Partial English translations in Lavater’s ‘Essays on Physiognomy’

“Plusieurs morceaux sont absolument intraduisibles…”: partial English translations of Herder’s ‘Plastik’ in Johann Caspar Lavater’s ‘Essays on Physiognomy’( Holcroft, 1789[Note 1]; Hunter, 1789[Note 2]; C. Moore, 1797 [Note 3] ); together with notes on the critical reception of Thomas Holcroft’s Herder translation, “opposing a translation of our own” in the ‘Analytical Review.’ [Vol. V, December, 1789, Art. Viii, pp.454-462.] [work in progress]


„Of all the Authors I am acquainted with, who have either occasionally mentioned physiognomy, or expressly treated the subject, no one appears to me so profound and so just, so sublime and yet so accurate, as HERDER.


The passages from his work entitled Plastics*, which I wished to introduce in this place, but of which I can only present an abridgment, may be considered as Authorities, which, in some measure, absorb all those which I have hitherto produced: —they form of themselves a compend of Physiognomy; they are the summary and substance of the Science. I regret exceedingly that it was not in any power to insert them in the German Edition of my Book, and scarcely dare I [page 58] presume to intreat the reader to satisfy himself with an imperfect translation of what almost defies all power of translation.— But, inferior as they must be to the Original, they cannot fail to appear important and instructive.


* De la Plastique: Observations upon the Form and Figure: taken from Pygmalion’s Dream. τι καλλος ; ερωημα τυφλ8 Riga, Hartknoch, 1778.”( Lavater quoted in Henry Hunter, 1789)




Note 1

“Essays | On | Physiognomy | For The Promotion | Of The | Knowledge And The Love |Of| Mankind. | Written In The German Language | By J.C. Lavater, | And Translated Into English | By Thomas Holcroft. | Illustrated By Three Hundred And Sixty Engravings. | Vol. 1. | [ornamental line] | London: | Printed For G. G. J. And J. Robinsons | Paternoster Row. | [short line] | MDCCLXXXIX.”[BL.: Cup. 407. kk. 44.][235 x 140mm.][‘Herder’ in: VII. Testimonies in Favour of Physiognomy, Vol. 1, pp.50-55][1. Solomon. 2. Jesus, Son of Sirach. 3. Sultzer. 4. Wolf. 5. Gellert. 6. Herder]

„The German is a language abounding in compound words, and epithets linked in endless chains. Eager to excel, its writers think they never can have said enough, while any thing more can be said: their energy is frequently unbridled. And certainly, in the exalted quality of energy, Mr Lavater will cede to few of his countrymen. Bold endeavours have been made to preserve the spirit of his reasoning. The enthusiasm of his feelings, and the sublimity of his conceptions. But, without any affected distrust of myself, I cannot venture to affirm they are preserved.”[ Holcroft, Thomas(1745-1809) Advertisement,pp.v-vi]

“OF all the writers I am acquainted with, who have mentioned physiognomy, none seem to me so profound, so exact, so clear, so great, I had almost said, so sacred, as Herder. The passages which I shall transcribe from his Plastick* (a work which may challenge all nations to produce its equal) are not only testimonies in favour of physiognomy, but almost render every thing I have hitherto said trivial. They nearly contain the system of physiognomy in nuce (in a nutshell), the essence and sum of physiognomy.

* Plastik. Einige Wahrnehmungen über Form und Gestalt aus Pygmalions bildendem Träume. τι καλλος ; ερωημα τυφλ[8?] Riga bey Hartknoch, 1778.

"Herder

"WHERE is the hand that shall grasp that which resides beneath the skull of man! Who shall approach the surface of that now tranquil, now tempestuous abyss! Like as the Deity has ever been adored in sacred groves, so is the Lebanon, the Olympus of man, that seat of the secret power of the Divinity, overshadowed! We shudder at contemplating the powers contained in so small a circumference, by which a world may be enlightened, or a world destroyed *[1]

„What hand can seize that substance laid up in the head and contained in the skull of man? What organ of flesh and blood is able to sound the abyss of faculties, of internal powers, which there ferment or repose. The Deity himself has taken care to cover that sacred summit, the abode and work-shop of the most secret operations- the Deity, I say, has covered it with a forest*[* The Hair], emblem of those hallowed groves in which the sacred mysteries were celebrated in antient times. The mind is struck with a religious horror at the idea of that shaded mountain where the Lightning resides, a single flash of which bursting from the chaos, is sufficient to illuminate, to embellish, – or to waste and destroy a World.

