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Among oþer þinges þat þe nedys to knowe þe konyng þat þe sawle folowys and knowys by noble tokenynges, whenne it ys drawyn fro dysirs and coueytis, And whenne it ys deliured of noysance, and þis diuision̛ ys knowyn by þogℏts. ffor whenne [it]ys surmontant, and holdys lordschipe vpon þe body, þat greuys him, And a flawmyng vertu dwellys yn þe hert, & he holdys him to þe vertu of þe sawle þat ys yn þe harnes; þanne is þe
vnderstondyng helpyd, enhyed, and maad ligℏtyd, after mesure. Wharfore, if any aske þe encheson̛ of þe clene vnderstondynge of prophetes, wharof þai er approuyd and ligℏtned, and of þaire trew diuisiouns of natureles meruailles, wete þat it come to hem, abown̛ aƚƚ oþer þinges, by þe accordance of þe sterres, þat er clepyd þe constellacion̛ of engendrure, folowynge þe vertu generatyue, so as þe nedys to enquere þe tokenynges & þe folwynge with þe ffayrhede of kynde, þat ys to wete þe science of phisonomy, þat ys a ful greet science; And þe olde philosophers vsyd it by longe werldes, & þay made hem glorious in þe enquerynge of fayrnesse of nature yn þis science; Of whom þe perfeccioun of þe fore-sayd science ys ȝeuyn to a souerayn doctour of þe olde philosophers, Philomen, Meistre of Phisonomy, þat atretably folwyd of þe composision̛ of man̛ þe qualyteȝ and þe [folio 40a] natures of his sawle; & he gotℏ yn þe selue story, ffayre and straunge. Vpon̛ þis, wete þat þe discyples of wys ypocras peyntyd his ffigure in perchemyn, and brogℏt it to Philomen, and saide, "byholde þys ffourme, and shewe vs þe qualiteȝ of his complexion̛;" and he byholdyng þe composicion̛ and þe ordinance of þe ffygure & of þe partyes, he lyknede þe partyes and saide: "þis man ys lycherous, deceyuant, and loufand lecherye." And þe disciples wolde haue slayn hym þerfore, and sayde, "O foltiscℏ man, þis ys þe ffygure of þe most worthy & best man of þis werld." Philomen þanne apesyd hem, & chastisde, & sayde, "þis ys þe ffygure of wys ypocras; whare-tyƚƚ haue ȝe askyd me þerof? I haue shewyd ȝow aftyr my science, þat y fele by þe ffygure." And after, whenne þay come to ypocras and sayde him, what þat þey hadde done, and what Philomen sayde to hem, and his Iugement, Ypocras answerd hem, "Certaynly, he sayde al sotℏ to ȝow, & he passyd nogℏt a lettre þerof. Noþelees, sythen þat y saw and vnderstood þat þey were fowle þinges and dampnable, I makyd my sawle kynge vpon̛ it self, and y witℏdrew me, & ouercome my self, for to witℏholde my couetyse." þis is þe louynge & þe wyt of wys ypocras werkys, ffor Phisyke ys non oþer þinge but abstinence & victory of couetable þinges. Now y stable to þe reules of þis science of Phisonomy & constituciouns suffyceantȝ abbreggyd, þat shal be greet profyt to þe, and lerynge of nobleye of kynde, and in clennesse of þy substance.
Wete þanne forsothe þat þe modere marriȝ ys rigℏt swycℏ to þe seede þat it conseyues, as þe pot þat ys resseyt of sethinge; þanne if it shewe it whit with ȝalowe colour & blew, It bytoknys þat it ys to lyteƚƚ sothyn, þanne if sweche a diminucion̛ byfaƚƚ yn a creature, his kynde also shaƚƚ be lessenyd to hym. [folio 40b] þanne kepe þe fro a man þat kyndly is ȝalow and blew, ffor sweche er ligℏtly stirryd to vyces and licchery.
If þou see a man oft-sithes byholdyng þe, & if þou byholde hym, and he be abayst and sighe, & teres shewe hem yn his eghen̛, Trowe of sweche oon þat he louys þe, and dredys þe; And if he doo contrary, holde hym enuyous and despytous.
Also kepe þe fro vche mysauentrous man̛, þat ys lesnyd of any membre, and eschewe hym as enemy.
