Page:Three Books of Occult Philosophy (De Occulta Philosophia) (1651).djvu/295

 Now let us proceed to particular measures. The compass of a man under the armpits contains the middle of his length, whose middle is the bottom of his breast: and from thence upward to the middle of his breast betwixt both dugges, and from the middle of his breast unto the crown of his head, on every side the fourth part; also from the bottom of his breast to the bottom of the knees, and from thence to the bottom of the ankles the fourth part of man. The same is the latitude of his shoulder-blades, from one extream to the other: The same is the length from the elbow to the end of the longest finger, and therfore this is called a cubit. Hence four cubits make the length of man, and one cubit the bredth which is in the shoulder-blades, but that which is in the compass, one foot; now six hand-bredths make a cubit, four a foot, and four fingers bredths make a hand-bredth, and the whole length of man is twenty four hand bredths, of six foot, of ninty six fingers bredths. From the bottom of his breast to the top of his breast, is the sixth part of his length, from the top of his breast to the top of his forehead, and lowermost root of his hairs, the seventh part of his length; of a strong, and well set body, a foot is the sixth part of the length, but of a tall the seventh. Neither can (as Varro, and Gellius testifie) the tallness of mans body exceed seven feet. Lastly, the Diameter of his compass is the same measure as is from the hand, being shut unto the inward bending of the elbow, and as that which is from the breast to both dugs, upward to the upward lip, or downward to the navel; and as that which is from the ends of the bones of the uppermost part of the breast compassing the gullet; and as that which is from the sole of the foot to the end of the calf of the legg, and from thence to the middle whirle bone of the knee. All these measures are co-equall, and make the seventh part of the whole height. The head of a man from the bottom of the chin to the crown of his head is the eighth part of his length, as also from the elbow to the end of the shoulder-blade; So great is the Diameter of the compass of a tall man. The compass of the head drawn by the top of the forehead, and the bottom of the hinder part of the head, make the fift part of