Chap. 54.] INVOCATION OP THUNDEE. 83 



more minutely suppose, that these come froja the planet 

 Saturn, as those that are of a burning nature do from Mars. 

 In thi^ way it was that Volsinium, the most opulent town of 

 the Tuscans, was entirely consumed by lightning ^ The 

 first of these strokes that a man receives, after he has come 

 into possession of any property, is termed Familiar^ ^ and is 

 supposed to prognosticate the events of the whole of his life. 

 But it is not generally supposed that they predict events of 

 a private nature for a longer space than ten years, unless 

 they happen at the time ol a first marriage or a birth-day ; 

 nor that public predictions extend beyond thirty years', un- 

 less with respect to the founding of colonies^. 



CHAP. 54. (53.) — OP CONJUEING UP THUNDEE. 



It is related in our Annals, that by certain sacred rites 

 and imprecations, thunder-storms may be compelled or in- 

 voked^ There is an old report in Etruria, that thunder was 

 invoked when the city of Volsinium had its territory laid 

 waste by a monster named Volta*. Thunder was also in- 



* The city of Bolsena is supposed to occupy the site of the ancient 

 Volsinium. From the nature of the district in which it is situate, it is 

 perhaps more probable, that the event alluded to in the text was produced 

 by a volcanic eruption, attended by lightning, than by a simple thunder- 

 storm. 



* " Vocant et familiaria quae prima fiunt familiam suam cuique 



indepto." This remark is explained by the following passage from Seneca ; 

 Nat. Qusest. ii. 47. " Hsec svmt fidmina, qute primo accepto patrimonio, 

 in novo hominis aut urbis statu fiunt." This opinion, as well as most of 

 those of our author, respecting the auguries to be formed fivra thimder, 

 is combated by Seneca ; ubi supra, § 48. 



* TMs opinion is also referred to by Seneca in the following passage ; 

 "privnta autem fulmina negant ultra decimum annum, publica ultra 

 trigesimum posse deferri ;" ubi supra. 



* " in deductione oppidonun ;" according to Hardouin, Lemaire, L 350, 

 " quunj in oppida coloni» deducimtur." 



5 The following conjecture is not without a degree of probability ; " Ex 

 hoc multisque aliis auctorum locis, plerique conjiciunt Etruscis auguribus 

 baud ignotam fuisse vim electricam, Hcet eorum arcana nunquam divul- 

 gata sint." Alexandre in Lemaire, i. 350. 



^ Alexandre remarks in this place, " An morbus aliquis fuit, qui pri- 

 mum ui agros debacchatus, jam urbi minabatur, forsitan ab aeris siccitate 

 natus, quern advenientes cum procella imbres discusserunt ? " Lemaire, 

 L350. 



g2 



