AUGURY, in Antiquity, the art of divining, or foretelling events, by the chattering, singing, and feeding of birds.
See DIVINATION and AUGUR.
The observation of auguries is very ancient, as having been prohibited by Moses in Leviticus—The cup put in Benjamin's sack, in Egypt, was that used by Joseph to take auguries by. In its more general signification, the word augury comprises all the different kinds of divination; which Varro distinguishes into four species of augury, according to the four elements.—Pyromancy, or augury by the fire, Aeromancy, or augury by the air; Hydromancy, or augury by the Water; and Geomancy, or Augury by the Earth. See AEROMANCY, PYROMANCY, etc. The particular branches are: Aleuromancy, Anthropomancy, Belomancy, Catoptromancy, Capnomancy, Gastromancy, Geomancy, Auspicina, Libanomancy, Necromancy, etc. See each described under its proper article. Cicero, who was one of the college, wonders how two augurs could meet without laughing at each other; by which it appears what opinion he had of the art—And yet no affair of moment could be resolved on without first consulting them; and their advice, be it what it would, was, by a decree of the Senate, enjoined to be exactly and religiously performed.
