,,trichocosmos4                         
,,notes                                 
,,historical1 ,,sthetical1              
,,ethnological1                         
,,physiological1 ,,anecdotal1           
,,and                                   
,,tonsorial1                            
,,on                               ,,the
 ,,hair  ,,beard4          8,fair       
tresses man's imperial race ensnare1    
,and beauty draws us with a single      
hair40                                  
,,london3                ,,read  ,co41  
#aj1 ,,johnson',s ,,court1 ,,fleet ,,st4
                        ,entered at     
,stationers' ,hall4                     
7,,the ,,right ,,of ,,translation ,,is  
,,reserved47                            
,,contents4          ,,chap4            
,,page4          ,i4 ,the ,beauty of the
 ,hair                          #c      
,,ii4 ,the ,fashion of ,antiquity       
#g        ,,iii4 ,freaks of ,fashion    
#ag         ,,iv4 ,wigs                 
#db          ,v4 ,barbers               

#hc         ,,vi4 ,structure1 ,growth1  
and ,colour of the ,hair     #aab       
,,beauty ,,of ,,the ,,hair4             
,,chapter ,i4      ,although much time  
and attention are usually bestowed in   
dressing and  ornamenting the hair1 in  
compliance with the dictates of fashion1
 but  little regard is paid to the      
natural beauty of the hair itself1 as   
contributing to the expression and      
comeliness of the features4 ,the        
absurdities and caprices of fashion have
 been constant themes for  ridicule and 
declamation with the wits of all ages4  
,the sharp epigrams  of ,martial1 the   
satires of ,juvenal1 the anathemas of   
the ,romish  ecclesiastics1 the         
invectives of sour ,puritans1 the coarse
 raillery of  ,swift1 and the good      
humour of ,addison1 have all in turn    
been levelled  against some prevailing  
folly of the day4 ,it is not our        
intention1  however1 to act the part of 
censor1 but1 as humble chroniclers1 to  
note  the change from one fashion to    

another4    ,before entering on the task
 we will say a few words about the hair1
  in relation to art1 a subject of some 
interest1 and which we believe  has not 
been sufficiently insisted on4 ,the hair
 is1 undoubtedly1 the  chief ornament of
 the head2 we naturally associate the   
idea of vigour1  fertility1 and         
gracefulness1 with its growth4 ,its     
flowing outline  gives grace and freedom
 to the symmetry of the features1 and by
 a  little license of the artist's hand1
 its form may be made to correct        
whatever harshness of character the     
countenance may chance to have          
acquired4 ,in the colour1 too1 and      
texture of the hair1 what facilities    
are afforded for heightening the charm  
of the most delicate complexion1  or the
 dignity of the manly brow4 ,the poets  
have universally recognised  the truth  
of these principles1 and in their       
descriptions of ideal  beauty we        
invariably find some allusion to the    
hair4    ,milton delights to adorn the  

human countenance with long hair1       
flowing  in rich profusion4 ,of ,eve he 
sings3        8,she1 as a veil1 down to 
the slender waist      ,her unadorned   
golden tresses wore      ,dishevelled1  
but in wanton ringlets waved      ,as   
the vine curls her tendrils1----0    and
 to ,adam he gives                      
8,hyacinthine locks      ,round from his
 parted forelock manly hung40    ,even  
his angels are conspicuous for their    
beautiful hair--for instance        8,of
 charming sunny rays a golden tiar      
,circled his head1 nor less his locks   
behind      ,illustrious on his         
shoulders1 fledge with wings1      ,lay 
waving round0----    ,the vivid         
descriptions of ,homer1 full of local   
colouring1 afford  many instances of the
 picturesque effect produced by duly    
noting so  apparently a trivial matter1 
as the colour or crispness of the hair4 
,shakspere makes frequent allusions to  
its beauty3 at the touch of his  master 
hand a gleam of light seems to play     

