PHYSIOGNOMY. 
An innocent, amiable, and virtuous young 
lady, of high birth, who had been educated 
in the retirement of the country, happened 
one evening to pass a mirror, immediately 
after having attended evening prayers, and 
with a candle in her hand was depositing a 
bible on a table, when she observed her 
image reflected in the glass : affected with 
a sense of humility, and of extreme mo- 
desty, she averted her eyes and retired. A 
succeeding winter was passed in the amuse- 
ments and dissipation of a City, wliere this 
lady Itad the misfortune to forget all her 
previously devout pursuits ; but returning 
to the country, she once more passed the 
glass and the bible, and saw her features re- 
flected, now deprived of those fascinating 
graces which belong alone to the serene 
and happy state of mind slie had lost. 
Alarmed at the change, she fled from the 
spot, and retiring to a sofa, ejaculated sen- 
tences of penitence, and formed resolutions 
of future amendment. 
Lavater begins his remarks on the human 
face with the forehead. According to this 
observer, the general form, proportion, the 
arch, obliquity, and position of the scull of 
the forehead denotes the degree of thought, 
the sensibility, the mental vigour, and the 
propensities of man ; and at the same time 
the skin of this part of the head explains by 
its hue, tension, or wrinkles, the state of the 
mind at the moment of observation, and the 
passions which influence it, the bones afford- 
ing the internal quantity, and the covering 
the application of power : however the lat- 
ter may be affected, it is well known that 
the bones must remain unaltered, and yet 
they regulate the wrinkles by their varia- 
tion of component form. Wrinkles are pro- 
duced by a certain degree of flatness; 
others arise from arching, and those consi- 
dered separately will give the form of the 
arch, and vice versa. Some foreheads are 
furnished with wrinkles that are confined to 
horizontal, perpendicular, curved, and others 
confused and mixed lines ; those least per- 
plexed when in action are usually observed' 
in foreheads without angles. 
Lavater appears to have been the first 
who attended to the peculiar turns of the 
position and outline of the forehead, which 
he considered the most important part pre- 
sented for the study of the physiognomist. 
This he divides into three classes, and those 
he termed the perpendicular, the project- 
ing, and the retreating, each possessing a 
number of variations; the prineipal, how- 
ever, are rectilinear, “ half round, half rec- 
tilinear, flowing into each other; half round,, 
half rectilinear, interrupted; curve-lined, 
simple ; the curve-lined double and triple.” 
A long forehead denotes much capacity 
of comprehension, and less activity; a com- 
pressed, short, and firm forehead, more 
compression, stability, and tittle volatility ; 
severity and pertinacity belong to the rec- 
tilinear ; and the more curved than angular 
portends flexibility and tenderness of cha- 
racter: deficiency of understanding is dis- 
coverable in those whose foreheads are per- . 
pendicular from the hair to the eyebrows; 
but the perfectly perpendicular, gently 
arched at the top, signifies thqt the posses- 
sor thinks coolly and profoundly. The 
projecting forehead indicates stupidity and 
mental weakness ; the retreating, exactly 
the reverse; the circular, and prominent 
above, with straight lines below, and nearly 
perpendicular, shews sensibility, ardour, 
and good understanding ; the rectilinear, 
oblique forehead has the same properties ; 
arched foreheads are considered as femi- 
nine ; an union of curved and straight lines, 
happily disposed, with a similar position of 
the forehead, gives the character of consum- 
mate wisdom. “ Right lines, considered as 
such, and curves, considered as such, are 
relaxed, as power and weakness, obstinacy 
and flexibility, understanding and sensa- 
tion.” When the bones surrounding the 
eye project, and are sharp, the person thus 
formed possesses a powerful stimulus to ex- 
ercise a strong mental energy, which is pro- 
ductive of excellent and well digested plans, 
and yet this doth not seem a peculiar mark 
of wisdom, as many wise men have been 
known without it; those thus circumstanced 
have more firmness, when the forehead rests 
perpendicularly upon horizontal eyebrows, 
and is considerably rounded towards the 
temples. Perpendicular foreheads, which, 
however, project so as not to rest on the 
nose, and which are short, small, shine, and 
are full of wrinkles, give undoubted indica- 
tions of a weakness of the thinking facul- 
ties ; perseverance and oppressive violent 
activity, united with vigour and harshness, 
belong to the forehead composed of various 
confused protuberances ; and on the other 
hand, when the profile of this part of the 
head affords two well proportioned arches, 
the lowest projecting, it is a certain sign of 
a good temperament and a sound under- 
standing. All great and excellent men have 
been found to have their eye-bones firmly 
arched, and well defined ; and circumspec- 
tion, followed by stability, attends square 
