rafters thofe hidden agitations we are often feli- 
citous to conceal. 
Ho'tvever, it is in the eyes that the pafTions are 
moft ftrongly marked, and moft readily difco- 
Vered. The eye belongs to the foul more than 
any otl'^er corporeal organ : it participates of every 
mental emotion, the fofteft and the mofc tender, as 
well as the moft violent and tumultuous; it exhi- 
bits thefe emotions in all their energy and purity ; 
and infufes into the foul of the fpeftator the fire 
and agitation of that mind from which they ori- 
ginate. In fine, the eye reflefts the light of 
thought, and the glow of fentiment; it is the 
fenfe of the underftanding, and the language of 
intelligence. Such perfons as fquint, or are lliort- 
fighted, have lefs of this external foul, as it may be 
temied, whofe principal refidence is in the eye: 
thefe defeats injure the phyfiognomy, and give to 
the fineft countenance an air of vacancy and ftu- 
pidity. As nothing but ftrong and violent paf- 
fions are perceptible in vifages of this kind, and 
as they exhibit no marks of delicacy or vivacity 
of fentiment, we are apt to form unfavourable im- 
prefTions of fuch perfons ; which, hov/ever ill 
founded, are eradicated with difficulty. We are 
fo accuftomed to fuffer ourfelves to be influenced 
by external appearances, that if no fymptoms of 
thought and refleftion appear in a man's coun- 
tenance, we too haftily pronounce him to be def- 
titute of ability: we even are weak enough to 
draw conclufions from the cut of the cloaths, or 
the curls of the periwig. Men ought therefore to 
pay fome attention to thefe minute articles; be- 
caufe, in the eyes of ftrangers, they conftitute a 
part of ourfelves, and contribute not a little to the 
opinion they form of our underftanding and man- 
ners. 
The vivacity or languor of the eyes gives the 
ftrongeft marks to the phyfiognomy; and their 
colour contributes ftill more to enforce their ex- 
preffion. The different colours of the eyes arc 
dark hazel, light hazel, green, blue, grey, and 
whitifh grey. Thefe diftindt colours arife from 
thofe of the little mufcles which fcrve to contrad 
the pupil; and they are often found to change 
their tints through diforder or old age. The moft 
ufual colours of the eye are the hazel and the 
blue ; and both thefe fhades are fometimes united 
in the fame eye. The eyes commonly called 
black, when narrowly infpefted, are only of a 
dark hazel colour: they appear black in confe- 
quence of their being contrafted with the fur- 
rounding white. Thofe of a lefs deep hazel are 
likewife reckoned black, but are not equally 
beautiful. Shades of orange, hazel, grey, and 
blue, are frequently to be feen in the fame eye; 
but, wherever there is a blue tint, it becomes the 
prevailing colour, and outihines all the reft. The 
black and the blue are the moft beautiful colours, 
and communicate moft fire and vivacity of ex- 
preflion to the eye : in black eyes, there is more 
force and impetuofity; but the blue excel in 
fweetnefs and delicacy. The former eliminate a 
perpetual and uniform flame, becaufe their colour 
appears always the fame, and refledts the fame 
ravs; but the modifications of light are diftin- 
guiftiable in the blue, becaufe different rays are 
reflefted by the various tints of which they are 
compofed. 
This variety, which is found in the colour of 
the eyes, is peculiar to Man, and a few other ani- 
mals; for, in general, the colour in any one indi- 
MAN 
vidual is that of all the reft. The eyes of oxerf 
are brown; thofe of flieep are of a watery colour? 
thofe of goats are grey ; and it may alfo be gene- 
rally remarked, that the eyes of moft white ani- 
mals have a reddifti glare. Ariftotle alledges 
that, among Men, grey eyes are the ftrongeft j 
that blue eyes are weaker; that prominent eyes 
are fliort-fighted ; and that brown eyes are more 
incapable of diftlnd vifion in a faint light than 
others. 
Though the eye, in motion, feems to be drawn 
towards either fide, yet it only rolls round the 
centre, which gives the pupil the appearance of 
approaching or receding from the angles of the 
orbit, and of being elevated or depreffed. In 
Man, the eyes are more nearly joined than in 
any other animal ; for, in fome creatures, they are 
fo remotely fituated, that it is impofllble for both 
to diftinguifti the fame objeft at the fame time: 
this, however, in them, is rather an advantage than 
an inconvenience ; as they are thereby enabled to 
watch round them, and guard againft the dangers 
of their precarious fituation. 
Next to the eyes, the features which give the 
moft ftriking chara6ler to the face are the eye- 
brows, which being totally different from every 
other lineament, their effe61: is augmented by the 
contraft : they form a deep fliade in the canvafs, 
and give relief to the other colours. That cele- 
brated artift Le Brun, in giving a painter direc- 
tions with regard to the paffions, places the prin- 
cipal expreffion of the face in the eye-brows: 
from their capability of elevation and depreffion, 
moft of the furious paffions are characterized by 
them; and fuch as have this feature extremely 
moveable, are ufually known to have an expreffivc 
face. By means of thefe we can imitate all other 
paffions, as they are raifed and depreffed at plea- 
fure; their elevation denotes all thofe paffions 
which pride or pleafure infpires; and their depref- 
fion marks thofe which are the effedls of con- 
templation and pain. 
The eye-lafties have alfo fome effedl In giving 
expreffion to the eye, particularly when they are 
long and clofe : they foften it's glances, and im- 
prove it's fweetnefs. Men and apes are the only 
animals that have eye-lafhes both on the upper 
and lower lids; all other creatures want them on 
the lower lid. 
The eye-lids ferve to guard the ball of the eye 
from external injuries, and to keep the cornea 
moift. The upper lid rifes and falls; the lower 
has fcarcely any motion : and though their open- 
ing depends on the will, yet it often happens that 
the will is unable to keep them from clofing when 
fleep or fatigue oppreffes the mind. They are 
fometimes alfo affefted with convulfive motions, 
which we are unable to reftrain. In birds and 
amphibious animals, the lower lid alone is en- 
dowed with motion ; and fifhes and infefts are to- 
tally deftitute of thefe appendages. 
The forehead occupies a large part of the face, 
andeffentially contributes to it's beauty: it flaould 
be well-proportioned ; neither too flat nor too pro- 
minent; neither too narrow nor too ftiort; and it 
fliould be regularly adorned with hair, both above 
and on each fide. It is well known how much the 
hair tends to improve the face; baldnefs is therefore 
a capital defedl; and the pradice of employing fu- 
perficial hair, which is now fo genera], ffiould be 
confined to fuch as are naturally bald, for bor- 
rowed locks often alter ths true charadter of the 
face. 
