Available here. This book discusses the relationship between astrology and palmistry. This book was published in 1652; I have adopted some of the spellings to ensure I do not lose his message.
- Chiromancy is how we know and judge the signes (lines?) in hands. Consists of two parts: theoricall and practicall.
- Theoricall considers the parts of the hand.
- vola: palm of the hand
- lines
- turbercula: "THe Tubercula, are, the more Eminent Muscles under the Fingers."
- feriens: Latin means "striking, cutting"; Danish refers to vacations/holidays/etc, so that's not it. I'm not sure what he means. later---"is, that part of the Hand which we turne about in giveing or receiveing of things"---the arch right below the fingers?
- cavea: hollow, cavity. "the Hollow place in the Midle of the Palme"
- mensa: "or table"---the palm? --- "or Space, betwixt the Thorall and Epatica"
- principall lines
- cardiaca - line of life - "includeth and imbraceth the Mount of the Thumb"
- epatica - liver-line - "runnes through the Midle of the Hand, arising from the same place with the Cardiaca at the Roote of the Fore-finger" - I think this is now called the heart line?
- cephalica - line of the head and braine - below the cardiaca
- thoralis - line of fortune - starts below little finger and extends towards index - the closest thing I see to his description is the girdle of venus, but the images I'm seeing say this indicates temperament.
- restricta - dragon's tayle or discriminall line - "distinguishes the hand from the arm"
- lesse principall lines
- via solis - from rising part of ring-finger into cavity
- via lactea - runs from the Restricta, through the Feriens.
- saturnia - thence ascending through the Midle of the Vola, to the Tuberculum of the Midle-Finger
- cingulum veneris - no, this is the girdle of venus
- linea martis - Parallel to the Line of Life, in the Turberculum of the Thumbe
- tubercula
- thumb - venus
- forefinger - jupiter
- middle-finger - saturn
- ring-finger - sun
- little-finger - mercury
- Maybe my brain has been fried, but I am not understanding this passage:
Here we must note, That there is some difference amongst Authors concerning the Places of Mars, Venus and Mercury: For some give the Tuberculum of the Thumbe to Mars, The Cavea to Mercury, The Region of the Litle-Finger to Venus: Now to satisfie my selfe, I first of all observed such Men as were Venereall, [that is, such as were given to Ieasting, Faire, Merry, Agile, Lovers of Musique, &c. And these I found had the Region of the Thumbe plainly Marked with decent Signes, comely [Page 6] Notes and Characters: And that, not without their Nativities portending the Luxury of Venus, she being either collocated under her Proper Prerogatives in a competent place of the Figure, or in a good Aspect of some Planet. The like regard I had concerning Mercury. Wherefore the Cavea belongs to Mars.
THE Practicall part of Chiromancy.
method
- Cardiaca, orthe Line of Life.
- Epatica, orthe Liver Line.
- Cephalica, orthe Line of the Head and Braine.
- Thoralis, orthe Table-Line.
- Restricta, orthe Dragons Tayle.
- Via Solis, or the Suns way.
- Via Lactea, or the Milky way.
- Via Saturnia, or Saturnes way.
- Cingulum Veneris, orthe Girdle of Venus.
- Via Martis, orthe way of Mars.
- Mons Veneris, orthe Mount of Venus.
- Cave a Martis, or the Cave of Mars.
- Mons Jovis, or Iupiters Mount.
- Mons Saturni, or Saturn's Mount.
- Mons Solis, or the Sun's Mount.
- Locus Lunae, or the Moones Place.
- Mons Mercurii, or Mercury's Mount.
- Mensa, or the Table.
- Pollex, or the Thumbe.
- Index, or the Fore-finger.
- Medius, or the Midle-finger.
- Annularis, or the Ring-finger.
- Auricularis, or the Litle-Finger.
back to note-taking...
- judge by right or left hand? whichever has the clearest lines. but compare them. if their strength is similar, this means there is "Constancy of Fortune and Health."
- those born during the day, under a masculine planet (Sun, saturn, jupiter, mars) will have stronger marks on their right hand; those born during the night, which is often dominated by a feminine planet, will have stronger marks on their left. (so this is going by the planet for each hour)
- cardiaca
- if it lacks intersections, it means the person will live long and have few diseases.
- if short, thin, and fragmented, it shows illness and a shorter life.
- if joined with the natural mean, it shows good wit.
- branches extending towards the natural mean represent riches and honors; branches extending towards restricta represent poverty, deception, unfaithfulness
- "confused little lines" mean disease at certain ages.
- divide the line into seventy parts (i picture this as seven sets of ten)---if there's any gaps, they represent extreme danger to your life.
- if there's the character of the sun (the circle with a dot in it?) on the line, you're losing an eye. two characters = two eyes...
- there may be a line from where the epatica and cardiaca meet which reaches for the middle finger; this represents an envious person. if it cuts the cardiaca, it shows a deadly disease. however, if this line reaches to the ring-finger, it shows gaining honor, or gaining the favor of an honorable person.
- thicker near the end means a laborious old-age. (difficulties?)
- epatica / natural-mean
- straight, and not broken by other lines, represents a healthy body.
- short and broken represents a shortness of life.
- cut near end by another line represents possibility of poverty in old age
- if winding, turning, discolored, split up: liver problems.
- more prominent = cheerful disposition
- if there's a twin, inheritance.
- if it has knots in it, the knots represent manslaughters. (what.)
- cephalica
- pay attention to the triangle it makes with the cardiaca and epatica. a decent triangle represents prudence, fortune, lack of vulgarity. an obtuse triangle shows a disposition to evil.
- if joined with the dragons tayle, it represents a joyous old-age. if there's a fork going upwards, it shows being crafty (for good or evil).
- thorall / mensall
- if it ends under the middle finger, one is vain and prone to lies.
- small branches under the index finger represent honors.
- lack of complexity shows poverty.
- if it cuts through the middle finger, it shows mental cruelty and wrath.
- a branch between the forefinger and middle finger represents a head wound (if male) and dangers in child-bearing (if female)
- small lines note sicknesses; location represents when.
- restricta
- if there's two or three, the body is well.
- the line nearest the hand---good color means riches, pale and cut represents poverty and disability.
- any star or cross represents peaceful old age; however, if near thumb, shows misfortune (if female).
Google Translate of any Latin bits.
Qui in manu omnium hominum signa [...]osuit, vt cognoscerent opera ejus singuli.
Who placed signs in the hands of all men, that each might know his works.
notes on my hands, per his method
- cardiaca - strong on right hand, though frayed at beginning; significantly lighter for part of the middle (about a centimeter). from what i understand, i will have some illness in my 30s, and there are people who somewhat wish for my downfall, though not to a life-threatening degree.
- epatica - braided with another line, knot near the middle. so some sort of inheritence, and some sort of death of someone else.
- cephalica - no triangle. "if no Triangle, farre worse: [A Foole, a Prodigall, a Lyar, and commonly a short life.]"
- thorall - it's just not there. there's a hint of it on my left hand, but that's it. "If noMensall at all, it showes a Manmalevolent, contentions, faithlesse, inconstant,and ofbase conditions" --- lovely