HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



405 



Not only animals, but alfo trivial and contemptible cir- 

 cumftances were fufficient to excite fuperftitious dread ; 

 as the fpilling of wine or fait, or the falling of fome meat 

 from table. Who would not have been amazed to con- 

 template the arufpices perfons of fuch high refpect feri- 

 oufly occupied in examining the movements of the 

 victims, the (late of their entrails, and colour of their 

 blood, to prognofticate from thofe figns the principal 

 events of that famous republic ? "I wonder," faid the 

 great Cicero, " that an arufpex does not fmile when he 

 " views another of his own profelTion," What can be 

 more ridiculous than that kind of augury which was call- 

 ed tripudium ? Who would have imagined that a nation 

 in fome refpects fo enlightened, and alfo fo warlike, 

 fliould carry along with their armies, as the mofl import- 

 ant thing to the fuccefs of their arms, a cage of chickens, 

 and dare not to begin the battle without confulting 

 them ? If the chickens did not tafte the food which was 

 put before them it was a bad omen ; if, befides not eat- 

 ing it, they efcaped out of the cage, it was worfe ; if, on 

 the contrary, they eat greedily, the augury was moft 

 happy ; fo that the mofl effectual means to fecure victo- 

 ry would have been to keep the chickens without food, 

 until they were confulted. 



To fuch excelfes is the fpirit of man led, when refign- 

 ed to the capricious dictates of paffion, or Simulated by 

 fears arifing from a fenfe of his own weaknefs. 



But Americans, Greeks, Romans and Egyptians were 

 all fuperllitious and puerile in the practice of their reli- 

 gion ; not fo however, in the obfeenity of their rites, 

 becaufe we find not the lead traces in the rites of the 

 Mexicans, of thofe abominable cuftoms which were fo 

 common among the Romans and other nations of anti- 

 quity. 