[ „Was im Haupt, unter dem Schädel eines Menschen wohne, welche Hand kann es fassen? Welch ein Finger von Fleisch und Blut diesen Abgrund inwendig gärender oder stiller Kräfte ertappen an der äußern Rinde? Die Gottheit selbst hat diese heilige Höhe, den Olympus oder Libanon unsres Gewächses, als den Aufenthält und die Werkstätte ihrer geheimsten Würkung mit einem Haine** bedeckt, mit dem sie sonst auch alle ihre Geheimnisse deckte. Man schauert, wenn man sich das Rund umfaßt denket, in dem eine Schöpfung wohnet, in dem ein Blitz, der da aus dem Chaos leuchtet, eine Welt schmücken und erleuchten oder eine Welt zerschmettern und verwüsten kann.

** das Haar.“][Plastik, Herders Werke, hrsg. v. Matthias, Bd. 3, S.116]

"Through those two inlets of soul, the eye and ear, how wonderful are the worlds of light[page 51] and sound, the words and images that find entrance! [ „Durch die kleine Höhle, Ohr, und durch das, was nur Anschein einer Pforte ist, Auge, kommen zwo Wunderwelten von Licht und Schall, von Wort und Bildern in unsern Himmel von Gedanken und Kräften, die das ...“ [Plastik,Herders Werke, hrsg. v. Matthias, Bd. 3, S.118: 3-6]

"How significant are the descending locks that shade this mountain, this seat of the gods! their luxuriance, their partition, their intermingling *![2]

"The head is elevated upon the neck. Olympus resting upon an eminence, in which are united freedom and strength, compression and elasticity, descriptive of the present and the future. The neck it is that expresses, not what man was originally, but what he is by habit or accident become; whether erect in defence or freedom, stretched forth and curbed in token of patient suffering, rising a Herculean pillar of fortitude, or sinking between the shoulders, the image of degradation; still it is incontestably expressive of character, action, and truth."

The neck, on which the head is supported, discovers, not that which is in the Interior of Man, but that which he wishes to express. It makes either firmness and liberty, or softness and sweet flexibility. Sometimes its noble and easy attitude announces the dignity of condition; sometimes, bending downward, it expresses the resignation of the Martyr, and sometimes it is a column emblematical of the strength of Hercules. Nay, its very deformities, its sinking between the shoulders, are characteristic signs, full of truth and expression.

[“Das Haupt steht auf dem Halse: das ist, der Olympus auf einer Höhe, die Festigkeit und Freiheit oder Schwanensanftheit und Weiche zeigt, wo sie ist, was sie sein soll: ein elfenbeinerner Turm, sagt das älteste und wahreste Lied der Liebe. Der Hals ist’s, der eigentlich exferieret, nicht was der Menschen in seinem Haupt ist, sondern wie er sein Haupt und Leben träget. Hier der freie, edle Stand, oder die Starke Herkulesfeste, oder seine Mißgestalten, seine Krümmen und Verbergungen zwischen den Schultern, sein Bärenfett samt dem kalekutischen Unterkinne und wilden Schweinesröcheln sind auch in Character, in That und Wahrheit unsäglich. Sowohl was die Griechen den schönen Nacken, als was die Ungriechen Gurgel und Adamsapfel nennen, ist äußerst bedeutend.“ [Plastik, Herders Werke,Bd. 3, S.120]

Let us proceed to the countenance, in which shine forth mind, and divinity.

On the front appear light and gloom, joy and anxiety, stupidity, ignorance, and vice. On this brazen table are deeply engraved every combination of sense and soul. I can [page 52] conceive no spectator to whom the forehead can appear uninteresting. Here all the Graces revel, or all the Cyclops thunder! Nature has left it bare, that, by it, the countenance may be enlightened or darkened.

Let us pass on to the human face, the picture of the soul, the image of the Divinity. The forehead is the seat of serenity, of joy, of gloomy discontent, of anguish, of stupidity, of ignorance, and of malignity. It is a table of brass, on which all the thoughts are engraved in characters of fire.— I cannot comprehend how a forehead can ever appear an object of indifference.

