Aristotle's works:: Containing the Master-piece, Directions for Midwives, and Counsel and Advice to Child-bearing Women with Various Useful Remedies
Aristotle · en
The hair of young men usually begins to grow down upon their chins at 15
years of age, and sometimes sooner. These hairs proceed from the
superfluity of heat; the fumes whereof ascend to their chin, like smoke
to the funnel of a chimney; and because it cannot find an open passage
by which it may ascend higher, it vents itself forth in the hairs which
are called the beard. There are very few, are almost no women at all
that have hairs on their cheeks; and the reason is, those humours which
cause hair to grow on the cheeks of a man are by a woman evacuated in
the monthly terms, which they have more or less, according to the heat
or coldness of their constitution, and the age and motion of the moon.
Yet sometimes women of a hot constitution have hair to be seen on their
cheeks, but more commonly on their lips, or near unto their mouths,
where the heat most aboundeth. And where this happens, such women are
much addicted to the company of men, and of a strong and manly
constitution. A woman who hath little hair on her cheeks, or about her
mouth and lips, is of a good complexion, weak constitution, shame-faced,
mild and obedient; whereas a woman of more hot constitution is quite
otherwise. But in a man, a beard well composed and thick of hair,
signifies a man of good nature, honest, loving, sociable, and full of
humanity: on the contrary he that hath but a little beard, is for the
most part proud, pining, peevish, and unsociable. They who have no
beards, have always shrill and strange kind of squeaking voices, and are
of a weak constitution, which is apparent in the case of eunuchs, who,
after they are deprived of their virility, are transformed from the
nature of men into the condition of women.
Great and thick ears are a certain sign of a foolish person, or a bad
memory and worse understanding. But small and thin ears show a person to
be of a good wit, grave, secret, thrifty, modest, resolute, of a good
memory, and one willing to serve his friend. He whose ears are longer
than ordinary, is thereby signified to be a bold man, uncivil, vain,
foolish, serviceable to another more than himself, and a man of small
industry, but of a great stomach.