Explore "Domitia" by Sabine Baring-Gould on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
At the earliest rays of dawn the auguries were taken, not as of old by the flight of birds, but by inspection of the liver and heart of a sheep, that was slaughtered for the purpose by the Aruspices, and this done they came to the palace of Duilia, bearing the skin of the sheep, to announce that the portents were favorable, in fact, were of extraordinarily good promise.
"That is as I hoped," said Longa Duilia, "and that will counteract and bring to naught the disastrous tokens of the wreath. Why, by Venus's girdle, the girl has not been able to get her hands white yet. The stain of that nefast herb is on them still. But-ah! here she comes in her flame-colored veil. By the Body of Bacchus! after all it means no ill, for do not her hands agree in hue with her head-gear? "(6)