[p. 42]
one lives, and the waters; for, in general, you will find the forms
and dispositions of mankind to correspond with the nature of the country;
for where the land is fertile, soft, and well-watered, and supplied
with waters from very elevated situations, so as to be hot in summer
and cold in winter, and where the seasons are fine, there the men
are fleshy, have ill-formed joints, and are of a humid temperament;
they are not disposed to endure labor, and, for the most part, are
base in spirit; indolence and sluggishness are visible in them, and
to the arts they are dull, and not clever nor acute. When the country
is bare, not fenced, and rugged, blasted by the winter and scorched
by the sun, there you may see the men hardy, slender, with well-shaped
joints, well-braced, and shaggy; sharp industry and vigilance accompany
such a constitution; in morals and passions they are haughty and opinionative,
inclining rather to the fierce than to the mild; and you will find
them acute and ingenious as regards the arts, and excelling in military
affairs; and likewise all the other productions of the earth corresponding
to the earth itself. Thus it is with regard to the most opposite natures
and shapes; drawing conclusions from them, you may judge of the rest
without any risk of error.
The Book of Prognostics
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