At its lowest extremities, thought appears to be changed into act. The mind here collects the powers of resistance. Here reside the cornua addita pauperi. Here headlong obstinacy and wise perseverance take up their fixed abode‡.[3] [„Ich komme zum Antlitz des Menschen, zur Tafel Gottes und der Seele. Heilige decke, verbirg mir den Glanz und zeige mir Menschheit! Das Leuchten des Angesichts zeigt sich insonderheit auf der Stirn: da wohnet Licht, da wohnet Freude, da wohnt dunkler Kummer und Angst und Dummheit und Unwissenheit und Bosheit...[...]...Hinter dieser spanischen Wand singen doch einmal alle Grazien oder hammern alle Cyklopen, und sie ist von der Natur offenbar selbst gebildet, daß sie das Angesicht solle leuchten lassen oder verdunkeln.... „[Plastik, Herders Werke,Bd. 3, S.121: ]

“Hier ist’s, wo sich die Seele zusammenzieht zum Widerstande: das sind die cornua addita pauperi, mit denen er entweder in seliger Dumpfheit blind gehet und trifft oder wie jener indianische Götze das versunkne Gesetz aus dem Schlamme des Abgrundes hinaufholet. „[Plastik, Herders Werke,Bd. 3, S.122:18-23 ]

At its lower extremity, the Understanding seems blended with the will. Here the Soul seems to concentrate its powers to prepare for resistance. Below the forehead stands that beautiful frontier the eyebrow, in its mildness, the rainbow of peace; the bended bow of discord, when it expresses rage: Thus, in either case, it is the announcing sign of the affections.

“Beneath the forehead are its beauteous confines the eyebrows; a rainbow of promise, when benignant; and the bent bow of discord, when enraged; alike descriptive, in each case, of interior feeling

[“Unter der Stirn steht ihre schöne Grenze, die Augenbrane: ein Regenbogen des Friedes, wenn sie sanft ist, und der aufgespannte Bogen der Zwietract, wenn sie dem Himmel über sich Zorn und Wolken sendet.“ [Plastik, Herders Werke,Bd. 3, S.123:6-9 ]

“I know not any thing which can give more pleasure, to an accurate observer, than a distinct and perfectly arched eyebrow. — I know no aspect that presents to an enlightened Observer an object more attractive, than a fine angle, well marked, and which terminates gracefully between the forehead and the eye. [ “Ich weiß nicht, was für ein Wink dem Verständigen angenehmer, anziehender sein könne als hier ein scharfer, fester und doch sanfter Winkel zwischen Stirn und Auge.” [Plastik, Herders Werke,Bd. 3, S.123:19-21 ]

“The nose imports solidity and unity to the whole countenance. It is the mountain that shelters the fair vales beneath. How descriptive of mind and character are its various parts; the insertion, the ridge, the cartilage, the nostrils, through which life is inhaled!

The Nose combines, and gives a finishing to all the features of the face: it forms, as it were, a mountain of separation between two opposite valleys: — the root of the nose, its ridge, its point, its cartilage, the apertures through which it respires life– how many expressive signs of the understanding and character!

[“Die Nase gibt dem ganzen Gesicht Haltung, sie ist die Linie der Festigkeit und gleichsam das Scheidegebürge an Thälern zu beiden Seiten;.....Die Wurzel der Nase, ihr Rücken, ihre Spitze, ihr Knorpel, die Öffnungen, dadurch sie Leben atmet, wie bedeutend für Geist und Charakter!“ [Plastik, Herders Werke,Bd. 3, S.124:21-23; 29-30; 125: 1 ]

“The eyes, considered only as tangible objects, are by their form the windows of the [page 53] soul, the fountains of light and life. Mere feeling would discover, that their size and globular shape are not unmeaning. The eye-bone, whether gradually sunken, or boldly prominent, equally is worthy of attention: as likewise are the temples, whether hollow or smooth. That region of the face which includes the eyebrows, eye, and nose, also includes the chief signs of soul; that is, of will, or mind, in action.

The Eyes, to judge of them only by the touch, are from their form the windows of the soul, transparent globes, the sources of light and life. The sense of feeling simply, discovers that their form curiously rounded, their size, the opening of the eyelids, are not objects of indifference. It is not less essential to observe whether the bone of the eye advances considerably, or whether it fall off imperceptibly; whether the temples be hollowed into little caverns, or present a smooth surface. In general, that region of the face where the mutual relations between the eyebrows, the eyes, and the nose are collected, is the seat of the Soul’s expression in the countenance, that is, the expression of the will, and of the active life.

