Here begynneth the compost of Ptholomeus, prynce of astronomye: translated oute of Frenche in to Englysshe, for them that wolde haue knowlege of the compost.

¶ Here foloweth the Iugementes of mānes body. Capitulo .xliiii.

FOr to come to our purpose of spekynge of vysyble syg¦nes / we wyll begyn to spe¦ke of the sygnes of the hed. Fyrste we warne you that you ought to beware of all persones that haue defaute of membres natu∣rally / as of fote hande iye / or other membre / & thoughe that he be but a creple / and specyally of a man that hath no berde / for suche ben in∣clyned to dyuers vyces and euylles / and one oughte to eschewe his company / as his mor∣tall enemy. Also Ptholomeus sayth that mo¦che and playne heer sygnyfyeth a persone py∣teous & debonayre. They that haue reed heer / ben comonly yrefull and lacke wytte / & ben of lytell trouthe. Bblacke heer / good vysage /

and good coloure / sygnyfyeth very loue of Iustyce. Harde heer sygnyfyeth that the per∣sone loueth peas and concorde: and is of good and subtyll wytte. A man that hathe blacke heer and red berde / sygnyfyeth to be lecherous vniust / and a vaunter: and one ought nat to truste in hym. The yelowe heer and cryspe sy¦gnyfyeth man laughynge / mery / lecherous / & deceytefull. Blacke heer & cryspe sygnyfyeth melancolyke / sechery / euyll thought / and ve∣ry lyberall. Hangynge heer sygnyfyeth wyt / with malyce. Great plente of heer in a wo∣man sygnyfyeth boystousnes and couetyse. A persone with great iyes is slouthfull / vn∣shamefast / inobedyent / & weneth to knowe moche more than he dothe / but whan the iyen ben full meane nat to bygge nor to smal / and that they be nat to blacke nor to grene / suche a man is of great vnderstandynge / curteyse / faythfull and trusty. A persone that is blere iyed / gogle iyed / and squynt iyed sygnyfyeth malyce / vengeaunce / cautele / and treason.

They that haue great wyde iyen & haue lon∣ge heer on theyr browes and iye lyddes sygny¦fyeth folysshenes / harde of vnderstandynge: and ben euyll by nature. The persones whi∣che haue theyr iyen mouynge faste from one syde to another / and haue theyr syghte sharpe

and quycke sygnyfyeth fraude / & thefte / and is of lytell truste. The iyen that ben blacke / clere / & shynynge ben the beste / & the moste cer¦tayne and they sygnyfye wyt and discrecion / and suche a persone is worthy to be loued: for he is full of truthe / and of good condycions. The iyen that ben ardaunt and sperkelynge: sygnyfye stronge herte / force / and puysaunce. The iyen that ben whytysshe and flesshely / sygnyfye a persone enclyned to vyce / lechery and full of fraude. Astronomyers saye that whan a persone beholdeth often as abasshed shamefaste / & ferefull / and that in beholdyng it semeth that he syngeth / and he hathe small droppes apperyng in his iyen: than it is for cer¦tayne that suche persones loue and desyre the welth of them that they beholde. But whan any loketh in castynge his iyen asyde / as by wantonnesse / suche persones ben deceytfull / and purchase to greue hym / & suche persones wyll dishonoure women / and they ought to be taken hede of / for suche lokes ben false / le∣cherous / & deceyuable. They that haue small garysshe iyen and sharpe sygnyfye a persone melancolyous / hardy / an euyl sayer / & cruell. And if a lytel vayne appere bytwene the iye and the nose of a wenche / they say that it syg¦nyfyeth virgynyte / and in a man subtylyte

