Here, bring the Incenfe, Maid, for I intend And then she begins her Prayer: Κλύοις ἂν ἤδη, Φοῖβε προσατήριε, - ὧδι ̓ ἄκεε· τῇδε γὰρ καγω φράσεις Εἰ δ' ἐχθρα, τοῖς ἐχθροῖσιν ἔμπαλιν μέθες. Great God Apollo, you who from all Harms E. D. My Enemies may they the Ill receive. E. D. But before that fhe had discover'd her Fears to the Sun, whence Chryfothemis learn'd the Dream from one that overheard her : 8 Τοιαῦτα τὰ παρόντος, ἡνίχ ̓ ἡλίῳ Δείκυσι τἶνας, ἔκλυον ἐξηγεμήνε. This was told by one that present was, When to the Sun her Dream she did rehearse. E. D. Both the Scholiafts upon that Place tell us, that it was done conformably to the ancient Cuftom of relating Dreams to the Sun; and Triclinius giveth his Reason for it, viz. That the Sun, being contrary to the Night, did avert or expel all the Evils which proceeded from it. The fame we find done by Iphigenia in Euripides h with this Difference, that the difclofes her Thoughts to the Heavens, whereas Clytemnestra had done it to the Sun alone: Her Words are these : Α καινὰ δ ̓ ἤκει νὺξ φέρεσα φάσματα, But what new Dreams this prefent Night affords, To th' Sky I'll tell, if that will benefit. The doing this they call'd αποπέμπεις, αποδιοπομπείος, and ἀποτρέπους ἔννυχον όψιν, οἱ ἀποτροπιάζεις τῷ ἡλίω. &c. But before they were permitted to approach the Divine Altars, they Ibid. v. 427. Taur. V. 43. were were oblig'd to purify themselves from all the Pollutions of the Night; whence in Æfchylus one faith, Επεὶ δ' ανέσην, καὶ χεροῖν καλλιε Εξαῖσα πηγής, σὺν θυηπόλο χερι As first I rofe, I to the Rivers went, I approach'd the holy Fanes, and offer'd up E. D. Eneas in Virgil is purify'd after the fame manner, taking Water out of the River in his Hands : But Silius has introduced one washing his whole Body 1: - fub lucem ut vifa fecundent Oro calicolas & vivo purgor in amne. I cleanse myself in running Streams, and pray It appears from Perfius m, that it was ufual amongst the Romans to dip their Heads five times in Water before Morning Prayer : D Hæc fanctè ut pofcas Tiberino in gurgite mergis, And left your Pray'r fhould speak a finful Mind, CHA P. XIV. Of Divination by Sacrifices. IVINATION by Sacrifices, call'd Περιμαντεία, οι ἱεροσκοπεία, was divided into different Kinds, according to the Diversity of the Materials offer'd to the Gods. They first made Conjectures from the external Parts and Motions of the Victim; then from his Entrails, 3 Perfis. Æncid. lib, viii. ver. 67. Lib. viii. m Sat. ii. v. 16. from from the Flame in which it was confum'd, from the Cakes and Flour, from the Wine and Water, with feveral other Things, of which in their their Order. The Art, which made Obfervations in killing, and cutting up the Victim, was call'd urin'. Unlucky Omens were, when the Beaft was drawn by Force to the Altar, when it efcap'd by the Way, and avoided the fatal Blow, did not fall down quietly and without Reluctancy, but kick'd, leap'd up, or bellow'd, bled not freely, was long a dying, fhew'd any Tokens of great Pain, beat upon the Ground, expired with Convulfions, or did any thing contrary to what ufually happens at the Slaughter of Beafts; efpecially if the Beaft prevented the Knife, and dy'd fuddenly. Whence Pyrrhus, King of Epirus, being about to make a League with two other Kings, Theodotus forbad him to proceed, and withal foretold the fpeedy Death of one of the Kings, when one of the three Victims, which was brought to the Altar, fuddenly fell down dead. But on the contrary, the Gods were judg'd to be propitious, and kindly to receive the Devotions paid to them, when every thing was carried on with Eafe: When the Victim went voluntarily and without Compulfion to the Slaughter, endur'd the Blow patiently, fell down quietly, bled freely, and expir'd without groaning, then the Victim feem'd willingly to fubmit to Death: Any Sign of this was a moft fortunate Omen. Such an one is that mention'd by Seneca b: Stat ecce ad aras hoftia, expectat manum Cervice prona. Hence it was cuftomary to pour Water into its Ear, s Tiveún Taïs TEAETOIS, that it might by a Nod confent to be facrificed. Somewhat also was observ'd in the Wagging of the Tail; whence the Poet faith, ΚέρκὉ ποιῶν καλῶς. The Victim kindly wags his Tail. On this Account it was usual to draw a Knife from the Victim's Head to its Tail. Other Predictions were made from the Tail, when caft into the Fire: When it was curl'd by the Flame, it portended Misfortunes ; when it was extended out in length and hung downwards, it was an Omen of fome Overthrow to be fuffer'd; but when erected, it fignify'd Victory d After this, the Victim being cut open, they made Obfervations from its Entrails; these were term'd Tupa, from the Fire, wherein they were burn'd. The Omens are call'd by Plato, Ta súπueα onμala, and the Divination was diftinguish'd by the Name of Si Eμπúpov μaνTHA. By fome it was feign'd to have been firft occafion'd, or very much