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62
THE RISTASAMUOCAYA
There were women who gave birth to elephants and serpents. The birth of more than three children was interpreted by the Romans as a sign of impending evil. When
Augustus was the king, the birth of four children worked infinite s mischief, through famine. A number of prodigies occurred
in the rule of Nero among which abnormal births are quite conspicuous. The offsprings had many heads each of which was a symbol of the dead emperor according to the Romans.
Natural absurdities like extraordinarily bright lights join the sky at night just giving the idea of a glaring day were also seen.
Once a little star fell from the sky, gathering in size as it neared the earth while it looked like a dazzling moon.
It eventually returned to its original habitat in the heavens 15 and completely disappeared. Stars moved to and fro;8 and a red circle suddenly enveloped the sun". In old antiquated times it rained sometimes milk, blood, flesh etc, in Rome'.
Even large flames spread in the sky. Farm-houses containing animals were all destroyed. This inauspicious 20 event was particularly interpreted as an evil omen forecasting a calamitous social war in Italy.
In Asia there were two peculiar mountains, around Indus, one of which attracted and the other repelled iron wherever it was. 25 No specific time has been prescribed for the occurrence of prodigies and portents though there is ample evidence to show that political crises and national calamities were almost always preceded or attended by some sort of extraordinary or marvellous events. Many out-of-the way events occurred in 30 the year, when Fabius Maximus was given tho consulship
for the third time. There was found a bloody sweat on the face of the statues. It rained stones near the temple. At Sinuessa, a cow gave birth to a colt etc. etc.
1 HN, VII, 3. 2 Cf. st. 124 of the text. 3 HN, II, 29-37. 4 Cf. st. 55 of the text. 5 lbid; 6 IN, II, 29-34; 57-59,
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