Oon euenn̛ creature and attempre, þat acordys him to meen̛ stature, witℏ blak eghen̛ & heer, & rounde chere; of whit colour mengyd with Reed & brown̛, þe body of rigℏt and euen̛ stature, of a meene heued bytwen greet and lytiƚƚ, latly spekyng but mystere be, and holdys him in a menee voys yn his spekynge: And ouer aƚƚ, whenne nature bowys him to blaknes with ȝalownes; þanne ys þe attemprance good, and þis creacion̛ be lykyng to þe; hym haue þou witℏ þe. And y make to þe oon enterpreteysoun by manere of departyng, And attempre þou it by rigℏtwysnesse of vnderstondynge.
Many heres and softe bytoknys pesabilyte, and coldnesse of þe brayn. Greet multitude of heer vpon̛ bothe þe shuldres bytokyns ffoltynesse. Many heres in þe brest or in þe wombe bytokyns horibilyte & singularyte of kynde, & lessenyng of þe resceyt, and loue of wronges. Reed colour ys tokenynge of vnwyt, & of greet Ire, and of awaytes; And blake heer shewen̛ rigℏtwysnesse, and loue of rigℏt. And þe menee colour bytwen̛ þes two colours, bytoknys loue of pees.
And he þat hauys greet egℏen̛ ys enuyous & witℏ-outen shame, sleuthful, and vnobeyssant. He þat hauys lityƚƚ eghen̛, lyk to heuenly colour, or blake, ys of sharpe vnderstondynge, curteys, and leel. He þat hauys steepe-owt egℏen ys malicious & feloun. He þat haues egℏen lyk to þe egℏen [folio 41a] of a asse, ys vnwytty, and of hard kynde. He þat his egℏen steryn swyftly, and haues a sharpe sighte, sweche oon is trechour, thef, & vntrewe. If egℏen̛ be Reed, he þat hauys hem ys coraious, stalworth, and mygℏty. Þe werste eyen aren̛ þat hauyn spottys, whit, or blak, or reed, on aƚƚ sydes, ffor sweche a man ys werst of alle oþer, and most vicious.
Browes þat hauyn many heer bytoknys euyl manere of spekynge; And whenne þay reche to þe temples, he ys fowl þat berys hem, And he þat hauys his browes departyd yn lengℏ and shortnesse, in mesure and er greet, sweche er of ligℏt vnderstondyng.
A nose þat ys þynne bytoknys his lord ful Irous; and he þat hauys a long nose rechinge to þe moutℏ, ys prow and hardy. And he þat hauys a greet nose ys hastyf, And a nose þat hauys nosesterles oft greuant, & harde openynge, is Irous. And whenne þe oon syde of þe nose yn þe myddes bowes toward þe heygℏte, his berer ys a Ianglere, and he a lyere. And he þat in nose ys most euyn, þat is yn meene long, of mene makynge yn þe ende, and hauys nogℏt his nose-sterlys ouer greet.
A fuƚƚ fface, witℏouten̛ bolnyng, bytokyns a stryuer, a dyscordour, wrongys, and fowl. He þat hauys a mene fface, in chekys, and templys, bowynge to Lennesse, ys sotℏfast, louynge, & vndyrstondyng, wys, and seruysable, wel ordeyned, & engynous. He þat hauys stalwortℏ armes ys ffygℏter & hardy; And he þat hauys greet lyppes ys ffoltyscℏ, And þat is rigℏt fuƚƚ of flescℏ in þe vysage, ys vnwys, enuyous, and legℏere; And he þat hauys a lene vysage, ys wys yn his werkys, & of sotyƚƚ vndirstondynge. And he þat hauys a lityƚƚ fface, bowynge
toward ȝalownesse, ys wycked, and euyl-techyd, deceyuant, and dronkelew. And he þat hauys rigℏt a longe vysage, ys wrongwys.
And he þat hauys bolnynge temples, and fuƚƚ chekys, ys ful Irous.
He þat hauys rigℏt greet eres ys fuƚƚ ffoltyscℏ, sauynge þat he ys of good witℏoldynge, and of good mynde. And he þat hauys rigℏt lytiƚƚ eres [folio 41b] he shaƚƚ be foltyscℏ, thef, and leccherous.
