[70]
33. "Enough has been said of portents;
auspices remain and so do lots—I mean ' lots' that
are drawn, and not those uttered by prophets, and
more correctly styled ' oracles.' I shall speak of
oracles when I get to natural divination. In addition
I must discuss the Chaldeans. But first let us consider auspices. 'To argue against auspices is a
hard thing,' you say, 'for an augur to do.' Yes, for
a Marsian, perhaps; but very easy for a Roman.
[p. 451]
For we Roman augurs are not the sort who foretell
the future by observing the flights of birds and other
signs. And yet, I admit that Romulus, who founded
the city by the direction of auspices, believed that
augury was an art useful in seeing things to come—
for the ancients had erroneous views on many subjects. But we see that the art has undergone a
change, due to experience, education, or the long
lapse of time. However, out of respect for the
opinion of the masses and because of the great
service to the State we maintain the augural practices, discipline, religious rites and laws, as well as
the authority of the augural college.
Cicero: De Senectute De Amicitia De Divinatione. With An English Translation. William Armistead Falconer. Cambridge. Harvard University Press; Cambridge, Mass., London, England. 1923.
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