Essays on physiognomy. ... for the promotion and the love of mankind / written in the German language by John Caspar Lavater ; tr. by Thomas Holcroft.
- Johann Kaspar Lavater
- Date:
- 1806
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Essays on physiognomy. ... for the promotion and the love of mankind / written in the German language by John Caspar Lavater ; tr. by Thomas Holcroft. Source: Wellcome Collection.
304/326 page 280
![\y\ licli of tlie fcivournblc judginentsof the bene- volent physiognoinist nuiy not be descriecl ns false? Is benot bimselfa mereinan,boweverciiemnspeet, nprigbt, bonourable, and exalledbe inay be; u inan ^vbo bas in biinself tbe root of allevil, tbe germ of every vice; or, in otber words, a inan nbose most V’orthy propensities^qualitics, and inclinations^inay occasionally be overstrained, \vrestcd,and wariied ? Von bebold aineekman, wbo,afterrepeated and continued jirovoeations to wratb,persists in silence; wbo, probably, never is overtaken by anger, wlien be bimself alone is injnred. Tlie pbysiognomistcan read bis beurt, fortified tobearand l'orbear, and im- niediately exclaiins, bebold tlie most amiable, tbe most iinconqncrable, gentlencss—V on are silent-— V on langb—S on loave tbe place, and say, “ Fie on sneb a pbysiognomist! How fall of wratb bave I seen tbis man !”—Wben was it tbat you saw bim in wratb?—W’^as it not wben some onc bad mistreat- cd bis friend?—“ Yes, and be bebavedlikc a frantic inan in defence of tbis friend, wbicb is proof suffi- cient tbat tbe Science of pbysiognomy is a dream, and tbe pbysiognomist a dreamer.”—Jbit wbo is in an eiror, tbe pbysiognomist or bis censnrerr—Tbe wisest man may sumetimes nlter folly—Tbis tbe ])bysiognomist knows,bnt, regardingit not,reverscs and pronoiinces bim awise man.—V on ridicnlctbe decision, for you bave beard tbis wise man say ii foolisb tbing.—Once, more, wbo is in an error — Tbe pbysiognomist does notjndgc from a single in- cident.and often not from sevcral combining inci- dents.—Nor does be,as apbysiognomist, judgeonly by actions. He observestbe propensities,the cbarac- ter, tbe essential qnalities and powers, wbicb often are apparently contradicted by individual actions. Again: be wbo seems stupid orvieions,mayyetpro- bably posscss iudicutions of u good understanding,](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b22029734_0304.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
