Page:The Ancient City- A Study on the Religion, Laws, and Institutions of Greece and Rome.djvu/240

 Ii34 THE CITY. BOOK III. marked off certain lines in the lieavens, pronounced a prayer, and, placing his hand upon the king's head, supplicated the gods to show, by a visible sign, that this cliief was agreeable to them. Then, as soon as a flash of lightning or a flight of birds had manifested the will of the gods, the new king took possession of his charge. Livy describes this ceremony for the installa- tion of Numa; Dionysius assures us that it took place for all the kings, and after the kings, for the consuls ; he adds that it was still performed in his time.' There was a reason for such a custom ; as the king was to be supreme chief of the religion, and the safety of the city was to depend upon his prayers and sacrifices, it was important to make sure, in the first place, that this king was accepted by the gods. The ancients have left us no account of the manner in which the Spartan kings wore elected ; but we may be certain that the will of the gods was consulted in the election. We can even see from old customs •which survived to the end of the history of Sparta, that the ceremony by which the gods were consulted was renewed every nine years; so fearful were they that the king might lose the favor of the divinity. "Every nine years," says Plutarch, " the Ephors chose a very clear night, but without a moon, and sat in silence, with their eyes fixed upon the heavens. If they saw a star cross from one quarter of the heavens to the other, this indicated that their kings were guilty of some neglect of the gods. The kings were then sus- pended from their duties till an oracle came from Delphi to relieve them from their forfeiture.'" » Livy, I. 18. Dionysius, II. G; IV. 80. ' Plutarcli, Agis, 11.