Roman Antiquities; Or, an Account of the Manners and Customs of the Romans ... Designed Chiefly to Illustrate the Latin Classics, by Explaining Words (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1819 edition. Excerpt: ...with his army, happened to fall on his face, which was reckoned a bad omen; but he, with great presence of mind, turned if to the contrary: For, taking hold of the ground with his right hand, and kissing it, as if he had fallen on purpose, he exclaimed, / take possession of thee, O Africa, (teneo Te, Africa), Dio. xlii.n. Suet. Jul. 59. Future events were also prognosticated by drawing lots, (sortibus ducendis, Cic. div. ii. 33. thus, Oracvla sortibus aquatis ducuntur, Id. i. 18. that is, being so adjusted, that they had all an equal chance of coming out first, Plaut. Cas. ii. 6. 35.) These lots were a kind of dice (lali v. tessera) made of wood, Plant. Cas. ii. 6. 32. of gold, Suet. Tib. 14. or other matter, Plaut. ibid. 46. Pausan. Messen. iv. 3. Eliac. v. 25. with certain letters, words or marks, inscribed on them, Cic. div. ii. 41. They were thrown commonly into an urn, ibid, sometimes filled with water, Plaut. ibid. 28. & 33. and drawn out by the hand of a boy, or of the person who consulted the oracle. The priest of the temple explained the import of them, Cic. div. i. 34. The lots were sometimes thrown like common dice, and the throws esteemed favourable or not, as in playing, Suet. Tib. 14. Propert. iv. 9. 19. Sortes denotes not only the lots themselves, and the answer returned from the explanation of them, thus, Sortes ipsas et cetera, qua erant ad sortem, i. e. ad responsum reddendum parata, disturbavit simia, Cic. div. i. 34. Liv. viii. 24.; but also any verbal responses whatever of an oracle, (sortes qua vaticinations funduntur, qua oracula verius dicimus, ) Cic. div. ii. 33. & 56. Dicta per carmina sortes, Horat. art. p. 403. So Liv. i. 56. v. 15. Virg. AZn. iv. 346. vi. 72. Ovid. Met. i. 368. & 381. &c. Thus Oraculum is put...