room for the idea of fear, except that which he himself inspired, yet he carried to excess his tenderness for those who suffered; he lived and died in perfect union with God, as judicious persons, who were near him, have observed."" (Thurlow's State Paper, vol. I. p. 766.)

In fact, the form of the head of this extraordinary man, Pl. xcv. fig. 4, proves in an indisputable manner, that this devotion, as well as his other qualities are in harmony with his organization. In general I do not think, that sovereigns, especially when they are powerful, take great pains to appear different from what they really are; and we shall never fail to find the explanation of their most singular contrasts, and their apparent hypocrisy, in a peculiar combination of organs, developing themselves simultaneously with great activity.

We see how essential it is, that artists should renounce their mannerism in taking the portraits of the men, whom they wish to hand down to posterity; since they can furnish, by an exact resemblance, the means of ascertaining the true motives of their actions,

Proofs of the Existence of God, taken from Organology.

After all I have said, it can no longer be doubted, that the human race is endowed with an organ, by means of which it acknowledges and adores a God of the universe; this is the noblest prerogative, which man possesses above the brutes. Man was to be the only really free creature of the earth; consequently man alone was to be capable of motives of action of a high order: he alone was to have the faculty of weighing and appreciating moral motives, before deciding upon actions prompted by his propensities; moral good and moral evil have an existence for him alone: and, as his own strength is not always sufficient

to control the disorderly workings of his desires ; as he too easily finds means to elude the laws of society; and, in fine, as there exists no check for those, whom their power or even the social compact has placed beyond all responsibility, it was necessary, that eternal Providence should place another powerful law in man himself; it is necessary for the human race, that each individual should find and fear in himself a secret censor, a censor, which supposes a supreme judge, from whom it is impossible to escape. Let us apply organology to this innate sentiment, and let us take possession of it, as of a new proof of the existence of God.

All our senses are in relation with certain external objects; of what use is the mouth, the sense of taste, of hearing, of smell, of sight, if, in the external world there did not exist objects of touch, molecules, emanations, vibrations, and light, fit to produce savors, odors, tones, and visions? The natural history of the five senses would therefore be incomplete, if we abstracted external objects, and the reciprocal action of the two on each other.

In the same way, all the propensities and faculties. of man and animals, are predicated on external objects, with which nature has established an immediate relation. The male and the female are the objects of the instinct of propagation; young ones and children satisfy the love of offspring; the instinct of self-defence combats the enemies of one's preservation; the carnivorous instinct every where meets animals to prey upon; the imperious man finds individuals and nations to subjugate; the organs of place, painting, music, calculation, mechanics, are exercised on the laws and the relations of space, colors, tones, &c.

Thus all these propensities and faculties, and their organs, would be without object, if there were no external objects, on which they might operate. Nature would have trifled with man and with animals, if, in giving them instincts, propensities, faculties, she had

refused them external objects to satisfy them. Their state, at the first moment of their existence, would be a state of privation, of painful inconsistency; the second would be that of their death. It is, therefore, certain, that nature has created no sense, no organ, without having prepared for it beforehand, in the external world, the object of its function.

Now; it is certain, that, in all ages and all countries on the earth, the organization of man has led him to the knowledge of a Supreme Being: it is certain, that, in all ages and all countries, man feels his dependence on a first cause; that he feels the necessity of having recourse to a God, and of rendering homage to Him. Who would dare to think, that this single sentiment, this single organ was deprived of its object in the external world? No; nature cannot so far wrong men in their most important interest! There is a God; because there exists an organ for knowing and adoring Him! *

XXVII. Firmness, Constancy, Perseverance, Obstinacy.

The character of man depends much more on his feelings, than on his faculties. The feeble, undecided man, and the man of firm character, cannot know why the former wavers from one project to another, nor the man of firmness, why he maintains strongly the ground

* If certain philosophers would consider well, what I have just said on the innate feeling of the existence of a Supreme Being, and on the natural propensity to religious worship, they would see the necessity of modifying entirely their specious arguments, which they support by historical notions not less rash in favor of atheism. According to their view, would they not also find means to explain the origin of the propensities to propagation and to murder, of the love of offspring, of the sense of property and of pride, of the talent of music, calculation, architecture, poetry, in general of all the propensities and faculties? Such illusions are inevitable whenever, in order to explain the phenomena of living beings, we disregard their organization, and their internal powers.

he has taken. Cicero, that orator and philosopher, always uncertain, and wanting firmness, neither knew how to adopt an opinion promptly, nor to maintain firmly that which he had adopted. As he allowed himself to be intoxicated by success, so was he liable to be cast down by reverses, and he passed rapidly frem the excess of confidence, to abject despair.

Cato of Utica, on the contrary, discovered, from his youth, that inflexibility of character, which he exhibited through the whole course of his life. Pompedius jestingly begged of young Cato his recommendation of him to his uncle. The child kept silence, and manifested by a look and an air of discontent, that he would not do what was asked of him. Pompedius insisted, and wishing to urge the child to his purpose, took him in his arms, and carried him to the window, threatening to let him fall if he persevered in his refusal; but fear had no more effect on him than prayers. He afterwards killed himself to escape submission to his enemy.

Children daily offer us examples both of firmness and of softness of character. Some are self-willed and obstinate; when they have set their hearts upon a thing, nothing can turn them from it. Others are supple, have no will of their own, cannot say no; such are the first traces of their future character; and in neither case has reflection the least influence on their manner of action.

Properly speaking, firmness is neither a propensity, nor a faculty; it is a mode of being, which gives to man a peculiar impress, which is called character; he, who wants it, is the sport of external circumstances, and of the impressions which he receives; he is a weather-cock turned by every gale. To-day he cries huzza for the republic, to-morrow, huzza for the tyrant. He lends faith and homage to every kind of idol. Constant only in his inconstancy, he quits, with astonishing rapidity, one standard for another; he is the man of all parties, and consequently the object of contempt to all.

The immoveable man is he, who is endowed with firmness to the highest degree. As he is unchangeable in his mode of viewing objects, we may calculate beforehand what will be his conduct, if a given event takes place. He is a man in whom we can have confidence; he undertakes difficult things in preference: difficulties and obstacles, which would deter feeble minds, are only encouragements which redouble his ardor. Tu ne cede malis, sed contra audacoir ito, is his motto. He does what he considers his duty; example for him is nothing: it is as difficult to mislead as to correct him; menaces and dangers improve his firmness into audacity; he repeats with L'Hôpital ; si fractus illabatur orbis, impavidum ferient ruinæ.

Firmness and obstinacy flow from the same source. The weakheaded man, the child, are obstinate, intractable; the reasonable man is constant, immoveable, persevering, firm. Tenax propositi vir.

Seat and External Appearance of the Organ of Firm

ness.

This organ is formed by convolutions XIII. Pl. viii. IX. XI. XII. placed immediately on the top of the head under the two superior anterior angles of the parietal bones, at the point, where these meet the superior posterior edges of the frontal. When these convolutions have a considerable development, they give to the crown of the head a spherical protuberance. The crown of the head is prominent in persons endowed with firmness; while it is level or depressed in the feeble and irresolute.

Lavater himself, as I learned after my ideas were already fixed in this respect, perceived by means of the numerous silhouettes, which he had collected, that the form of the head I have now pointed out, is proper to persons of a firm character.

Nothing is more easy than to multiply observations