Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume II.djvu/121

 AUGUST AUGUSTA 109 In Greece and Rome astrology proper ceased to have the importance in augury which it had maintained in Chaldea, while, as lite word augury (avigerium) itself would indicate, the preeminence had been given to omens taken from the flight of birds. Both among the Greeks and Romans much of the art of augury depended on the cardinal points of the com- pass. The Greek augurs always faced the north, while the Roman augurs faced the south. Omens in the east were generally lucky, while those in the west were unlucky. Hence the Greek had his right hand synony- mous with good fortune, the Roman originally his left. Later in Roman history, however, sinister (left) became a synonyme for bad for- tune, and dexter (right) for good. Auguries were made both from the flight and cries of birds. Lightning was also observed by the augurs, as well as other striking phenomena, such as meteors, winds, and eclipses. The direction in which a bird flew, the crowing of a cock, the line of the electric flash, and the manner in which a cooped chicken picked his corn, were prominent augurial elements. Some even more trivial and accidental occurrences were reckoned ominous, such as an animal crossing one's path, a fit of sneezing or sudden melan- choly, the spilling of salt on the table, or of wine upon one's clothes. The power of the Greek and Roman augurs was very great. They held their offices for life, regardless of character. In Rome they were at first three in number, and were chosen one from each of the three tribes of the patricians. They were elected by the comitia euriata, a patrician as- sembly, until the Ogulnian law (300 B. C.) admitted the plebeians and enlarged the num- ber of augurs, then four, to nine, subsequent- ly increased to 15. Every election had to bo ratified by the college itself. This original power of veto afterward resulted in the usur- pation by the college of the right to elect its own members by cooptation (452 B. 0.), which right they retained, with the exception of the first election of plebeian augurs, for 348 years, until the passage of the Domitian law (104), which removed the power of elec- tion to the tribes. The most authoritative enactments of the comitia were repeatedly an- nulled by the entrance of an augur into the assembly, pronouncing the words Alia die ("On another day"). The order of augurs gradually declined after the admission of the plebeian element, until it was abolished, with paganism in general, by Theodosius the Great, about A. D. 390. AUGUST, the 8th month of the year, derived from the Roman calendar. The Romans called it originally Sextilis, or the 6th month of their year, which began with March. Julius Caesar made it 30 days in length, and Augustus in- creased it to 31. As it was the month in which Augustus Csesar had entered upon his first consulship, had celebrated three triumphs in the city, had received the allegiance of the soldiers who occupied the Janiculum, had sub- dued Egypt, and put an end to civil war, the senate, in order to flatter him, changed the name of the month to Augustus, in the same way that Quinctilis had been changed to Julius under Julius Caesar. The Flemings and Germans have adopted the word August to signify harvest. Thus oogst maend (Flemish) is the harvest month; so the German Augst- wagen, a harvest wagon ; and the Dutch oogsten, to gather corn from the field. The Spaniards use the verb agostar, to gather in harvest; and the French and Spaniards have the phrases faire Paotit and hacer su augusta, to signify harvesting. The Saxons in Britain named August the weed month. The old Ger- mans named it Weinkoch, the wine-press month. AUGUST FRIEDRICH EBERHAKD, prince of Wilrtemberg, uncle of King Charles I., a Prus- sian general of cavalry, born Jan. 24, 1813. He entered the Prussian service in 1830, became in 1858 commanding general of the Prussian guards, and took part in the wars against Aus- tria (1866) and France (1870), favorable men- tion of his name being made in the reports of the battles of Gravelotte and Sedan. AUGUST WILHELM, prince of Prussia, brother of Frederick the Great, and general of the Prussian army, born in Berlin in 1722, died in 1758. He took an active part in the Silesian campaigns, and distinguished himself at the battle of Hohenfriedberg (June, 1745) ; but in the seven years' war, owing to the fatal retreat of Zittau in 1756, he incurred the dis- pleasure of his brother, and withdrew from the army. This conflict between the two brothers led to a corresp'ondence, which was published in 1769. AUGUSTA, a N. W. county of Virginia, border- ing on West Virginia and the Blue Ridge ; area, 900 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 28,763, of whom 6,737 were colored. It was distin- guished for its loyalty to the revolutionary cause, for which it was commended by Wash- ington. The surface is elevated and uneven; the soil, which is drained by the sources of the Shenandoah and James rivers, is calcareous, and one of the most fertile in the state. In 1870 the county produced 463,276 bushels of wheat, 29,835 of rye, 280,380 of Indian corn, 234,492 of oats, 19,671 tons of hay, 23,291 Ibs. of wool, and 353,335 of butter. The quantity of hay was greater than in any other county of the state, and of wheat and butter than in any other except Loudon. Fine limestone under- lies much of the surface. The celebrated Weyer's or Wier's cave, Madison cave, and the Chimneys are in this county. Capital, Staunton. AUGUSTA, a city of Maine, capital of the state and of Kennebec county, situated at the head of sloop navigation on the Kennebec river, 43 m. from its mouth, 63 m. by railroad N. N. E, of Portland, 72 ra. S.W. of Bangor, and 171 m. N. N. E. of Boston ; pop. in 1860, 7,609 ; in 1870, 7,808. The city lies on both sides of the