CHAP. IX.Of the Variety of MensFaces,Voices, andHand-Writing.
Of the Variety of MensFaces,Voices, andHand-Writing.
Here I would have put an End to my Observations relating to Man; but that there are three Things so expressly declaring the Divine Management and Concurrence, that I shall just mention them, although taken Notice of more amply by others; and that is, The great Varietythroughout the World of Mens Faces[a], Voices[b], and Hand-writing. Had Man’s Body been made according to any of the atheistical Schemes, or any other Method than that of the infinite Lord of the World, this wise Variety would never have been: But Mens Faces would have been cast in the same, or not a very different Mould, their Organs of Speech would have sounded the same, or not so great a Variety of Notes; and the same Structure of Muscles and Nerves, would have given the Hand the same Direction in Writing. And in this Case, what Confusion, what Disturbance, what Mischiefs would the World eternally have lain under? No Security could have been to our Persons; no Certainty, no Enjoyment of our Possessions[c]; no Justice betweenMan and Man; no Distinction between Good and Bad, between Friends and Foes, between Father and Child, Husband and Wife, Male or Female; but all would have been turn’d topsey-turvey, by being expos’d to the Malice of the Envious and Ill-natur’d, to the Fraud and Violence of Knaves and Robbers, to the Forgeries of the crafty Cheat, to the Lusts of the Effeminate and Debauch’d, and what not! Our Courts of Justice[d], can abundantly testify the dire Effects of mistaking Men’s Faces, of counterfeiting their Hands, and forging Writings. But now, as the infinitely wise Creator and Ruler hath order’d the Matter, every Man’s Face can distinguish him in the Light, and his Voice in the Dark; his Hand-writing can speak for him though absent, and be his Witness, and secure his Contracts in future Generations. A manifest, as well as admirable Indication of the divine Super-intendence and Management[e].
FOOTNOTES:[a]If the Reader hath a Mind to see Examples of Men’s Likeness, he may consultValer. Maximus, (L. 9. c. 14.) concerning the Likeness ofPompeythe Great, andVibiusandPublicius Libertinus; as also ofPompeythe Father, who got the Name ofCoquus, he being likeMenogenesthe Cook; with divers others.[b]As the Difference of Tone makes a Difference between every Man’s Voice, of the same Country, yea, Family; so a different Dialect and Pronunciation, differs Persons of divers Countries; yea, Persons of one and the same Country, speaking the same Language: Thus inGreece, there were theIonick,Dorick,Attick, andÆolickDialects. So inGreat-Britain, besides the grand Diversity ofEnglish, andScotch, the different Counties vary very much in their Pronunciation, Accent and Tone, although all one and the same Language. And the Way of theGileaditesproving theEphraimites, Judg. xii. 6. by the Pronunciation ofShibboleth, with aSchin, orSibbolethwith aSamech, is well known. Soà Lapidesaith, theFlemingsprove whether a Man be aFrenchmanor not, by bidding him pronounce,Act en tachtentich; which they pronounce,Acht en tactentic, by Reason they can’t pronounce the Aspirateh.[c]Regi Antiocho unus ex æqualibus——nomine Artemon, perquam similis fuisse traditur. Quem Laodice, uxor Antiochi, interfecto viro, dissimulandi sceleris gratiâ, in lectulo perinde quasi ipsum Regem ægrum collocavit. Admissumq; universum populum, & sermone ejus & vultu consimili fefellit: credideruntque homines ab Antiocho moriente Laodicen & natos ejus sibi commendari.Valer. Max. ib.[d]Quid Trebellius Calca! quàm asseveranter se Clodium tulit! & quidem dum de bonis ejus contendit, in centumvirale judicium adeò favorabilis descendit, ut vix justis & æquis sententiis consternatio populi ullum relinqueret locum. In illâ tamen quæstione neque calumniæ petitoris, neque violentiæ plebis judicantium religio cessit.Val. Max. ib. c. 15.