[“Die Augen betrachte ich hier nur tastbar als Gläser der Seele und Brunnen des Lichts und Lebens. Sie liegen zwischen Büschen eingefaßt und geschlossen; und eben das blinde Gefühl entdeckt’s schon, daß ihre schöngeschliffene Form nebst Schnitt und Größe nicht gleichgültig sei. Ebenso merkwürdig ist’s, wie sich unten der Augknoche starr bäume oder sanft verliere, und ob die Schläfen eingefallene Grabhöhlen oder zarte Ruhestätten sind, auf denen der Finger des Bluts und Lebens schlage. Überhaupt ist die gegen, wie Augenbrane, Nase und Auge sich verhält, die Gegend des Winks der Seele in unserm Gesicht, d. i. des Willens und praktischen Lebens.“ [Plastik, Herders Werke,Bd. 3, S.125: 4-14. ]

“The occult, the noble, the sublime, sense of hearing, has nature placed sideways, and half concealed. Man ought not to listen entirely from motives of complaisance to others, but of information to himself; and, however perfect this organ of sensation may be, it is devoid of ornament; or, delicacy, depth, and expansion, such are its ornaments

That noble, profound and occult sense, the hearing, Nature has placed on the sides of the head, where it is half concealed. Man ought to hear for himself: the ear is accordingly divested of ornament. Delicacy, completeness, profundity, these are its dress.

[ “Den edlen, tiefen, verborgenen Sinn des Gehörs hat die Nature seitwärts gesetzt und halb verborgen; der Mensch sollte nicht mit dem Antlitz für andre, sondern mit dem Ohre für sich hören. Auch blieb dieser Sinn, so wohlförmig er dasteht, ungeziert: Zartheit, Ausarbeitung und Tiefe ist seine Zierde;..... [Plastik, Herders Werke,Bd. 3, S.125: 15-19.[nb. Lavater omits Herder’s following sentence that jokes about Elephant ears or the long ears given to King Midas!]

“I now come to the inferiour part of the face, on which nature bestowed a mask for the male; and in my opinion, not without reason. Here are displayed those marks of sensuality which ought to be hidden. All know how much the upper lip betokens the sensations of taste, desire, appetite, and the enjoyments of love; how much it is curved by pride and anger, drawn thin by cunning, smoothed by[page 54] benevolence, made flaccid by effeminacy: how love and desire, sighs and kisses, cling to it, by indescribable traits. The under lip is little more than its supporter, the rosy cushion on which the crown of majesty reposes. If the parts of any two bodies can be pronounced to be exactly adapted to each other, such are the lips of man when the mouth is closed.

It is exceedingly necessary to observe the arrangement of the teeth, and the circular conformation of the cheeks.

I have now reached the lower part of the human countenance; which Nature, in males, surrounds with a cloud; and surely not without reason. Here are developed on the face the traits of sensuality, which it is proper to conceal in man. It is well known how much the upper lip characterizes the taste, the propensity, the appetite, the sentiment of love; that pride and anger bend it; that it is sharpened by cunning; that goodness rounds it; that intemperance enervates and debases it; that love and desire are attached to it by an attraction not to be expressed. The use of the under lip, is to serve as its support.— The human figure is no where more beautifully and correctly finished, than in the upper lip, at the place where it closes the mouth. It is, besides, of the greatest importance to observe the arrangement of the teeth, and the conformation of the cheeks.

[“Endlich komme ich zum Unterteil des Geschichts, den die Natur beim männlichen Geschlecht abermal mit einer Wolke umgab, und mich dünkt, nicht ohn’ Ursach’. Hier sind die Züge zur Notdurft oder (welches mit jenem eigentlich eins ist) die Buchstaben der Sinnlichkeit im Gesicht, die bei dem Manne bedeckt sein sollten. Jedermann weiß, wie viel die Oberlippe über Geschmack, Neigung, Lust= und Liebesart eines Menschen entscheide: wie diese der Stolz und Zorn krümme, die Feinheit spitze, die Gutmütigkeit runde, die schlaffe Üppigkeit welke, wie an ihr mit unbeschreiblichem Zuge Liebe und Verlangen, Kuß und Sehnen hange und die Unterlippe sie nur schließe und trage: ein Rosenkissen, auf dem die Krone der Herrschaft ruhet. Wenn man etwas artikuliert nennen kann, so it’s die Oberlippe eines Menschen, wo und wie sie den Mund schließt;.... Außerordentlich bedeutend ist’s bei einem Menschen, wie bei ihm die Zähne fallen, und wie sich seine Backe schließt....“ [Plastik, Herders Werke,Bd. 3, S.125: 27-31 & 126: 1-9; 12-13 ]

The chaste and delicate mouth is, perhaps, one of the first recommendations to be met with in the common intercourse of life. Words are the pictures of the mind. We judge of the host by the portal. He holds the flaggon of truth, of love, and endearing friendship.

