412 HISTORY OF 



Correspondent feature, where every impression 

 anticipates the will, and betrays those hidden agi- 

 tations that he would often wish to conceal. 



It is particularly in the eyes that the passions 

 ,ar,e painted, and in which we may most readily 

 .discover their beginning. The eye seems to be- 

 long to the soul more than any other organ ; it 

 seems to participate of all its emotions, as well 

 the most soft and tender, as the most tumultuous 

 and forceful. It not only receives, but transmits 

 -them by sympathy : the observing eye of one 

 catches the secret fire from another, and the pas- 

 sion thus often becomes general. 



Such persons as are short-sighted labour under 

 a particular disadvantage in this respect. They 

 are, in a manner, entirely cut oft' from the lan- 

 guage of the eyes ; and this gives an air of stupi- 

 dity to the face, which often produces very un- 

 favourable prepossessions. However intelligent 

 we find such persons to be, we can scarcely be 

 brought back from our first prejudice, and often 

 continue in the first erroneous opinion. In this 

 manner we are too much induced to judge of 

 men by their physiognomy ; and having, perhaps, 

 at first caught up our judgments prematurely, 

 they mechanically influence us all our lives after. 

 This extends even to the very colour, or the cut 

 of people's clothes ;' and we should, for this rea- 

 son, be careful even in such trifling particulars, 

 since they go to make up a part of the total judg- 

 ment which those we converse with may form to 

 our advantage. 