of vnderstandynge / and if it appere great & blacke / it sygnyfyeth corrupcion / hete / and melancoly in a woman / and in a man rudenes & defaute of wytte / but that vayne apperyth nat alwayes. But the iyen that ben yelowe and haue no heeres on the browee sygnyfieth meselry and euyll disposicion of body. Great heeres and longe signyfyeth rudenesse / harde wytte / and lechery. The beteled browes syg∣nyfyeth malyce / cruelte / lecherye / and enuye. And whan the browes ben thynne / it sygny¦fyeth subtyll engyne / wyt / and faythfulnes. Holowe iyen and hangynge browes sygny∣fyeth a persone full of euyll sayinge / of euyll thought / a great drynker: and comonly setteth his mynde to malyce. A lytell shorte vysage and a small necke / and a lytell sklender nose sygnyfyeth a persone of great herte / hastye & yrefull. A longe nose and hye by nature syg∣nyfyeth prowes and hardynes. A shorte rey∣sed nose sygnyfyeth hastynes / lechery / hardy∣nes / and an vndertaker. A hauked nose that boweth to the vpper lyppe sygnyfyeth maly¦ce / deceyte vntruth and lechery. A great nose & hye in the myddes sygnyfyeth a wyse man and well spoken. A great nose with wyde nose thrylles sygnyfyeth glotony & yre. A red face & shorte sygnyfyeth a persone full of ryot

debate / & vnfaythfull. A vysage nouther to shorte nor to longe / and that is nat ouer fatte with good coloure betokeneth a man veryta¦ble / amyable / wyse / wytty / seruyable / debo∣nayre / & well o••dred in all his workes. A fat vysage & full of rude flesshe sygnyfyeth glo¦tony / neclygence / rudenes of wyt and vnder¦standyng. A sklender face & somwhat longe sygnyfyeth a persone well aduysed in all his workes by good measure. A lytell sho••te vy∣sage of yelowe coloure sygnyfyeth a persone deceyuynge / vntrue / malycyous / and full of harme. A vysage longe and fayre sygnyfieth a man hote / vniust / spytefull / and full of yre & cruelte. They that haue their mouthes great and wyde sygnyfieth yre & hardynes. A lytel mouthe sygnyfyeth melancoly / heuynes / har∣de wytte / & euyll thought. He that hath great lyppes hath a token of rudenes / and defaute of wytte. Thynne lyppes sygnyfyeth lycke∣rousnes & lesynges. Tethe euen sette & thyn / betoketh a true louer / lecherous / and of good compleccion. Longe tethe & great sygnyfyeth hastynes and yre. Longe eeres sygnyfyeth fo∣lye / but it is a sygne of good memory. Lytell eeres sygnyfyeth lechery and thefte. A person that hathe a good voyce well sownynge / is hardy / wyse / & well spoken. A meane voyce

that is nat to small nor to great / sygnyfyeth wytte purueyaunce / truthe & ryghtwysenes. A man that speketh hastely to be sette by. A great voyce in a woman is an euyll sygne. A softe voyce sygnyfyeth a person full of en¦uye / of suspeccion & lesynges. And ouer smal voyce sygnyfyeth great herte & folye. Great voyce sygnyfeth hastynes & yre. A man that styreth alway whan he speketh & chaungeth voyce is enuyous / nyce / dronken / and euyll condycyoned. A persone that speketh attem∣poratly without mouynge is of perfyte vn∣derstandynge / of good condycyon / & of good counceyle. A man with a browne vysage / reuynge ieyn: & yelowe tethe is of lytell truth a traytour / & hath stynkynge brethe. A person with a longe skender necke is cruel / without pyte / hasty / and brayneles. A persone with a shorte necke is full of fraude / stryfe / decepcion and malyce. A persone that hath a very lon∣ge thycke necke sygnyfyeth glotonye / force & great lechery. A manly woman that is great and rudely membred is by nature melancoly¦ous / varyaunte / & lecherous. A persone that hath a great lōge bely sygnyfyeth small wyt pryde / and lechery. A lytell bely & large fete / sygnyfyeth good vnderstandynge / good coū¦ceyle and true. A persone hauynge large fete /

