Aristotle's works:: Containing the Master-piece, Directions for Midwives, and Counsel and Advice to Child-bearing Women with Various Useful Remedies
Aristotle · en
A great and wide mouth shows a man to be bold, warlike, shameless and
stout, a great liar, and as great a talker, also a great eater; but as
to his intellectuals he is very dull, being for the most part very
simple. A little mouth shows the person to be of a quiet and pacific
temper, somewhat fearful, but faithful, secret, modest, bountiful, and
but a little eater.
He whose mouth smells of a bad breath, is one of a corrupted liver or
lungs, is oftentimes vain, wanton, deceitful, of indifferent intellects,
envious, covetous, and a promise-breaker. He that has a sweet breath, is
the contrary.
The lips, when they are very big and blubbering, show a person to be
credulous, foolish, dull, and stupid, and apt to be enticed to any
thing. Lips of a different size denote a person to be discreet, secret
in all things, judicious and of good wit, but somewhat hasty. To have
lips well coloured, and more thin than thick, shows a person to be
good-humoured in all things, and more easily persuaded to good than
evil. To have one lip bigger than the other shows variety of fortunes,
and denotes the party to be of a dull, sluggish temper, and but of a
very indifferent understanding, as being much addicted to folly.
When the teeth are small, and but weak in performing their office, and
especially if they are short and few, though they show the person to be
of a weak constitution, yet they denote him to be of a meek disposition,
honest, faithful, and secret in whatsoever he is intrusted with. To have
some teeth longer and shorter than others, denotes a person to be of a
good apprehension, but bold, disdainful, envious and proud. To have
teeth very long and growing sharp towards the end, if they are long in
chewing, and thin, denotes the person to be envious, gluttonous, bold,
shameless, unfaithful, and suspicious. When the teeth look very brown or
yellowish, whether they be long or short, it shows the person to be of a
suspicious temper, envious, deceitful and turbulant. To have teeth
strong and close together, shows the person to be of a long life, a
desirer of novelties, and things that are fair and beautiful, but of a
high spirit, and one that will have his humour in all things; he loves
to hear news, and repeat it afterwards, and is apt to entertain any
thing to his behalf. To have teeth thin and weak, shows a weak feeble
man, and one of short life, and of a weak apprehension; but chaste,
shame-faced, tractable and honest.