O F M A N H O O D. 439 



ill founded, it is difficult for us to efface. We 

 are fo accuftomed to be influenced by external 

 appearances, that, if no fymptoms of thought 

 and refledion appear in a man's countenance, 

 we inftantly decide him to be void of abili- 

 ty. We even draw conclufions from the cut 

 of the clothes, or the curls of the periwig; nei- 

 ther are thefe conclufions always faUe. Men 

 ought, therefore, to pay fome attention to thefe 

 minute articles; becaufe, in the eye of ftrangers, 

 they make a part of ourfelves, and contribute 

 not a little to the judgments they form of our 

 underflanding and breeding. 



A vivacious or a languid motion of the eye 

 has a prodigious effedl on the character of the 

 countenance. Eyes are of different colours, dark 

 hazel, light hazel, green, blue, gray, and whi- 

 tifh gray. The iris has a fmooth velvet-like ap- 

 pearance, and confifts of iTi^y fmall filaments, 

 regularly difpofed, and directed towards the 

 centre of the pupil. The moft ufual colours of 

 the eye are the hazel and the blue ; and both 

 thefe colours are fometimes to be found in the 

 fame eye. The eyes commonly called black, 

 when narrowly infpc(5led, are only of a dark 

 hazel colour. They appear black in confc- 

 qucnce of their being contrafted with the white 

 of the eye. Thofe of a lefs deep hazel are like- 

 wife reckoned black, but are not equally beauti- 

 ful. Shades of orange, hazel, gray, and blue, 

 are frequently to be met with in the fame eye ; 



but. 



