130 Ulysses Aldrovandi

a mole will be seen on the back part of the scrotum toward the buttocks. However, if a mole appears on the cheeks, it will also be seen on the hips; the closer the former is to the nose, the nearer the latter will be to the groin, and the closer it is to the jaw toward the ear, the nearer its counterpart will be to the buttocks. Moreover, if it is beneath the eyes—that is, in the hollow above the prominence of the cheekbones—one will also be able to see a mole under the armpit, situated higher or lower according to the position of the one on the face.

Moles located near the ear, almost touching it, reveal their companions on the span of either arm, stretching from the shoulders to the elbow. Indeed, if the mole is three fingers away from the ear, another will be found on the sides of the buttocks; but if it is separated by only two fingers, it will be found on the same part of the arm, but toward the back. A mole hanging over the upper lip and almost touching the nose indicates a companion in the space between the genitals and the anus. Sometimes, however, it happens that when a mole is three fingers removed from the nose, it no longer denotes that region but rather the pubes—though this trait most often belongs to moles born on the lower lip and chin. Furthermore, these also designate others on the knee, which happens more frequently the lower the mark is situated.

Moles impressed on the cheeks but below the lower lip represent their counterparts on the abdomen; they will sometimes be in the middle of the abdomen if the others are in the center of the cheeks. If a mole appears on the tip of the chin, one will also be noted on the pubes near the genitals. Moles adorning the ear correspond to the upper arms, and those on the earlobe signify another near the wrist or hand. When there is a mole on the upper rim of the ear, another will be observed near the elbow, and a mole clinging to the ear canal or concha will demonstrate another hidden in the palm of the hand. If the front part of the ear enjoys a mole, another will be found in the same position on the hand.

It should be noted, however, that it is not only the face, exposed to everyone's eyes, that possesses this privilege of its moles revealing other hidden ones; the hands and arms also share this condition. A mole discovered on the upper arm above the elbow will, with absolute certainty, designate another on the leg near the knee. If it is on the back of the arm, another will cling to the calf, while those on the biceps will mark their opposites in the middle of the leg. If a mole resides near the hand or wrist, another will also exist above the ankle of the foot.

Finally, if the fingers of the hand are marked with moles, the toes will not lack them either. It must be observed, however, that these rules do not always hold true, for as Aristotle teaches, natural things sometimes fall short of the truth.

Therefore, anyone who desires to know the causes—if not the necessary ones, then at least the plausible ones—for why moles of the face have their equals scattered across the body in a certain order and position, should turn to the doctrine of symmetry diligently laid out above. There, his curiosity will be partially satisfied. For if those proportions of the facial parts are admitted, along with the similarities of proportions by which the parts of the face and the whole body correspond, the reason why facial moles agree with those disseminated throughout the rest of the body will undoubtedly become clear to the reader. As was explained in the section on symmetry, just as the face represents the whole body, the parts of the face represent a certain figure and type of the parts of the whole body.

Since, as was set forth earlier, the forehead represents the chest, the eyebrows the shoulders, the hollows of the eyes the armpits, the ears the arms, the chin the pubes, and the mouth represents the anus in men and the private parts in women, we should feel no wonder if the moles with which nature has marked these parts of the body as if with certain signs have an affinity and relation to one another. Thus, while the forehead, chest, and other parts of the face correspond to other parts of the body (as we explained in the chapter on symmetry), a mole expressed on the forehead will likewise indicate a mole on the chest, and a mole on other parts of the face will similarly indicate a mole existing on other parts of the body.