all the way down to the sole of the foot. Thus, hair adorns the head by covering it, and protects it by its very ornamentation. Although hair often falls from the front of the head—either because the skin is thin or due to a lack of nourishment—the back of the head never lacks it, thanks to the thick skin and an abundance of moisture. Consequently, the front of the head represents youth, and the back represents old age.

Since youth often lacks righteous works, whether through a deficiency in the nourishment of piety or a lack of reverence for the divine, old age—dense and fortified by prayers and overflowing with the rich moisture of piety—is always focused on upright deeds. This is in keeping with the Psalmist's words: *My old age is in rich mercy.* Furthermore, it should be noted that hair is produced by smoky exhalations; therefore, the greater the volume of these exhalations, the more plentiful the hair covering the head. When these fail, the head is stripped of its locks. In this sense, the human mind is represented by the head, and thoughts by the exhalations, which typically generate the "hair" of virtues and works. Thus, a greater supply of good dispositions leads to a greater abundance of virtues. Conversely, when the hair of virtue recedes, the mind is stripped of its righteous thoughts. This brings us to the passage in Matthew: *But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.* For, as Cicero observed, God cannot be ignorant of what is in every person's mind.

Moreover, the grayness of hair is produced by the coldness of the alimentary fluid, as coldness generates whiteness. In old age, hair turns white due to the abundance of this cold fluid. Therefore, gray hair signifies old age, in which the "chill" of divine fear prevails. From this comes the whiteness of a chaste life, as the elderly, standing at the threshold of the grave, meditate daily on the life to come. This fulfills the assertion in the Book of Wisdom: *Gray hair is a man’s wisdom, and a ripened age is an unstained life.*

Since we are speaking of hair, we must also touch briefly upon body hair and the beard. Body hair is hard and coarse when it breaks through hard and coarse skin. In this system of thought, hair is likened to actions and the skin to the inner disposition; thus, only harsh actions can come from a harsh disposition, and vice versa. As we read in Matthew: *A good man brings forth good things from his good treasure, and an evil man likewise brings forth evil.* Similarly, the beard, made of hair, is considered a man's ornament and distinguishes the male from the female. By the beard, we understand the prudence that crowns long experience, which distinguishes the wise from the foolish—that is, the upright from the wicked, and the virtuous from the criminal.

Next comes the head, which is said to be the foundation and source of the entire body, as all other parts derive their sensation and movement from it. When the head enjoys good health, the other members perform their functions correctly; conversely, when the head suffers, the other parts languish. In this doctrine, the head represents the mind: if the mind is perfect and just, only righteous actions proceed from it. Conversely, a malicious mind can only generate evil works. Furthermore, the head is like the chimney of the entire body, toward which the smoky exhalations of nourishment ascend. But because it is filled with many passages, the nutritious parts are retained while the waste vapors vanish through the pores. In this context, the Head represents the Prince, and the exhalations are the petitions and complaints of his subjects that rise to him daily. It is therefore necessary for this "head" to be filled with the "pores" of discretion and prudence, so that superfluities may easily pass out while only the necessities are retained.

Within the head, the brain is enclosed. According to the opinion of physicians, it is cold by nature and is generated immediately after the heart. Thus, it is set against the extremely hot heart, so that the fervor of the latter may be tempered by the coldness of the former. Through the brain, we can represent the Blessed Mary, Ever-Virgin, who occupies the primary place in the body of the Church after the heart—that is, after Christ. Therefore, this Virgin, the mother of Mercy, is said to be set against this "heart," as she softens and tempers the fervor of Supreme Justice with her prayers. Furthermore, the coldness and moisture of the brain tend to produce gray hair, just as heat and dryness produce baldness. Grayness is said to be a symbol of wisdom, as stated in the Book of Wisdom: *Gray hair is a man’s wisdom.* Baldness, however, denotes almsgiving, which "shears" the hair of riches. Therefore, a man whose "brain of conscience" is cold because of the fear of God and moist because of piety soon attains the gray hair of wisdom, as the Psal-