a kind of divination by means of fire. The ancients imagined they could foretell future events, by inspecting fire and flame; and to this end, they considered its direction, which way it turned; sometimes they added other matters to the fire, such as a vessel full of urine, having its neck bound about with wool, watching narrowly on which side it burnt, and thence taking their augury: sometimes they threw pitch on it; and, if it took fire immediately, they esteemed it a good augury.