He þat hauys a greet voys, and wel sownand, shal be a fygℏter, and wel-spekand; And he þat hauys a meene voyce, noþer ouer greet, ne ouer smaƚƚ, ys wys, purueyant, sothfast, and rigℏtwys. He þat ys hastyf yn wordys, namly if he haue a smaƚƚ voys, ys dronkelew, enuyous, and lyer; and if his voys be rigℏt greet, he ys Irous, [A blank in MS.] [hasty], and of euyl nature. He þat hauys a swete voys, shaƚƚ be enuyous, & suspect, ffor fayrhede of voys shewys folye, and vnwyt, and greet wyƚƚ.
He þat ofte-sithes is steryd, and with spekyng sterys his hondes, he ys fowl, eloquent, and deceyuant; And he þat witℏ-oldys him to sterre his hondes, ys perfyt of vnderstondynge, wel disposyd, and of hool conseiƚƚ.
He þat hauys a longe necke, he shaƚƚ be of good sound, but foltiscℏ ys he; And he þat hauys a short necke, ys queynte, and decyuant, engynous in euyl, & trechour; And he þat hauys a greet necke, ys foltyscℏ, and mekyƚƚ, etynge.
He þat hauys a greet wombe, ys vndiscreet, foltyscℏ, proud, and leccherous. Meenesse of wombe, with a streyt brest, bytokyns heyenesse of vnderstondyng, and of good conseiƚƚ. Broodnesse of brest, and greetnesse of sholdres and bak, bytokyns prowesse, and hardynesse, witℏ witℏoldynge of wyt, and vndyrstondynge; And a thynne bake and wayk, bytoknys a
man of discordant nature. Meenesse of brest and bak, & euenheed, ys good tokenyng, and preuyd. Vpraysyd shuldren̛ bytoknys sharpe nature, and vntreuthe.
Whenne þe armes rechyn so farre, þat þe hondes ateigne to þe knees, bytoknys hardynesse, and prowesse, with largesse; And whenne þay er short, it ys tokenynge of a man louynge discord, & lytiƚƚ wys.
Whenne þe palmes of þe honde er longe, witℏ [folio 42a] longe ffyngers, it bytoknys his lord wel ordeynyd to many craftes, and wys yn wyrkynge, and it ys a tokenyng of good gouernance. Greet ffyngers and shorte, bytoknys folye.
Greet feet and fuƚƚ of fflesch, er tokenyng of ffoly, and louynge of wronges; lytiƚƚ feet and ligℏt, bytoknys hardnesse; And smale thees bytoknys ignorance, and þaire gretnesse, hardynesse and strynthe. Brodnesse of thees and heles, bytoknys stryngℏ of body; And mekyƚƚ flescℏ yn þe knees, bytoknys febylnesse of vertuȝ, and heuynesse.
He, þat yn goynge, hauys his paas large and latly, welfare shaƚƚ folwe him yn aƚƚ his werkys; And he þat makys short paas, ys hastyf, and suspecious, and nogℏt mygℏtfuƚƚ yn þe wirkynges of his euyƚƚ wiƚƚ.
Þat man ys of good mynde, & wel dysposyd in kynde, þat hauys nessℏ flescℏ, & moyst, and mene bytwen̛ sharpe and softe, and ys nogℏt mekyƚƚ long, ne mekyƚƚ short, and ys whit, fallyng toward reednesse, softe yn lokynge, his heer fuƚƚ, and his eigℏen̛ of meene gretnesse, fallynge to roundnesse, and his heued of euene mesure, and his nekke of euene gretnesse, wel dysposyd, and his sholdren̛ bowen̛ a lytiƚƚ, witℏ-oute greet flesℏnes yn þe knees, þat hauys a cleer voys, bytwen̛ greet and smaƚƚ attempred; longe palmes, longe ffyngers, to sutillyte fallyng, of lytiƚƚ
lagℏynge, and of lityƚƚ bourdyng, & of noon fantome; whos lokynge ys mellyd of gladnesse and auysement.
Noþeles, it nedys nogℏ þat þow be hastyf, by any oon of þe tokenynges afore-sayd, in sentence or Iugement; But gedyr þe wytnesse of alle to-gedyr, And whenne þou shal fynde dyuers tokenynges & contrary, holde þe aƚƚ-dayes to þe bettyr & more preuable party.