AUG 



another feafon, when it is time to (hear the fheep ; after 

 that, the fwallow informs you when it is time to put on 

 f'smmer clothes : we are to you, adds the Ciiorus, Ammon, 

 Dodona, Apollo; for after confulting us, you undertake 

 every thing ; merchandifc, purchafcs, maiTiagcs, &c. 



" Es-jx'v yuLLtv AuuMv, A=A?oi, llxhiri, i'A<^;!; A.m\Xxt ." 



Now, it feems not improbable, that the fame tranfition 

 was made in the fpeculations of men which appear in the 

 words of the poet ; and that they were eafily induced to 

 think that the uirprifmg forefight of birds as to the time of 

 migration, indicated foniething of a divine nature in them ; 

 againil which opinion, Virgil, as an Epicurean, protefts, 

 ■ttihen he fays, 



" Haud equidem credo, quia fit divinitas illis ingenium." 

 From thcfe fpeculations of a conjcAural kind we proceed to 

 obferve, that fome have afcribcd the invention of this art 

 to Prometheus, or Melampus, the fons of Amythaon and 

 Dorippe. Phny (1. vii. c. 55.), fays, that the Carians were 

 the firfi obfervers of birds, and that Orpheus firll directed 

 his attention to other animals. Paufanias (Phocic.) attri- 

 butes the firft obfervation of the flight of birds to Parnaffiis, 

 who gave his name to mount ParnafTus. Clement of Alex- 

 andria reports, that the Phr)-gians were the inventors of 

 this art. Upon the whole, it fcems probable, that this fpe- 

 cies of divination was tranfmitted from the Chald«ans, 

 Afiatics, and perhaps the Egyptians, to the Greeks; from 

 them to the Hetrurians ; and from the Httrurians to the 

 Latins and Romans. 



We find &ve forts of auguries mentioned by the ancients. 

 I. From the appearances in the heavens, as thunder, light- 

 ning, and other meteors. 2. From birds, whence they de- 

 rived the name of Aufpices. Some birds furnilhed them 

 with obfervations from their chattering or Cnging, and 

 others from their flying. The former were called Ofcines, 

 and the latter Praspetes. For the taking of both thefe 

 forts of auguries, the augur went up to fome high place, 

 took the augural llaff, bent at one end like a crofier, and 

 marked out with it the four templa or quarters of the 

 heavens. Then he turned to the eaft, and in that litua- 

 tion, waited for the omen ; which was of no figniiication, 

 unlefs it was confirmed by another of the fame fort. In this 

 manner Romulus perceived Jupiter's approbation of his 

 election to the crown ; having leen hghtning that came out 

 on his left fide and proceeded to his right. This ceremony, 

 which was alfo obferved when Numa was called to the crown, 

 is largely defQibed by Livy, 1. i. c. 18. 3. From birds 

 kept in a coop for that purpofe. The manner of divining 

 from them was as follows : early in the morning the augur 

 that was to take the obfcrvation, after having commanded a 

 general filence, ordered the coop to be opened, and then 

 threw in a handful of crumbs or corn. If the chickens did 

 not eat greedily, fcattered the food about with their wings, 

 let fall a great deal of it from their mouths to the ground, 

 or, above all, refufed to eat, the omen was reckoned unlucky, 

 and fome great mifchief portended ; but if they fed greedily, 

 and let none of the food drop out of their mouths, they 

 obtained all deCrable alTtirance of happinefs and fuccefs. 

 This fort of augury was called tripuJlum, from the ancient 

 Latin worA pwjire, X.0 Jlr'ih, and terra, the earth ; hecaixk 

 the birds, in eating greedily, ftruck the ground with their 

 beaks. The ftory of P. Clauduis the conful is well known 

 (Val. Max. 1. i. c. 4.), who, ready to engage at fea in the 

 firft Punic war, and hearing that the chickens would not 

 come out of their coop, ordered them to be thrown into 

 the fea, with this jeft, " If they will not eat, let them drink." 

