"An habitual gloom and severity prevailed over the deep lines of his countenance; and his eyes were so piercing that they seemed to penetrate, at a single glance, into the hearts of men, and to read their most secret thoughts; few persons could support their scrutiny, or even endure to meet them twice."

The Italian, or the Confessional of the Black Penitents. A Romance
At least 7 entries in the ESTC (1797)<br>
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Radcliffe, Ann. <u>The Italian</u>, ed. Robert Miles (New York: Penguin, 2000). &lt;Google Books: <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=vi4JAAAAQAAJ">vol. I</a>, <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=cBkGAAAAQAAJ">vol. II</a>, <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=5RkGAAAAQAAJ">vol. III</a>&gt;