Book 1, Chapter 16

28 “and your rules state that a tripudium occurs if any of it falls on solid ground. Yet even the forced feeding I described is what you call a tripudium solistimum, the most favorable feeding sign. Thus many auguries and auspices have been utterly lost and abandoned through the negligence of your college, as the wise Cato laments.

“Once, almost no important undertaking, even in private life, went ahead without auspices. The auspices-takers at weddings, who still retain the name though the practice has gone, bear witness to that even now. As we now commonly seek favorable signs in entrails—though even that is done rather less than formerly—so people then sought them in birds before great undertakings. And so, because we do not seek favorable signs on the left, we run into dire and defective ones.

29 “Thus Publius Claudius, the son of Appius the Blind, and his colleague Lucius Junius lost enormous fleets after sailing in defiance of the auspices. The same happened to Agamemnon. When the Achaeans began

“‘To clamor among themselves and openly trample on the art of entrail-readers,He orders them to sail, with cheers of approval and birds of ill omen.’

“But why turn to ancient history? We see what happened to Marcus Crassus when he disregarded the announcement of dire omens. In this affair your colleague Appius—a good augur, as I often hear you say—showed too little understanding when, as censor, he censured Gaius Ateius, an honorable man and an excellent citizen, entering as the charge that he had fabricated auspices. Very well: that may have been a censor’s business, if he judged them fabricated. But what he added was certainly no augur’s business: that this was the reason the Roman people had suffered their greatest disaster. If that caused the disaster, the fault lies not with the man who announced the warning but with the man who disobeyed it. As this same augur and censor says, the outcome proved the warning true. Had it been false, it could not have supplied any cause of disaster. For dire omens, like other auspices, like spoken omens and signs, do not cause events to happen: they announce what will happen unless you take precautions.

28 “and your rules say that a tripudium occurs if any of it falls onto solid ground. You call even this forced sign that I have described a fully favorable tripudium. As Cato the Wise complains, many auguries and auspices have therefore been completely lost and abandoned through the college's neglect.

“Once, hardly any important action, even in private life, was taken without auspices. The auspice-takers at weddings still show this today, although they keep only the name and have given up the practice. Just as we now usually seek signs about important matters from sacrificial organs—though even that happens rather less often than it used to—people then sought them from birds. So, by not looking for favorable signs on the left, we run into ominous and defective ones.

29 “When Publius Claudius, son of Appius the Blind, and his colleague Lucius Junius sailed under faulty auspices, they lost enormous fleets. Agamemnon suffered the same fate. When the Greeks began

“‘To grumble among themselves and openly trample on the skill of the organ-readers,He orders the ships to sail, with cheers of approval but an unfavorable bird.’

“But why go back to ancient times? We see what happened to Marcus Crassus when he ignored the announcement of ominous signs. In dealing with this, Appius, your colleague, did not apply his knowledge properly, despite being a capable augur by your often-repeated account. As censor he marked down Gaius Ateius, a good man and an excellent citizen, stating that he had invented the auspices. Granted: that could be a censor's business, if he judged them invented. But what was certainly not an augur's business was his added statement that this had caused the Roman people a very great disaster. If this was the cause of the disaster, the blame lies not with the man who announced the warning, but with the man who disobeyed it. The result confirmed that the warning was genuine, according to this very augur and censor. If it had been false, it could not have provided any cause of disaster. Ominous signs, like other auspices, spoken omens, and signs generally, do not cause events. They announce what will happen unless you take precautions.