A U S 



tion, ihat he i^as called to court by the emperoi- Valenlinian 

 and appoii^tcd preceptor to his fon Gratian. By the latter 

 he was advanced to the office of praitorian prefecl of Gaul 

 and Italy about the year 376, and to the confuWiip in ^79. 

 He was much eftetmcd by the emperor Theodofuis, and as 

 fome fay, created by him a patrician. The time of his 

 death is not accurately afceitained ; but he apj).-ars to have 

 been alive in 392, and probably lived to an advanced age. 

 Amongll the learned it has been a fiibjcft of difpute, whe- 

 ther Aufonius was a Chriltian or a Pagan. If he was not 

 a Chriftian, the poems on Chriitian topics afcribed to him 

 mult have been fuppofititious; and the lafcivioufnels of feveral 

 of his pieces fuggefts a prefumption, that he had not cm- 

 braced Chriftianity. 



His poems mamfefti, learning and ingenuity ; but they 

 cannot bear the teft of comparifon with the productions of 

 the Auguilan age, as they are generally iniipid, harfii and 

 inelegant, and bear obvious marks of the declining genius 

 and talle of the period in vrhich they were written. The 

 " Cento Nuptialis" is altogether formed of lines and hemi- 

 ftichs from Virgil, and the latter part of it is highly ceiifura- 

 bleforitsobfcenity. Thecpigrams are generally flatandinfipid. 

 The bell editions of Aufonius are the "Variorum" of 1671, 

 and the " Delphin" of 1730. Gen. Dia. Fabr. Bib. 

 Lat. t. ii. p. 87, &c. 



AUSPEX, in Roman Antiquity, a name originally given 

 to thofe who were afterwards denominated aiigun. In 

 which fenfe the word is fuppofed to be formed from avis, 

 bird, and infpicere, to infped ; anjpices, q. d. aviffua, or in- 

 fpeftors of birds. 



At firll the aufpices were properly thofe who prefaged 

 future events by infpe6lion of the flight of birds ; as the 

 arufpices predicted them by the infpeclion of viftims, and 

 augurs by the finging of the fame birds. But. Plutarch 

 informs us (Quseft. Rom. 72.), that in procefs of time 

 thcfe diflinftions were difregarded ; and that the name of 

 augurs was given to thofe who had been origifially called 

 aufpices. 



AUSPICIUM, AuspicY, the fame with Augury. 

 Scrvius, indeed, dillinguiflies between aufpicy and augury ; 

 making aufpicy comprehend the confideiation merely of 

 birds, and of their flight ; augury, of the notes of birds, and of 

 all fenfible objects ; he adds, that the former was allowed a 

 man any where abroad, whereas the latter might only be 

 performed in his native place. And it is certain, that con- 

 fuls, generals, and others, who took omens out of Rome, 

 were properly faid aiifpicari: neverthtlefs, cullom appears 

 to have over-ruled this diftinclion. 



The aulpicsrs were confulted on a variety of occafions, 

 fo that nothing was done refpecting the public, either at 

 home or abroad, in peace or war, without this ceremony ; 

 and at firft in important affairs of a private nature they 

 were fcrupuloufly regarded. The aufpices were referred to 

 before any battle ; they affiilcd at marriage3( Juvenal, x. 336.); 

 and they were confulted on the choice of plebeian and pa- 

 trician magiftrates ; and on the firll day of every year, in 

 order to determine whether the progrefs of it would be happy 

 or otherwife. To this purpofe Ovid, in his Falti(i. 167.), 

 fays : 



" Tempora commift nafcentia rebus agendis ; 

 Totus ab aufplcio ne focet annus incrs. 

 Quifque fuas artes ob idem delibat agendo, 

 Nee plus quam folitum tefliticatur opus." 

 And in cafe of war he obferves (Trill, ii. 173.) : 



" Per quem bella geris, cujus nunc corpore pugnas; 

 Aufpicium cui das grande, deofque tuos." 

 AUSPITZ, in Geography, a town of Moravia, iu tl>e 



A U S 



circle of Brunn, forty-two miles S. S. W. of Olmutz, and 

 1 14 S. E. of Prague. 



