a certain accident and casual occurrence that was thought to prefigure either good or evil. There were three sorts of omens among the ancients. One was of things internal, or those which affected the persons themselves; the second, of things external, that only appeared to men, but did not make any impression on them; the third were ominous words. Of the first sort were those sudden consternations, called panic fears, that seized upon men without any visible cause, and were therefore imputed to the demons, especially the god Pan: of these panics there is frequent mention in history. The second sort of omens were of such things as appeared to men, but were not contained in their own bodies. Of these there were several sorts: the beginning of things were thought to contain something ominous: it was thought a direful omen, when anything unusual befell the temples, altars, or statues of the gods. Under the head of external omens are to be placed those which offered themselves in the way; such were the meeting of an eunuch, a black, a bitch with whelps, a snake lying in the road, &c. Words were ominous; and as they were good or bad, were believed to prefigure accordingly.