[e]To the foregoing Instances of divine Management, with relation to the political State of Man, I shall add another Thing, that I confess hath always seem’d to me somewhat odd, but very providential; and that is, the Value that Mankind, at least the civiliz’d Part of them, have in all Ages put upon Gems, and the purer finer Metals, Gold and Silver; so as to think them equivalent unto, and exchange them for Things of the greatest Use for Food, Cloathing, and all other Necessaries and Conveniences of Life. Whereas those Things themselves are of very little, if any Use in Physick, Food, Building or Cloathing, otherwise than for Ornament, or to minister to Luxury; asSuetoniustells us ofNero, who fish’d with a Net gilt with Gold, and shod his Mules with Silver; but his WifePoppæa, shod her Horses with Gold.Vit. Ner.c. 30. Plin. N. H. L. 33. c. 11. So the sameSuetoniustells us,Jul. Cæsarlay in a Bed of Gold, and rode in a silver Chariot. ButHeliogabalusrode in one of Gold, and had his Close-stool Pans of the same Metal. AndPlinysaith,Vasa Coquinaria ex argento Calvus Orator fieri queritur.Ibid.Neither are those precious Things of greater Use to the making of Vessels, and Utensils, (unless some little Niceties and Curiosities,) by Means of their Beauty, Imperdibility, and Ductility. Of which last, the great Mr.Boylehath among others, there two Instances, in hisEssay about are Subtilty of Effluviums. Chap. 2.Silver, whose Ductility, and Tractility, are very much inferior to those of Gold, was, by my procuring, drawn out to so slender a Wire, that——a single Grain of it amounted to twenty seven Feet.As to Gold, he demonstrates it possible to extend an Ounce thereof, to reach to 777600 Feet, or 155 Miles and an half, yea, to an incredibly greater Length.And as to Gems, the very Stories that are told of their prodigious Virtues, are an Argument, that they have very little, or none more than other hard Stones. That aDiamondshould discover whether a Woman be true or false to her Husband’s Bed; cause Love between Man and Wife; secure against Witchcraft, Plague and Poisons; that theRubyshould dispose to Cheerfulness, cause pleasant Dreams, change its Colour against a Misfortune befalling,&c.that theSapphireshould grow foul, and lose its Beauty, when worn by one that is Leacherous; that theEmeraldshould fly to pieces, if it touch the Skin of any unchaste Person in the Act of Uncleanness: That theChrysoliteshould lose its Colour, if Poyson be on the Table, and recover it again when the Poyson is off: And to name no more, that theTurcoise, (and the same is said of a gold Ring,) should strike the Hour when hung over a drinking Glass, and much more the same Purpose: All these, and many other such fabulous Stories, I say, of Gems, are no great Arguments, that their Virtue is equivalent to their Value. Of these, and other Virtues, consultWormin hisMuseum, L. 1. §. 2. c. 17,&c.But as toGemschanging their Colour, there may be somewhat of Truth in that, particularly in theTurcoiselast mention’d. Mr.Boyleobserv’d the Spots in aTurcoise, to shift their Place from one Part to another, by gentle Degrees. So did the Cloud in anAgate-handle of a Knife. ADiamondhe wore on his Finger, he observ’d to be more illustrious at some Times than others: Which a curious Lady told him she had also observ’d in hers. So likewise a richRubydid the same.BoyleofAbsol. Rest in Bodies.
[a]If the Reader hath a Mind to see Examples of Men’s Likeness, he may consultValer. Maximus, (L. 9. c. 14.) concerning the Likeness ofPompeythe Great, andVibiusandPublicius Libertinus; as also ofPompeythe Father, who got the Name ofCoquus, he being likeMenogenesthe Cook; with divers others.
[a]If the Reader hath a Mind to see Examples of Men’s Likeness, he may consultValer. Maximus, (L. 9. c. 14.) concerning the Likeness ofPompeythe Great, andVibiusandPublicius Libertinus; as also ofPompeythe Father, who got the Name ofCoquus, he being likeMenogenesthe Cook; with divers others.
[b]As the Difference of Tone makes a Difference between every Man’s Voice, of the same Country, yea, Family; so a different Dialect and Pronunciation, differs Persons of divers Countries; yea, Persons of one and the same Country, speaking the same Language: Thus inGreece, there were theIonick,Dorick,Attick, andÆolickDialects. So inGreat-Britain, besides the grand Diversity ofEnglish, andScotch, the different Counties vary very much in their Pronunciation, Accent and Tone, although all one and the same Language. And the Way of theGileaditesproving theEphraimites, Judg. xii. 6. by the Pronunciation ofShibboleth, with aSchin, orSibbolethwith aSamech, is well known. Soà Lapidesaith, theFlemingsprove whether a Man be aFrenchmanor not, by bidding him pronounce,Act en tachtentich; which they pronounce,Acht en tactentic, by Reason they can’t pronounce the Aspirateh.
