A rectangular woodcut emblem at the top of the page. It features a central illustration of a feline predator, likely a lynx (the emblem of the Accademia dei Lincei), standing in a landscape and looking backward over its shoulder. Above the animal is a ribbon-like banner containing the Latin phrase "HE SEES AND LOOKS INTO" original: "ASPICIT ET INSPICIT". The central scene is framed by elaborate Renaissance-style scrollwork and ornamental architectural elements.

GIAMBATTISTA DELLA PORTA

OF NAPLES

PHYTOGNOMONICS

BOOK ONE.

In our books concerning the judgment of character as derived from the outlines of the body, we have explained clearly enough—by the authority of the greatest philosophers, as well as Polemon A 2nd-century Greek sophist known for his treatise on physiognomy., Adamantius A 4th-century physician who wrote a Greek adaptation of Polemon's work., and their followers—that the body and soul correspond to one another through mutual connections. Examples were found in acute illnesses, which are diseases of the body that cause the mind to wander in delirium; likewise, in cases of love, rage, and envy, which are diseases of the soul, the body wastes away. From these mutual affections of the soul and body, and from the condition of the body's parts, one’s character can be predicted.

In the same way, by a not unfitting similarity, one can conclude from the mutual comparison of a plant’s parts with its powers, that as the outward appearance changes, the powers are altered; and when the condition of the powers is altered, the plant's shape is changed. No one will deny that the "vices" and "virtues" of the plant's soul can be predicted through excellent conjecture. We call the "soul" of the plant original: "animam" that internal power and secret way of operating, as if it were a gift of nature. We call it "vices" when plants render one frenzied original: "lymphaticos"; referring to a state of madness or delirium., induce lethargy original: "veternum"; a state of morbid drowsiness or deep stupor., cause sterility, or produce a poison by which men are forced toward death, or other harmful effects that bring destruction. We call it "virtues" when they remove fevers, purge harmful humors, knit wounds together, and perform similar actions offered for the health of men.

That their nature original: "ingenium" changes according to the transformation of the plants' form, and that the form departs when the powers are changed, is more evident than needs to be proven. For by the change of soil, air, site, and cultivation—or even by just one of these—the character of the plant is easily changed, and with that character, its virtue. Many examples will be given in their proper places. A plant that dwells on the edge of mountains blown by the wind, in decayed and porous soil, in a remote part of the world, and held in neglect, is clothed in a rough and parched habit; it springs forth with a low, twisted, and haggard trunk, which, with frequent knots, protruding...