ruspicy."

The divination which is practiced without express invocation of the
demons is of two kinds. The first is when, with a view to obtain
knowledge of the future, we take observations in the disposition of
certain things. If one endeavor to know the future by observing the
position and movements of the stars, this belongs to "astrologers,"
who are also called "genethliacs," because they take note of the days
on which people are born. If one observe the movements and cries of
birds or of any animals, or the sneezing of men, or the sudden
movements of limbs, this belongs in general to "augury," which is so
called from the chattering of birds (_avium garritu_), just as
"auspice" is derived from watching birds (_avium inspectione_). These
are chiefly wont to be observed in birds, the former by the ear, the
latter by the eye. If, however, these observations have for their
object men's words uttered unintentionally, which someone twist so as
to apply to the future that he wishes to foreknow, then it is called
an "omen": and as Valerius Maximus [*De Dict. Fact. Memor. i, 5]
remarks, "the observing of omens has a touch of religion mingled with
it, for it is believed to be founded not on a chance movement, but on
divine providence. It was thus that when the Romans were deliberating
whether they would change their position, a centurion happened to
exclaim at the time: 'Standard-bearer, fix the banner, we had best
stand here': and on hearing these words they took them as an omen,
and abandoned their intention of advancing further." If, however, the
observation regards the dispositions, that occur to the eye, of
figures in certain bodies, there will be another species of
divination: for the divination that is taken from observing the lines
of the hand is called "chiromancy," i.e. divination of the hand
(because _cheir_ is the Greek for hand): while the divination which
is taken from signs appearing in the shoulder-blades of an animal is
called "spatulamancy."

To this second species of divination, which is without express
invocation of the demons, belongs that which is practiced by
observing certain things done seriously by men in the research of the
occult, whether by drawing lots, which is called "geomancy"; or by
observing the shapes resulting from molten lead poured into water; or
by observing which of several sheets of paper, with or without
writing upon them, a person may happen to draw; or by holding out
several une