English ‘Treatises on Physiognomy’ c. 1500 - c. 1780 by Porter, M

“…Physiognomating was a multi-faceted phenomenon of the <i>longue durée</i>, understood by some as a natural language based on instinct, a magical knowledge based on divine revelation, a branch of natural philosophy, an aspect of medicine, moral philosophy, political science, humoral theory, astrology, fortune-telling, even game-playing. The meanings of some physical features were more or less consistently agreed upon, whilst many were also supported by physiognomical proverbs and adages. …”