M 
colour which is (haded with black is afignof melancholy ; 
and conftant and univerfal rednefs is a proof that the 
blood is carried with too much impetuofity to the brain. 
A livid colour is a morbid and dangerous fymptom j and 
that which has a tint of yellow is a iign of jaundice or re¬ 
pletion of bile. 
Notwithftanding the general fimilitude of countenance 
in nations and families, there is a wonderful diverlity of 
features. No one, however, is at a lofs to recolleft the 
perfon to whom he intends tofpeak, provided he has once 
fully feen him. One man has livelinefs and gaiety painted 
in his countenance, and announces beforehand, by the 
cheerfulnefs of his appearance, the character which he is 
to fupport in fociety. The tears which bedew the cheeks 
of another man would excite companion in the mod un¬ 
feeling heart. Thus the face of man is the rendezvous of 
the fymptoms both of his moral and phyfical affections ; 
tranquillity, anger, threatening, joy, fmiles, laughter, ma¬ 
lice, love, envy, jealoufy, pride, contempt, difdain or in¬ 
dignation, irony, arrogance, tears, terror, allonilhment, 
horror, fear, fliame or humiliation, forrow and affliction, 
compaffion,meditation, particular convullions,deep, death, 
&c. See. The difference of thefe characters appears to us 
of f'ufficient importance to form a principal article in the 
natural hiftory of man. 
When the mind is at eafe, all the features of the face 
are in a date of profound tranquillity. Their propor¬ 
tion, harmony, and union, point out the ferenity of the 
thoughts. But, when the foul is agitated, the human face 
becomes a living canvas, whereon the pafflons are repre- 
fented with equal delicacy and energy ; where every emo¬ 
tion of the l'oul is expreffed by fome feature, and every 
aftion by fome mark; the lively impreffion of which an¬ 
ticipates the will, and reveals by pathetic figns our fecret 
agitation, and thofe intentions which we are anxious to 
conceal. It is in the eyes that the foul is painted in the 
Itrongeft colours, and with the niceft fflades. The differ¬ 
ent colours of the eyes are, dark hazel, light hazel, green, 
blue, grey, and whitifh grey. The molt common of thefe 
colours are hazel and blue, both of which are often found 
in the fame eye. Eyes which are commonly called black, 
are only dark hazel; they appear black in confequence of 
being contrafted with the white of the eye. Wherever 
there is a tint of blue, however flight, it becomes the pre¬ 
vailing colour, and outfflines the hazel, with which it is 
intermixed, to fuch a degree, that the mixture cannot be 
perceived without a very narrow examination. The molt 
beautiful eyes are thofe which appear black or blue. In 
the former there is more expreffion and vivacity ; in the 
latter more fweetnefs, and perhaps delicacy. 
. Next to the eyes, the parts of the face by which the 
phy liognomy is molt Itrongly marked, are the eyebrows. 
Being of a different nature from the other parts, their 
effeft b increafed by contrail. They are like fhade in a 
piflure, which gives relief to the other colours and forms. 
The forehead is one of the large!! parts of the face, and 
one that contributes molt to its beauty. Every body 
knows of bow great importance the hair is in the phvfiog- 
n'omy, and that baldnel's is a very great deleft. When 
old age begins to make its approaches, the hair which fir ft 
falls off is that which covers the crown of the head and 
the parts above the temples. We feldom fee the hair of 
the lower part of the temples, or of the back of the head, 
completely fail off. Baldnefs is peculiar to men ; women 
do not naturally lofe their hair, though it becomes white, 
as well as that of men, at the approach of old age. 
, The nol'e is the molt prominent feature of the face ; but, 
as it has very little motion, and that only in the molt vio¬ 
lent pafflons, it contributes lefs to the exprefflon than to 
the beauty of the countenance. The nol'e is feldom per¬ 
pendicular to the middle of the face, but for the moft 
part is tufned toward the one lide or the other. The 
caufe of this irregularity, which, according to painters, is 
perfectly confiftent with beauty, and of which even the 
want would be a deformity,-appears to be frequent preffure 
Vol. XIV. No. 971. 