AUSSEE, New, a town of Germany, in the duchy of 

 Stiria, forty-ciglit milrs W. N. VV. of Judcnburg. 



AUSSIG, or AusTi, a town of Bohemia, in the circle 

 of Leitmeritz, on the Elbe; ten miles N. W. of Leitmcritz. 

 AUST, a very fmall village of England, in the county 

 of Gloucefter, on the fide of the Severn ; whence is a paf- 

 fage-boat or ferry to tlie oppofite fliore in Glouccfttrdiire, 

 and thence acrofs the Wye to Chcp.low ; 12 miles north of 

 Briftol, and 6 fouth of Chipilow. 



AUSTER, in MythrAogy, was like each of the other 

 winds, one of the fons of Allria and Aurora : and it deno- 

 ted the fouth wind. See Wind. 



AUS FERE, is in general applied to a rough aftringent 

 tafte, united with that of fournefs. It is really fynonymous 

 with acerh. 



AUSTERITY, among Moral Writers, fometimes de- 

 notes rigour in the inflicting of punilhments. We fay alfo, 

 auftei-ity of manners ; the aultenties of the monalU'c life. 

 The aurtcrity of the Ro:nan cenforb kept the people in their 

 duty. The greateft auPierity of the CarthuUans is perpe- 

 tual folityde. 



AUSTERLITZ, or Slawkqw, in Geography, a town of 

 Moravia, in the circle of Brunn, which was almoll d.ftroyed 

 by the Swedes, in the fcventecnth century : twelve miles 

 E. S. E. of Brunn, and 112 E. S. E. of Prague. 



AUSTIL, or St. Austei., is a market and ftannary 

 town of Cornwall, in England. It i; built on tlie eaftem 

 fide of a hill, and has greatly increafed during the laft cen- 

 tury in the number of its houfes and inhabitants. This 

 augmentation may be attributed to the profperous tin n-iioej 

 that are in the immediate vicinity, to the privilege of having 

 one of the llaniiary courts held here, and in confequence of 

 having a turnpike road carried through the town from 

 Plymouth to the land'* end. The church is a large ancient 

 pile of building dedicated to St. Auftin ; and the town is 

 ornamented with feveral llatnts in canopied niches. The 

 feats of the church, and the external walls, are carved 

 with various devices emblematical of the crucifixion. 

 The onginal charter for holding a weekly market was 

 granted by queen Elizabeth, who directed that the tolls 

 (hould be applied to the relief and maintenance of the poor. 

 The principal part of the i::habitants are employed in the 

 mining concerns, in the pilchard lirtiery, and in a fmall 

 manufacftory of coarfe woollens. At the weft end of the 

 town are three blowing-houfes, where the tin is feparated 

 from the ore by means of lire. This procefs was formerly 

 effeftcd by fmelting-furnaces, but the prefent method feems 

 to be more economical, and far preferable. The old fmclt- 

 ing-houfes (fome of which are ftill ufed in common), are 

 fupplied with coals, and are revcrberatory ; but in the 

 blowing-houles, the lire is made with charcoal, and igaited 

 by air impelled through cylindrical tubes. Beauties of 

 England and Walc:., vol. ii. p. 422, &c. See Blowing 

 House, Mines, Stannary. 

 AUSTIN, St. See Augustis. 

 Austin Friers. See Augustines, and Hermit?. 

 AUSTRAL, derived from aujler, foulh ijuinJ, the fame 

 Vi'\t\\fouthern. 



Thus aujlral Jigns are the fix lad Ggns of the zodiac ; fo 

 called, becaufe they arc on the fouth lidc of the equinoctial. 

 Austral Earth, in Mineralogy. See Terr.\ Svuneiu 

 ytujlratis. 



AUSTRALASIA, in Geography, a name given, about 

 half a century ago, by the learned prcGdent De BroiTcs 

 (Hilloire dts Navigations aux Tcrrcs Auftralee, Paris, 1756, 



2 vols. 