improv'd by the Death of the Delphian Sibyl, whofe Body being reduc'd to Earth, imparted firft to the Herbs, and by their Means to the Beafts, which fed on them, a Power of Divining: As also those other Parts of her, which, mix'd with the Air, are faid to have occafion'd Myrtilus lib. i, Lesbicorum. Plutarchus Pyrrho. b In Hercule Furente. Euripidis Scholiaftæ Phæniffis. the the Divination by ominous Words d. If the Entrails were whole and found, had their natural Place, Colour, and Proportion, then all was well; but if any Part was decay'd, or wanting, if any thing was out of Order, or not according to Nature, Evil was portended. Hereof Seneca hath furnish'd the Example e : Mutatus ordo eft, lede nil propriâ jacet : The Palpitation of the Entrails was a very unfortunate Omen, as appears from the fame Author f, who there enumerates feveral other direful Paffages: The first and principal Part to be obferv'd was the Liver: If this was corrupted, they thought that both the Blood, and by Confequence all the Body must be fo too; and therefore, if it was found very bad, they defifted immediately, not caring what the other Parts might promife: Thefe Signs was call'da, as hindering them from going any farther. This obferving the Liver was call'd Honoria, which alfo became a general Name for Divination by Entrails, being the chief Part of it. If the Liver had a pleafing and natural Redness, if it was found, without Spot or Blemish, if its Head was large, if it had two Heads, or there were two Livers; if its Lappets were turned inwards, then Profperity and Succefs was expected. On the other hand, nothing but Dangers, Difappointments, and Misfortunes were to be look'd for, if there was fas, too much Drinefs, or dropòs, a Tie between the Parts, especially if it was ano, without a Lappet, or the Liver itself was altogether wanting. Pythagoras the Soothfayer, foretold Alexander's Death, in Cov oi Tò ap viis because his Victim's Liver had no Lobos. And his Friend Hephæftion's Death was prognofticated by the fame Omen b. Bad Signs also were accounted fuch as thefe: If there appear'd upon it any Blifters, Wheals, or Ulcers; if it was parch'd thin, hard, or of an ugly, blackish Colour; had any corrupt and vitiated Humours, was any way difplaced; or, lastly, if in boiling it did not confpicuously appear among the rest of the Entrails, was polluted with any nafty corrupt Matter, became very foft, and as it were melted into a jelly. The concavous part of the Liver was call'destas i. e. belonging to the Family, because the Signs obferv'd there concern'd themfelves and their Friends; the gibbous fide bonis or dicatis, because the Tokens in it concern'd their Enemies: If either of thefe Parts was fhrivelled, corrupted, or any way changed for the worfe, it boded Ruin to the Perfon concern'd in it; but if large and found, or bigger than ufual, it was a profperous a Clemens Alex. Strom. i. P. 304. Oedip. ver. 367. Helycbius. Arrianus de Exped. Alexand. lib. vii. Ibidem ver. 353. Omen. Omen. To this Seneca alludes, when he introduces Manto, the Daughter of Tirefias, thus defcribing the Liver's Heads: Et capita paribus bina confurgunt_toris, negans. And that the Romans also used this Method appears from Lucan, who tells us, that Cæfar's Victory over Pompey was foretold this way: His Words are thefe : Quodque nefas nullis impune apparuit extis, Another ill-prefaging Sign was seen ; For of the Liver's Heads was one overgrown, The other leap'd, and sportfully did play. E. D. The Place, or Seat where all the Parts of the Liver lay, was call'd Es and x. The Place between the Parts in the middle was term'd πυλαία, and ευρυχωρία * ; by Hefychius ὁδοῖ, οι έκτροπα ; by Euripides πύλαι. k πύλαι καὶ δοχὴ πέλας Κακὰς ἔφαινον τῷ σκοπᾶνι προσβολάς. This was an unfortunate Omen, when found comprefs'd or clos'd; whence Dio relates, that the Soothsayers warn'd Caracalla to take Care of himfelf, ὅτι αἱ τὸ ἦπα]Θ πύλαι κέλειν]αι, becaufe the Gates of the Liver were clos'd. The next thing to be taken notice of was the Heart, which, if it was very little, palpitated much, leaped, was fhrivel'd, or wrinkled, or had no Fat at all, portended bad Fortune; if there was no Heart to be found, it was a most deadly Omen. Next to the Heart they obferv'd the Gall, the Spleen, the Lungs, and the Membranes in which the Bowels were inclos'd. If there were two Galls, if the Gall was large, and ready to burst out of its Skin; then sharp and bloody, but yet profperous Fights were expected. If the Spleen lay in its own Place, was clear and found, of its natural Colour, without Wheals, Hardness, or Wrinkles, it boded nothing but Succefs; as the contrary Signs prefaged Misfortunes: So did alfo the Entrails, if they chanced to flip out of the Hands of him that offered the Sacrifice; if they were befmear'd with Blood, Oedip. ver. 360. Demofthenis Interpret, in Orat, de Corona, Caracalla. of a |