Cynthia's Revels, or The Fountain of Self-Love · chunk 17 of 66
Jonson, Ben · published 1616 · first performed or written 1600 [1600-1601] (Annals) satire · Children of the Chapel (second) T62 The courtier as a type: fashion, affecta typicality 0.74 · 595 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T62: courtier, shrug, face, court, italian, monsieur, scholar, fashion, french, courtiers.
Plant yourself there, sir: and observe me. You shall now, as well be the ocular, as the earwitness, how clearly I can refel that paradox, or rather pseudodox, of those, which hold the face to be the index of the mind, which (I assure you) is not so, in any politic creature: for instance. I will now give you the particular, and distinct face of every your most noted species of persons, as your merchant, your scholar, your soldier, your lawyer, courtier, etc. and each of these so truly, as you would swear, but that your eye shall see the variation of the lineament, it were my most proper, and genuine aspect. First, for your merchant, or city-face, 'tis thus, a dull, plodding face, still looking in a direct line, forward: there is no great matter in this face. Then have you your students, or academic face, which is here, an honest, simple, and methodical face: but somewhat more spread than the former. The third is your soldiers face, a menacing, and astounding face, that looks broad, and big: the grace of this face consisteth much in a beard. The anti-face to this, is your lawyer's face, a contracted, subtle, and intricate face, full of quirks, and turnings, a labyrinthaean face, now angularly, now circularly, every way aspected. Next is your statists face, a serious, solemn, and supercilious face, full of formal, and square gravity, the eye (for the most part) deeply and artificially shadowed: there is great judgement required in the making of this face. But now, to come to your face of faces, or courtiers face, 'tis of three sorts, according to our subdivision of a courtier, elementary, practic, and theoric. Your courtier theoric, is he, that hath arrived to his farthest, and doth now know the court, rather by speculation, than practice; and this is his face: a fastidious and oblique face, that looks, as it went with a vice, and were screwed thus. Your courtier practic, is he, that is yet in his path, his course, his way, & hath not touched the puntilio, or point of his hopes; his face is here: a most promising, open, smooth, and overflowing face, that seems as it would run, and power itself into you. Somewhat a northerly face. Your courtier elementary, is one but newly entered, or as it were in the alphabet, or ut-re-mi-fa-sol-la of courtship. Note well this face, for it is this you must practise. I'll practise 'em all, if you please, sir. ay, hereafter you may: and it will not be altogether an ungrateful study. For, let your soul be assured of this (in any rank, or profession whatever) the more general, or maior part of opinion goes with the face, and (simply) respects nothing else. Therefore, if that can be made exactly, curiously, exquisitely, thoroughly, it is enough: But (for the present) you shall only apply yourself to this face of the elementary courtier, a light, reveling, and protesting face, now blushing, now smiling, which you may help much with a wanton wagging of your head, thus, (a feather will teach you) or with kissing your finger that hath the ruby, or playing with some string of your band, which is a most quaint kind of melancholy besides: or (if among ladies) laughing loud, and crying up your own wit, though perhaps borrowed, it is not amiss. Where is your page? call for your casting-bottle, and place your mirror in your hat, as I told you: so. Come, look not pale, observe me, set your face, and enter.
seed 43: T60 · seed 44: unassigned — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Plant your selfe there, sir: and obserue me. You shall now, as well be the ocular, as the eare-witnesse, how cleerly I can refell that paradox, or rather pseudodox, of those, which hold the face to be the index of the mind, which (I assure you) is not so, in any politique creature: for instance. I will now giue you the particular, and distinct face of euery your most noted species of persons, as your marchant, your scholer, your souldier, your lawyer, courtier, &c. and each of these so truly, as you would sweare, but that your eye shal see the variation of the lineament, it were my most proper, and genuine aspect. First, for your marchant, or citie-face, 'tis thus, a dull, plodding face, still looking in a direct line, forward: there is no great matter in this face. Then haue you your students, or academique face, which is here, an honest, simple, and methodicall face: but somewhat more spread then the former. The third is your souldiers face, a menacing, and astounding face, that lookes broad, and bigge: the grace of this face consisteth much in a beard. The anti-face to this, is your lawyers face, a contracted, subtile, and intricate face, full of quirkes, and turnings, a labyrinthaean face, now angularly, now circularly, euery way aspected. Next is your statists face, a serious, solemne, and supercilious face, full of formall, and square grauitie, the eye (for the most part) deeply and artificially shadow'd: there is great iudgement required in the making of this face. But now, to come to your face of faces, or courtiers face, tis of three sorts, according to our subdiuision of a courtier, elementarie, practique, and theorique. Your courtier theorique, is hee, that hath arriu'd to his fardest, and doth now know the court, rather by speculation, then practice; and this is his face: a fastidious and oblique face, that lookes, as it went with a vice, and were screw'd thus. Your courtier practike, is he, that is yet in his path, his course, his way, & hath not toucht the puntilio, or point of his hopes; his face is here: a most promising, open, smooth, and ouer-flowing face, that seemes as it would runne, and powre it selfe into you. Somewhat a northerly face. Your courtier elementarie, is one but newly enter'd, or as it were in the alphabet, or vt-re-mi-fa-sol-la of courtship. Note well this face, for it is this you must practice. Ile practice 'hem all, if you please, sir. I, hereafter you may: and it will not be altogether an vngratefull study. For, let your soule be assur'd of this (in any ranke, or profession what-euer) the more generall, or maior part of opinion goes with the face, and (simply) respects nothing else. Therefore, if that can be made exactly, curiously, exquisitely, thorowly, it is inough: But (for the present) you shall only apply your selfe to this face of the elementarie courtier, a light, reuelling, and protesting face, now blushing, now smiling, which you may helpe much with a wanton wagging of your head, thus, (a feather will teach you) or with kissing your inger that hath the ruby, or playing with some string of your band, which is a most quaint kind of melancholy besides: or (if among ladies) laughing lowd, and crying vp your owne wit, though perhaps borrow'd, it is not amisse. Where is your page? call for your casting-bottle, and place your mirrour in your hat, as I told you: so. Come, looke not pale, obserue me, set your face, and enter.