_Of Augurs and Auguries._
The business of the augurs or soothsayers was to interpret dreams,
oracles, prodigies, &c. and to tell whether any action should be
fortunate or prejudicial to any particular persons, or to the whole
commonwealth.
There are five kinds of auguries mentioned in authors--1st. From the
appearances in heaven,--as thunder, lightning, comets and other meteors;
as, for instance, whether the thunder came from the right or left,
whether the number of strokes was even or odd, &c.
2d. From birds, whence they had the name of _auspices_, from _avis_ and
_specio_; some birds furnished them with observations from their
chattering and singing,--such as crows, owls, &c.--others from their
flying, as eagles, vultures, &c.
To take both these kind of auguries, the observer stood upon a tower
with his head covered in a gown, peculiar to his office, and turning his
face towards the east, marked out the heavens into four quarters, with a
short, straight rod, with a little turning at one end: this done, he
staid waiting for the omen, which never signified anything, unless
confirmed by another of the same sort.
3d. From chickens kept in a coop for this purpose. The manner of
divining from them was as follows:--early in the morning, the augur,
commanding a general silence, ordered the coop to be opened, and threw
down a handful of crumbs or corn: if the chickens did not immediately
run to the food, if they scattered it with their wings, if they went by
without taking notice of it, or if they flew away, the omen was reckoned
unfortunate, and to portend nothing but danger or mischance; but if they
leaped directly from the pen, and eat voraciously, there was great
assurance of happiness and success.
4th. From beasts, such as foxes, wolves, goats, heifers, &c.; the
general observations about these, were, whether they appeared in a
strange place, or crossed the way, or whether they ran to the right or
the left, &c.
The last kind of divination was from unusual accidents, such as
sneezing, stumbling, seeing apparations, hearing strange voices, the
falling of salt upon the table, &c.