BEAN, in Botany. See VICIA, BOTANY INDEX.
The ancients made use of beans in gathering the votes of the people, and for the election of magistrates. A white bean signified abolition, and a black one condemnation. Beans had a mysterious use in the lemuralia and parentalia; where the master of the family, after washing, was to throw a sort of black beans
Beans. Beans over his head, still repeating the words, "I re-
deem myself and family by these beans." Ovid * gives
a lively description of the whole ceremony in verse.—
* Fest. lib. 5. 4. 435.
Abstaining from beans was enjoined by Pythagoras, one
of whose symbols is, κράνος αμπεγός, abstine a fabis.
The Egyptian priests held it a crime to look at beans,
judging the very sight unclean. The flamen dialis was
not permitted even to mention the name. The precept
of Pythagoras has been variously interpreted: some
understand it of forbearing to meddle in trials and ver-
dicts, which were then by throwing beans into an urn:
others, building on the equivocal of the word κράνος,
which equally signifies a bean and a human testicle, ex-
plain it by abstaining from venery. Clemens Alexan-
drinus grounds the abstaining from beans on this, that
they render women barren; which is confirmed by
Theophrastus, who extends the effect even to plants.
Cicero suggests another reason for this abstaining, viz.
that beans are great enemies to tranquillity of mind.
For a reason of this kind it is, that Amphiarus is said
to have abstained from beans, even before Pythagoras,
that he might enjoy a clearer divination by dreams.