arriages," &c. Now, it seems not improbable, that the same transition was made in the speculations of men which appears in the poet's words; and that they were easily induced to think, that the surprising foresight of birds, as to the time of migration, indicated something of a divine nature in them; which opinion Virgil, as an Epicurean, thinks fit to enter his protest against, when he says,

*Haud equidem credo, quia sit divinitas illis ingenium.*

But to return to Aristophanes. The first part of the chorus, from whence the fore-cited passage is taken, seems, with all its wildness, to contain the fabulous cant, which the augurs made use of in order to account for their impudent impositions on mankind. It sets out with cosmogony; and says, That in the beginning were Chaos and Night, and Erebus and Tartarus: That there was neither water, nor air, nor sky: That Night laid an egg, from whence, after a time, Love arose: That Love, in conjunction with Erebus, produced a third kind; and that they were the first of the immortal race, &c.

**August**, (angustus), in a general sense, something majestic, venerable, or sacred. The appellation was first conferred by the Roman senate upon Octavius, after his being confirmed by them in the sovereign power. It was conceived as expressing something divine, or elevated above the pitch of mankind, being derived from the verb *augeo*, "I increase," tanquam supra humanam sortem auctus. See Augustus.

**August**, in Chronology, the eighth month of our year, containing 31 days. August was dedicated to the honour of Augustus Caesar, because, in the same month, he was created consul, thrice triumphed in Rome, subdued Egypt to the Roman empire, and made an end of civil wars, being before called Sextilis, or the sixth month from March.

**Augusta**, or **Austa**, an island in the Adriatic sea on the coast of Dalmatia, near Ragusa, subject to Venice. E. Long. 17°. 50'. N. Lat. 42°. 35'.

**Augusta**, a town of Georgia in North America. See Georgia.

**Augusta Aesciorum**, a town of Aquitania, so named out of compliment to Augustus, being originally called Cluniberrum, which name it afterwards resumed. In the middle age, it took the name of the people, Aesci; and is now called Auch, the capital of Gascony.

**Augusta Emerita**, a town of Lusitania, on the river Anas, the capital of the province: a colony of the Emeriti, or such soldiers as had served out their legal time, were men of experience, or had received marks of favour. The colony was founded by Augustus: and is now called Merida, a city of Spain, in Estremadura, on the river Guadiana. See Merida.

**Augusta Praetoria**, a town of Gallia Belgica; now a small village called August, at the bend of the Rhine northward; but from the ruins, which are still to be seen, it appears to have been a considerable colony, at the distance of six miles from Basil to the east.

**Augusta Suessionum**, a town of Gallia Belgica on the Axona; so called from Augustus, and with great probability supposed to be the Noviodunum Suessionum of Caesar. Now Soissons, on the river Aisne, in the Isle of France. See Soissons.

**Augusta Taurinorum**, a town of the Taurini at the foot of the Alps, where the Duria Minor falls into the Po; now Turin, the capital of Piedmont.

**Augusta Treba**, a town of the Aequi, near the spring of the river Anio in Italy; now Trevi, in Umbria, on the east of the Campagna di Roma.

**Augusta Trevirorum**, a town of the Treviri, a people inhabiting between the Rhine and the Meuse, but especially about the Moselle; now Trèrs, or Trevi, in the circle of the Lower Rhine, on the Moselle.

**Augusta Vindelicorum**, a town of the Licates on the Licus; called by Tacitus a noble colony of Rhaetia; now Augsburg, capital of Swabia.

**Augusta Historia** is the history of the Roman emperors from the time of Adrian to Carinus, that is, from the year of our Lord 157 to 285, composed by six Latin writers, Ael. Spartanus, Julius Capitolinus, Ael. Lampridius, Vulcatius Gallicanus, Trebellius Pollio, and Flavius Vopiscus.

**Augustales**, in Roman antiquity, an epithet given to the flamens or priests appointed to sacrifice to Augustus after his deification; and also to the ludi or games celebrated in honour of the same prince on the fourth of the ides of October.

**Augustalia**, a festival instituted by the Romans in honour of Augustus Caesar, on his return to Rome, after having settled peace in Sicily, Greece, Syria, Asia, and Parthia; on which occasion they likewise built an altar to him, inscribed *Fortune redacti*.

**Augustalis praefectus**, a title peculiar to a Roman magistrate who governed Egypt, with a power much like that of a proconsul in other provinces.

**Augustan Confession.** See Augsburg Confession.

**Augustin**, or Austin, St., the first archbishop of Canterbury, was originally a monk in the convent of St Andrew at Rome, and educated under St Gregory, afterwards Pope Gregory I. by whom he was despatched into Britain with 40 other monks of the same order, about the year 596, to convert the English Saxons to Christianity. They landed in the isle of Thanet; and having sent some French interpreters to King Ethelbert with an account of their errand, the king gave them leave to convert as many of his subjects as they could, and assigned their place of residence, at Durovernum, since called Canterbury; to which they were confined till the king himself was converted, whose example had a powerful influence in promoting the conversion of his subjects; but though he was extremely pleased at their becoming Christians, he never attempted to compel them. He despatched a priest and a monk to Rome, to acquaint the pope with the success of his mission, and to desire his resolution of certain questions. These men brought back with them a pall, and several books, vestments, utensils, and ornaments for the churches. His holiness, by the same messengers, Augustine messengers, gave Augustine directions concerning the settling of episcopal sees in Britain; and ordered him not to pull down the idol-temples, but to convert them into Christian churches; only destroying the idols, and sprinkling the place with holy water, that the natives, by frequenting the temples they had been always accustomed to, might be the less shocked at their entrance into Christianity. Augustine resided principally at Canterbury, which thus became the metropolitan church of England; and having established bishops in several of the cities, he died on the 26th May, 607. The Popish writers ascribe several miracles to him. The observation of the festival of St Augustine was first enjoined in a synod held under Cuthbert archbishop of Canterbury, and afterwards by the pope's bull in the reign of King Edward III.