A pure and delicate mouth is perhaps one of the strongest of recommendations; the beauty of the portal announces the dignity of the passenger, here, that illustrious passenger is the Voice, the interpreter of the heart and soul, the expression of truth, of friendship, and of all the tender sentiments and affections. The under lip begins already to from the chin, which is terminated by the jaw-bone, the

The chin is formed by the under lip, and the termination of the jaw-bones. If I may speak figuratively, it is the picture of sensuality, in man, according as it is more or less flexible, smooth, or carbuncled: it discovers what his rank is among his fellows. The chin forms the oval of the countenance; and when, as in the antique statues of the Greeks, it is neither pointed nor indented, but smooth, and gradually diminishes, it is then the key-stone[page 55] of the superstructure. A deformity in the chin is indeed much to be dreaded. [“Ein reiner, zarter Mund ist vielleicht die schönste Empfehlung des gemeinen Lebens; denn wie die Pforte, so glaubt man, sei auch der Gast, der heraustritt, das Wort des Herzens und der Seele....[...]...Hier ist der Kelch der Wahrheit, der Becher der Leibe und zartesten Freundschaft. Die Unterlippe fängt schon an, das Kinn zu bilden, und der Kinnknoche, der von beiden Seiten herabkommt, beschließt es. Es zeigt viel, wenn ich figürlich reden darf, von der Wurzel der Sinnlichkeit im Menschen, ob sie fest oder lose, rund oder schwammig sei, und mit welchen Füßen er gleichsam im Erdreich stehe. Da das Kinn die ganze Ellipse des Angesichts ründet, so ist’s, wenn es, wie bei den Griechen, nicht spitz, nicht gehöhlt, sondern ununterbrochen, ganz und leicht herabfließt, der echte Schlußstein des Gebäudes, und die Mißbildung an ihm ist fürchterlich anzuschauen.“ [Plastik, Herders Werke,Bd. 3, S.126:18-21;24-29 & 127: 1-6. ]

My quotation from this work is shorter than I intended, but further extracts will be made hereafter.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1] * This paragraph runs thus in the original text.—

'What hand can grasp that which dwells in the head, beneath the skull of man! what finger of flesh and blood, reach from the outward shell, the abyss of powers that repose or ferment within? The deity itself has covered this sacred mount, the Olympus or Lebanon of man with a grove, the usual shade of its mysteries, to be the abode, the laboratory of its most recluse energies. We tremble to think that orb circumscribed, in which a creation dwells, whence one flash that emerges from the chaos may adorn and irradiate, or desolate and crash a world.

[2] * I shall, probably, hereafter, make further use of this passage.

[3] ‡ Orig.—'These are the Cornua addita Pauperi, with which he either in happy listlessness thrusts at random and hits, or, like yon Indian idol, lifts the sunken code from the slime of the abyss.' The Latin words are taken from the 21st ode of Horace's 3d book. Horns were given to Bacchus by the antients, as they are here given to the will, as symbols of that resistance and enterprize which they inspire. The image is that of a ram which pushes, without considering his enemy; disguised into a ram, Brama lifted from the depths of the Ganges the sacred code, and communicated it to the Bramins.


Note 2

“Essays | On | Physiognomy, | Designed To Promote | The Knowledge And The Love Of Mankind. | By | John Caspar Lavater, | Citizen Of |Zurich, And Minister Of The Gospel. | Illustrated By More Than | Eight Hundred Engravings Accurately Copied; | And Some Duplicates Added From Originals. | Executed By, Or Under The Inspection Of, | Thomas Holloway. | Translated From The French | By | Henry Hunter, D. D. | Minister Of The Scots Church London-Wall. | [small ornamental line] | God created Man after his own Image. | [small ornamental line] | Volume I. | [Vignette] | London : Printed For John Murray, No. 32, Fleet-Street; H. Hunter, D. D. Charles’s- | Square; And T. Holloway, No. 11, Bache’s-Row, Hoxton. MDCC LXXXIX.” [‘1789-98’ i. e. 1788-99] [ IGS Priebsch Folios L LAV 4t PC ] [ 3 vols in 5. : illus., plates, ports ; 35 cm ][List of Subscribers, pp.[x], The English Translator’s Preface[dated Dec. 24, 1798, and signed: Henry Hunter], [ii],

