that are superior to his. If he possesses good knowing powers, with a deficient reflection, he will believe that nothing is certain, or worthy of observation or attention, except facts; and he will treasure up these in endless variety. He will have no confidence in any knowledge which is the result of inference or reasoning. What you can place before him, or make obvious to his senses, he will believe, but beyond that all will to him be darkness; and because he does not possess powers which enable him to penetrate it, he will not believe that any other can see farther or more clearly than he does. We have observed that persons with such a combination never become thorough converts to phrenology. If they admit any part of it to be true, it is merely the coincidence between a certain development of brain and a certain faculty of mind. This they may admit in the cases shewn, but these they regard as no proof of what will be in other cases; and they are constantly calling for more facts, conceiving that the science is never to be any thing but an endless observation of these. With regard to its furnishing a rational account of the diversities of human character, and a consistent and harmonious system of mental philosophy, this is perfectly beyond the scope of their intellectual faculties, and they do not possess the power of discerning or even of imagining it. When you talk to them of this, they cannot form a conception of what you mean. The relations among things which are clearly perceived by one who possesses a good Causality, appear to him to be vague and imaginative, and he laughs at one who perceives them as an absurd visionary. You might as well speak to a blind man on the subject of colours: nay, there is more hope of the blind man understanding you than of him, for he feels and knows that you have a sense and a power which the other does not possess ; but the man in whom Causality is deficient can never be convinced of this, and the very deficiency itself deprives him of the capacity of feeling and knowing that such deficiency exists. You talk to him in an unknown tongue which he does not and never can by any possibility understand. It is the same with every other description of intellect; and indeed when Self-esteem is great, the conceit of abilities seems generally to exist in the precisely inverse ratio of the possession of them. When the talents are naturally great, then the individual does not seem to arrogate to himself more than his just degree of ability or merit, nor more than every one is willing to allow him. Self-esteem then seems to take the direction of undervaluing the talents of others, rather than of overrating our own; but, in cases of limited intellect, nothing can be more ridiculous than the airs of consequence which we see put on in conjunction with the total want of every thing that can command our respect. The novelists and writers of comedy have drawn largely from this source of the ludicrous. The absurdity seems to arise from the prodigious incongruity between the solemn dignity of the outward demeanour, and the pitiful inanity within. Of this the following may be given as an instance :— "Attached to the King's printing-office, there was for many years a singular character of the name of John Smith, in "the capacity of messenger, who died in 1819, at the advanced "age of ninety-nine years. During a period of eighty years "did this honest creature fill the humble station of errand"carrier at his Majesty's printing-office. But what was ac"counted humble became in his hands important; and the "King's messenger,' as he always styled himself, yielded "to none of his Majesty's ministers in the conception of the dignity of his office, when intrusted with King's speeches, "addresses, bills, and other papers of state. At the offices of "the Secretaries of State, when loaded with parcels of this description, he would throw open every chamber without 6 ceremony. The Treasury and Exchequer doors could not oppose him, and even the study of Archbishops has often "been invaded by this important messenger of the press. His "antiquated and greasy garb corresponded with his wizard"like shape, and his immense cocked hat was continually in "motion to assist him in the bows of the old school. The "recognition and nods of great men in office were his delight. "But he imagined that this courtesy was due to his character, as being identified with the State; and the Chancellor and "the Speaker were considered by him in no other view, than "persons filling departments in common with himself, for the "seals of the one, and the mace of the other, did not, in his "estimation, distinguish them more than the bag used by " himself in the transmission of the despatches intrusted to his 66 "care. The imperfect intellect given to him, seemed only to "fit him for the situation he filled. Take him out of it, he was as helpless as a child, and easily became a dupe to those who "were disposed to impose upon him.” * The sense of Self-importance, which is conferred by this faculty upon persons in the meanest situations, and with the humblest acquirements, seems to be a wise provision of nature. It renders its possessor happy and contented with that" modicum of sense" which has been conferred upon him, who otherwise would be miserable if aware of his own deficiencies. Some amusing instances of its influence are given in the "Memoirs of P. P. Clerk