The History of Monsters. 90

concave point to high-minded men, and those that are very wide open suggest the impudent. Oblong eyes belong to those who strive to deceive and use verbal trickery. Small, trembling eyes are characteristic of lovers. Slanted eyes reveal people prone to anger and deceit. When eyes move quickly and erratically but occasionally rest, they belong to the reckless. Fast-moving eyes paired with sharp vision are seen in the fraudulent and unfaithful. Finally, the larger the eye, the less the malice—and the more the folly—will prevail.

When the corners of the eyes are fleshy and press against the nose, they indicate people tainted by a confluence of every vice. According to physiognomists, eye color also reveals much. For instance, bloodshot eyes are observed in the shameless and the highly petulant. A deep black color foretells timidity, while a blackish-yellow suggests goodness of soul. If the color is tawny, like the eyes of lions, it undoubtedly points toward magnanimity. Fiery eyes denote the shameless. Finally, if they are bright and clear, like the eyes of roosters, we may certainly attribute such eyes to people inclined toward softness and lavish luxury.

The ears must not be excluded from our divinatory conjectures. Small ears, like those of apes, suggest buffoonery, while large ones indicate a dullness of the senses, as seen in donkeys. People with "flabby" ears—that is, large and drooping—are fools. Those with round ears are mostly unteachable. Long, narrow ears are never without envy. Furthermore, when people have ears pressed tightly against the head, they cannot escape a malicious nature. Finally, ears full of hair signify good hearing, while moderate and natural-looking ears are the mark of the best sensory perception.

Thick tips of the nose indicate lustful individuals, while thick and upturned tips signify the lazy and sluggish. If the tips are sharp, they reveal those very prone to anger, much like a wide and open nose does. A round nose with blunt ends is a sign of magnanimity, a quality also shown by an aquiline nose. When the nose is round but has thin tips, it belongs to the inconstant. If it possesses a curvature starting from the forehead, it produces shamelessness and levity. A snub nose accompanies those loose in luxury. Finally, a long nose extending toward the mouth is never found without both probity and boldness.

From thin, relaxed lips, such as those observed in lions, we can predict magnanimity; from thin, hard ones, like those of a pig, we see wrath. If only the upper lips are thick, as in a donkey, it indicates foolishness. If we see someone with an upturned upper lip that exposes the gums, like a dog's snarl, we must judge them to be insolent. Likewise, long, firm canine teeth appear in those devoted to gluttony and who are easily moved to anger. Broad, thick teeth can be seen in those seeking vainglory and burning with intemperate lust. The insolent project a loud, deep voice, while a voice that begins deep and ends shrill belongs to the wrathful. Those even more prone to anger than tigers emit a voice that is not very deep but quite high. A sharp, soft voice is observed in the effeminate. The mild-mannered speak with a soft voice like sheep, whereas a sharp, loud voice like a goat's belongs to the insane.

Turning our attention to the face, the lazy have fleshy faces, while the curious have lean ones. The timid possess large, fleshy faces; the stingy have small ones. The malicious and the deceitful have faces that look downward. The quarrelsome have flat faces without any swelling. The stubborn have deformed and twisted faces. The shameless have long faces, while the simple-minded have very small, round ones. Bold people have long, thin faces. Liars have a face that is wider from the forehead to the jaw, and finally, the envious have a face that tapers from the jaw to the chin. Furthermore, a reddish complexion is seen in the modest, but when the cheeks are dappled with excessive redness, they indicate lovers of wine. The lewd have cheeks and a nose speckled with a liverish red.

Furthermore, the chin completes the face and must also be considered: for a sharp chin, as in a dog, denotes faithful people, while a small, short one, as in a snake, denotes the envious and the cruel. For a square chin in men of virtu-