[Note Issued in 41 parts, 1788-1799. Cf. New York. Public Library. The Arents collection of books in parts, New York,, 1957, p. 74. Inserted in v. 1 are "The English translator's preface" (dated Dec. 24, 1798, and signed: Henry Hunter) and an "Advertisement" by Henry Fuseli "The translation and engravings were under the superintendence of ... H. Fuseli ... The engravings were executed by Thos. Holloway, Bartolozzi, Wm. Blake, and other eminent artists." - Lowndes, The bibliographer's manual of Eng. Lit. According to the "Errata" (v. 3, p. [459]) "upwards of eight hundred" in the title is an error. "List of subscribers": v. 3, p. [447-456] Translated from v. 1-3 of the French edition of Physiognomische Fragmente printed at The Hague in 1781-87. "The posthumous 4th vol. (1803) of the French ed. was never translated." - Bibliotheca Osleriana ]

[Fuseli, Henry, (1741-1825) ;Holloway, Thomas, (1748-1827);Hunter, Henry, (1741-1802); “Democritus”Rubens delin…Blake sculp. [p.158]; T. Caldwall; D. Chodowiecki: Berlin copies of….John Hall; T. Trotter; Willm

Sharp[“C. Heidegger »]

[Fragment Seventh. Authorities. p.57.]

„Of all the Authors I am acquainted with, who have either occasionally mentioned physiognomy, or expressly treated the subject, no one appears to me so profound and so just, so sublime and yet so accurate, as HERDER.

The passages from his work entitled Plastics*, which I wished to introduce in this place, but of which I can only present an abridgment, may be considered as Authorities, which, in some measure, absorb all those which I have hitherto produced: —they form of themselves a compend of Physiognomy; they are the summary and substance of the Science. I regret exceedingly that it was not in any power to insert them in the German Edition of my Book, and scarcely dare I [page 58] presume to intreat the reader to satisfy himself with an imperfect translation of what almost defies all power of translation.— But, inferior as they must be to the Original, they cannot fail to appear important and instructive.

* De la Plastique: Observations upon the Form and Figure: taken from Pygmalion’s Dream. τι καλλος ; ερωημα τυφλ8 Riga, Hartknoch, 1778.



15

HERDER

What hand can seize that substance laid up in the head and contained in the skull of Man? What organ of flesh and blood is able to sound that abyss of faculties, of internal powers, which there ferment or repose? The Deity himself has taken care to cover that sacred summit, the abode and work-shop of the most secret operations– the Deity, I say, has covered it with a forest*[* The Hair.], emblem of those hallowed groves in which the sacred mysteries were celebrated in antient times. The mind is struck with a religious horror at the idea of that shaded mountain, where the Lightning resides, a single flash of which bursting from the chaos, is sufficient to illuminate, to embellish, — or to waste and destroy a World.

What powerful expression in the very external covering of this Olympus; its natural growth, the manner in which the locks are arranged, fall down, part or intermingle!

The neck, on which the head is supported, discovers, not that which is in the interior of Man, but that which he wishes to express. It makes either firmness and liberty, or softness and sweet flexibility. Sometimes its noble and easy attitude announces the dignity of condition; sometimes, bending downward, it expresses the resignation of the Martyr, and sometimes it is a column emblematical of the strength of Hercules. Nay, its very deformities, its sinking between the shoulders, are characteristic signs, full of truth and expression.

[page 59]Let us pass on to the human face, the picture of the soul, the image of the Divinity.

The forehead is the seat of serenity, of joy, of gloomy discontent, of anguish, of stupidity, of ignorance, and of malignity. It is a table of brass, on which all the thoughts are engraved in characters of fire.— I cannot comprehend how a forehead can ever appear an object of indifference.

At its lower extremity, the Understanding seems blended with the will. Here the Soul seems to concentrate its powers to prepare for resistance.

Below the forehead stands that beautiful frontier the eyebrow, in its mildness, the rainbow of peace; the bended bow of discord, when it expresses rage: thus, in either case, it is the announcing sign of the affections.— I know no aspect that presents to an enlightened Observer an object more attractive, than a fine angle, well marked, and which terminates gracefully between the forehead and the eye.

The Nose combines, and gives a finishing to all the features of the face: it forms, as it were, a mountain of separation between two opposite valleys: — the root of the nose, its ridge, its point, its cartilage, the apertures through which it respires life– how many expressive signs of the understanding and character!