about the silken tresses3               
8,here in her hairs      ,the painter   
plays the spider1 and hath woven      ,a
 golden mesh to entrap the hearts of    
men60    ,the ,italian poets also show  
the same love of the beautiful1 and     
fondness for        8,le crespe chiome  
d'or puro lucente40    ,how much the    
form and variety of the hair help to    
distinguish the style  and character of 
a composition was well understood by the
 ancient  sculptors and painters4 8,the 
hair of the ,phidian ,jove1 in the      
,vatican1  rises in spouts1 as it were1 
from the forehead1 and then falls in    
waving curls1 like the mane of the lion1
 most majestic and imperial in          
appearance4 ,the crisp curls of         
,hercules again remind us of the short  
locks between the horns of the          
indomitable bull2 whilst the hair of    
,neptune falls down wet and dank1 like  
his own sea-weed4 ,the beautiful        
flowing locks of ,apollo1 full and free1
 represent perpetual youth2 and  the    

gentle1 vagrant1 bewitching tresses of  
,venus1 denote most clearly  her        
peculiar characters and claims as a     
divinity of ,olympus40 ,we remark  the  
same peculiarity in the portraits by    
,sir ,peter ,lely of the court  beauties
 of the time of ,charles ,,ii4          
8,loves walks the pleasant mazes of the 
hair40    ,hair is to the human aspect  
what foliage is to the landscape2 and1  
whenever pen or pencil is guided by     
poetic feeling or good taste1  it       
lingers with admiration and delight amid
 the shadows and glossy  silken         
sheen--the ever-varying tints1 and      
waving1 wanton loveliness of  sunny1    
luxuriant hair4 ,indeed1 so beautiful is
 the hair itself1 when  arranged with   
taste1 and kept in good order1 7that is 
in a growing1  healthful state17 that   
the addition of any further ornament1 by
 way of  head-dress1 is all but         
superfluous4 ,not that all ornament     
should be  dispensed with1 but that     
great judgment is necessary in selecting

 such  as correct taste may approve4    
,addison1 with his usual good sense1    
thus  counsels his fair readers3 8,i    
would desire the fair sex to consider   
how impossible it is for them to add    
anything that can be ornamental  to what
 is already the masterpiece of nature4  
,the head has the most  beautiful       
appearance1 as well as the highest      
station1 in the human  figure4 ,nature  
has laid out all her art in beautifying 
the face2 she  has touched it with      
vermilion1 planted in it a double row of
 ivory1  made it the seat of smiles and 
blushes1 lightened it up and enlivened  
it with the eyes1 hung it on each side  
with curious organs of sense1  given it 
airs and graces which cannot be         
described1 and surrounded it  with such 
a flowing shade of hair as sets its     
beauties in the most  agreeable light4  
,in short1 she seems to have designed   
the head as a  cupola to the most       
glorious of her works2 and when we load 
it with such  a pile of supernumerary   

ornaments1 we destroy the symmetry of   
the human  figure1 and foolishly        
contrive to call off the eye from great 
and real  beauties to childish gew-gaws1
 ribbons1 and bone lace40    ,and       
beautiful exceedingly are those beloved 
memorials--the silken locks  of         
childhood1 the treasured tresses of     
riper years1 or the silver gray  of     
reverend old age--which1 in the eyes of 
sorrowing friends1 are the  dearest     
relics of the loved ones whose angel    
spirits beyond the tomb  have passed    
through death into eternity4            
8,there seems a love in hair1 though it 
be dead3      ,it is the gentlest1 yet  
the strongest thread        ,of our     
frail plant--a blossom from the tree    
,surviving the proud trunk2 as if it    
said1        ,patience and ,gentleness  
in ,power4 ,in me        ,behold        
affectionate eternity40                 
,leigh ,hunt4                           
,,the ,,fashion ,,of ,,antiquity4       
,,chapter ,,ii4      ,the fashion of    

ornamenting the hair is an universal    
vanity1 probably as  old as the         
creation2 for the earliest records and  
antiquities introduce  us to the        
mysteries of wigs and beard cases1 and  
such evident and  lavish displays of    
tonsorial art1 as remind one more of the
 skilful  artist than the first rude    
essays of the craft4 ,it has been       
suggested  by a writer in the ,quarterly
 ,review that we are indebted to ,eve   
herself for the first principles of the 
art1 and that probably by the           
reflection in some tranquil stream she  
made her earliest studies4    ,in the   
sculptures from ,nineveh we have an     
exact representation of the  fashion of 
the hair among the ,assyrians--thousands
 of years before  ,britain had a place  
in history4 ,the office of coiffeur in  
those  days must evidently have been one
 of no little importance4 ,from the     
king on the throne--the mighty hunter1  
lion slayer1 and destroyer  of men--his 
counsellors1 and great captains1 to the 

