have been according
auspices; he already possessed them, and it was to antiquarians of a later age differed from what
in virtue of his possession of them, that he was able actually was according to the earliest accounts to
to observe the heavens. The second circumstance which Livy had recourse.
to which we have been alluding, was the inauwz- The Ogulnian law (B.c. 300), which increased
ratio of the kings on the Arx after their election the number of pontiffs to eight, by the addition of
in the comitia (Liv. i. 18). But this inauguration four plebeians, and that of the augurs to nine by
had reference simply to the priestly office of the the addition of five plebeians, may be considered a
king, and, therefore, did not take place in the case sort of aera in Roman history. The religious disof the republican magistrates, though it continued tinction between the two orders which had been so
in use in the appointment of the rex sacrorum and often insisted upon was now at an end, and it was
the other priests, no longer possible to use the auspices as a political
3. The auspices belonging to the different magis- instrument against the plebeians. The number of
trates Wiere divided into two classes, called auspicia nine augurs which this law fixed, lasted down to
mzximaa or masjors and minota. The former, which the dictatorship of Sylla, who increased them to
belonged originally to the kings, passed over to the fifteen, a multiple of the original three, probably
consuls on the institution of the republic, and like- with a reference to the early tribes. (Liv. 1pit.
wise to the extraordinary magistrates, the dictators, 89.) A sixteenth number was added by Julius
interreges, and consular tribunes. When the con- Caesar after his return from Egypt. (Dion Cass.
suls were deprived in course: of time of part of their xlii. 51.)
duties, and separate magistrates were created to The members of the college of augurs possessed
discharge them, they naturally received the auspi- self-election (cooptati). At first they were apcia m1ajora also; this was the case -with the cen- pointed by the king, but as the king himself was