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having prepared, he delivered, with Hannibal pressing upon affairs. That a timely gift is called a gain and miliarisia were named from militia, that is, from the army. But Dardanus in his work On Weights says that the miliarision was formerly worth a thousand obols, and was so named from the thousand obols. 4.10 After it, vota publica, as it were, public prayers. And the consuls performed sacred rites on behalf of the state and the Roman people, and all the magistrates swore an oath to preserve justice for their subjects. And they did this as if by necessity, since often the magistrates, acting unlawfully or being caught for bribery, were put in prison by the tribunes. And without fear the populace would mock the magistrates not with words, but also with ridiculous gestures; and they did this in honor of liberty, and the magistrates gave way, yielding to custom as if it were law. And the consuls reported the augury to the emperors, through which it was known what kind of year it would be. For since the natural philosophers assign the first day of the week to the Sun, the second to the Moon, the third to Mars, the fourth to Mercury, the fifth to Jupiter, the sixth to Venus, and the seventh to Saturn, if it happened that the festival of the Kalends, that is, the first of January, coincided with the day of the Sun, they expected wars and disputes among rulers and, because of them, dissensions among their subjects, but abundant dry fruits and strange rumors; but if on the day of the Moon, no longer such things, but destruction of infants and scarcity of necessities and a cold spring, and they thought that fruit trees would yield lavishly; if on the day of Mars, fires and diseases, but an abundance of wine and oil and legumes, and civil strife; when on the day of Mercury, destruction of infants and diseases from flux of the belly and destruction for middle-aged women and an altogether abominable famine. And when the festival of the Kalends fell on the day of Jupiter, one could expect all good things, but snowy and rainy weather, so that the rivers would not be contained in their own beds; on the sixth, which is considered to be of Venus, they expected disturbance for the rulers, increase for the crops, and severe wars for the commonwealth, and destruction of people and especially of the youth; and on the seventh, winter by all means—for Saturn is cold—and a very great abundance, since he is believed to be the overseer of crops, and they augured diseases and dangers and winds in the summer and an onslaught of hail around the time of Cancer and an unexpected report for affairs. 4.11 That they say the phoenix, every five hundred years, comes down to a certain place in upper India and prepares for itself a pyre from cinnamon and leaves of nard and fennel, and mounts it; which being supposedly ignited by some sudden spirit, the phoenix itself is consumed by the fire; and not long after, from it a similar grub is born, which, having grown wings, immediately flies up to the sun. And this is done on the altar in the city of the Sun, according to Apollonius; and from there, with some of the most distinguished men in Egypt having gathered, it is raised aloft with an escort of the assembled and departs to whence it came. 4.12 That when there was a divine sign among the Romans, neither an army was moved nor was an assembly convened, even if a sprinkle of a few drops was a hindrance. 4.13 That in the manner in which the magnetic stone transfers iron to the places it moves through the affinity of the consubstantial power according to the incorporeal principle, in this manner inanimate kindred things obey animate kindred things, being transferred. That the iron is kindred to the magnetic stone according to some power is easy to perceive; for the one from

