ARUSP10ES, or HARUSPICES, an order of priests amongst the Romans, whose office it was to preside at the, sacrifices, and to declare whether the omens were favourable, or otherwise. They had their name either from ara, an altar, and aspiccre, to observe ; or from haruga, the entrails of a victim, and aspicere. They were also called extispices, from the same circumstance. Their art was called aruspicina, and, according to all ac counts, was not a Roman invention. It was introduced by Romulus front Tuscany ; but we cannot trace it far ther ; for the Tuscans, either ignorant of its origin, or wishing to conceal it, gave out that it was taught them by a boy, whom they miraculously ploughed out of the ground. The aruspices took their observations from four appearances : 1. From the victims before they were killed ; 2. From their entrails after they were cut up; 2. From the flame that rose from the altar whilst they were burning ; 4. From the flour, frank-incense, wine, &c. employed in the sacrifice. If the animal made re sistance, eluded the st.roke, or expired in agony, the omen was unfavourable ; if none of these appearances occur red, the event would be prosperous. After the animal was opened, the viscera were carefully examined A double liver, a little heart, the entrails dropping from the priest's hands, with many other appearances, which the jugglers who presided could manage at pleasure, were reckoned highly unfavourable. When the flame burnt readily, and quickly consumed the victim ; when it was clear, and ascended without crackling, in the form of a pyramid,—the omen was favourable. As to the flour, wine, &c. the point was, to ascertain whether they were of a proper quality, or in clue proportion; circumstances evidently depending on the pleasure of the priests. Cato was so sensible of the impositions practised on these oc casions, that he used to say, he wondered how the arus pices could keep t'teir countenance when they looked at one another. Virgil either had faith in the arztspicina,
or, more probably, introduced it in order to produce poetical effect. In Gcor. iii. v. 486, he thus specifics the unlucky omens : The province of the aruspices was not however, con fined merely to sacrifices ; in sonic respects it nearly co incided with that of the augurs, for almost every unusual appearance fell under their cognisance : Thus we are informed, that, on a certain occasion, an androgynus, or hermaphrodite, appeared at Rome, and was immediately drowned, by the order of the aruspices.
If we may be allowed to conjecture as to the origin of this art, we should be inclined to think it not improbable, that it is nearly as old as sacrifices themselves. It is said to have passed from the Chaldeans to the Greeks, from the Greeks to the Tuscans, and from the latter to the Romans. It is perfectly evident from Scripture, that in early times God signified his acceptance of sacrifices by certain visible appearances, particularly by sending down fire to consume the victims : These, however, were in time withdrawn, and therefore men earnestly searched for some certain, though more occult, intimation of the will of heaven. Hence probably arose the aruspicina.
A singular instance of the infatuation of the Greeks in this respect, occurred at the battle of Platzea. When the Persians attacked the Greeks, the omens were re ported to be unfavourable, and Pausanius ordered the soldiers to make no resistance ; turning at last towards the temple of Juno, and fervently imploring her assist ance, he was informed by the priests that appearances were now propitious ; upon which the Greeks, no long er suffered themselves to be repelled the attack with the utmost fury, and acquired one of the most splendid victories that adorn the annals of Greece. Sec Kennett's Rom. Antiq. p. 69. Adams' Rom. Antiq. p. 304. Plutarch. in Aristid. (g)