M. De le Chambre insists upon it that the inclinations of people may be known from consulting the lines on the hands; there being a very near correspondence between the parts of the hand and the internal parts of the body, the heart, liver, &c. “whereon the passions and inclinations much depend.” He adds, however, that the rules and precepts of Chiromancy are not sufficiently warranted; the experiments on which they stand not being well verified. He concludes by observing, that there should be a new set of observations, made with justness and exactitude, in order to give to Chiromancy that form and solidity which an art of science demands. DACTYLIOMANCY. This is a sort of divination performed by means of a ring. It was done as follows, viz. by holding a ring, suspended by a fine thread, over a round table, on the edge of which were made a number of marks with the 24 letters of the alphabet. The ring in shaking or vibrating over the table, stopped over certain of the letters, which, being joined together, composed the required answer. But this operation was preceded and accompanied by several superstitious ceremonies; for, in the first place, the ring was to be consecrated with a great deal of mystery; the person holding it was to be clad in linen garments, to the very shoes; his head was to be shaven all round, and he was to hold vervein in his hand. And before he proceeded on any thing the gods were first to be appeased by a formulary of prayers, &c. The whole process of this mysterious rite is given in the 29th book of Ammianus Marcellinus. EXTISPICIUM, (From _exta_ and _spicere_, to view, consider.) The name of the officer who shewed and examined the entrails of the victims was Extispex. This method of divination, or of drawing presages relative to futurity, was much practised throughout Greece, where there were two families, the _Jamidæ_ and _Clytidæ_, consecrated or set apart particularly for the exercise of it. The Hetrurians, in Italy, were the first _Extispices_, among whom likewise the art was in great repute. Lucan gives us a fine description of one of these operations in his first book. GASTROMANCY. This species of divination, practised among the ancients, was performed by means of words coming or appearing to come out of the belly. There is another kind of divination called by the same name, which is performed by means of glasses, or other round transparent vessels, within which certain figures appear by magic art. Hence its name, in consequence of the figures appearing as if in the belly of the vessels. GEOMANCY, Was performed by means of a number of little points or dots, made at random on paper; and afterwards considering the various lines and figures, which those points present; thereby forming a pretended judgment of futurity, and deciding a proposed question.