The Hands.

The hand on the head indicates pain or distress.

On the eyes, shame.

On the lips, injunction of silence.

On the breast, it appeals to conscience, or intimates desire.

The hand waves or flourishes in joy or contempt.

Both hands are held supine, applied or clasped, in prayer. Both descend prone in blessing.

They are clasped or wrung in affliction.

They are held forward and received in friendship.

The Body.

The body held erect indicates steadiness and courage.
Thrown back, pride.

Stooping forward, condescension or compassion.

Bending reverence or respect.

Prostration, the utmost humility or abasement.

The Lower Limbs.

Their firm position signifies courage or obstinancy.

Bended knees, timidity or weakness.

Frequent change, disturbed thoughts.
They advance in desire or courage.
Retire in aversion or fear.

16

Start in terror.

Stamp in authority or anger,

Kneel in submission and prayer.

16. 17. 18 19. 20.

Every part of the human frame contributes to express the passions and emotions of the mind, and to shew in general its present state. The head is sometimes erected, sometimes

These are a few of the simple gestures which may be termed significant. The catalogue may be enlarged at pleasure. They seem to be natural and altogether involuntary, but Buffon does not include them in this description, and that evidently with good reason.

"These movements are so prompt (says he), that they ap

hung down, sometimes drawn suddenly back with an air of disdain, sometimes shews by a nod a particular person or object; gives assent, or denial by different motions; threatens by one sort of movement, approves by another, and expresses suspicion by a third.

The arms are sometimes both thrown out, sometimes the right alone, sometimes they are lifted up as high as the face to express wonder, sometimes held out before the breast, to shew fear; spread forth with hands open, to express desire or affection, the hands clasped in surprise, and in sudden joy and grief, the right hand clinched and the arms brandished, to threaten; the two arms set a kimbo, to look big, and express contempt and courage.

...

The legs advance or retreat, to express desire or aversion, love or hatred, courage or fear, and produce exultation or leaping in sudden joy; and the stamping of the foot expresses earnestness, anger, and threatening. Sheridan's Art of Speaking.

17 For significant gestures of the head see a passage of Quintilian already quoted. Chap. 4, p. 350. Chironomia.

18 La tête en entier prend dans les passions, des positions et des mouvemens différens, elle est abaissée en avant dans l'humilité, la honte, la tristesse; penchée à coté dans la langueur, la pitié; élevée dans l'arrogance, droite et fixe dans l'opiniâtreté; la tête fait un mouvement en arrière dans l'étonnement, et plusieurs mouvemens réitérés de côté et d'autre dans le mepris, la moquerie, la colere et l'indignation, Buffon. Hist. Nat. quarto. Tome IV. p. 581. Lorsque l'ame est tranquille, toutes les parties du visage sont dans un état de repos, leur proportion, leur union, leur ensemble marque encore assez la douce harmonie des pensées, et repondent au calme de l'intérieur; mais lorsque l'ame est agitée, la face humaine devient un tableau vivant, ou les passions sont rendues avec autant de délicatesse que d'énergie, ou chaque mouvement de l'ame est exprimé par un trait, chaque action par un caractère, dont l'impression vive et prompte devance la volonté, nous décèle et rend au dehors par des signes pathétiques les images de nos secrettes agitations. Ib. p. 519.

19 Les bras, les mains, et tout le corps entre aussi dans l'expression des passions: les gestes concourent avec les mouvemens du visage pour exprimer les différens mouvemens de l'ame. Dans la joie par exemple, les yeux, la tête, les bras, et tout le corps sont agités par des mouvemens prompt et variés; dans la langueur et la tristesse les yeux sont abaissés, la tête est penchée sur le côté, les bras sont pendens, et tout le corps est immobile: dans l'admiration,surprise, l'étonnement, tout mouvement est suspendu, ou reste dans une même attitude. Ib. p. 533.