The Eyes, to judge of them only by the touch, are from their form the windows of the soul, transparent globes, the sources of light and life. The sense of feeling simply, discovers that their form curiously rounded, their size, the opening of the eyelids, are not objects of indifference. It is not less essential to observe whether the bone of the eye advances considerably, or whether it fall off imperceptibly; whether the temples be hollowed into little caverns, or present a smooth surface.

[page 60]In general, that region of the face where the mutual relations between the eyebrows, the eyes, and the nose are collected, is the seat of the Soul’s expression in the countenance, that is, the expression of the will, and of the active life.

That noble, profound and occult sense, the hearing, Nature has placed on the sides of the head, where it is half concealed. Man ought to hear for himself: the ear is accordingly divested of ornament. Delicacy, completeness, profundity, these are its dress.

I have now reached the lower part of the human countenance; which Nature, in males, surrounds with a cloud; and surely not without reason. Here are developed on the face the traits of sensuality, which it is proper to conceal in man. It is well known how much the upper lip characterizes the taste, the propensity, the appetite, the sentiment of love; that pride and anger bend it; that it is sharpened by cunning; that goodness rounds it; that intemperance enervates and debases it; that love and desire are attached to it by an attraction not to be expressed. The use of the under lip, is to serve as its support. ——The human figure is no where more beautifully and correctly finished, than in the upper lip, at the place where it closes the mouth. It is, besides, of the greatest importance to observe the arrangement of the teeth, and the conformation of the cheeks. A pure and delicate mouth is perhaps one of the strongest of recommendations; the beauty of the portal announces the dignity of the passenger; here, that illustrious passenger is the Voice, the interpreter of the heart and soul, the expression of truth, of friendship, and of all the tender sentiments and affections.

The under lip begins already to from the chin, which is terminated by the jaw-bone, descending on both sides. — As it rounds off the whole ellipse of the face, it may be considered as the true key-stone which completes the arch of the Edifice. In order to correspond [page 61] to the beautiful proportion of the Grecian Architecture, it ought to be neither pointed nor hollow, but smooth, and the fall must be gentle and insensible. Its deformity is hideous.

I have not extracted all that I proposed. Several passages absolutely defy all powers of translation; others shall have a place in the sequel of this Work.

_______________________________________________________________________

Note 3

Moore, Charles[Not in CDNB]

“Essays | on | Physiognomy; | calculated to extend | The Knowledge and the Love of Mankind. | Written by | The Rev. John Caspar Lavater, | Citizen of Zurich. | Translated from the last Paris Edition. | By the Rev. C. Moore, L.L.D. F.R.S. | illustrated by | Several Hundred Engravings, | accurately | Copied from the Originals. | [small vignette] | Volume 1. | [small line] | London: | Sold by H. D. Symonds, No. 20. Paternoster Row. | 1797.”[BL.: 1509/1034.][pp.[3]-243.][ornamental tool flourishes at the beginning and end of each line on titlepage ][engraved plate facing tp., ‘A Boy and Girl with Candle and Moth’Barlow sculp.] [Authorities from whence the Positions in these Lectures are taken; or, Fundamental Truths, by Various Authors, upon the Subject of Physiognomies and Physionomy[sic] ]


