1> I V 
d i y 
910 
Tell thou thy earl his divination lies, 
And I will take it as a l'weet di(grace. Skakefpeare. 
Tt was a received opinion among the heathens, that the 
gods were wont to converfe familiarly with fome men, 
whom they endowed with extraordinary powers, and ad¬ 
mitted to the knowledge of their councils and defigns. 
Plato, Arillotle, Plutarch, Cicero, and others, divide di¬ 
vination into two forts or fpecies, viz. natural and artifi¬ 
cial. The former was fo called, becaufe not attained by 
any rules or precepts of art, but fuppofed to be infufed 
or infpired into the diviner. Of this kind were all thofe 
who delivered oracles, and foretold future events by in- 
fpiration, without obferving external figus or accidents. 
The fecond fpecies was called artificial, becaufe it was not 
obtained by immediate infpiration, but proceeded upon 
certain experiments and obfervations arbitrarily inftituted, 
and moftly fuperftitious. Of this fort there were various 
kind's, as by facritices, entrails, flame, cakes, flour, wine, 
water, birds, lots, verfes, omens, &c. 
In the Scriptures we find mention made of nine differ¬ 
ent kinds of divination. The firfl performed from the 
infpedtion of planets, ftars, and clouds : it is fuppofed 
to be the pradtifers of this whom Mofes calls pipra meonen, 
of vxanan, “cloud,” Deuter. xviii. io. 2. Thofewhom 
the prophet calls in the fame place vma menackcfeh, which 
the Vulgate and generality of interpreters render augur. 
3. Thole who in the fame place are called mecaf- 
chepk , which the Septuagint and Vulgate tranflate “ a 
man given to ill practices. 4. Such authors whom Mofes 
in the fame chapter, v. n, calls *nin hkober. 5. Thofe 
who confult the fpirits, called Python ; or, as Mofes ex- 
preffes it in the fame book, brx ais “ thofe who afk quef- 
tions of Ob.” 6. Witches or magicians, whom Mofes 
calls '31 ry judeoni. 7. Thofe who confult the dead, necro¬ 
mancers. 8. The prophet Hofea, iv. 12, mentions fuch 
as confult ftaves, 'Vpa W ; which kind of divination may 
be called rhabdomancy . 9. The divination called in Scrip¬ 
ture kepatofcopy, or the confideration of the liver. Thefe 
divinations were necefiarily made an occult fcience, which 
naturally remained in the hands of the priefts and prieft- 
effes, the magi, the foothfayers, the augurs, the vifion- 
aries, the priefts of the oracles, the fa lie prophets, and 
other like profelfors, till the time of the coming of the 
Meffiah. The light of the gofpel has diflipated much of 
this darknefs; and the pure doftrines of Chriftianity, 
aided by the fpirit of philofopliy, which become every 
day more diffufed, concur in banifl'.ing thefe vifionary 
fpeculations. 
DIVTNE, adj. [divinus, Lat.] Partaking of the nature 
of God. Proceeding from God ; not natural ; not human. 
—The benefit of nature’s light is not thought excluded 
as unneceffary, becaufe the neceffity of a divine light is 
magnified. Hooker. 
Inftrufted, you’d explore 
Divine contrivance, and a God adore. Blackmore. 
Excellent in a fupreme degree. In this fenfe it may ad¬ 
mit of comparifon : 
The divineft and the richeft mind. 
Both by art’s purchafe and by nature’s dower, 
That ever was from heav’n to earth confin’d. Davies. 
Prefageful; divining ; prefcient: 
Yet oft his heart, divine of fomething ill, 
Mifgave him ; he the fault’ring meafure felt. Milton. 
DIVl'NE,/. A minifter of the gofpel; a prieft; a 
clergyman.—A divine has nothing to fay to the wife ft con¬ 
gregation, which he may not exprefs in a manner to be 
underftood by the meaneft among them. Swift. —A man 
fkilled in divinity ; a theologian : 
Th’ eternal caufe in their immortal lines 
Was taught, and poets were the firft divines. Denham. 
