DIVINATIONS--OMENS--AUGURIES
The love of the mysterious found its greatest development in Spain in
the study of divination, in omens and in auguries. In the practice of
this art Spain excelled all other countries of Europe in the Middle
Ages. Gaston Paris makes the following significant statement in speaking
of the episode of the journey of the seven sons of Lara going to visit
their uncle Ruy Velázquez, the quarrel and reconciliation:
“Tout cet épisode est fort beau et d’un caractère bien original; il
n’y a rien de pareil dans notre épopée; on sait au contraire le
grand rôle que jouait, dans le haut moyen âge espagnol, et surtout
dans la vie des aventuriers qui faisaient la force et la terreur de
la Castille, l’ inspection du vol des oiseaux; le Cid lui-même
“vivait à augure.”[77]
The Spanish at this time, in spite of the intermixtures of other races,
were essentially a Roman people and this was one of the characteristics
of the old Roman civilization that had not been materially changed by
time or religion. It is true that such practices in all cases except by
means of astrology, were forbidden by law,[78] but the fact that the law
was so full and explicit implies that divination and the study of omens
and auguries not only existed but must have been quite common. Such
customs are usually mentioned merely in passing, as in the miracle of
the Host mentioned on page 118 or in such statements as the one to the
effect that king Herod died according to the prognostications of a Greek
augur,[79] or the simple statement that a certain person foretold that
certain events would come to pass without giving any clue as to how this
information was received[80]. Another indication that divining was quite
common is that when Tiberius expelled from Rome all who practiced black
magic the chronicler considered the event of such minor importance that
he gives it only two lines:
“ ... Echo de la
cibdat de Roma todos los adeuinos et los encantadores;”[81]
Under the law in _Las Siete Partidas_ treating of actions for which a
person might be legally dishonored, is the following entry:
“_Como maguer el astrologo diga alguna cosa de otro por
razón de su arte, non le puede ser desmandado
por deshonra._
Pierden los homes á las vegadas algunas de sus cosas, et van á los
astrólogos a rogar que caten por su arte quales son aquellos que las
tienen, et los astrólogos usando de su sabiduria dicen ó señalan á
algunos que las han: et en tal caso como este decimos que los que asi
señalaren non pueden demandar que les fagan emienda desto asi como en
manera de deshonra: et esto es porque lo que ellos dicen, fácenlo segunt
su arte, et non con entención de los deshonrar. Pero como quier que non
puedan demandar emienda dello como en manera de deshonra, con todo eso
si el adevino fuese baratador que faga muestra de saber lo que non sabe,
bien lo pueden acusar que reciba la pena que mandan las leyes del título
de los adevinos et de los encantadores.”[82]
Very closely associated with the foregoing accounts, altho differing
somewhat in nature, are a large number of legends mentioning wonderful
signs that appear in the heavens or on the earth at certain significant
moments in the life of an individual or nation. These differ from omens
and auguries because they are out-of-the-ordinary happenings, while with
auguries and omens proper there is nothing whatever unusual in the event
itself and all depends upon the interpretation. The wonderful signs
usually require interpretation, but the person seeing them, even the
uninitiated, knows immediately that they _have_ a meaning. When Octavius
Caesar ascended the throne there appeared a rainbow around a clear sun,
and again, three suns appeared that merged into one, signifying first,
that the Roman Empire, divided into three at the death of Caesar, would
become one, and second, that Christ would show the world the mystery of
the Trinity[83]. More portentous still were the phenomena which appeared
during the consulship of Sextus Julius Caesar and Lucius Marcus, when
many signs, fire and noises occurred in the sky, blood flowed from bread
as if it were meat when it was cut, real stones and earth were hailed
upon the land, the earth opened and flames shot to the sky, a mountain
of the color of gold descended from heaven and ascended again until it
covered the sun, tame animals became wild, etc.[84] Then, as we leave
Roman history and come on down to the 7th century, a sign in the form of
a sword appeared in the sky and remained for 30 days, which “demostraua
el sennorio que los moros auien de auer.”[85]
While usually quite distinct, the line between these marvelous signs,
and omens and auguries proper, may at times become almost
imperceptible; as, for instance, when queen Dido arrived in Africa she
immediately prepared to build a city, and as the workmen set about
digging the foundation for the walls they found the skull of a cow. This
was taken to the augurs and they declared it signified that any city
built there would always be one of toil and always under the power of
others. They moved to another place and again began to dig, this time
finding the skull of a horse, which, said the augurs, signified that a
city built in that place would always be one of pride and of
warriors.[86]
Incidents of this kind might conveniently be placed in either class,
because, altho the event itself does not startle one, it does not take a
soothsayer to tell a person of an imaginative turn of mind that a skull
found under such circumstances probably has a significance.
The foregoing have been but signs which _indicated_ the future, and no
matter how striking the _form_ an interpretation was necessary. But
there are a few cases recorded where a person is apparently given to see
into the future and somehow is permitted to know what is going to occur,
without any medium whatsoever, and furthermore is impelled to speak out
what he knows. We find that a Roman senator and his wife enter the
temple of Jupiter and as they do so a priest who has all the symptoms of
demoniac possession, cries out, “Aquest mugier trae en el uientre cosa
que destruya de rayz aqueste grand templo et menuzara todos los dios que
en el estan.”[87] The event foretold did come to pass when the child
referred to became a friend of the emperor and thereby succeeded in
having the temple destroyed. Then is added the significant statement
that this happened just 1000 years after Rome was founded.
The agent used to convey the message is usually a person, but it may be
an animal. An ox tells his master of the future;[88] or even an idol in
a heathen temple imparts the knowledge that the temple will stand only
“fasta que parriesse uirgen”[89].--The temple fell when Christ was
born.