XXI. HERDER* *. Mr. Lavater in this place regrets that it was not in his power to insert this authority in the German Edition of his Work, as his Book was published first before Herder’s Observations had reached Switzerland.What daring hand can seize that substance laid up in the head, and contained in the scull? What organ of flesh and blood[page 53] is able to s[f]ound that abyss of faculties, of internal powers, which there ferment in repose? The Deity himself has taken care to cover that sacred summit, the abode and laboratory of the most secret operations with a forest*[* The Hair.], emblem of those hallowed groves in which the sacred mysteries were celebrated in ancient times. The mind is struck with a religious horror at the idea of that shaded mountain, where lightning resides, a single flash of which, bursting from its given boundaries, is sufficient to illuminate, to embellish, or to waste and disfigure the whole creation itself.What powerful expression in the very external covering of this Olympus, its natural growth, the manner in which the locks are arranged as they fall down, part, or intermingle![se partage ou s’entremêle?]The neck, on which the head is supported, discovers, not that which is in the interior of man, but that which he wishes to express. It marks either firmness and liberty, or softness and sweet flexibility[Il désigne la fermeté & la liberté, ou bien la mollesse & la douce flexibilité]. Sometimes its noble and easy attitude announces the dignity of condition; sometimes, bending downwards, it expresses the resignation of the martyr; and at other times elevating, it is a column emblematical of the strength of Hercules. Even its very deformities, are characteristic signs full of truth and expression. However flightingly we may estimate the general appearance of man, his face is the picture of the soul[tableau de l’ame], the image of the Divinity. His forehead is the seat of serenity, of joy, of gloomy discontent, of anguish, of stupidity, of ignorance, and of malignity. It is a tablet on which all the thoughts are pourtrayed in living characters.[Le front est le siège de la sérénité, de la joie, du noir chagrin, de l’angoisse, de la stupidité, de l’ignorance, & de la méchanceté. C’est une table d’airain où tous les sentimens se gravent en caractères de feu.— ] I cannot comprehend how a forehead can ever appear an object of indifference. At its lowest extremity, the understanding[l’entendement] seems blended with the will[la volonté]. Here the Soul seems to concentrate its powers to prepare for resistance.[C’est ici où l’ame se concentre & rassemble des forces pourse préparer a la résistance(p.59)] Below the forehead stands that beautifully expressive feature the eye-brow, in mildness representing the rainbow of peace; the bended bow of hostility and discord when it expresses rage: thus it is either the benevolent and gracefully announcing sign of the affections, or the threatening herald of resentment and revenge [page 54]Perhaps there is no aspect in nature that presents to an enlightened observer[l’Observateur éclairé] an object more attractive than a fine angle well marked, which terminates gracefully between the forehead and the eye.The nose combines, and gives a finishing to all the features of the face; its shape determines as it were the boldness or backwardness of the individual character; situated to form a separation between the prominences of the cheeks; it is the most conspicuous line in the human face; its ridge, its point, its termination, direction, the apertures through which it respires life! How many expressive signs of the understanding and character!The eyes, to judge of them only by the appearance, are, from their form, the windows of the soul, transparent globes[des globes diaphanes], the sources of light and life. The sense of feeling[tact] simply discovers that their form, manner, and matter of consistence are not objects of indifference. It is not less essential to observe, whether the bone of the eye advances considerably, or whether it falls off imperceptibly; whether the temples are hollowed into little round caverns, or present a smooth surface. In general, that region of the face where the mutual relations between the eye-brows, the eyes, and the nose are collected, is seat of the soul’s expression in the countenance, that is, the expression of the will and of the active life[de la vie active].That noble, profound and occult sense, the hearing, nature wisely placed on the sides of the head, where it is half concealed. Man ought to hear for himself: the ear is accordingly divested of ornament. Delicacy, completeness, profundity, and modest retirement, are its dress and concomitant qualities[La délicatesse, le fini, la profondeur, voilà sa parure]. We now reach the lower part of the human countenance; which nature, in males, surrounds with a cloud, and surely not without reason. Here are developed on the face the traits of sensuality, which it is proper to conceal in man. The upper lip is the certain characteristic of taste; from it we discern the propensities, the appetites; discover the sentiments of love, approbation, resentment, and contempt. We behold anger bend it; we see it [page 55] sharpened by cunning; goodness we find round it; intemperance enervates it; passion debases it; and love and desire are attached to it by an attraction not to be expressed. The use of the under-lip is to serve as its support; and, when mutually joined, form the most graceful angle under the eye-brows. The human figure is no where more beautifully and correctly finished, than in the upper-lip, at the place where it closes the mouth. It is, besides, of the greatest importance to observe the arrangement of the teeth, and the conformation of the cheeks. A pure and delicate mouth is perhaps one of the strongest of recommendations to gentility; the beauty of the portal announces the dignity of the tenant[Une bouche delicate & pure, est peut-être une des plus belle recommendations; la beauté du portail annonce la dignité de celui qui doit y passer;]; here that illustrious tenant is the voice, the interpreter of the heart and soul, the expression of truth, of friendship, and of all the tender sentiments and affections. The under-lip may be considered next as beginning to form the chin, which is terminated by the jaw-bone, descending on both sides. As it rounds off the whole ellipse of the face, it may be considered as the true key-stone which completes the arch of the edifice. In order to correspond to the beautiful proportion of the Grecian architecture, it ought neither to be pointed nor hollow, but smooth, and the fall must be gentle and insensible. Its deformity is hideous.*
*Mr. Lavater in this place observes, that he has not extracted all that he proposed. Several passages, he says, absolutely defy, by their beautiful figurativeness, all power of translation; others shall have a place in the sequel of this work. [Je n’ai point extrait tout ce que je m’étois propose d’extraire. Plusieurs morceaux sont absolument intraduisibles ; d’autres retrouveront leur place dans la suite de cet Ouvrage,(p.61)]