DIVINATION AND PALMISTRY 371 



to discover secrets or to foresee events, whilst magic in 

 general is an attempt to influence the course of events. 

 Divination is the process of attempting to obtain 

 knowledge of secret or future things by means of oracles, 

 omens, or astrology. One of its methods is "necromancy," 

 the supposed communication with the spirits of the dead. 

 This word is formed from the Greek words " nekros," a 

 corpse, and " manteia," divination ; but in Latin it was 

 erroneously written " nigromantia," and so gave rise to 

 the application of the name " the black art " to sorcery 

 and witchcraft in general. By the ancient Greeks and 

 Romans all omens, as well as oracles, were regarded as 

 sent by the gods, and in ancient Rome a large and 

 wealthy corporation of augurs who were constantly con- 

 sulted by private individuals as well as by the State 

 existed. They received regular " fees " for their services 

 in interpreting and seeking for omens. The orthodox 

 belief has always been either that the soothsayer is directly 

 controlled by a god or a spirit, or, on the other hand, that 

 the material objects inspected and regarded as signs of the 

 future are controlled by the gods or by spirits, so as to 

 afford information. Divination is, and has been, practised 

 in all grades of civilization and culture, from the Australian 

 " black fellow " to the American medium. Amongst its 

 many varieties are (i) crystal gazing, a method similar 

 to that of dreams, excepting that the vision is set up 

 voluntarily by gazing into a crystal ball or a basin of 

 water ; (2) shell-hearing ; (3) the divining-rod in its 

 various forms; (4) sieve, ring, and Bible swinging; (5) 

 automatic writing ; (6) sand divination, widely practised 

 in Africa; (7) trance-speaking; (8) the examination of 

 the hand, or palmistry; (9) card-laying; (10) the inter- 

 pretation of dreams ; (i i) the casting of lots, or sortilege ; 

 (12) the drawing of texts from the Bible or from Virgil 

 (the ' sortes Virgilianae ' of old times) ; (i 3) the inspection 



