CHAP. XIII. OMENS DERIVED FROM Al'IS. S5'7 



it was thouglit to be a sinister omen. Pliny and 

 Ammianus observe, that lie refused what tlic iin- 

 fortiuiate (jermanicus presented to him ; and the 

 death of that prince, which happened shortly after, 

 was thought to confirm most unequivocally the 

 truth of those presages. The Egyptians also drew 

 omens respecting the welfare of their country, ac- 

 cording to the stable in which he happened to be. 

 To these two stables he had free access ; and when 

 he spontaneously entered one, it foreboded benefits 

 to Egypt, as the other the reverse ; and many other 

 tokens were derived from accidental circumstances 

 connected with this sacred animal. 



Pausanias * says, that those who wisiied to con- 

 sult Apis, first burnt incense on an altar, filling the 

 lamps with oil which were lighted there, and de])o- 

 siting apiece of money on the altar to tlie right of 

 the statue of the God. Then placing their mouth 

 near his ear, in order to consult him, they asked 

 whatever question they wished. This done, they 

 withdrew, covering their two ears until they were 

 outside the sacred precincts of the temple ; and 

 there listening to the first expression any one 

 uttered, they drew from it the desired omen. 



Children, also, according to Pliny and Solinus, 

 who attended in great numbers during the pro- 

 cessions in honour of the divine bull, received the 

 gift of foretelling future events ; and the same 

 authors mention a superstitious belief at Mem- 

 phis, of the influence of Apis u})on the Croco- 



* Pausan. HI), viii. 



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