In all these instances place the subject in his proper world by the phalanges of his Mercury finger. If he have the third world strongest he will have business success. If the second be strongest he will have success in the scientific or professional world. If the first phalanx be strongest he will succeed as an orator or writer, and this latter indication will be increased if a branch from the upper third of the Mount of Moon merges into the Mercury line (516). A branch from the Mercury line rising and merging into the Head line (517) will indicate success due to the subject's mental powers. Such persons will be best adapted to literary or scientific careers, especially if the Head line be deep and strong. Note here the formation of a triangle, which, in this position, always indicates mental brilliancy and power. The termination of the Mercury line will indicate the general outcome of the career of the subject, as regards the health qualities of the line and the success of the subject in the directions peculiar to the Mercurian type. The Mount of Mercury has so many markings that some of them may be confused with the termination of the Mercury line if care be not observed.

If the line ends on the Mount, the lines of Affection may cross it (518). If there are a number of these lines, one of which is deep and cuts the Mercury line sharply, there will be one affection which will be a bar to the best interests of the subject. If the Mercury line ends in a bar or a cross (519) the career of the subject will be hampered, and if the type of hand be bad, with crooked fingers, and the Heart line thin or absent, the deceitful or tricky qualities of a bad Mercurian will cause the lack of success. If a grille terminates the line, even worse ill-success is indicated, resulting from either poor health or dishonesty. If with this marking a dot be seen on the Mount of Apollo, the subject will lose his reputation. If the line terminates in a star (520) the career will be successful in the world indicated by'the phalanges of the fingers, and if the lines of Apollo and Saturn be present and good, this indication will be strengthened. If the Mercury line terminates in a fork (521) the subject will divide his energy among several talents, and will not achieve as great success as would be possible by concentration. If the line terminates in a tassel the efforts will be so scattered that no great success can be achieved.

If the Mercury line has a star at the point where it crosses the Head line it is, in a woman's hand, an indication of serious female trouble. In the hand of a man it indicates, if on a good line, an added brilliancy, and if on a defective line, danger of serious brain trouble, even insanity. If in the woman's hand the lower third of the Mount of Moon be grilled or cross-barred (522), the female weakness will be very serious. Such subjects will have great difficulty in child-bearing, and with a Life line which runs close to the thumb and restricts the Mount of Venus, they will probably be childless. This is valuable as a pre-roarriage indication. Whenever this marking is found the woman is nervous and highly strung. She will at times become depressed, and then recover her cheerfulness, alternating between exaltation and despair. These subjects should receive the greatest care, and ought always to be the recipients of very tender treatment They often magnify or even imagine ills, but they suffer just as much as if these were real. Hysteria and hypochondria are often thus indicated, and pronounced mental unbalancing frequently occurs. If the star should not be exactly on the line it still gives the same indication.

The combinations of the indications contained in this chapter are innumerable, but the general principles governing them are always the same. If a good Mercury line shows defects it is not so bad an indication as when a defective line has these same flaws. If a wavy line be also full of islands it is a worse condition than when a straight deep line has them. Often there are two different defects seen in a line, and each will refer to a different cause. These can both be found in the usual manner. The Mercury line should be used continually in connection with the Life, Head, Heart, and Apollo lines, and the type of each subject should never be overlooked.

No. 516.

No. 617.

No. 518.

No. 519.

No. 520.

No. 521.

No. 522.

The value of the line is largely its use in combination, and especially is this true with the Life and Head lines. Health and brains are essential to successful lives, and the Mercury line, in connection with the Life and Head lines, will always enable one absolutely to estimate these elements. By keeping in mind for what the line stands, what each change in its character and each defect means, and by following the line from source to termination, noting every change and working out its meaning, the Mercury line will yield a fund of confirmatory evidence which will sustain the testimony given by other lines and signs, and enable you more completely to understand your client.