Discuss auspice here.
noun
Of Things
1) Literature among the Romans: Omens, specially those drawn from the flight or other movements of birds, or less properly, from the occurrence of lightning or thunder in particular parts of the sky. These were supposed to be indications of the will of Heaven, and to reveal futurity. At first only the augurs took thy auspices [augers], but after a time civil officers, discharging important functions, had the right of doing so. Two kinds of auspices, however, arose - a greater and lesser; the former reserved to dictators, consuls, consors, praetors, or to the commander-in-chief in war; the latter permitted to less exalted functionaries. In the struggle which the plebeians carried on against the patricians for permission to share in political power, the chief argument used by the opponents of change ws, the impossibility that a plebeian could take the auspices; but when, in B.C. 307, the flinging open of the augural college to all classes permitted him to try the experiment, it was found that he did the work as effectively (not to say as ineffectively) as any patrician whatever. The glory of a successful enterprise was universally assigned to the person who took the auspices, and not to the leader of the enterprise itself; hence, the phrase arose, to carry on a war “under the auspices” of the emperor or some other high authority.
“The neglecting any of their auspices, or the chirping of their chickens, was esteemed a peculiar crime which required more expiation than murder.” - BP
“He accordingly takes the auspices, and the lightning flashes from lift to right, which is a favorable sign.” - Lewis
2) Figuratively: Beneficial influence descending, or at least believed to descend, upon those engaged in arduous or perilous work, from some being or person of higher dignity than themselves.
Specially -
(a) From the heathen gods.
“Great Father Mars, and greater Jove,
By whose high auspice Rome hath stood
So long.” - B. Jonson
Or (b) from a king or queen supposed to call down blessing from heaven.
“It [the armada] was so great,
Yet by the auspice of Eliza beat.” - B. Jonson
(c) From the directors of an enterprise, who, though probably not themselves present with those engaged in executing it, are still sending them support, counsel, and aid of various kinds; thus when a missionary goes abroad “under the auspices” of the society or church which pays his salary and give him more or less specific directions how to act. When success is achieved, those who directed the enterprise from home are contented to claim, as in fairness belongs to them, part of the glory; the modern augur or other dignitary, unlike the ancient Roman one, has not the effrontery to appropriate the whole.
The singular auspice is now all but obsolete in this first sense; the plural is frequently used.
Of Persons
Persons who went through certain ceremonies when a marriage took place, not forgetting to wish good luck or happiness to the wedded pair.
“In the midst went the auspices; after them, two that sung.” - Hymenaei
[In German auspicien (plural); French auspice (singular); auspices (plural); Spanish auspicio (singular), auspicious (plural); Portuguese and Italian auspicio (singular); from Latin auspicium (singular) = (literally) a bird seeing or watching; auspex, a contraction of avispex, from avis = a bird + the root spec = to see.]