[b]As the Difference of Tone makes a Difference between every Man’s Voice, of the same Country, yea, Family; so a different Dialect and Pronunciation, differs Persons of divers Countries; yea, Persons of one and the same Country, speaking the same Language: Thus inGreece, there were theIonick,Dorick,Attick, andÆolickDialects. So inGreat-Britain, besides the grand Diversity ofEnglish, andScotch, the different Counties vary very much in their Pronunciation, Accent and Tone, although all one and the same Language. And the Way of theGileaditesproving theEphraimites, Judg. xii. 6. by the Pronunciation ofShibboleth, with aSchin, orSibbolethwith aSamech, is well known. Soà Lapidesaith, theFlemingsprove whether a Man be aFrenchmanor not, by bidding him pronounce,Act en tachtentich; which they pronounce,Acht en tactentic, by Reason they can’t pronounce the Aspirateh.
[c]Regi Antiocho unus ex æqualibus——nomine Artemon, perquam similis fuisse traditur. Quem Laodice, uxor Antiochi, interfecto viro, dissimulandi sceleris gratiâ, in lectulo perinde quasi ipsum Regem ægrum collocavit. Admissumq; universum populum, & sermone ejus & vultu consimili fefellit: credideruntque homines ab Antiocho moriente Laodicen & natos ejus sibi commendari.Valer. Max. ib.
[c]Regi Antiocho unus ex æqualibus——nomine Artemon, perquam similis fuisse traditur. Quem Laodice, uxor Antiochi, interfecto viro, dissimulandi sceleris gratiâ, in lectulo perinde quasi ipsum Regem ægrum collocavit. Admissumq; universum populum, & sermone ejus & vultu consimili fefellit: credideruntque homines ab Antiocho moriente Laodicen & natos ejus sibi commendari.Valer. Max. ib.
[d]Quid Trebellius Calca! quàm asseveranter se Clodium tulit! & quidem dum de bonis ejus contendit, in centumvirale judicium adeò favorabilis descendit, ut vix justis & æquis sententiis consternatio populi ullum relinqueret locum. In illâ tamen quæstione neque calumniæ petitoris, neque violentiæ plebis judicantium religio cessit.Val. Max. ib. c. 15.
[d]Quid Trebellius Calca! quàm asseveranter se Clodium tulit! & quidem dum de bonis ejus contendit, in centumvirale judicium adeò favorabilis descendit, ut vix justis & æquis sententiis consternatio populi ullum relinqueret locum. In illâ tamen quæstione neque calumniæ petitoris, neque violentiæ plebis judicantium religio cessit.Val. Max. ib. c. 15.
[e]To the foregoing Instances of divine Management, with relation to the political State of Man, I shall add another Thing, that I confess hath always seem’d to me somewhat odd, but very providential; and that is, the Value that Mankind, at least the civiliz’d Part of them, have in all Ages put upon Gems, and the purer finer Metals, Gold and Silver; so as to think them equivalent unto, and exchange them for Things of the greatest Use for Food, Cloathing, and all other Necessaries and Conveniences of Life. Whereas those Things themselves are of very little, if any Use in Physick, Food, Building or Cloathing, otherwise than for Ornament, or to minister to Luxury; asSuetoniustells us ofNero, who fish’d with a Net gilt with Gold, and shod his Mules with Silver; but his WifePoppæa, shod her Horses with Gold.Vit. Ner.c. 30. Plin. N. H. L. 33. c. 11. So the sameSuetoniustells us,Jul. Cæsarlay in a Bed of Gold, and rode in a silver Chariot. ButHeliogabalusrode in one of Gold, and had his Close-stool Pans of the same Metal. AndPlinysaith,Vasa Coquinaria ex argento Calvus Orator fieri queritur.Ibid.Neither are those precious Things of greater Use to the making of Vessels, and Utensils, (unless some little Niceties and Curiosities,) by Means of their Beauty, Imperdibility, and Ductility. Of which last, the great Mr.Boylehath among others, there two Instances, in hisEssay about are Subtilty of Effluviums. Chap. 2.Silver, whose Ductility, and Tractility, are very much inferior to those of Gold, was, by my procuring, drawn out to so slender a Wire, that——a single Grain of it amounted to twenty seven Feet.As to Gold, he demonstrates it possible to extend an Ounce thereof, to reach to 777600 Feet, or 155 Miles and an half, yea, to an incredibly greater Length.And as to Gems, the very Stories that are told of their prodigious Virtues, are an Argument, that they have very little, or none more than other hard Stones. That aDiamondshould discover whether a Woman be true or false to her Husband’s Bed; cause Love between Man and Wife; secure against Witchcraft, Plague and Poisons; that theRubyshould dispose to Cheerfulness, cause pleasant Dreams, change its Colour against a Misfortune befalling,&c.that theSapphireshould grow foul, and lose its Beauty, when worn by one that is Leacherous; that theEmeraldshould fly to pieces, if it touch the Skin of any unchaste Person in the Act of Uncleanness: That theChrysoliteshould lose its Colour, if Poyson be on the Table, and recover it again when the Poyson is off: And to name no more, that theTurcoise, (and the same is said of a gold Ring,) should strike the Hour when hung over a drinking Glass, and much more the same Purpose: All these, and many other such fabulous Stories, I say, of Gems, are no great Arguments, that their Virtue is equivalent to their Value. Of these, and other Virtues, consultWormin hisMuseum, L. 1. §. 2. c. 17,&c.But as toGemschanging their Colour, there may be somewhat of Truth in that, particularly in theTurcoiselast mention’d. Mr.Boyleobserv’d the Spots in aTurcoise, to shift their Place from one Part to another, by gentle Degrees. So did the Cloud in anAgate-handle of a Knife. ADiamondhe wore on his Finger, he observ’d to be more illustrious at some Times than others: Which a curious Lady told him she had also observ’d in hers. So likewise a richRubydid the same.BoyleofAbsol. Rest in Bodies.
