OMEN. 
defcending from a mountain, or behind the beholder, it is 
regarded as an unlucky omen, and to omens of this character 
the name kades 1 
The oriental nations alfo are very attentive to fortunate 
about the middle of February, they 
ftill twifted, it is an omen of the fidelity of his wife; 
if they are untwifted, he regards it as fuch an unfortunate 
defire 
In ihe eaft there are — infects, the name and {pecies 
of which are not well known, which are accuftomed to utter 
a mournful and folemn ne ag the night ; whenever they 
are heard great evil is prefaged. 
amerlane was very attentive to lucky and unlucky days; 
e feldom put his army in motion, and never engaged 
in battle, till the aftrologers had fixed the fortunate ieee : 
an idiot having once thrown a breaft of mutton at him, while 
he was planning the conqueft of Kharezme, fometimes called 
the breafé of the world, he interpreted it before all his army 
as an specie omen of his fuccefs. 
cient German a rouch ufe of the horfe in 
their omens; thefe ails ef{pecially fuch as were white, 
and not allowed to 
in fuch a manner, that Lie he ag reached the {pears 
the omen was fortunate; but if his left foot ad- 
vanced before his right, the omen was unlucky: this cere- 
y was repeated before each of the rows of f{pears; it 
pedition. When the ons were converte 
Chriftianity, and indeed for a confiderable time a 
they were fo devoted to this and fimilar fuperftitions, that a 
decree of one o wag councils exprefsly treats de auguriis vel 
m, vel eae fercore, vel fternutatione. 
by the ancient Germans, as 
ial from obferving the motions and eddies of a ftream of 
Porneies | in Iceland, if a lambent flame was obferved on 
the furface of the ground, a circumftance by no means un- 
common in that country, it was regarded as a good omen; 
hidden treafure was believed to lie in the ground where the 
flame was feen. 
y the greater 
cr lefs degree of celerity a which they ae . the bottom 
of the water 3 ; when the laft mode was followed, the viGtim 
was thrown into a deep well in the neighbourhoc d of the 
temple, in a of Goya, or the earth; if he went at ence 
to the bottom, the omen was good; but the reverfe, if he 
{wam a ne time on the furface, If, when the vidtim was 
burnt, the {moke afcended very high, it was regarded as a 
moft fortunate omen. 
The number three, and its combinations, was oS as 
uncommonly fortunate by the Scandinavians, as it wa 
deed, by other ancient nations, ard as it fill j is pa ae 
Every a month they renewed their moft folemn facrifices, 
e to laft nine days, and on every dey nine living 
een men or animals, were to be offered hen 
Olug Nuvin, the youngeft of Jenghiz Khan’s (ons. as matter 
of the horfhold, prefented his eldeft brother with a cup of 
eae bey the pecple, hailing him emperor, a nin oe 
s to him, as their fovereign, and three the fun; 
deed, in 
robbed the caravans b 
nine of any thing than a greater number. 
the elections of their taniffs, ufed to deliver a wand to hire 
whom they meant to raife to that dignity, he having pre- 
vioufly afcended a high ftone; and as foon as he had re- 
ceived the wand, he defcended ae turned himfelf round, 
thrice forward and thrice backward. 
But to return to the Scandinavians; they as well as all 
the other northern nations paid great attention to particular 
days, and efpecially to the age of the moon; if poffible, 
they avoided engaging in battle before the new moon; and 
the moon, when new or full, was regarded as the moft 
aufpicious for all enterprifes. The Anglo-Saxons had their 
lucky and unlucky days for bleeding. ‘Theodore, the monk, 
taught them that it was dangerous to bleed when the light 
of the moon and the tides were increafing ; and he pointed 
out the particular tne of the day when it might be done 
with fafety and advant The reafon, if reafon it can be 
called, of confidering th increafing moon as propitious in 
fome calet, and the waning moon as propitious in others, 
will be ftated, when we come to treat of the omens of the 
Highlanders. 
Indeed, among the Anglo-Saxons, as among the Greeks 
and Romans, every day in every month was propitious or 
unpropitious for fome action or another ; a thunder, light- 
ning, t 
ning a jou ney. 
As Dea manners and cuftoms of the ancient Britons were 
derived from thofe of the Scandinavians, or 
uperititious = with refpe 
fame, that t may, however, be 
remarked, that the hare was much employed by the ancient 
Britons 
va 
