Aristotle's works:: Containing the Master-piece, Directions for Midwives, and Counsel and Advice to Child-bearing Women with Various Useful Remedies
Aristotle · en
Now, astrologically speaking, a house is a certain space in the heaven
or firmament, divided by certain degrees, through which the planets have
their motion, and in which they have their residence, and are situated.
And these houses are divided by thirty degrees, for every sign has so
many degrees. And these signs or houses are called the houses of such
and such planets as make their residence therein, and are such as
delight in them, and as they are deposited in such and such houses are
said to be either dignified or debilitated. For though the planets in
their several revolutions go through all the houses, yet there are some
houses which they are more properly said to delight in: As, for
instance, Aries and Scorpio are the houses of Mars; Taurus and Libra, of
Venus; Gemini and Virgo, of Mercury; Sagittarius and Pisces are the
houses of Jupiter; Capricorn and Aquarius are the houses of Saturn; Leo
is the house of the Sun; and Cancer is the house of the Moon.
Now to sum up the whole, and show how this concerns physiognomy, is
thus: as the body of man, as we have shown, is not only governed by the
signs and planets, but every part is appropriated to one or another of
them, so according to the particular influence of each sign or planet,
so governing, is the disposition, inclination, and nature of the person
governed. For such and such tokens and marks do show a person to be born
under such and such a planet; so according to the nature, power, and
influences of the planets, is the judgment to be made of that person. By
which the reader may see that the judgments drawn from physiognomy are
grounded upon a certain veracity.
THE MIDWIFE’S VADE-MECUM;
CONTAINING
PARTICULAR DIRECTIONS FOR MIDWIVES, NURSES, &c.
Those that take upon them the office of midwives, ought to take care to
fit themselves for that employment by the knowledge of those things that
are necessary for the discharge thereof. And such persons ought to be of
the middle age, neither too young nor too old; and of a good habit of
body, not subject to disease, fears, or sudden frights. Nor are the
qualifications assigned to a good surgeon improper for a midwife, viz, a
lady’s hand, a hawk’s eye, a lion’s heart; to which may be added,
activity of body, and a convenient strength, with caution and diligence;
not subject to drowsiness or impatience. She ought also to be sober,
affable, courteous, chaste, not coveteous, or subject to passion, but
bountiful and compassionate; and, above all, she ought to be qualified
as the Egyptian midwives of old, that is, to have the fear of God, which
is the principal thing in every state and condition, and will furnish
her, on all occasions, both with wisdom and discretion.