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κατασκευάσας ἐπιδέδωκεν, Ἀννίβου τοῖς πράγμασιν ἐπικειμένου. ὅτι κέρδος ἡ ἐπίκαιρος δόσις λέγεται καὶ μιλιαρίσια ἀπὸ τῆς μιλιτίας οἱονεὶ τῆς στρατιᾶς ὠνομάσθησαν. ὁ δὲ ∆άρδανος ἐν τῷ περὶ σταθμῶν χιλίων ὀβολῶν λέγει πάλαι γενέσθαι τὸ μιλιαρίσιον, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς χιλιάδος τῶν ὀβολῶν οὕτως ὀνομασθῆναι. 4.10 Μετ' αὐτὴν βότα πούβλικα ὡσανεὶ δημοσίαι εὐχαί. ἱερούργουν δὲ καὶ οἱ ὕπατοι ὑπὲρ τῆς πολιτείας καὶ τοῦ δήμου τοῦ Ῥωμαϊκοῦ, καὶ πάντες οἱ ἄρχοντες ἐξώμνυντο τὰ δίκαια φυλάττειν τοῖς ὑπηκόοις. καὶ τοῦτ' ἔπραττον ὥσπερ ἐξ ἀνάγκης, ἐπεὶ πολλάκις παρανομοῦντες οἱ ἄρχοντες ἢ ἐπὶ δεκασμοῦ ἁλόντες ἐν φρουρᾷ πρὸς τῶν δημάρχων ἀπετέθησαν. καὶ ἀδεῶς τὸ πλῆθος ἀπέσκωπτεν εἰς τοὺς ἄρχοντας οὐ ῥήμασιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σχήμασιν ἐπὶ τὸ γελοιῶδες ἔχουσι· τοῦτο δὲ ἔπραττον εἰς τιμὴν ἐλευθερίας, καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες ἐνεδίδοσαν, ὡσανεὶ νόμῳ τῇ συνηθείᾳ παραχωροῦντες. καὶ ἀνέφερον τὴν οἰωνοσκοπίαν οἱ ὕπατοι τοῖς αὐτοκράτορσι, δι' ἧς ἐγινώσκετο, ποταπὸς ἄρα ἔσται ὁ ἐνιαυτός. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οἱ φυσικοὶ τὴν μὲν πρώτην τῆς ἑβδομάδος ἡμέραν τῷ Ἡλίῳ ἀναγράφουσι, τὴν δὲ δευτέραν τῇ Σελήνῃ, τὴν δὲ τρίτην Ἄρει, τὴν δὲ τετάρτην Ἑρμῇ,τὴν πέμπτην δὲ τῷ ∆ιί, τὴν δὲ ἕκτην τῇ Ἀφροδίτῃ, τὴν δὲ ἑβδόμην τῷ Κρόνῳ, εἰ μὲν συνέβη ἡμέρᾳ Ἡλίου συνδραμεῖν τὴν ἑορτὴν τῶν Καλενδῶν ἤγουν τὴν πρώτην τοῦ Ἰανουαρίου, πολέμους καὶ ἀρχόντων διαφορὰς καὶ τῶν ὑπηκόων δι' αὐτοὺς διχονοίας ἀνέμενον, τοὺς δὲ ξηροὺς καρποὺς ἀφθόνους καὶ φήμας παραδόξους· εἰ δὲ Σελήνης, τοιαῦτα μὲν οὐκέτι, φθορὰν δὲ βρεφῶν καὶ σπάνιν τῶν ἐπιτηδείων ἔαρ τε ψυχρόν, τὰ δ' ἀκρόδρυα δαψιλῶς ἐπιδώσειν ᾤοντο· εἰ δ' Ἄρεος, ἐμπρησμοὺς μὲν καὶ νόσους, οἴνου δὲ καὶ ἐλαίου καὶ ὀσπρίων ἀφθονίαν καὶ στάσιν ἐμφύλιον· ὅταν δὲ Ἑρμοῦ, φθορὰν μὲν νηπίων καὶ νόσους ἐκ ῥύσεως γαστρὸς καὶ ταῖς μέσαις ἐν ἡλικίᾳ γυναιξὶ φθορὰν καὶ λιμὸν ἀπευκταῖον καθόλου. ἐν δὲ τῇ ∆ιὸς ἡμέρᾳ ἐμπιπτούσης τῆς τῶν Καλενδῶν ἑορτῆς πάντα μὲν ἀγαθὰ ἐδίδοτο προσδοκᾶν, χιονώδη δὲ καὶ ὑετώδη τὸν καιρόν, ὡς μηδὲ τοὺς ποταμοὺς ταῖς ἰδίαις ἀρκεσθῆναι κοίταις· ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς ἕκτης, ἥτις Ἀφροδίτης εἶναι νομίζεται, τοῖς μὲν ἄρχουσι θόρυβον, τοῖς δὲ καρποῖς ἐπίδοσιν, καὶ τοῖς κοινοῖς πολέμους βαρεῖς, φθοράν τε ἀνθρώπων καὶ διαφερόντως τῆς νεολαίας ἀνέμενον· κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἑβδόμην χειμῶνα μὲν πάντως-καὶ γὰρ ψυχρὸς ὁ Κρόνος-εὐετηρίαν τε ὅσην, ἐπεὶ ἔφορος τῶν καρπῶν αὐτὸς εἶναι ὑπείληπται, νόσους τε καὶ κινδύνους καὶ ἀνέμους τῷ θέρει καὶ χαλάζης ἐπιφορὰν περὶ τὸν καρκῖνον καὶ φήμην τοῖς πράγμασιν ἀδόκητον οἰωνίζοντο. 4.11 Ὅτι τὸν φοίνικά φασιν διὰ πεντακοσίων ἐτῶν εἴς τινα τόπον τῆς ἄνω Ἰνδίας κατιέναι καὶ παρασκευάζειν ἑαυτῷ ἔκ τε κινναμώμου καὶ φύλλων νάρδου τε καὶ μαράθου θημῶνα ἐπιβαίνειν τε τούτου· οὗ δῆθεν ἐξαπτομένου ὑπό τινος αἰφνιδίου δαίμονος αὐτὸν μὲν ἀναλίσκεσθαι τῷ πυρὶ τὸν φοίνικα· μετ' οὐ πολὺ δὲ ἐξ αὐτοῦ παραπλήσιον ἀναφύεσθαι σκώληκα, πτεροποιηθέντα δὲ παραχρῆμα ἐπὶ τὸν ἥλιον ἀνίπτασθαι. πράττεται δὲ τοῦτο ἐπὶ τοῦ ἐν Ἡλίου πόλει βωμοῦ κατὰ τὸν Ἀπολλώνιον· τοὐντεῦθεν δὴ τῶν ἐνδοξοτάτων κατὰ τὴν Αἴγυπτον συνελθόντων τινῶν μετέωρος ἀρθεὶς μετὰ παραπομπῆς τῶν ἀθροισθέντων ἄπεισιν ὅθεν ἧκεν. 4.12 Ὅτι διοσημείας γινομένης παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις οὔτε στρατιὰ ἐκινεῖτο οὔτε ἐκκλησία συνετελεῖτο, κἂν εἰ ὀλίγων ψεκάδων ἐπέψαυε κώλυμα. 4.13 Ὅτι ᾧ τρόπῳ ὁ τοῦ μάγνητος λίθος τὸν σίδηρον ἐφ' ἃ κινεῖται διὰ τὴν ἐμφέρειαν τῆς κατὰ τὸν ἀσώματον λόγον ὁμοουσίου δυνάμεως μεταφέρει, τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ τὰ ἐμφερῆ ἄψυχα τοῖς ἐμφερέσιν ἐμψύχοις ὑπακούει μεταφερόμενα. ὅτι δὲ ἐμφερὴς τῷ μάγνητι λίθῳ κατά τινα δύναμιν ὁ σίδηρος εὐμαρὲς συνιδεῖν· ὁ γὰρ ἐξ