The reader should remember that the forehead is governed by Mars; the right eye is under the dominion of Sol; the left is ruled by the Moon; the right ear is under Jupiter; the left Saturn; the rule of the nose is claimed by Venus; and nimble Mercury, the significator of eloquence, claims the dominion of the mouth, and that very justly.
Thus have the seven planets divided the face among them, but not with so absolute a sway, but that the twelve signs of the Zodiac do also come in with a part, (See the engraving): And therefore the sign Cancer presides in the upper part of the forehead, and Leo attends upon the right eye-brow, as Sagittarius does upon the right eye, and Libra upon the right ear: upon the left eye-brow you will find Aquarius: and Gemini and Aries taking care of the left ear: Taurus rules in the middle of the forehead, and Capricorn the chin: Scorpio takes upon him the protection of the nose: Virgo claims the precedence of the right cheek, Pisces the left. And thus the face of man is cantoned out amongst the signs and planets; which being carefully attended to, will sufficiently inform the artist how to pass a judgment. For according to the sign or planet ruling, so also is the judgment to be of the part ruled, which all those that have understanding know easily how to apply.
In the judgment that is to be made from physiognomy, there is a great difference betwixt a man and a woman; the reason is, because in respect of the whole composition, men more fully comprehend it than women do, as may evidently appear in the manner and method we shall give. Wherefore the judgments which we shall pass in every chapter, do properly concern a man, as comprehending the whole species, and but improperly the woman, as being but a part thereof, and derived from the man; and therefore whoever is called to give judgment on such and such a face, ought to be wary about all the lines and marks that belong to it, respect being also had to the sex: for when we behold a man whose face is like unto a woman’s, and we pass a judgment upon it, having diligently observed it, and not on the face only but on the other parts of the body, as his hands, &c. in like manner we also behold the face of a woman, who in respect of her flesh and blood is like unto a man, and in the disposure also of the greatest parts of the body. But does physiognomy give the same judgment on her, as it does of a man that is like unto her? By no means, but far otherwise; in regard that the conception of the woman is much different from that of a man, even in those respects which are said to be common. Now in those common respects two parts are attributed to a man, a third part to a woman.
Wherefore it being our intention to give you an exact account, according to the rule of physiognomy, of all and every part of the members of the body, we will begin with the head, as it hath relation only to man and woman, and not to any other creature, that the work may be more obvious to every reader.
CHAPTER II.
Of the Judgment of Physiognomy.
Hair that hangs down without curling, if it be of a fair complexion, thin and soft withal, signifies a man to be naturally faint-hearted, and of a weak body, but of a quiet and harmless disposition. Hair that is big, and thick, and short withal, denotes a man to be of a strong constitution, secure, bold, deceitful, and for the most part, unquiet and vain, lusting after beauty, and more foolish than wise, though fortune may favour him. He whose hair is partly curled and partly hanging down, is commonly wise, or a very great fool, or else as very a knave as he is a fool. He whose hair grows thick on his temples and his brow, one may at the first sight certainly conclude that such a man is by nature simple, vain, luxurious, lustful, credulous, clownish in his speech and conversation, and dull in his apprehension. He whose hair not only curls very much, but bushes out, and stands on end, if the hair be white, or of a yellowish colour, he is by nature proud and bold, dull of apprehension, soon angry, given to lying, malicious, and ready to do any mischief. He whose hair rises in the corner of his temples, and is gross and rough withal, is a man highly conceited of himself, inclined to malice, but cunningly conceals it, is very courtly, and a lover of new fashions. He who hath much hair, that is to say, whose hair is thick all over his head, is naturally vain and very luxurious, of a good digestion, easy of belief, and slow of performance, of a weak memory, and for the most part unfortunate. He whose hair is of a reddish complexion, is for the most part, if not always, proud, deceitful, detracting, and full of envy. He whose hair is extraordinary fair, is for the most part a man fit for all praiseworthy enterprises, a lover of honours, and much more inclined to do good than evil; laborious and careful to perform whatsoever is committed to his care, secret in carrying on any business, and fortunate. Hair of a yellowish colour shows a man to be good-conditioned, and willing to do any thing, fearful, shame-faced, and weak of body, but strong in the abilities of the mind, and more apt to remember than to revenge an injury. He whose hair is of a brownish colour, and curled not too much nor too little, is a well disposed man, inclined to that which is good, a lover of peace, cleanliness, and good manners. He whose hair turns gray or hoary in the time of his youth, is generally given to women, vain, false, unstable, and talkative. Note. That whatever signification the hair has in men, it has the same in women also.
The forehead that riseth in a round, signifies a man liberally merry, of a good understanding, and generally inclined to virtue. He whose forehead is fleshy, and the bone of the brow jutting out, and without wrinkles, is a man much inclined to suits of law, contentious, vain, deceitful, and addicted to follow ill courses. He whose forehead is very low and little, is of a good understanding, magnanimous, but extremely bold and confident, and a great pretender to love and honour. He whose forehead seems sharp, and pointed up in the corners of his temples, so that the bone seems to jut forth a little, is a man naturally weak and fickle, and weak in the intellectuals. He whose brow upon the temples is full of flesh, is a man of a great spirit, proud, watchful, and of a gross understanding. He whose brow is full of wrinkles, and has as it were a seam coming down the middle of the forehead, so that a man may think he hath two foreheads, is one that is of a great spirit, a great wit, void of deceit, and yet of a hard fortune. He who has a full large forehead, and a little round withal, destitute of hair, or at least that has little on it, is bold, malicious, high-spirited, full of choler, and apt to transgress beyond all bounds, and yet of a good wit, and very apprehensive. He whose forehead is long and high, and jutting forth, and whose face is figured, almost sharp and picked towards the chin, is one reasonably honest, but weak and simple, and of a hard fortune.
Those eye-brows that are much arched, whether in man or woman, and which by frequent motion elevate themselves, show the person to be proud, high-spirited, vain-glorious, bold and threatening, a lover of beauty, and indifferently inclined to either good or evil. He whose eye-lids bend downwards when he speaks to another, or when he looks upon him, and who has a kind of skulking look, is by nature a penurious wretch, close in all his actions, of a very few words, but full of malice in his heart. He whose eye-brows are thick, and have but little hair upon them, is but weak in his intellectuals, and too credulous, very sincere, sociable, and desirous of good company. He whose eye-brows are folded, and the hair thick, and bending downwards, is one that is clownish and unlearned, heavy, suspicious, miserable, envious, and one that will cheat and cozen you if he can, and is only to be kept honest by good looking to. He whose eye-brows have but short hair and of a whitish colour, is fearful, and very easy of belief, and apt to undertake any thing. Those on the other side whose eye-brows are black, and the hair of them but thin, will do nothing without great consideration, and are bold and confident of the performance of what they undertake: neither are they apt to believe any thing without reason for so doing.
If the space between the eye-brows be of more than ordinary distance, it shows the person to be hard-hearted, envious, close, cunning, apprehensive, greedy of novelties, of a vain fortune, addicted to cruelty more than love. But those men whose eye-brows are at lesser distance from each other, are for the most part of a dull understanding; yet subtle enough in their dealings, and of an uncommon boldness, which is often attended with great felicity; but that which is most commendable in them is, that they are most sure and constant in their friendship.