[Thus endeth the secrete of secretes of Arystotle]

¶Of the physonomy of people.

AMonge all other thynges of this worlde I wyll that thou knowe a noble and mer¦uaylous s••yēce that is called physonomy by the which thou shalt knowe the natu∣re and condycyō of people. And it was foū∣de by a phylosophre named Physonomyas / the whi¦che sought the qualytees of the nature of creatures ¶In the tyme of the sayde Physonomyas reygned the moost wyse physycyē y^• pocras. And bycause the fame of physonomyas and his wysdome was so gre¦tely spreddde / the dyscyples and seruauntes of ypo∣cras toke his fygure secretly / and bare it to Physono¦myas to here how he wolde Iuge and say by y^e sayd fygure of ypocras. And bade hym say and tel the qua¦lyte therof. whan Physonomyas had well beholden it / he sayd. This man is a wrangeler lecherous and rude. This herynge the dyscyples of ypocras / they wolde haue flayne Physonomyas / and sayd to hym. A•• fole this is the fygure of the best man of the worl∣de. whā Physononomyas sawe them thus moeued / he appeased them the best waye that he coude with fayre wordes saynge. I knowe well that this is the fygure of the wyse mā ypocras. And I haue shewed you by scyence as I knowe. whan the dyscyples we¦re come to ypocras they tolde hym what Physono∣myas

had sayd. And ypocras sayd. Truely Physo∣nomyas hath tolde you the trouthe / and hath left no thynge of my complexyon in the whiche ben all my vyces. But reason that is in me ouercometh and ru∣leth the vyces of my complexyon. ¶Dere sone I ha∣ue shortely abreged to the / the rules of this scyence of Physonomy / the whiche shall infourme the gre∣tely. ¶yf thou se a man with salowe coloure / flee his company / for he is inclyned to the synne of lechery / and to many euylles. yf thou seest a man that smy∣leth lyghtly / and whan thou beholdest hym he wyll loke shamfastly and wyl blusshe in his face and sygh with teeres in his eyes yf thou blame hym for ony thynge / surely he feareth the and loueth thy persone Beware of hym as thy enmy that is tokened in his face / and of hym also that is mysshapen. The best cō∣plexyon that is / is he that is of meane coloure with browne eyes & heere and his vysage betwene why and reed / with an vpryght body / with a heed of me∣tely bygnesse / and that speketh not but of nede be / w^t a softe voyce / suche a complexyon is good / and suche men haue about the. ¶yf the heeres be playne and smothe the man is curteys and meke / and his bray∣ne is colde. Harde heere and curled is a token of foly & lewdnesse. Moche heere on the brest and on the bely betokeneth very yll or very good complexyō natural∣ly and is very amerous / and kepeth in his herte the iniuryes y^• hath bē done to hym. Blacke heere betoke¦••eth to loue reason & Iustyce. ¶Duskysshe eyes be∣tokeneth fooly / & lyghtly to be angry. Gray eyes be∣tokeneth honeste / & louȳge peas. Bygge eyes betoke¦••eth to bē enuyo{us} / vnshamefast / slowe & vnobedyet.

