Fig. I.
According to Aristotle’s opinion on Physiognomy, he whose nose is curved from the root of the forehead, and strongly marked like the beak of an eagle, must be a brave man. It was also observed by Polemon and Adamantius, that such a nose denotes courage; and Albert, upon the authority of Loxus, conveys the same idea. Noses thus formed are commonly distinguished by the term Aquiline, or Roman, and seem to bear the character of something royal or majestic; for the eagle, whose bill is so formed, is the king of birds: from this it may be inferred that an aquiline nose denotes a dignified mind, capable of magnificent conceptions. Cyrus, according to Xenophon and Plutarch, possessed such a nose, and the Persians held them in such high estimation, that they granted royal honours to none but those possessed of aquiline noses, and to that custom they still adhere. They loved Cyrus above all other princes, and admired his magnanimity and courage. I have noticed on a medal, in the collection of my brother Porta, the antiquarian, that Artaxerxes, the descendant of Cyrus, and a king of Persia, had a very crooked and prominent nose. This prince proved the greatness of his mind on many occasions, insomuch that for a trifling present, or some inconsiderable service which he had received from some peasants, he not only gave a great quantity of gold and silver, but cities, and even whole provinces, as a compensation. Demetrius, son of a Syrian king, was surnamed Grypus, by the Greeks, on account of his nose, as is mentioned by Justin. Dares, the Phrygian, says, that Neoptolemus, son of Achilles, had a nose of the same shape. According to Suetoneus, that of Sergius Galba, (who is represented as a very liberal and magnificent prince) was curved in the same manner. Plato relates, in his Eutyphron, that Miletus Pittheus had a Roman nose with an elevation on the centre, and it was he that displayed such wonderful generosity respecting an accusation to which he was summoned to appear. George Scanderbeg, whose physiognomy indicated a matchless hero, and who stood unrivalled in courage and liberality, had a gentle and agreeable eminence on his aquiline nose. Junius says, that the great Sforza’s was elevated on its centre, and he was invincible in courage. It is believed that Mahomet, the second emperor of the Turks, who was a great warrior, had a nose so curved that it seemed to touch his upper lip. John Assimbe, surnamed Ussumcassam, had an aquiline nose, large eyes, and a gay countenance; he was very liberal and merciful, possessed an heroic generosity in war, and a great desire of glory. It is certain, that Ishmael Sophy, king of Persia, had a nose of the above description, with eyes remarkably quick and brilliant, and his manners exhibited the greatest liberality, courage and ambition. His greatest delight was to be amid the dangers and chances of war, where his invincible courage and noble heroism were always conspicuous and successful. Selim, the son of Bajazet, who for liberality could vie with Alexander the Great, had an arched nose. Lastly, the face of Soliman, the son of Selim, who was a great warrior, and beloved by all his subjects for his munificence, had a Roman nose.
We have here represented the head of the eagle, whose curved bill can be compared to the nose of Sergius Galba, being both of the same shape.
Fig. II.
This head, which was copied from a marble statue in the collection of my uncle Adrian Spatafore, represents Vitellius, one of the Cæsars, whose enormous head can be compared to that of the owl.
Polemon and Adamantius say, that those whose heads are large, beyond proportion, are stupid, and naturally stubborn. Albert says, that the head which is so large as to lean on the shoulder for support, is destitute of sense and wit; and it was Aristotle’s opinion, that when a man’s head is unreasonably large, and out of proportion with the rest of his body, he is of a dull and sluggish disposition. For my part, I compare them to the ass, as being lazy, timid, and impertinent. They may also be compared to owls, whose heads are very large, and who come from their holes or resting-places feet foremost; on which account Ovid thus describes the transformation of Ascalaphus, who was changed into that stupid bird by Proserpine.
“In Phlegeton’s black stream her hand she dips,
Sprinkles his head, and wets his babbling lips;
Soon on his face, bedropt with magic dew,
A change appear’d, and gaudy feathers grew;
A crooked beak the place of nose supplies,
Rounder his head, and larger are his eyes;
His arm and body waste, but are supplied
With yellow pinions, flagging on each side;
His nails grow crooked, and are turned to claws,
And lazily along his heavy wings he draws;
Ill-omened in his form, the unlucky fowl
Abhorred by men, and called a screeching owl.”
No bird has a larger head than the owl, which is a bird of night. If he shows himself in the day, all other birds attack him without mercy. Falcons that have large heads are not esteemed. Aristotle mentions a fish which has a very large head, and is for that reason called cephale in greek, and capito in Latin, which signify big-headed. He has a very ridiculous custom of hiding his head when frightened, and then he thinks himself in safety. He is considered as the most silly and cowardly of all the finny race. From this we may infer, that those whose heads are uncommonly large, are cowardly, rude, and ungovernable; defective in imagination, and capable of understanding little or nothing. We often hear the old proverb repeated—“Great head and little wit.” The emperor Vitellius had an uncommon large head, as can be seen from the pictures which have been made of him, and the deformity no doubt proceeded from his rude and clownish disposition.
