O F M A N H O O D. 451 



As the paffions are agitations or movements 

 of the mind, for the moft part connedled with 

 impreffions of fenfanon, they may be exprefled 

 by motions of the body, and particularly by thofe 

 of the countenance. We can, therefore, form a 

 judgment of the affeclions of the mind by the 

 motions of the body, and can difcover the real 

 fituation of the foul by examining the changes 

 in the features of the face. But, as the mind 

 has no figure which can have any relation to 

 that of matter, we can form no judgment of the 

 general difpolition of any mind by the features 

 of the countenance, or by the figure of the body 

 with which it is conneded. A deformed body 

 may contain an amiable mind; neither fhould 

 we pronounce concerning the natural difpofition 

 of any perfon, merely becaufe the features of 

 his countenance are not agreeable ; for there is 

 no analogy between features and the nature of 

 the foul, upon which any reafonable conjedures 

 can be founded. 



The ancients, however, were much addided 

 to this falfe notion ; and there have not been 

 wanting in every age, men who willied to fup- 

 port a fcientific divination derived by a pre- 

 tended fkill in phyfiognomy. But nothing is 

 more evident, than that this fpccies of divina- 

 tion can be extended no farther than to the af- 

 lections of the mind, when exprefTed by the mo- 

 tion of the eyes, vifagc, and other parts of the 

 body: The form of the nofc, of the mouth, 



1' f 2 and 



