De speciehus magieae
The Roots of Divination
Varro categorizes the various forms of divination derived from the four elements.
Varro, the most curious of the philosophers, borrowed four types of divination from the elements—pyromancy, aeromancy, hydromancy, and geomancy—and you'll see many other types sprout from these roots, whether the divination is carried out through art or through frenzy; I'll list a few of their names here as examples.
Read the original Latin
Varro autem curiosissimus inter philosophos quattuor species diuinationis ab elementis mutuatus est, piromantiam scilicet, aerimantiam, ydromantiam, et geomantiam, multasque species uidebis ex his capitibus puUulare, siue arte siue furore diuinatio peragatur, quarum nomina exempli causa uel pauca subiciam.
Policraticus companion
Study the argument weekly; pray the tradition daily
Pair the outline with the Chosen Portion app, which serves short daily portions from the same royal devotional tradition — free on iOS.
John of Salisbury argued that rulers must keep the law of God before their eyes daily; Chosen Portion gives modern readers that same daily discipline in five minutes a morning.
- 8 weeks, one book per week, with the 3-4 key chapters flagged in each
- Discussion questions usable for a reading group from week one
- A daily 5-minute companion portion in the app alongside your weekly study