 But he was vanquiilied ; not, it will be thought, by the 

 contempt of this filly and childifli ceremony, but in conle- 

 quence of his owa ralhaefs. 4. The next fott of augury 



AUG 



was from beads, tIz. wolves, goats, foiej, heifers, aflli, 

 rams, hares, weafth, and mice. The gcnei^ obfervations 

 about them were, whether they appeared in a llraugc place, 

 or croflld the way ; whether they ran to the right or left, 

 ^k' ^" "^^^ '^"^ ''"^' ''^ divination by auguries was from 

 what tliey called dira:, or unufual accidcoti happening tu 

 any perfon, as tumbling, feeing apparitions, hearmg ftrangc 

 voices, pcrfoiis fpiUing/alt on the table, meeting a wolf, fox, 

 a hare, &c. Many curious circumftnnces of Roman fuper- 

 ilition with reipeft to omens and other things arc enumc- 

 rated by Pliny, xxviii. 2. ; r.id among the Greeks, by Paufa- 

 mas, iv. 13. Cxfar, in landing at Adrumctum in Africa 

 with his army, happened to fall on his face, which was 

 reckoned a bad omen ; but he, with great prcfence of mind, 

 turned it to his own advantage : for taking hold of the 

 ground with his right hand, and kiffing it, as if he had fallen 

 on purpofe, he exclaimed, " Teneo le, Africa," " I take 

 pon"enion of thcc, O Africa." Dio. xlii. fin. Suet. Jul. 59. 



Augury, in its more general fignification, comprife* 

 all the different kinds of divination ; which Varro diftin- 

 guiflies int9 four fpecies of augury, accordmg to the four 

 elements — Pyromancy, or augury by fire ; aeromancj, or 

 augur)' by the air ; hyJromjiicy, ox augury by the waUr • 

 and geomancy, or augury by the earth. 



The particular branches are aUaoromancy, anthropomancj^ 

 belomancy, catoptromanu), caprwmancy, gajlromaruy, geamancy, 

 arufpkina, libanomaiicy, Ucanomancy, necromatuy, &c. Sec 

 eacli defcribed under its proper article. 



AUGUST, Augustus, in a general fenfe, fomething 

 majefl:ic, venerable, or facred. 



The title AuguRus was firft given by the Roman fenate 

 to Odavius, Jan. 13th. A. U. C. 727. B. C. 27. after his 

 being confirmed by them in the fovereign power. — It was 

 conceived as exprefiing fomething divine, or elevated above 

 the pitch of mankind, being derived from the verb augeo, I 

 incrcafe, " tanquam fupra humanam/fortemauCtus." Whfn 

 fome of the ftiiators, in concurrence with his own finl in- 

 clination, would have given him the name of Romulus, as a 

 fecond founder of Rome ; Munatius Plancus propofed 

 his being denominated Augullus, becaufe it denoted a per- 

 fon or thing confecrattd by fome augur, or fonr. of religion, 

 and nearly allied to the deity. Accorditigly, Ovid gives ui 

 tliis reafon for the appellation in his " Falli," 1. i. v. 609. 

 " Sandla vocant Augufta patres : .\ugulla rocantur 

 Templa, Sacerdotum rite dicata manu. 

 Hujus et augurium dcpendet engine verbi, 

 Et quodcunque fua Jupiter augct ope." 

 Tlie fucceflbrs of Octavius afTumed the fame quality ; fo 

 that thenceforward Emperor and Augujliu became fynony- 

 mous terms. 



The Greeks rendered the name Auguftus by SF.B.'VITO:, 

 and gave it to all the fucceffors of Auguftus, after the ex- 

 ample of the Romans. 



Augujlus, the title expreflivc of the chara£l£r of peace 

 and fandtity, which Odavius uniformly affected, was a 

 perfonal, and Ctjor a family dillindion. The former, 

 therefore, (liould naturally have expired with the prince en 

 whom it was bellowed ; and however the latter was diHufed 

 by adoption and female alliance, Nero was the lall prince 

 who could allege any hereditar)- claim to the honours of 

 the Julian line. But, at the time of his death, the pradice 

 of a centuiy kad infeparably conncded thofe appcll.itions 

 with the imperial dignity, and they have been preferred by 

 a long fucceflion of emperors, Romans, Greeks, Franks, 

 and Gei-mans, from the fall of the republic to the prefent 

 time. A dilluidion was, however, fooii introduced. The 

 facred title of Auguftus was refcrved lor the monarch, 

 whihl llic uaffie of Csfar ^va5 more freely commurJcati.d 

 Uu z U> 



