Page:Mother Hubbard's fortune teller.pdf/17

16 from thence avoids the cares attendant on either extreme of fortune.

Round nails declare a hasty person, yet good natured, very forgiving, a lover of knowledge, honest in mind, doing no one any harm, and acting according to his own imaginations, being rather too proud of his own abilities.

Long nails—When the nails are long, the person is good natured, but placing confidence in no man, being from his youth conversant in deceit, yet not praotisingpractising [sic] it, from the goodness of his nature, and a love of virtue.

Fleshy nails.—A calm person and idler, loving a sleep, eat, and drink; not delighting in bustle and a busy life.

Little nails.—Little round nails discover a person to be obstinate, seldom pleased, inclining to hate every one, as conceiving himself superior to others, though without any foundation for such conception.

Pale, or lead-coloured nails—A melancholy person, one who, through choice, leads a sedentary life, and would willingly give up all things for the sake of study.

Red and spotted nails.—Choleric and martial, delighting in cruelty and war: his chief pleasure being in plundering towns, where every ferocious particle in human nature is glutted to satiety

When upon the nails you find any black spots they always signify evil, as white ones are a token of good.

White nails.—When the nails are white and long, the person is subject to great sickness; he is well made and comely, but much inclined to women, who deceive him through false pretences, and shortly bring him to ruin.