A crooked breast or shoulder, or the exuberance of flesh in the body either of man or woman, signifies the person to be extremely parsimonious and ingenious, and of a great understanding, but very covetous, and scraping after the things of the world, attended also with a very bad memory, being also very deceitful and malicious: they are seldom in a medium, but either virtuous or extremely vicious. But if the person deformed hath an excrescence on his breast instead of the back, he is for the most part of a double heart and very mischievous.
Of the divers Manners of going, and particular Posture both of Men and Women,
He or she who goes slowly, making great steps as they go, are generally persons of bad memory, and dull of apprehension, given to loitering, and not apt to believe what is told them. He who goes apace, and makes short steps, is most successful in all his undertakings, swift in his imagination, and humble in the disposition of his affairs. He who walks wide and uneven steps, and sidelong withal, is one of a greedy, sordid nature, subtle, malicious, and willing to do evil.
Of the Gait or Motion in Men or Women.
Every man hath a certain gait or motion, and so in like manner hath every woman; for a man to be shaking his head, or using any light motion with his hands or feet, whether he stands or sits, or speaks, is always accompanied with an extravagant motion, unnecessary, superfluous and unhandsome. Such a man, by the rule of physiognomy, is vain, unwise, unchaste, a detractor, unstable, and unfaithful. He or she whose motion is not much when discoursing with any one, is for the most part wise and well bred, and fit for any employment, ingenious and apprehensive, frugal, faithful, and industrious in business. He whose posture is forwards and backwards, or, as it were whisking up and down, mimical, is thereby denoted to be a vain silly person, of a heavy and dull wit, and very malicious. He whose motion is lame and limping, or otherwise imperfect, or that counterfeits an imperfection, is denoted to be envious, malicious, false, and detracting.
Judgments drawn from the Stature of Man.
Physiognomy draws several judgments also from the stature of man, which take as followeth: if a man be upright and straight, inclined rather to leanness than fat, it shows him to be bold, cruel, proud, clamorous, hard to please, and harder to be reconciled when displeased, very frugal, deceitful, and in many things malicious. To be tall of stature, and corpulent with it, denotes him to be not only handsome but valiant also, but of no extraordinary understanding, and which is worst of all, ungrateful and trepanning. He who is extremely tall, and very lean and thin, is a projecting man, that designs no good to himself, importunate to obtain what he desires, and extremely wedded to his own humour. He who is thick and short, is vain, envious, suspicious, and very shallow of apprehension, easy of belief, but very long before he will forget an injury. He who is lean and short, but upright withal, is, by the rule of physiognomy, wise and ingenious, bold and confident, and of a good understanding, but of a deceitful heart. He who stoops as he goes, not so much by age as custom, is very laborious, a retainer of secrets, but very incredulous, and not easy to believe every vain report he hears. He that goes with his belly stretching forth, is sociable, merry, and easy to be persuaded.
CHAPTER IV.
Of the Power of Celestial Bodies over Men and Women.
Having spoken thus largely of Physiognomy, and the judgments given thereby concerning the dispositions and inclinations of men and women, drawn by the said art, from every part of the bodies of men and women, it will be convenient here to show how all these things come to pass; and how it is that the secret inclinations and future fate of men and women may be known from the consideration of the several parts of the bodies. They arise from the power and dominion of superior powers over bodies inferior; by superior powers I understand the 12 Signs of the Zodiac, whose signs, characters, and significations are as follow.
