Physiognomrj . 4 5 S 



the eighteenth century, is the revival of attention 

 to it; the detaching it from the disgraceful con- 

 nection in which it had previously stood; and the 

 exhibition of its principles in a more popular and 

 splendid manner. But sanguine calculators ima- 

 gine that a foundation has been recently laid for 

 incomparably greater progress. They look for- 

 vv^ard to the time, when the students of this sci- 

 ence shall carry it to a degree of perfection of 

 which faint ideas only can now be formed ; when 

 its principles shall be so clearly defined, our know- 

 ledge of its laws so greatly extended, and depart- 

 ments, at present unknown, so fully laid open to 

 the prying eye of philosophy as to render it one of 

 the most safe standards of judgment, and one of 

 the best guides of action. In short, many have 

 spoken of it as a science susceptible of mathema- 

 tical certainty, and as capable of endowing man 

 with a power little short of complete intuition 

 into the hearts, intentions, and talents of his 

 fellow- men. 



It may well be doubted whether these antici- 

 pations be not altogether extravagant and vain. 

 To set bounds to the progress of science is im- 

 possible. We can only say, that its cultivators 

 and improvers being finite creatures, there must 

 be limits somewhere beyond which they cannot 

 hope to advance. And though some further im- 

 provements in physiognomy may be with reasoa 

 expected, yet several considerations concur to 

 render it probable, that these improvements must 

 ever fall far short of the point to which many ex- 

 tend their views. Mankind have been long em- 

 ployed in investigating the subject, without making 

 any signal or important advances in their know- 

 ledge of its nature and principles. There seems 

 to be little room, in this field of investigation, for 

 those experiments and discoveries, which have so 



