The most excellent, profitable, and pleasant booke of the famous doctour and expert astrologien Arcandain or Aleandrin to fynd the fatal desteny, constellation; complexion, and naturall inclination of euery man and childe by his byrth: with an addition of phisiognomie very delectable to reade. Now newly tourned out of French into our vulgar tonge, by Williamd Warde.

To the ryght ho∣norable and vertuous lord the Earle of Shrowesbury, knyght of the moste noble order of the Garter. &c. Iames Rowbothum wysheth longe lyfe, with the encrease of godly honour.

I Doubt not (right hono∣rable) but the mynde of man is free, and hath the rule and power of him selfe throughe the vertue of hys libertye, and that the wise man by his reason, and reasonable sapience, hath domini∣on ouer the starres and their impressi∣ons, namely ouer all naturall inclina∣tions, and celestiall destnies, withoute any forced necessitie to do this or that, which commeth by the grace and gyfte of God, the gouernour of the vniuersal worlde. Euen so Stilpo (by reason ru∣lyng him) auoyded whoredome, al∣though he were naturallye enclyned therevnto. Yet not withstanding it is

most certayne, that men haue some in∣clinations and complexions by nature which some men know either by Astro¦logie, or by coniecture of their nature, called Phisyognomie, and thei that con¦iecture are called in Greeke Physiogno∣mones which tell by coniectures, notes, signes and tokens, the inclinations of mens affections. The Philosophers in¦deed haue inuented and found out phi∣siognomy to the great commoditie of men, for to knowe to what vertue or what vice yong children were enclined to the end thei might amend their vici∣ous and faultie nature with good edu∣cation, & not to geue the brydle to their affections, but to moue them to scien∣ences, studyes, and other qualities, whereunto nature moste calleth them and maketh them moste enclined. So Apelles and Zeusis folowed and lear∣ned naturally the arte of painting. So Polyeletus and Praxiteles folowed the art of making pictures & images. So Demosthenes & Cicero chose the

art of Oratorie and eloquence, in plea∣dyng matters in the law: So Homere and Virgil folowed poetrie: So Socra¦tes, Plato, and Aristotle handled Phi∣losophie. And nowe all is altered and chaunged and almost cleane ouertur∣ned, and goeth (as I might saye) ouer∣thwartly lyke the Crabbe. For he that should be naturally a plowman, is for∣ced to the study of pleading, and to bee an Oratour or Philosopher, or elles of some higher learning, snoring on his bookes, turning and returning himself this way and that way, as though he sat vpon coales or hoate embers. Con∣trariwise, they that are well borne, and called by the benefite of nature to all honesty often times are constrained to seruyle doyngs. The knowledge then of Phisiognomy is requisite & profita∣ble to men, so that men abuse it not, as some fond people do (commonly called Egiptians) which are as it were raue∣ning Harpies, hunting after the gaine of money, which haue brought to passe

by their lyes, that this parte of philoso∣phie is now in no estimation, which is to be lamented, seyng that euen Hun∣ters know by cōiectures, notes, signes, draughtes, lineamentes, & sight of the body, the nature and propertie of dogs: And by the lyke meanes Horsecorsers do knowe the nature of Horses, as the Poete Vergill describeth in the thirde booke of his Georgykes saying.

The good Colt by and by marcheth high vpon the grounde, & orderly extol∣leth himself, or elles setteth down often tymes his soft thighes the one after the other: And first he dare goe in durtye wayes, or into great riuers, and ven∣ter vpon a bridge whiche he knoweth not: neither feareth he any vaine noyse or cry. The good horse hath a high neck, a lytle head, a short belly, fat behinde, & faire before, hauinge a full mane. The red is faire, faire also is the speckled, faire is the browne baye: and euyll is a whyte colour in a horse. And worse is the colour betwene whyte and red.

A good horse can not stande still at the sounde of a trumpet that he heareth a far of. The eare we see waggeth vp & down, euery member moueth, foming at the mouth, he breatheth out and ga∣thereth in vnder his nostrels fier & hote breath. A thicke mane hangyng on the syde alonge downe all his necke: and a double chyne ending broade vpon hys back. He treadeth deepe in the ground, and in treadinge he astonieth it. His hard hoofe of horne sowneth, with o∣ther qualities belōgyng to a good horse.

But nowe a dayes no man careth to coniecture, or to know by coniectures, or to referre mans naturall inclina∣tions to such a profit. And though there were no other profite risynge by it but onely to make a troubled mynde mer∣ry (whereunto we oftentimes see mu∣sick applied which is one of the sciences commonly called liberall:) this art of phisiognomy ought not be contemned. And therefore wayinge w^t my selfe the pleasauntnes of this part of philosophy

and hauing occasion to publishe in our vulgare tongue this litle booke of Ar∣candam or Aleandrin doctour & moste expert Astrologian, treating of the pre∣dictions of the byrth & fatall disposition of yong childrē. I was so bold as to de∣dicate y^e fruite of this labour vnto your lordship, and to honour it with the ho∣nourable tytle of your honours name, most humbly besechinge your lordshyp fauorably to accept it as offered of one who wisheth vnto you and yours all health, wealth, long life, and much en∣crease of vertue & honour, nothing dou∣tinge but that after your lordshippes weyghty and serious affaires, you shal not be greued to recreat your self with the reading of some pleasaunt parte hereof, whiche maye ease such tedious exercises as your lorship may vpon oc∣cosions take in hande.

Your honours most humble, Iames Rowbothum.