The gentlemans recreation in two parts : the first being an encyclopedy of the arts and sciences ... the second part treats of horsmanship, hawking, hunting, fowling, fishing, and agriculture : with a short treatise of cock-fighting ... : all which are collected from the most authentick authors, and the many gross errors therein corrected, with great enlargements ... : and for the better explanation thereof, great variety of useful sculptures, as nets, traps, engines, &c. are added for the taking of beasts, fowl and fish : not hitherto published by any : the whole illustrated with about an hundred ornamental and useful sculptures engraven in copper, relating to the several subjects.

CHAP. IV.

Rules to be observed for the Imita∣tion of the Life.

CHuse a well-shaped Man, or Woman, which must be placed in a good and graceful Pos∣ture; the like Rule must be observed in all Live∣ing Creatures; and first make a Schetch.

In Drawing a Face, great care is to be observed as to the Imitation of the Life; First, making the out-Lines, or Circumference of the Head and Face, either Round, Long, or Oval as the Life; then to Draw the Eyes, Nose, Mouth, and all the Touches therein, both strong and faint for the giving a Life and Spirit thereunto; in all which observe in your Draught a kind of carelessness and looseness; for a Picture that appears in any of the Joynts Stiff, or Lame, is of no Value. And in all things the Perfection of Nature must be observed.

Now for your better attaining the same, it were convenient to have the Assistance of a good Master; likewise to be furnished with excellent Draughts done by the best Masters, were not a∣miss; by which the true Shape of the Body, and all its Limbs is exprest in all, or most Postures, Gesures, and Actions. But for your better di∣rections for drawing a Face, having, as afore∣said, drawn the Circumference thereof, make a Stroak down from that place of the Fore-head, which is even with the Chin, coming down where you should place the Middle, or Tip of the Nose, and Middle of the Mouth, which Stroak make strait down in a full right Face, but Arched, or Oval in an Oblique Face, learning that way to∣wards which the Face doth Turn; then cross the Stroak about the Middle of the Eyes, either with a strait Line in a right Face, or with a Curved

upwards or downwards, according to the Action or Posture the Face you draw is in; then make another answerable to that where the End of the Nose should come, and another for the Mouth, that it be not made crooked. In a true Propor∣tioned Face, the distances are, 1. between the Top of the Fore-head, and the Eye-brows; 2. be∣tween the Eye-brows, and the bottom of the Nose; and 3. between the bottom of the Nose, and the bottom of the Chin are equal. The distance be∣tween [ 10] the Eyes is the length of one Eye, in a full Face, but in a three-quarter or half Face, tis pro∣portionally lessened, and place the Nostril exactly underneath the Corners of the Eyes.

Thus having finished the several parts of the Face, with all the graceful touches, proceed to the Hair, and Beard, in which no small care must be taken in observing the Curles.

For Drawing of Hands, and Feet, with other extream Parts, First draw them faint [ 20] over with Coal, observing all the Joynts, Si∣nues, Veyns, &c. with their Bendings, Turnings and the like; And for this Particular choose ex∣cellent Prints, or Paintings, which will be very Advantageous in the perfecting your Drawing.

For Drawing the Wole Body, First begin with the Head, which must be in Proportion to the bigness you design the Whole Body, next pro∣ceed to the Shoulders, then the Trunk of the Body, from the Armpits down to the Hips, and [ 30] then the Legs, Arms, and Hands; all which must agree together as to Symetry of Parts. Then let the Parallel Joynts, Muscles, Sinues, and Veyns be placed opposite to one another in a Strait Line, that is, Shoulder to Shoulder, Knee to Knee, and the like; and to this end draw strait Cross Lines for your better directions, observing, that which way the Body turns or bows, these Lines may accordingly answer. In like manner all Perpendicular Joynts and Parts are to be pla∣ced [ 40] in a right Line one under another; and for your better direction therein, draw a strait Line (provided the Body be strait) from the Throat through the midst of the Breast or Privities, to the Feet, to which Line draw all those Particu∣lar Points Parallels, that the Body may not ap∣pear crooked, or awry.

As to Proportion, first draw out the Head in an Oval, allowing one 4th part for the Hair, one 4th part for the Fore-head and Brows, ano∣ther [ 50] 4th part for the Nose, and another 4th part for the Mouth and Chin. Having drawn the Head, measure out 8 times the length thereof, the Head making one of the eight parts, and so draw a Line from the Top of the Head to the Feet, of these 8 parts, one Heads length from the Chin, is for the Breast, another to the Navel, a∣nother to the Privities, then one to the middle of the Thigh, also another to the Knee, another to the small of the Leg, and another which is [ 60] the 8th part to the Heel.

The breadth of the Shoulders is about 2 mea∣sures of the Head; the breadth of the Hips, 2 measures of the Face; the Arms stretched out are just the length of the whole Figure, includ∣ing the Breast; but without the Breasts they are but 6 Heads. The length of the Hand is exactly the length of the Face, and the Arms hanging down reaches within a Span of the Knee.

In Shadowing, let the Shadow always fall one way, that is on the same side of the Body, lea∣ving the other side to the Light. Let the Shadow grow fainter and fainter according to the greatness of the distance. All Circular Bodies must have a Circular Shadow, according to their Form, or appearance, and the Orbicular Shadow of the Object which casteth it. When contrary Shadows concur, let the meanest and most Solid Body be first served; and in double and treble Shadows, let the first Line be very dry, for fear of blotting be∣fore you cross them. All perfect Lights receive no Shadow at all, but being manifest, are only to be made apparent by that Body which receives them, whose Shadow must be according to the Efflux of Light.

In drawing of Muscles the Motion of the whole Body is to be considered; In the rising and fall∣ing of the Arms, the Muscles of the Breasts more or less appear; the like doth the Hips accord∣ing as they bend outwards or inwards; and the same chiefly in the Shoulders, Sides, and Neck, according to the several Actions of the Body, all which alterations are to be carefully observed. These ensuing Figures shew the same in seve∣ral sorts of Gesture, with the Poise of the Body sutable thereunto.