Eyes meane betwene blacke and yelowe is of good vnderstandyng / curteys / and trusty. wyde retch yn∣ge eyes and a longe face betokeneth a mā malycyo{us} and yll. Eyes lyke an asse alway lokyng downe is of harde nature and nought. waueryng eyes with a lō face betokeneth gyle / rennynge mynde and vntrusty Reed eyes betokeneth to be strōge and of a grete cou¦••age. He that hath spekles about his eyes / whyte / blacke / or reed / is the worst of all other men. Thycke heered eye lyddes is an yll speker / he that hath them haugynge longe to his eyes / is neyther true nor cle∣ne. He that hath heere ynough bytwene his two bro¦wes and be thyn̄e and not to longe / is of a good and grete vnderstandyng. ¶Asklendre nosed man is soo¦ne angry. A longe nose hawked to the mouthe / is a tokē of honeste and hardynesse A snytted nose is a to∣ken to be soone vexed. wyde nosethrylles in a man is slouth and boystousnesse and soone angered. A brode nose in the myddes is a grete speker / and a lyer. But y^• best is he that is meane neyther to wyde nor to clo∣se. The vysage that is ful & flat / and that is not swol¦len nor to bygge is a token of an yll persone / enuyo{us} / iniuryous / and a wrāgeler. But he that hath a mea¦ne vysage of fourme of chekes and eyes / neyther to fat nor to leane / he is trusty / louynge / and of grete vn¦derstandynge / wyse and full of seruyce and wytte. ¶He that hath a wyde mouthe loueth batayle and is hardy. He y^• hath thycke lyppes is folysshe. And he that hath a wrynkled face is a lyer / and careth not of many debates. He that hath a sklender face is of gre∣te reason. He that hath a lytell vysage and yelowe of colour is a deceyuer / dronken / and ••uyll. Full eyes &

smothe chekes is soone angry. ¶Small eeres beto∣keneth foly / and l••chery. ¶He that hath a small voy¦ce & speketh thycke loueth feyghtynge. He that hath a meane voyce / neyther to bygge / nor to lytell / is fo∣lysshe and vnreasonable. And he that speketh to mo∣che with a sklender voyce / is not ouer honest / and of smal care. He that hath a femynyne voyce is soone an¦gry / and of yl nature. A softe voyced man is often an∣gry and ēuyous. He that hath a fayre voyce / is folys∣she / and of hyghe courage. He that speketh lyghtly / lyeth often / and is a deceyuer. And he that speketh w^t¦out moeuynge his handes / is of grete wysdome and honeste. ¶He that hath a sklender necke / is hote / pe∣ceytfull / and folysshe. He y^• hath a grete bely is prou∣de / lecherous / and vnwyse. ¶He that hath a large brest / thycke sholdres / and bygge fyngers / is hardy / wyse / gentyll / and of good wytte. He with a sklender backe agreeth neuer with ony other. He y^• hath his brest & backe egall / is a token of honeste. Hye reysed sholdres / is a tokē of lytell fydelyte / nought / and shar¦pe. He that hath longe armes rechynge to the knee / is of grete boldenesse / sadnesse / & lyberalyte. Shorte armes betoken that he loueth socour / and is folysshe. ¶Longe palmed handes with longe fyngers / is or∣deyned to lerne many scyēces / and artes / and specyal handy craftes / and be of good gouernaūce. Fyngers short and thycke / betoken foly. ¶Shorte thycke fete and flesshy / betokeneth to be folysshe / and full of iniu∣ry. A lytell lyght fote / is a man of smal vnderstandyn¦ge. A sklender fote sheweth a man to be symple / and of small knowlege. He that hath a thycke fote is har∣dy and folysshe. ¶The length of y^• legges / & the heles

betoken strength of the body. A thycke flesshy kne / is soft and weyke. ¶A man that gooth a grete pace / is wyllynge in all thynges / and to hasty. ¶He is of a good nature and complexyon / that hath softe flesshe and moyst / meanely smothe and rough / and that is kyndly betwene reed and whyte. ¶He that hath a smothe contenaunce / softe heere & playne / with mea∣ne eyes of bygnesse / with a well proporcyoned heed / a good necke and suffycyent in length / with sholders somdele lowe / and his legges and knees metely fles∣shed his voyce competent clere / y^• palmes of his han¦des and fyngers longe and not thycke / and that he laughe but lytell / and that is no mocker / with a smy¦lyng chere and mery / is of good cōplexyon. Howbeit dere sone I commaunde the not to Iuge al vpon one sygne / but consydre all the tokens of a man whiche moost habounde and sheweth y^• foly in hym / and hol¦de the to the best and moost prouffytable party.

¶Deo gratias.

¶Thus endeth the abstract of the secrete of secretes of Arystotle prynce of Phylosophres.