DIVINATION, the knowledge of things obscure or future, which cannot be attained by any natural means.

It was a received opinion amongst the heathens that the gods were wont to converse familiarly with some men, whom they endowed with extraordinary powers, and admitted to the knowledge of their councils and designs. Plato, Aristotle, Plutarch, Cicero, and others, divide divination into two sorts or species, viz. natural and artificial.

The former was so called, because not attained by any rules or precepts of art, but infused or inspired into the diviner, without his taking any further care about it than to purify and prepare himself for the reception of the divine afflatus. Of this kind were all those who delivered oracles, and foretold future events by inspiration, without observing external signs or accidents.

The second species of divination was called artificial, because it was not obtained by immediate inspiration, but proceeded upon certain experiments and observations arbitrarily instituted, and mostly superstitious. Of this sort there were various kinds, as by sacrifices, entrails, flame, cakes,flour, wine, water, birds, lots, verses, omens,and soon.

In holy Scripture we find mention made of nine different kinds of divination. The first was performed by the inspection of planets, stars, and clouds. It is supposed to be the practisers of this whom Moses calls ριyn, meonen, from ρx, anaιι, cloud (Deut. chap, xviii. ver. 10). 2. Those whom the prophet calls in the same place ^∏3n, menache-seh, which the Vulgate and the generality of interpreters render augur. 3. Those who in the same place are called [7:8:58].ntzoo, mecascheph, which the Septuagint and Vulgate translate “a man given to ill practices.” 4. Such others whom Moses in the same chapter, verse 11, calls min, hhober. 5. Those who consult the spirits called Python ; or, as Moses expresses it in the same book, btrx □]x, “those who ask questions of Python.” 6. Witches or magicians, whom Moses calls v Wr', judeoni. 7. Those who consult the dead, necromancers. 8. The prophet Hosea (chap. iv. ver. 12), mentions such as consult staves, 'bpn bm ; which kind of divination may be called rhabdomancy. 9. The last kind of divination mentioned in Scripture is hepatascopy, or the consideration of the liver.

Divination of all kinds was necessarily made an occult science, which naturally remained in the hands of the priests and priestesses, the magi, the soothsayers, the augurs, the visionaries, the priests of the oracles, the false prophets, and other like professors, till the time of the coming of Jesus Christ. The light of the gospel, it is true, has dissipated much of this darkness; but it is more difficult than is commonly conceived to eradicate from the human mind a deep-rooted superstition, even though the truth be set in the strongest light, especially when the error has been believed almost from the origin of the world; so that we still find existing among us the remains of this Pagan superstition in the chimeras which enthusiastic and designing men have formed into arts and sciences, though it must be owned, to the honour of the nineteenth century, that the pure doctrines of Christianity, and the spirit of philosophy, which become every day more diffused, equally concur in banishing these visionary opinions. The vogue for these pretended sciences and arts, moreover, is past, and they can no longer be named without exciting ridicule in all sensible people. By relating them here, therefore, and drawing them from their natural obscurity, we only mean to show their futility, and to mark those rocks against which the human mind, without the assistance of a pilot, might easily split.

For the attaining these supernatural qualifications, there are still existing in the world the remains of

1. Astrology ; a conjectural science, which teaches to judge of the effects and influences of the stars, and to predict future events by the situation of the planets and their different aspects. It is divided into natural astrology, or meteorology ; which is confined to the foretelling of natural effects, as the winds, rain, hail, and s∩oλv, frosts and tempests. In this consists one branch of the art of almanack-makers; and by merely confronting these predictions in the calendar with the weather which each day produces, every man of sense will see what regard is to be paid to this part of astrology. The other part, which is called judicial astrology, is still more illusive and absurd than the former; and having been at first the wonderful art of visionaries, it afterwards became that of impostors; a very common fate with all those chimerical sciences of which we are here treating. This art pretends to teach the method of predicting all sorts of events which shall happen upon the earth, as well such as relate to the public as those which concern private persons; and this by the same inspection of the stars and planets, and their different constellations. The cabbala signifies, in like manner, the knowledge of things which are above the moon, as the celestial bodies and their influences; and in this sense it is the same with judicial astrology, or forms part of it.

2. Horoscopy, which may also be considered as a part of astrology, is the art of drawing a figure, or celestial scheme, containing the twelve houses, in which are marked the disposition of the heavens at a certain moment; for example, that at which a man is born, in order to foretel his fortune, or the incidents of his future life. In a word, it is the disposition of the stars and planets at the moment of any person’s birth. But as there cannot be any probable or possible relation between the constellations and the human race, all the principles they lay down, and the prophecies they draw from them, are chimerical, false, absurd, and a criminal imposition on mankind.

3. The art of augury consisted, amongst the ancient Romans, in observing the flight, the singing, and eating of birds, especially such as were held sacred. See Au-GURY.

4. The equally deceitful art of haruspicy consisted, on the contrary, in the inspection of the entrails of animals, but principally of victims, and from these predicting grand incidents relative to the republic, and the good or bad events of its enterprises.

5. Aeromancy was the art of divining by the air. This vain science has also come to us from the Pagans; but it is rejected by reason as well as Christianity, as false and absurd.

6. Pyromancy is a divination made by the inspection of a flame, either by observing to which side it turns, or by throwing into it some combustible matter, or a bladder filled with wine, or any thing else from which it was imagined that predictions might be drawn.

7. IIydromancy is the supposed art of divining by water. The Persians, according to Varro, invented this art. Pythagoras and Numa Pompilius both made use of it.

8. Geomancy was a divination made by observing cracks or clefts in the earth. It was also performed by points made on paper, or any other substance, at a venture; and future events were judged of from the figures which thence resulted. This was certainly very ridiculous; but it is nothing less so to pretend to predict future events by the inspection of the grounds of a dish of tea or coffee, or by cards, and many other like matters. Thus have designing men made use of the four elements to deceive their credulous brethren.

9. Chiromancy is the art which teaches to know, by inspecting the hand, not only the inclinations of a man, but his future destiny also. The fools or impostors who practise this art pretend that the different parts or the lines of the hand have a relation to the internal parts of the body, as some to the heart, others to the liver, spleen, &c. On this false supposition, and on many others equally extravagant, the principles of chiromancy are founded; and on which, however, several authors, as Robert Flud an Englishman, Artemidorus, Μ. de la Chambre, John of In-dagina, and many others, have written treatises.

10. Physiognomy, or pliysiognomancy, is a science that pretends to teach the nature, the temperament, the understanding, and the inclinations of men, by the inspection of their countenances, and is therefore very little less frivolous than chiromancy; though Aristotle, and a number of learned men after him, have written express treatises concerning it.