pliant and prompt to obey its dictates. These are the muscles of the face; which spontaneously, and almost instantaneously respond to the impulse from within. Anger, for example, shows itself in the contraction of the brow, the flash of the eye, the quivering of the lip, and the alternate paleness and crimson of the cheek. Terror is expressed by convulsive heaving of the bosom, and by hurried respiration and speech. Joy sparkles in the eye, -sorrow vents itself in tears.

Now, why is it that these signs, invariably, and every where, are regarded as the stamp of reality? The reason is, they are not only the genuine language of emotion, but are independent of the will. A groan or shriek speaks to the ear, as the language of distress, with far more thrilling effect than words. Yet these may be counterfeited by art. Much more may common tones of voice be rendered loud or soft, high or low, at pleasure. But not so with the signs which emotion imprints on the face. Whether anger, fear, joy,-shall show themselves in the hue of my cheek, or the expression of my eye, depends not at all on my choice, any more than whether my heart shall beat, and my blood circulate. So unequivocal is this language of the passions, and so incapable of being applied to purposes of deception, that all men feel its force, instinctively and immediately. They know that the hand or the tongue, which obey the dictates of the will, may deceive; but the face cannot speak falsehood.

I might add, that he whose soul is so destitute of emotion, as not to impart this expression to his countenance, or he whose acquired habits are so unfortunate, as to frustrate this expression, whatever qualities he may possess besides, lacks one grand requisite to true eloquence.

If the visible signs of passion are thus invariable, so that even a child instinctively understands the smile or the frown of its nurse, it is probably no visionary theory which supposes a correspondence, to some extent, between the habits of the mind, and certain configurations in the features of the face. Every one knows the difference between the cheerful aspect of innocence, the vivacity of intelligence, the charming languor of pity or grief, as imprinted on the countenance; and the scowl of misanthropy, the dark suspicion of guilt, the vacant stare of stupidity, or the haggard phrensy of despair. And it is reasonable to suppose that affections and intellectual habits, such as benevolence or malignity, cheerfulness or melancholy, deep thought or frivolity, must imprint themselves, just in proportion to their predominance, in distinct and permanent lines upon the face.

Attitude and Mien.

Here again, all distinctions, of any value, result from our knowledge of the influence which the mind has on the body. An erect attitude denotes majesty, activity, strength. It becomes the authority of a commander, the energy of a soldier in arms, and, in all cases, the dignity of conscious innocence. Adam and Eve, in the description of Milton, on account of their noble shape and erect carriage, "seem'd lords of all." The leaning attitude, in its varieties of expression, may denote affection, respect, the earnestness of entreaty, the dignity of composure, the listlessness of indifference, or the lassitude of disease.

The air of a man too, including his general motion,

has its language. That peculiarity in the walk of different persons, which enables us to distinguish at a distance, one friend from another, does not of course make a correspondent description of character. But the measured pace of the ploughman, the strut of the coxcomb, and the dignified gait of the military chief, we necessarily associate with a supposed difference of personal qualities and habits, in the individuals. Hence the queen of Olympus is represented in poetic fable, as claiming to be known by her stately carriage; "divum incedo regina." And so Venus was known to her son, by the elegance of her motion; "incessu patuit dea."

In those parts of the body, which act frequently and visibly in the common offices of life, motion is more or less significant according to circumstances. A deaf man places his hand by his ear, in such a manner as partially to serve the purpose of a hearing trumpet. He opens his mouth, in the attitude of listening, because defective hearing is assisted by transmission of sound through a passage from the mouth to the ear.

Joy approaching to rapture, gives a sparkling brilliancy to the eye, and a sprightly activity to the limbs. We see this in a long absent child, springing to the arms of its parent; we see it in the beautiful narrative of the lame man, who had been miraculously healed, "walking, and leaping, and praising God."

The head gently reclined, denotes grief or shame; erect, courage, firmness; thrown back or shaken,-dissent, negation; forwards, assent.

The hand, raised and inverted, repels; more elevated and extended, denotes surprise; placed on the mouth,

silence; on the head, pain; on the breast, affection, or an appeal to conscience; clenched, it signifies defiance. Both hands raised, with the palms united, express supplication; gently clasped, thankfulness; wrung, agony.

In most of these cases, action is significant because it is spontaneous and uniform. The mother who saw her son just shot dead, in Convent Garden, expressed her amazement by a motion of her hand, such as a thousand others would make, probably without one exception, in similar circumstances.

"A man

A Greek eulogist of Cæsar says, "his right hand was mighty to command, which by its majestic power did quell the fierce audacity of barbarous men." standing by the bed of an expiring friend, waving his hand with the palm outward, tells an officious nurse to stand back, at a distance. Again the same hand beckons, with the palm inward, and the nurse flies to his assistance."* The Roman who held up the stump of his arm, from which the hand was lost, in the service of his country, pleaded for his brother, with an eloquence surpassing the power of words. And all the influence of the tribunes could not persuade the people to pass a vote of condemnation against Manlius, while he stood and silently stretched out his hand, towards the Capitol, which his valor had saved.

* Siddons.

SECT. 2.-Action considered as significant from custom.

In this respect its meaning, like that of words, is arbitary, local and mutable. In Europe, respect is expressed by uncovering the head; in the East, by keeping it covered. In one country, the same thing is expressed by bowing, in another by kneeling, in another, by prostration. The New Zealander presses his nose against that of his friend, to denote what we express by a squeeze of the hand.* The European welcomes the return of a beloved object by an embrace;-the Otaheitan signifies the same emotion by tearing his hair, and lacerating his body.

On gestures of this description I shall say nothing more, except that they have very little concern with grave oratory. This allows nothing as becoming, that does not correspond with time and place, the age of the orator, and the elevation of the subject. It abjures mimicry and pantomime. The theatre admits of attitude and action, that would be altogether extravagant in the senate. The forum too, though much more restricted than the stage, allows a violence that would be unsuitable to the business of the sacred orator. Indeed, the dignity of eloquence can in no case condescend to histrionic levity. The comic actor may descend to minute imitation; he may, for example, represent the fingers of the physician applied to the pulse of his patient, or of the musician to the strings of his instrument. But in the orator, all this is to be, as Quinctilian says, "longissime fugiendum."

*Homer makes Glaucus and Diomed, two chiefs of the opposing armies, shake hands, as a token of individual friendship. Îliad VI. 233.