expreffion to the countenance, and criminal paffions the contrary. Anger, difcontent, despair, disfigure the features, diftort the limbs, and give diffonance to the voice; while good humour, contentment, hope, joy, benevolence, have a pleafing effect in fetting off the body to advantage. Emotions that are innocent, and at the fame time in fome degree painful, as pity and rational forrow, difcompofe the features; but fuch difcompofure, far from being unfeemly, may be even captivating: beauty in tears has been found irresistible. When a paffion becomes habitual, it is reafonable to fuppofe, that thofe mufcles, of the brows, eyes, noftrils, cheeks, and mouth, over which it has influence, will, by acting continually in the fame way, produce traces in the countenance, and fix upon it a vifible character. This appears even in early life. A peevifh or good-humoured, a chearful or melancholy, boy, foon contracts what we call a peevish or good-humoured, a chearful or melancholy, look. And if thefe difpofitions continue to predominate in him, the lines produced by. by them in the feveral parts of the face will in time become as permanent as those which are seen in the palm of the hand. What it may be, which connects certain emotions of the foul with certain configurations of the muscles of the face and certain attitudes of the head and limbs, I cannot determine; Des Cartes and others have inquired into this matter, but without fuccefs; and, till the union of the foul and body be understood, this will probably remain a mystery impenetrable to man. 1 402. In order to form fome idea of the expreffion of the countenance, we are defired to fuppofe four parallel lines to be drawn across it; one in the direction of the eyebrows, another in that of the eyes, a third in that of the lower part of the nofe, and a fourth in that of the mouth. It is not meant, that these must be right lines, or parallel in the geometrical sense of the word; they are only fuppofed to have the fame direction nearly, and to extend from the one fide of the face to the other. While they remain parallel, and with little or no incurvation upwards or. downwards, downwards, the countenance will indicate tranquillity, that is, a compofed ́state of mind without emotion. If they feem depreffed in the middle of the face, and elevated towards the fides of it, the expreffion will incline to chearfulness; if raised in the middle and depreffed towards the fides, the effect will be contrary, and convey an idea of melancholy, or at least of sedatenefs. I do not fay, that this holds invariably; I mean, that it is fo for the most part and every thing must be understood. to be thus limited that relates to the fent fubject. pre 403. The raising of the line of the mouth at the two extremities is fo well known to exprefs chearfulness, that unskilful painters, in order to give that meaning to their portraits, turn up the corners of the mouth, even when the rest of the countenance betokens compofure, as the features of thofe who fit for their picture commonly do. But this contrivance produces a fmirk or affected grin, rather than a smile, because the rest of the face is not conformable to it. When the lines above mentioned, efpecially that of the eye-brows (the most expreffive of them all) are twisted, or irregularly bent, it generally intimates difcompofure of mind, and, when much twisted, violent difcompofure. There is expreffion too, as every body knows, in the colour of certain features. A bright and sparkling eye, and increased ruddinefs in the cheeks and lips, accompany keen emotions, as languid eyes and pale lips and cheeks betoken the contrary. 404. Admiration, as formerly obferved, elevates the eye-brows, opens the mouth and eyes, fixes the attention upon the admired object, raises the hands, and spreads the fingers: astonishment opens the mouth and eyes ftill wider, and gives a greater and more irregular elevation to the brows. If to astonishment fear be added, both rows of the teeth will appear, and those ends of the eye-brows which are next the nofe will be much wrinkled, and drawn downward fo as to hide the upper eye-lid. Efteem composes the countenance, elevates the pupils of the eyes, draws the eye-brows 1 down towards the nofe, contracts the no- 405. Contempt elevates and draws back the head, wrinkles and pulls down the brows, diftends and raises the noftrils, fhuts the mouth and depreffes the corners of it, makes the under lip more prominent than the upper, turns away the face from the defpifed object, and directs the eyes towards it obliquely. Grief raifes the brows towards the middle of the forehead, depreffing them at the temples, gives a fimilar direction to the line of the mouth, half fhuts the eyes, hiding the pupils under the upper eye-lids, and frequently draws forth tears. Joy smooths the forehead, opens and illuminates the eyes, raises the brows and the corners of the mouth, gently diftends the noftrils, and heightens the complexion. |