When we hear of any atrocious act, the natural abhorrence of vice and cruel ty implanted in us, leads the imagination to form a portrait of the perpetrator, suited to the deformity of the mind capa ble of committing it ; without reflecting, that had such an index existed in the countenance of the abhorred object, it is most probable, his murderous and horri ble exterior would have placed mankind so far on their guard as to detect his in tentions. Upon viewing the culprit we are perhaps surprized to find that there is nothing particularly indicative of cruel ty in the outlines of his face, and we in dustriously endeavour to force each into the immediate form of our pre-conceived portrait. This occasions us to read lurking villainy in his eyes, and converts the wrinkles of disease, or approaching age, into the flown of a dmmon ; and we de part, exclaiming against the striking con tour of the miserable wretch, when per haps many of our friends, and even rela tives, would suffer by a comparison, and yet had led uniformly innocent lives. On the other hand it must be admitted, that vice generally stamps her votaries with marks, which may he known at a glance, but this admission applies only to the con firmed enemies of virtue, those whose ha bits of living are so uniformly vicious, that very little propriety occurs in their con duct.
The following anecdote related by La vater, may serve as a partial illustration of the assertion, that the features are af fected by the turn of the mind; or, per haps more correctly speaking, the mus cles of the face. An innocent, amiable, and virtuous young lady, of high birth, who had been educated in the retirement of the country, happened one evening to pass a mirror, immediately after having attended evening prayers, and with a can dle in her hand was depositing a bible on a table, when site observed her image reflected in the glass : affected with a sense of humility, and of extreme modes ty, she averted her eyes and retired. A succeeding winter was passed in the amusements and dissipation of a city, where this lady had the misfortune to forget all her previously devout pursuits ; but returning to the country, she once more passed the glass and the bible, and saw her features reflected, now deprived of those fascinating graces which belong alone to the serene and happy state of mind she had lost.. Alarmed at the change, she fled from the spot, and retir ing to a sofa, ejaculated sentences of pe nitence, and formed resolutions of future amendment.
Lavater begins his remarks On the hu man face with the forehead. According to this observer, the general form, pro portion, the arch, obliquity, and position of the scull of the forehead, denotes the degree of thought, the sensibility, the mental vigour, and the propensities of man ; and at the same time the skin of this part of the head explains, by its hue, tension, or wrinkles, the state of the mind at the moment of observation, and the passions which influence it, the bones Abiding the internal quantity, and the covering the application of' power : however the latter may be affected, it is well known that the bones must remain unaltered, and yet they regulate the wrinkles by their variation of component form. Wrinkles are produced by a cer tain degree of flatness ; others arise from arching, and those considered separately will give the form of the arch, and vice versa. Some foreheads are furnished with wrinkles that are confined to hori zontal, perpendicular, curved, and others confused and mixed lines ; those least perplexed when in action are usually ob served in foreheads without angles.
Lavater appears to have been the first who attended to the peculiar turns of the position and outline of the forehead, which he considered the most important part presented for the study of the physi ognomist. This he divides into three classes, and those he termed the perpen dicular, the projecting, and the retreat ing, each possessing a number of varia tions; the principal, however, are rectili near, " half round, half rectilinear, flow ing into each other ; halt round, half rectilinear, interrupted : curve-lined, sim ple ; the curve-lined double and triple." A long forehead denotes much capaci ty of comprehension, and less activity; a compressed, short and firm forehead, more compression, stability, and little volatility ; severity and pertinacity belong to the rectilinear ; and the more curved than angular portends flexibility and ten. derness of character ; deficiency of un derstanding is discoverable in those whose foreheads are perpendicular from the hair to the eye-brows ; but the perfectly perpendicular, gently arched at the top, signifies that the possessor thinks coolly and profoundly. The projecting forehead indicates stupidity and mental weakness ; the retreating, exactly the reverse ; the circular and prominent above, with straight lines below, and nearly perpen dicular, chews sensibility, ardour and good understanding ; the rectilinear, oblique forehead has the same properties ; arched foreheads are considered as fe minine ; an union of curved and straight lines, happily disposed, with a similar position of the forehead, gives the charac ter of consummate wisdom. " Right lines, considered as such, and curves, considered as such, are relaxed, as power and weakness, obstinacy and flexibility, understanding and sensation." When the bones surrounding the eye project, and are sharp, the person thus formed possesses a powerful stimulus to exercise a strong mental energy, which is pro ductive of excellent and well digested plans, and yet this Both not seem a pecu liar mark of wisdom, as many wise men have been known without it : those thus circumstanced have more firmness, when the forehead rests perpendicularly upon horizontal eye-brows, and is considerably rounded towards the temples. Perpen dicular foreheads, which, however, pro ject so as not to rest on the nose, and which are short, small, shine, and are full of wrinkles, give undoubted in dications of a weakness of the thinking faculties ; perseverance and oppressive violent activity, united with vigour and harshness, belong to the forehead com posed of various confused protuberances ; and on the other hand, when the profile of this part of the head affords two well proportioned arches, the lowest project ing, it is a certain sign of a good tempera ment and a sound understanding. All great and excellent men have been found to have their eye bones firmly arched, and well defined ; and circumspection, followed by stability, attends square fore heads, with spacious temples, and eye bones of the above description when perpendicular natural wrinkles appear, they express power of mind and applica tion ; but horizontal, interrupted in the middle, or broken at the extremities, be tray, in general, negligence, if not want of ability.