On the Magistrates of the Roman Republic

...of the most learned, set down in type. About all of these things I shall speak more clearly hereafter; and likewise concerning Lydus's second
2. Book on the Roman Magistrates.

work, ON THE MAGISTRATES OF THE ROMAN REPUBLIC, original Greek: Περὶ ἀρχῶν τῆς Ῥωμαίων πολιτείας, in three books, published after the Commentaries on the Months. That work, before it was committed to type in this edition, lay hidden for almost seven hundred years in a single (I believe) and poorly preserved Codex A manuscript book; in this case, a fragile hand-written volume that was the only surviving source for the text., and nothing was closer to happening than its total disappearance. However, there is a third work written after those
3. Book on Portents.

two, ON PORTENTS, original Greek: Περὶ διοσημειῶν, literally "Concerning Signs from Zeus/Heaven", which is equally unpublished, except for a few parts: in which Lydus brought together everything that could be learned and known in the time of Justinian concerning the haruspicy The ancient art of interpreting omens, particularly from the entrails of sacrificed animals. and the lightning-science of the Roman people, and generally concerning the science of augury The practice of interpreting the will of the gods through the flight of birds or other natural signs. and the Tuscan doctrine The religious and divinatory practices of the Etruscans, which the Romans adopted and considered the foundation of their sacred rituals., whatever there was of it. This book, the more it is full of abstruse and novel matters, and useful for learning the ancient ceremonies and the inner sanctities of the Roman people’s religions, the more it requires of its readers a sense of questioning and a keenness of mind, so that the new superstitions spread among the nations after the Divine Augustus The first Roman Emperor, Augustus Caesar, whose reign marked the transition from Republic to Empire. may be correctly distinguished from the most ancient institutions of the Republic and the teachings of the Etruscans. Nor do I hide that I am altogether grieved that Lydus applied himself so late to writing these books,