20 The reader will find pleasure in consulting the work at large, for many profound and interesting observations on this subject. As the expression of the passions in the counte

pear to us involuntary, but we are deceived by the effect of habit; for they depend upon reflection, and are rather to be "considered as proofs of the perfection of the mechanism of the "human body, from the promptitude with which all the mem"bers obey the commands of the will." (") The significant gestures may then be divided into four different classes. Ist. Those which are natural or involuntary, as blushing in shame, paleness, or trembling from fear. 2nd. The simple significant gestures of the body as those enumerated. 3rd. Complex significant gestures which are combined of the simple variously according to the mingled passions which they represent. These take place principally on the stage, the boldest, and most magnificent of which are termed attitudes. Although the first of these classes alone is purely natural, yet on account of the facility of understanding their meaning, even by those who are ignorant of the language of the speaker, the three classes may properly be comprehended under the description of gesture, which the Abbé du Bos calls natural. The 4th class is that which he calls instituted. These are gestures deriving their significancy merely from compact, and such as are altogether arbitrary in their meaning, and local in their use. They are not understood by all people, and their meaning is to be learned like that of words in a new language. They are, however, more easily acquired, because they can often be made out from the context

nance, &c. For this he may also consult Le Brun's drawings of the passions with the description, and also Dubroca Art de lire a haute Voix, p. 564.

11 Ces mouvemens sont si prompts qu'ils paroissent involontaires, mais c'est un effet de l'habitude, qui nous trompe, car ces mouvemens dependent de la reflexion, et marquent seulement la perfection des ressorts du corps humain, par la promptitude avec laquelle tous les membres obeissent aux ordres de la volonté. Buff. 534. ib.

of the natural signs, with which they are intermixed: and the knowledge of them is facilitated in the same manner, and with the same advantage as the acquisition of a new language, when a person in possession of a number of its words or roots, or when it is very similar to his own. This class of significant gestures is of vulgar, pantomimic, or comic usage alone, and not having any relation to the nobler kinds of public speaking, will be no farther noticed.

It will not be improper to enumerate here a few instances of complex significant gestures.

Terror excites the person who suffers under it, to avoid or to escape from the dreaded object. If it be supposed to be some dangerous reptile on the ground, and very near, the expression is represented by the figure starting back, and looking downwards. If the danger threaten from a distance, the terror arising is expressed by the figure looking forwards, and not starting back, but merely in the retired position. But if the dread of impending death from the hand of an enemy awaken this passion, the coward flies. Of this a fine example will be recollected in the battles of Alexander, by Le Brun.

Fig. 100. Aversion, as already observed, Chap. 16, is expressed by two gestures, first the hand held vertical is retracted towards the face, the eyes and head are for a moment directed eagerly towards the object, and the feet advance. Fig. 101. Then suddenly the eyes are withdrawn, the head is averted, the feet retire, and the arms are projected out extended against the object, the hands vertical."

22

Quand il s'agit de refuser ou de rejetter, et que nous marquons avoir quelque chose ou

Fig. 102. Horror, which is aversion or astonishment mingled with terror, is seldom capable of retreating but remains petrified in one attitude, with the eyes rivetted on its object, and the arm held forwards to guard the person, the hands vertical, and the whole frame trembling.

Fig. 103. Listening, in order to obtain the surest and most various information, first presents the quick and comprehensive glance of the eye towards the apparent direction of the sounds, if nothing is seen, the ear presents itself towards the point of expectation, and the eye is bent on vacancy: but all this passes in a moment. The hand and arm are held vertical extended. If the sound proceed from different quarters at the same time, both arms are held up, and the head alternately changes from one side to the other, with a rapidity governed by the nature of the sound; if it be alarming, with trepidation; if pleasing, with gentle motion The figure is listening fear.

Fig. 104. Admiration, if of surrounding natural objects of a pleasing kind, holds both hands vertical and across, and moves them outwards to the position, extended as in the figure. If admiration arise from some extraordinary or unexpected cir cumstances, the hands are thrown up supine elevated, together with the countenance and the eyes.

Fig. 105. Veneration crosses both hands on the breast, casts down the eyes slowly, and bows the head.

quelque personne en horreur et en exécration, alors en même tems que nous repoussons. de la main, nous detournons la tête pour marquer d'aversion. Rollin Belles Lettres.