The art of the haruspices, which was called
karuspicirutf consisted m explaining and inter-
preting the will of the gods from the appear-
ance oif the^ entrails (txim) of animals offered
in sacrifice, whence they are sonsetimes called
exHspiout and their art extupkmm. ; and also
from lightning; earthquakes, and all extraor-
dinary phenomena in nature, to which the
general name of MrCmia was given. Their
art is said to have been invented by the Etrus-
can Tagesy and was contained in certain books
called Ubri haruspkini, fylgwraUs, and torn-
truales.
This art was considered by the Romans so
important at one Ume, that the senate decreed
that a certain number of young Etruscans, be-
longing^ to the principal familMs in the state,
should alwayt be instructed in it. In later
times, however, their art fell into dkrepute



172



HASTA.
among well-educated Romans; and Cicero
relatea a saying of Cato, that he wondered
that one haruspex did not laugh when he saw
another.
The name of haruspex is sometimes applied
to any kind of soothsayer or prophet.
HASTA iiyxoc), a spear. The spear is de-
fined by Homer, oopv ra^ictipec* " a pole fitted
with bronze." The bronze, for which iron
was afterwards substituted, was indispensable
to form the point {(Uxfiv* ^kuk^^ Homer;
MyxVi Xmophon; aciest ctupist ^aicidum) of
the epear. ifach of theses two essential parts
is often put for the whole, so that a spear is
called Sopv and dopdriov, cUxufjy and A6y;yj;.
Even the more especial term fteXiCt meaning^
an ash-tree, is used in the same manner, be-
cause the pole of the s]3ear was often the
stem of a young ash, stript of its bark and
polished.
