Book 1, Chapter 43

95 “Who does not see that auspices and the other forms of divination have carried the greatest weight in every well-ordered state? What king or people ever lived without using divine prediction? And not only in peace, but far more in war, where the struggle and the danger to survival were greater. I leave aside our own people, who consult entrails before every action in war and observe auspices before every action at home; let us look abroad. The Athenians always brought certain divining priests, whom they call μάντεις, seers, into all their public deliberations. The Spartans gave their kings an augur to sit beside them, and also required an augur to attend their elders, as they call their public council. On more important matters they always sought an oracle at Delphi, from Ammon, or from Dodona.

96 “Lycurgus, who framed the Spartan constitution, confirmed his laws by the authority of Apollo at Delphi; and when Lysander wished to alter them, that same religious authority prevented him. Nor were the Spartan magistrates content with the cares of their waking hours: they spent the night in Pasiphae's shrine, in the countryside near the city, for the purpose of dreaming, because they believed the oracles of sleep were true.

97 “Now I return to our own affairs. How often the senate has ordered the Board of Ten to consult the books! In what momentous matters, and how frequently, it has obeyed the responses of the haruspices! There were the appearances of two suns, of three moons, of blazing torches; the sun was seen at night, a roar was heard from the sky, the heavens seemed to split apart and globes were observed within them. The senate also received reports of a collapse in the territory of Privernum, where the earth had sunk to an unfathomable depth, and of tremendous earthquakes that had shaken Apulia. These portents foretold great wars and destructive civil strife for the Roman people; and in all these cases the responses of the haruspices agreed with the Sibyl's verses.

98 “And when Apollo at Cumae and Victory at Capua sweated? Was not the birth of a child with both sexes a portent of destiny? What of the river Atratus flowing with blood? What of the showers that so often rained stones, sometimes blood, at other times earth, and once even milk? And when lightning struck the Centaur on the Capitol, gates and people on the Aventine, the temple of Castor and Pollux at Tusculum, and that of Piety at Rome—did not the haruspices foretell what came to pass, and were not the same predictions found in the Sibyl's books?

95 “Who cannot see that auspices and the other kinds of divination have had enormous influence in every well-run state? Was there ever a king or a people who did not use divine predictions? They used them not only in peace, but even more in war, when the struggle and the danger to their survival were greater. I will pass over our own people, who do nothing in war without inspecting entrails, and nothing at home without taking auspices. Let us look abroad. Whenever Athens considered public policy, it called in prophetic priests known as μάντεις, or seers. In Sparta an augur served as an adviser beside the kings, and an augur also had to attend the public council, which they call the Elders. For any major question, Sparta always consulted Delphi, Ammon, or Dodona for an oracular answer.

96 “Lycurgus, who organized the Spartan state, secured the authority of Apollo at Delphi for his laws. When Lysander wanted to change them, the same religious authority stopped him. The Spartan leaders were not satisfied with their efforts while awake. They would stay overnight to dream in the shrine of Pasiphae, outside the city in the surrounding countryside: they regarded oracles received in sleep as truthful.

97 “Now I return to our own people. How often the senate ordered the Board of Ten to consult the books! How often, and in what important matters, it obeyed the answers of the haruspices! There were sightings of two suns, three moons, and fiery torches; the sun was seen at night; a roar was heard from the sky; the heavens seemed to split open, with balls of fire visible inside. News also reached the senate that land in Privernum's territory had collapsed, leaving the ground sunken to an immense depth, and that enormous earthquakes had rocked Apulia. These signs warned the Roman people of major wars and destructive civil strife. In all these cases the answers of the haruspices agreed with the Sibyl's verses.

98 “And what about the sweating of Apollo's statue at Cumae, or Victory's at Capua? Wasn't the birth of a child with both sexes a sign of some fated event? What about the river Atratus flowing with blood? What about the frequent showers of stones, the occasional showers of blood or earth, and once even of milk? And what of the Centaur on the Capitol being hit by lightning? Gates and people on the Aventine were hit too, as were Castor and Pollux's temple at Tusculum and Piety's at Rome. Didn't the haruspices predict what actually happened? And weren't the same predictions found in the Sibyl's books?