The American patriot., 1855-11-10
How in the looks does conscious guilt appear!

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How in the looks does conscious guilt appear!
ADDISON.
There are several arts which all men are in |
some measure masters Of without having been
at the pains of learning them Every one that
speaks or reasons, is grammarian and log
can, though he may be wholly unacquaiated
with the rules of grammar or logic, as they
are delivered in books and systems. In the
same manner, every one is in some degree
master of that art which is generally distin-
guished by the name of physiognomy and
naturally forms to himself the character or
fortune of a stranger, from the features and
lineaments of his face. We are no sooner pre-
scented to any one we never saw before but
we are immediately struck with the idea of
proud, a reserved, an ailable, or good-natured
man; and upon our first going into company
of strangers, our bcncvolence or aversion, awe
or contempt, rises naturally towards several
particular persons, before we have heard them
speak a single word, or so much as know who
they are.
Every passion gives particular cast to the
countenance, and is apt to discover itself in
some feature or other. | have seen an eye
curse for half an hour together, and an eye
brow call man scoundrel Nothing is more
common than for lovers to complain, resent
languish, despair and die, in dumb show
Eor m mai I ca ont tn fromn n
ton of every mans humour or circumstances
by his looks, that have sometimes employed
myself from Charing-Cross to the Royal-cX-
change in drawing the characters of those who
sour rivcled face, l cannot forbcar plying
his wife and when meet with an open ingen-
GUS countenance, think on the happiness Of his
friends, his family, and relations.
| cannot reco!lect the author of famous
saying to a stranger who stood silent in his
company, Speak, that | may see thee But
with submission, think We may be better
by our looks than by our words. and that Il
mans speech is much more easily distinguished
than his countenancc. In this case, however
| think the air of the whole face is much more
expressive than the lines of it the truth of it
is generally nothing else but the inward dis
position of the mind made visible.
Those who have established physiognomy
into an art, and laid down rules .of judging
mems tempers by their faces, have regarded the
features much more than the air. Martial has
a pretty crigram on this subject.
Thy beard and head are of different die Il:
Short of one foot, distorted in an eye:
With all these tokens of knave compleat
Should'st thou be honest, thou'rt dellsh cheat.
l have seen very Ingenious author on this
subject, who POUNDS his speculations on the
supposi;ion, that as man hath in the mould
of his face remote likeness to that of an OK,
sheep, lion, an hog, or any other creature,
he hath the same resemblance in the frame of
his mind, and is subject to those passions
which are predominant in the creature that
appears in his countenance. Accordingly he
gives the prints of several faces that are of a
mould, and by little overcharging the like
ness, discovers the figures of these several
kinds of brutal faces in human features. re-
member in the life of the famous Prince of
Condo, the writer observes, the face of that
prince was like the face of an eagle, and that
the prince was very well pleased to be told so.
In this case therefore, we may be sure, that
he had in his mind some general implicit no.
ton of this art of physiognomy which l have
Just now mentioned, and that when his cour-
tiers told him his face was made like an eagles,
he understood them in the same manner as il
they told him, there was something in his looks
which Showed him to be strong, active, pierre
ing, and of a royal descent. Whether or no
the different motions of the animal spirit in diff
ferent passions, may have an effect on the
mould of the face when the lineamcnts are
plable and tender, or whether the same kind
of souls require the same kind of habitations,
shall leave to the consideration of the curious
In the mean time think nothing can be more
glorious than for a man to give the lie to his
face, and to be an honest, just, good-natured
man, in spite ofall those marks and signatures
which nature seems to have set upon him fol
the contrary This very often happens among
those, who instead of being cxasperated by
their own looks, or envying the looks o
others, apply themselves entirely to the cult
waiting of their minds, and getting those beau
ties which are more lasting ane more ornamen
tai. have seen many an amiable piece of de
fornity and have observed a certain Cheerful,
ness in as bad a system of features as ever wa
cappcd together, which hath appeared NOR
lovely than all the blooming charms of an in
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