La verite des sciences natureles, circa 1605.

Format
Manuscript
Language
  • English
  • French
Description
1 v. (111 numbered leaves with several of them blank)

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Special Collections - Manuscripts C0938 no. 692 Browse related items Reading Room Request

    Details

    Subject(s)
    Compiled/​Created
    circa 1605.
    Summary note
    • Likely one of the first French monographs about physiognomy, this manuscript was probably written in the years following the publication of the work "De la Sagesse" by Charon (1601), which is the latest book quoted by the author. The very dense text gives a detailed presentation of an elaborated theory of physiognomony, with more than 200 chapters and distinct sections. The anonymous author, who appears to have been astrologist, chiromancer, architect and mathematician, wrote other texts, also unpublished, to which he refers to in various places of the book. He mentions frequently his "Astrochirologia restituta", his "Architecture dans le corps mathématique nouveau" and his "Théâtre Mystique de l'Univers."
    • The author first gives a general description of the body and the soul, after Hippocrates' humoral theory, as well as the connections which bind them together, and the factors that influence the temperament: "Discours du corps humain et de son âme, subject de la phisiognomie", "Comment nostre Ame suit le tempérament du corps et l'enserre", "Discours des tempéramens divers de nos corps et leur bonté et mauvaistie", "Des ages divers de nostre vie", "Les climats et lieux particuliers changent le tempérament", etc. Then, he describes exterior signs and body attitudes which come with various dispositions and some character traits / characteristic behaviours: "Signes d'un tempérament chaud", "Signes d'un tempérament froid", "Physionomie particulière d'un bon soldat courageux et magnanime", "Signes d'un Home poultron et timide comme aussi d'un mauvais esprit et jugement pervers", "Signes de l'Home colérique et prompt", "Discours de la coleur de la chair corporelle", "Discours particuliers des coleurs", "Discours du Rire", "Discours du marcher et cheminer divers des personnes", etc.
    • The author follows with a very detailed enumeration, in various chapters of significations, of the physical particularities of each part of the body, including: the head, ("Les excellences et prerogatives de la Teste sur le reste des membres du corps", "Pour quoy voulant saluer quelqu'un on descouvre sa teste sostant le chapeau ou le bonet", "la teste pettite faict l'home malicieux et memoratif des injures reçues"); the forehead ("Pour quoy le front fort ride indique l'home avare et suspicieux"); the hairs and the beard, ("Pour quoy les chastres quon dit ou pour mieus dire ceux qui ont peu de barbe sont effemines et luxurieux aussi", "Pour quoy les cheveux roux comme safran ou Rouges sive poil de bœuf indiquent manquement de parolle et cruauté cest pour quoy on ne se fie pas à ce poil", "Jugements des sourcils et des paupières"); the ears ("Pour quoy les oreilles médiocrement grandes indiquent un bon naturel"); the eyes ("Pour quoy ceux qui ont les yeux et le regard doux et effeminé sont lubriques et effrontés sans vergogne"); the nose ("Discours du nez en général"); the cheeks ("Discours des Joues et Maschouaires"); the voice ("Discours de la langue et de la parole", "Discours de la voix humaine"); the chin ("Discours du menton en général", "Discours de la face ou visage"); the neck ("Pour quoy le col fort indique subtilité d'esprit et et tromperie et finesse", "La clef du col"); the shoulders and the chest ("Discours des espaulles", "Des Costes", "De l'Estomac en general", "Des mameles et tetines"); and so on until he reaches the feet. The latest leaves contain an interesting section dedicated to life expectancy and to the factors that could influence it, especially the health diet, as well as to a small treatise dealing with curious divinatory sciences based on some body parts; for example, metoposcopy (from examination of the forehead), umbilicomence (navel), espatulamence and ossamence (shoulders and bones). The text of this part is completed by two tables and one diagram.
    • All through the work are found numerous references to authors of classical Antiquity and Middle Ages (Aristote, Plutarque, Pythagore, Averroès, Avicenne, Galien, Arnaldus de Vilanova, Michael Scotus), completed with rare evocations to modern authors (Cardan, Charron, Jacobus Fontanus, etc.). Interestingly, there is no mention of Giambattista della Porta, author of the first and most famous systematic treatise dedicated to physiognomy (1586).
    • Contemporary wrappers, manuscript inscription on the spine: "Sciences Naturelles, Manusc." Small stamp of Prince Octave de Broglie-Revel (1785-1865) on title page. The watermark of the paper (cf . Briquet, 12.971, 972 et 973) would locate its fabrication in the end of the 16th century in south-western France (Agen, Périgueux, Toulouse, Montauban, Foix or Carcassonne).
    Source acquisition
    Purchase, 2015. AM 2016-45.
    OCLC
    1340463926
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