A N - 245 
on one fide of the cartilage of the child’s nofe againft the 
breaft of the mother when it receives fuck. At the early 
period of life the cartilages and bones have acquired very 
little folidity, and are ealily bent. 
Next to the eyes, the mouth and lips have the greateft 
motion and exprefflon. The motions of thefe parts are 
under the influence of the pafflons. The mouth, fet off 
by the vermilion of the lips, and the enamel of the teeth, 
marks, by the various forms it affumes, their different cha¬ 
racters ; and this feature receives animation from the or¬ 
gan of the voice, which communicates to it more life and 
expreffion t'han is poffeffed by any other feature. The 
cheeks are uniform features, and have no motion, and lit¬ 
tle exprefflon, except what arifes from that involuntary 
rednefs or palenefs with which they are covered in dif¬ 
ferent pafflons, fuch as fliame, anger, pride, and joy, pro¬ 
ducing rednefs; and fear, terror, and forrow, producinsr 
palenefs. " ° 
In different pafflons, the whole head affumes different 
politions, and is affeCled with different motions. It hangs 
forward during fhame, humility, and forrow; it inclines 
to one fide in languor and compaflion ; it is elevated in 
pride, eredt and fixed in obftinacy and felf-conceit. In 
aftonifhment, it is thrown backwards; and it moves from 
fide to fide in contempt, ridicule, anger, and indignation. 
In grief, joy, love, fhame, and compaflion, the eyes iwell 
and the tears flow. The effufion of tears is always accom¬ 
panied with an extenfion of the mufcles of the face, which 
opens the mouth. In forrow, the corners of the mouth 
are depreffed, the udder-lip rifes, the eyelids fall down, 
the pupil of the eye is round and half concealed by the 
eyelid ; the other mufcles of the face are relaxed, fo that 
the diftance between the eyes and die mouth is greater 
than ordinary; and confequently the countenance appears 
to be lengthened. In fear, terror, confternation, and hor¬ 
ror, the forehead is wrinkled, the eyebrows are railed, the 
eyelids are opened as wide as poflible, the upper-lid un¬ 
covers a part of the white above the pupil, which is de- 
prefied and partly concealed by the under-lid ; at the 
fame time the rr> nth opens wide, the lips recede from- 
each other, and difeover the teeth both above and below. 
In contempt and derifion, the upper-lip is raifed to one 
fide and expofes the teeth, while the other fide of the lip 
moves a little, and wears the appearance of a finile; the 
noltri! on the elevated fide of the lip flirivels up, and the 
corner of the mouth falls down; the eye on the fame 
fide is almolt (hut, while the other is open as ufual ;• but 
the pupils of both are depreffed, as when one looks down 
from a height. In jealoufy, envy, and malice, the eye¬ 
brows fall down and are depreffed : the upper lip is ele¬ 
vated on both tides, while the corners of the mouth are a 
little depreffed, and the under lip rifes to join the middle 
of the upper. In laughter, the corners of the mouth are 
drawn back, and a little ele.vated ; the upper parts of the 
Cheeks rife ; the eyes are more or lefs doled ; the upper 
lip rifes, and the under one falls down ; the mouth opens, 
and, in cafes of immoderate laughter, the fkin of the nol'e 
wrinkles. That gentler and more gracious kind of laudi- 
ter which is called fmiling, is l'eatect wholly in the parts of 
the mouth. The under lip rifes ; the angles of the mouth 
are drawn back, the cheeks are puffed up, the eyelids ap¬ 
proach one another, and a finall twinkling is obferved in 
the eyes. 
A change is produced in the features of the counte¬ 
nance by weeping as well as.by laughing. In 'weeping, the 
under lip is feparated from the teeth; the forehead is 
wrinkled ; the eyebrows are depreffed ; the dimple, which 
gives a gracefulnefs to laughter, forfakes the cheek - the 
eyes are unufually comprelfed, and bathed in tears.* In 
laughter, tears not unfrequently appear, but they' flow 
more feldom and lei’s copioully. ' 
It is chiefly the features of the countenance, and the 
colour of the fkin, that ferve to diflinguifh the varieties 
of the human fpecies. Independently of particular and 
individual differences, the human.race may be difliu- 
3 & guilhej 