of this Parish," by the members of the Scriblerus Club. We shall add but one circumstance more in regard to the feeling of Self-esteem, namely, that it seems to be an essential ingredient in eccentricity of character. It leads the possessor in all his pursuits, and in his habits of living and acting, to please himself, in the first instance, without regard to the opinions of others, or to what they may say concerning him. While Love of Approbation would incline us to accommodate our conduct, as far as possible, to the opinions of those around us, Self-esteem, if predominant in the character, will lead us to set them at defiance, and to follow the bent of our own inclinations without regard to others. It coincides remarkably with this, that England, where Self-esteem is a prevailing feature in the national development, is the very hot-bed of eccentricity and originality of character; while in France, where Love of Approbation is more prevalent than Self-esteem, there is much less apparent diversity of character and manners; there is not, as some acute observers have informed us, that kind of angularity and singularity so frequently observed in the minds and manners of our countrymen, but all are worn and rubbed down to one common standard. We may, perhaps, at a future period give our readers a similar statement, in regard to the effects of Love of Approbation in combination with other predominant qualities. In Percy Anecdotes. VOL. I.-No III. 2 D SHAKSPEARE'S IAGO. the meantime we hope, that they have received some pleasure and instruction from our present speculation; and in saying this, we trust we do not exhibit too large an endowment of the propensity which has been the subject of it. ARTICLE III. SHAKSPEARE'S IAGO. WE propose, in the present article, to redeem the pledge given in our last Number, to unfold the principles on which the sketch of the natural dispositions and talents of Iago was inferred from the note of the development* given to the author of it. Having done this, we will then compare the sketch with the character as drawn by Shakspeare, and thus enable our readers to judge for themselves how far the two may be deemed counterparts to each other. The chief difficulty experienced in drawing the sketch was how to state what the development really indicated. The character pointed out by it appeared so utterly depraved, that it required a constant reference to first principles to justify the unmeasured language which it was found necessary to employ. But when the author had overcome the scruples suggested by delicacy, and mustered resolution fearlessly to follow out the principles of the science, it was easy for him to • We subjoin the development as given in our last Number: 1. Amativeness, large. 2. Philoprogenitiveness, moderate. 3. Concentrativeness, full. 4. Adhesiveness, small. 5. Combativeness, full. 6. Destructiveness, very large. 7. Constructiveness, moderate. 8. Acquisitiveness, large. 9. Secretiveness, very large. 10. Self-esteem, large. 11. Love of Approbation, moderate. 12. Cautiousness, very large. 13. Benevolence, small. 14. Veneration, large. 15. Hope, moderate. 16. Ideality, moderate. 17. Conscientiousness, small. 19. Individuality, large. 20. Form, moderate. proceed, for the character was so strongly marked that he could scarcely mistake its leading features. This remark is especially applicable to the first inference from the development, viz. the utter Selfishness of the individual. Selfishness is the result of large Self-esteem and Acquisitiveness, with deficient Benevolence and Conscientiousness, and if Adhesiveness also be small, it will indeed reign with a predominating sway." Love of Approbation also being moderate, it was inferred that the individual "never gave a penny in charity in his life," because there is not a single feeling left in the mind which would prompt to the performance of a charitable action. 66 That "he would witness with indifference a case of distress "or outrage," was inferred chiefly from his small Benevolence, joined with the combination which produced his complete Selfishness. Cautiousness would add to his indifference by suggesting the possibility of troublesome or injurious conquences to himself from the display of active Benevolence. To excuse to his own mind his apathy in a case of extreme injustice or distress, he is represented as adding, with a growl or a curse, " Why did they (the sufferers) not take better care of themselves?" &c. This would arise from a conscious feeling in himself that, with his superior Cautiousness and intellect, he would have taken better care had he been placed in similar circumstances; and hence the aspect of their distress excites in him only Self-esteem, and gives rise to contempt for the folly of those who had placed themselves in such situations. 66 Self-esteem prides itself upon those qualities which the individual most strongly possesses, and it gives a sort of contempt for those in which he is deficient; and, as in the subject before us, the feelings were all selfish, with a deficiency of the moral sentiments, it was inferred, not only that he would "utterly despise and contemn those who acted from noble and disinterested motives," but that it would be "extreme"ly difficult for him to conceive this to be possible." But though difficult it was not impossible,-the large endowment of the intellectual faculties could not but lead him to |