hye & bowynge sholdres sygnyfyeth prowes hardynes / hastynes / truthe and wytte. Shol∣dres sharpe & longe betokeneth trechery / vn∣truthe / stryuyng / and vnnaturall. whan the armes ben so longe that they maye stretche to the ioynte of the kne / it is a token of prowes / lyberalyte / truthe / honoure / good wytte / and vnderstandynge. whan the armes ben shorte it is a sygne of ygnoraunce / of euyll nature / and a persone that loueth debate. Longe han∣des and sklender fyngers sygnyfyeth subtyl∣te / and a persone that hathe desyre to knowe dyuers thyng{is}. Small handes & shorte thycke fyngers betokeneth foly / and lyghtnes of cou¦rage. Thycke large and bygge handes sygny¦fyeth force / hastynes / hardynes / and wytte. Clere and shynynge nayles of good coloure sygnyfyeth wytte and encrease of honoure. Nayles full of whyte spottes and reueled sy∣gnyfyeth a persone auarycyous / lecherous / proude / of herte / full of wytte and malyce. The fote thycke & full of flesshe sygnyfyeth a persone outragyous / vygoryous / and of ly¦tell wytte. Small fete and lyght sygnyfyeth hardynes of vnderstandynge / & lytell truthe Fete flatte and shorte sygnyfyeth an anguys∣shous persone / of small wysdom and vncur¦teyse. A {per}sone that gothe a great pase is great

of herte and dispyteful / and sygnyfyeth well to prospere in all thyng{is}. A persone that ma∣keth small steppes and thycke is suspecyous / full of enuye / and euyll wyll. A persone that hath a smal flatte fote and casteth as a childe sygnyfyeth hardynes & wytte / but the sayde persone hath dyuers thought{is}. A persone that hathe softe flesshe nat to colde nor to hote syg∣nyfyeth a well disposed persone / of good vn¦derstandynge & subtyll wytte / full of truthe and encreasynge of honoure. A persone that laugheth gladly and hath grene iyen is debo∣nayre of good wytte / true / wyse & lecherous. A persone that laugheth fayntly is slouthful melancolyous / suspecious / malycyous / & sub¦tyll. ¶ Astronomyers saye for that there ben dyuers sygnes in a man and woman / & that they ben somtyme contrary one to the other / one oughte to Iuge moste comonly after the sygnes in the vysage. And firste to the iyen for they ben moste true & prouable. And they say also that god formed no creature for to en habyte the worlde wyser than man / for there is no condycion nor maner in a beest: but that it is foūde comprehended in man. Naturally a man is hardy / as the Lyon. Prue and wor∣thy / as the Oxe. Large and lyberall / as the Cocke. Auarycyous / as the Dogge. Harde &

swyfte / as the Harte. Debonayre and true: as the turtle Douue. Malycyous / as the Leopar¦de. Pryue & tame / as the Douue. Dolorous & gylefull / as the Foxe. Symple and mylde / as the Lame. Shrewde / as the Ape. Lyghte / as the Horse. Softe and pyteable / as the beer. Dere & precyous / as the Olyphaunte. Good and holsome / as the Vnycorne. Vyle & slouth full / as the Asse. Fayre & proude / as the Pe∣cocke. Glotonous / as the wolfe. Enuyous / as the Bytche. Rebell and inobedyent / as the Nyghtyngale. Humble / as the Pegyon. Fell and folysshe / as the Oustryche. Profytable / as the Pysmyre. Dyssolute & vagabounde / as the Gote. Spytefull / as the Fesaūt. Sof∣te and meke / as the Checkyn. Mouable & va∣ryinge / as the Fysshe. Lecherous / as the Bore Stronge & puyssaunt / as the Camell. Tray¦toure / as the Mule. Aduysed / as the Mouse. Resonable / as an Aungell. And therfore he is called the lytell worlde: or ellys he is called all creatures / for he taketh parte of all.