To DIVl'NE, v. a. idivino, Lat.] To foretel; to fore¬ 
know j to prefage; 
Why doft thou fay king Richard is depos’d ? 
Dar’ft thou, thou little better thing than earth, 
Divine his downfal ? Skakefpeare. 
To DIVl'NE, v. n. To utter prognoftication.—The 
prophets thereof divine for money. Mic. iii. ji. —To feel 
prefages.—To conjecture ; to guefs.—The beft of com¬ 
mentators can but guefs at his meaning ; none can be cer¬ 
tain he has divined rightly. Dryden. 
In change of torment would be eafe: 
Could you divine what lovers bear, 
Even you, Prometheus, would confefs 
There is no vulture like defpair. Granville. 
DI VI'NELY, adv. By the agency or influence of God- 
—Faith, as we ufe the word, called commonly divine 
faith, has to do with no proportions but thofe which are 
fuppofed to be divinely infpired. Locke. —Excellently; in 
the fupreme degree.—The Grecians mod divinely have 
given to the aCtive perfection of men, a name exp’reffing 
both beauty and goodnefs. Hooker. 
Exalted Socrates! divinely brave ! 
Injur’d he fell, and dying he forgave; 
Too noble for revenge. Creech , 
In a manner noting a deity : 
His golden horns appear’d, 
That on the forehead drone divinely bright, 
And o’er the banks diffus’d a yellow light. Addifon. 
DIVI'NENESS,/. Divinity; participation of the di¬ 
vine nature.—Is it then impoftible to diftinguifli the di~ 
vinenefs of this book from that which is humane > Grew. 
—Excellence in the fupreme degree : 
By Jupiter, an angel! or, if not, 
An earthly paragon : behold divinenefs 
No older than a boy. Skakefpeare. 
DIVI'NER, f. One that profeffes divination, or the 
art of revealing occult things by fupernatural means.—■ 
This drttdge of the devil, this diviner , laid claim to me, 
called me Dronio, and fwore I was alfured to her; told 
me what privy marks I had about me. Skakefpeare. — 
ConjeCturer ; gueffer.—If he himfelf be confcious of no¬ 
thing he then thought on, he muft be a notable diviner of 
thoughts, that can affure him that he was thinking. Locke. 
DI VTNERESS, / A prophetefs; a woman profefii 
fing divination : 
The mad divirrerefs had plainly writ, 
A time flrould come, but many ages yet, 
In which finifter deftinies ordain, 
A dame fhould drown with all her feather’d train. 
Dryden. 
DI'VING,/ [from the verb.] The art or pradtice of 
defeending under water, to conliderable depths, and re¬ 
maining there a competent time. The ufes of this art are 
in many refpedts very conliderable ; as for recovering 
property out of funken (hips ; in fifhing for coral, fponge, 
pearls, fi c. the whole commerce in which is nearly car¬ 
ried on by this means. The firft divers unqueftionably 
learned the art by early and adventurous practice, in try¬ 
ing to continue under water as long as polfible without 
breathing; and in which, it muft be allowed, fome of 
them fucceeded in a wonderful manner. In this art, how¬ 
ever, thofe nations called by us uncultivated and favage, 
certainly excel the Europeans. In remote ages, divers 
were kept in fhips to aflift in raifing anchors, and for re¬ 
covering goods thrown overboard in times of danger ; 
and, by the laws of the Rhodians, they were allowed a 
ftiare of the wreck, proportioned to the depth to which 
they had gone in fearch of it: if eight cubits deep, the 
diver was entitled to one third ; if fifteen fathoms, to 
one half. In war, they were often employed to deftroy 
the works and fhips of the enemy. When Alexander was 
befieging Tyre, divers fwani off from the city, under 
water, to a great diftance, and with long hooks tore to 
pieces 
