Philosophumena; or, The refutation of all heresies, Volume I
David Hume · en
[Sidenote: p. 84.] 2. I should think that the design of the
arithmeticians has been plainly set forth, who deem that by numbers
and names they can judge life. And I notice that, as they have time
to spare and have been trained in counting, they have wished by means
of the art handed down to them by children to proclaim themselves
well-approved diviners, and, measuring the letters topsy-turvy, have
strayed into nonsense. For when they fail to hit the mark, they say in
propounding the difficulty that the name in question is not a family
name but an epithet; as also they plead as a subterfuge in the case
of Ajax and Odysseus. Who that founds his tenets on this wonderful
philosophy and wishes to be called heresiarch, will not be glorified?
3. _Of Divination by Metoposcopy._[89]
1. But since there is another and more profound art among the all-wise
investigators of the Greeks, whose disciples the heretics profess
themselves because of the use they make of their opinions for their
own designs, as we shall show before long, we shall not keep silence
about this. This is the divination or rather madness by metoposcopy.
[Sidenote: p. 85.] There are those who refer to the stars the forms of
the types and patterns[90] and natures of men, summing them up by their
births under certain stars. This is what they say: Those born under
Aries will be like this, to wit, long-headed, red-haired, with eyebrows
joined together, narrow forehead, sea-green eyes, hanging cheeks, long
nose, expanded nostrils, thin lips, pointed chin, and wide mouth. They
will partake, he says, of such a disposition as this: forethinking,
versatile, cowardly, provident, easy-going, gentle, inquisitive,
concealing their desires, equipped for everything, ruling more by
judgment than by strength, laughing at the present, skilled writers,
faithful, lovers of strife, provoking to controversy, given to desire,
lovers of boys, understanding, turning from their own homes, displeased
[Sidenote: p. 86.] with everything, litigious, madmen in their cups,
contemptuous, casting away somewhat every year, useful in friendship by
their goodness. Most often they die in a foreign land.[91]
2. Those born under Taurus will be of this type: round-headed,
coarse-haired, with broad forehead, oblong eyes and great eyebrows
if dark; if fair, thin veins, sanguine complexion, large and heavy
eyelids, great ears, round mouth, thick nose, widely-open nostrils,
thick lips. They are strong in their upper limbs, but are sluggish from
the hips downwards from their birth. The same are of a disposition
pleasing, understanding, naturally clever, religious, just, rustical,
agreeable, laborious[92] after twelve years old, easily irritated,
leisurely. Their appetite is small, they are quickly satisfied, wishing
for many things, provident, thrifty towards themselves, liberal towards
others; as a class they are sorrowful, useless in friendship, useful
because of their minds, enduring ills.