[
131]
"Again, Democritus expresses the opinion that
the ancients acted wisely in providing for the
[p. 367]
inspection of the entrails of sacrifices; because, as
he thinks, the colour and general condition of the
entrails are prophetic sometimes of health and
sometimes of sickness and sometimes also of whether
the fields will be barren or productive. Now, if it
is known by observation and experience that these
means of divination have their source in nature, it
must be that the observations made and records
kept for a long period of time have added much
to our knowledge of this subject. Hence, that
natural philosopher introduced by Pacuvius into his
play of
Chryses, seems to show very scanty apprehension of the laws of nature when he speaks as
follows:
The men who know the speech of birds and more
Do learn from other livers1 than their own—
'Twere best to hear, I think, and not to heed.
I do not know why this poet makes such a statement
when only a few lines further on he says clearly
enough:
Whate'er the power may be, it animates,
Creates, gives form, increase, and nourishment
To everything; of everything the sire,
It takes all things unto itself and hides
Within its breast; and as from it all things
Arise, likewise to it all things return.
2
Since all things have one and the same and that a
common home, and since the human soul has always
been and will always be, why, then, should it not be
able to understand what effect will follow any cause,
and what sign will precede any event?
“This,” said Quintus, “is all that I had to say
on divination.”
[p. 369]