[e]To the foregoing Instances of divine Management, with relation to the political State of Man, I shall add another Thing, that I confess hath always seem’d to me somewhat odd, but very providential; and that is, the Value that Mankind, at least the civiliz’d Part of them, have in all Ages put upon Gems, and the purer finer Metals, Gold and Silver; so as to think them equivalent unto, and exchange them for Things of the greatest Use for Food, Cloathing, and all other Necessaries and Conveniences of Life. Whereas those Things themselves are of very little, if any Use in Physick, Food, Building or Cloathing, otherwise than for Ornament, or to minister to Luxury; asSuetoniustells us ofNero, who fish’d with a Net gilt with Gold, and shod his Mules with Silver; but his WifePoppæa, shod her Horses with Gold.Vit. Ner.c. 30. Plin. N. H. L. 33. c. 11. So the sameSuetoniustells us,Jul. Cæsarlay in a Bed of Gold, and rode in a silver Chariot. ButHeliogabalusrode in one of Gold, and had his Close-stool Pans of the same Metal. AndPlinysaith,Vasa Coquinaria ex argento Calvus Orator fieri queritur.Ibid.Neither are those precious Things of greater Use to the making of Vessels, and Utensils, (unless some little Niceties and Curiosities,) by Means of their Beauty, Imperdibility, and Ductility. Of which last, the great Mr.Boylehath among others, there two Instances, in hisEssay about are Subtilty of Effluviums. Chap. 2.Silver, whose Ductility, and Tractility, are very much inferior to those of Gold, was, by my procuring, drawn out to so slender a Wire, that——a single Grain of it amounted to twenty seven Feet.As to Gold, he demonstrates it possible to extend an Ounce thereof, to reach to 777600 Feet, or 155 Miles and an half, yea, to an incredibly greater Length.
And as to Gems, the very Stories that are told of their prodigious Virtues, are an Argument, that they have very little, or none more than other hard Stones. That aDiamondshould discover whether a Woman be true or false to her Husband’s Bed; cause Love between Man and Wife; secure against Witchcraft, Plague and Poisons; that theRubyshould dispose to Cheerfulness, cause pleasant Dreams, change its Colour against a Misfortune befalling,&c.that theSapphireshould grow foul, and lose its Beauty, when worn by one that is Leacherous; that theEmeraldshould fly to pieces, if it touch the Skin of any unchaste Person in the Act of Uncleanness: That theChrysoliteshould lose its Colour, if Poyson be on the Table, and recover it again when the Poyson is off: And to name no more, that theTurcoise, (and the same is said of a gold Ring,) should strike the Hour when hung over a drinking Glass, and much more the same Purpose: All these, and many other such fabulous Stories, I say, of Gems, are no great Arguments, that their Virtue is equivalent to their Value. Of these, and other Virtues, consultWormin hisMuseum, L. 1. §. 2. c. 17,&c.
But as toGemschanging their Colour, there may be somewhat of Truth in that, particularly in theTurcoiselast mention’d. Mr.Boyleobserv’d the Spots in aTurcoise, to shift their Place from one Part to another, by gentle Degrees. So did the Cloud in anAgate-handle of a Knife. ADiamondhe wore on his Finger, he observ’d to be more illustrious at some Times than others: Which a curious Lady told him she had also observ’d in hers. So likewise a richRubydid the same.BoyleofAbsol. Rest in Bodies.