poor slave1 the  mere hewer of wood and 
drawer of water1 all seem to have passed
 under  the discipline of the           
curling-irons4 ,the curling and plaiting
 of the  beard and hair1 as shown in the
 sculptures1 is doubtless intended  as a
 distinguishing mark of a superior and  
conquering race4 ,their  colossal-winged
 bulls and monstrous deities are adorned
 with the same  venerable badge of power
 and authority4 ,since nearly all that  
is known  on this subject is directly   
derived from the researches of ,mr4     
,layard1  we cannot do better than refer
 to the volumes of one to whom not only 
this nation1 but the civilised world1   
are indebted for his arduous and  most  
successful explorations4    8,the       
,assyrians paid particular attention to 
the adorning of their  persons4 ,besides
 wearing numerous ornaments1 they most  
carefully and  elaborately platted their
 hair and beards4 ,the hair was parted  
over the  forehead1 and fell from behind
 the ears on the shoulders in a large   

bunch of ringlets4 ,the beard was       
allowed to grow to its full length1     
and1 descending low on the breast1 was  
divided into two or three rows  of      
curls4 ,the moustache was also carefully
 trimmed and curled at the  ends4 ,the  
hair1 as well as the beard1 appears to  
have been dyed1 as is  still the custom 
in ,persia2 but it has been doubted     
whether the hair1  represented in the   
sculptures1 was natural or artificial4  
8,according to ,herodotus 7,lib4 #a1 c4 
#aie7 the ,babylonians wore their  hair 
long4 ,the great regularity of the curls
 in the sculptures would  certainly lead
 to the impression that part of the     
hair1 at least1  was false2 but we can  
scarcely suppose that the warriors1 as  
well as  the king and the principal     
officers of state1 wore false beards1   
for  all the sculptured beards are      
equally elaborate and studied in the    
arrangement4 ,the mode of representing  
hair in the bas-reliefs is most         
probably conventional4 ,most ,eastern   

people have been celebrated for  the    
length and beauty of their hair1 and if 
the ,assyrians were as well  provided   
with it as the inhabitants of ,persia   
were in the days of  ,darius1 or as they
 now are1 they would have had little    
occasion for a  wig40    ,the hair of   
females1 in the sculptures1 is usually  
represented in long  ringlets1 sometimes
 plaited and braided1 and at other times
 confined  in a net4 ,the modern fashion
 of wearing the hair in a net is        
therefore  a revival of a very ancient  
one4 ,isaiah alludes to 8the caps of    
net-work10 7chap4 ,,iii41 v4 #h74    ,it
 is to ancient ,egypt we must look for  
the earliest instance of a  people      
investing themselves with that symbol of
 wisdom and gravity--the  wig4 ,it was  
reserved for the courtiers of ,louis    
,,xiii4 to re-introduce  and remodel the
 ancient perruque1 but its origin       
certainly dates from  a very remote     
antiquity4 ,the ,egyptians as a nation  
were 8all shaven  and shorn30 they      

shaved even the heads of young children1
 leaving only  certain locks as an      
emblem of youth4 ,all classes among the 
people1 the  slaves imported from       
foreign countries not excepted1 were    
compelled  to submit to the tonsure4    
,the universal custom of shaving the    
head  led to the use of wigs4 8,it may  
appear singular10 says ,wilkinson1      
8that so warm a covering to the head    
should have been adopted in the  climate
 of ,egypt2 but we must recollect the   
reticulated texture of the  ground-work1
 on which the hair was fastened1 allowed
 the heat of the  head to escape1 while 
the hair effectually protected it from  
the sun3  it is evident that no better  
covering could have been devised1 and   
that  it far surpassed1 in comfort and  
coolness1 the modern turban40 ,wigs     
were worn both within the house and out 
of doors1 like the turban of  the       
present day4 ,a wig in the ,british     
,museum1 from the temple of ,isis1  and 
one in the ,berlin ,museum1 still attest

 the skill of the ,egyptian  artist4    
,for the use of those who could not     
afford the more expensive  wigs of real 
hair1 an imitation appears to have been 
made of wool and  other stuffs4 ,a most 
singular custom of the ,egyptians was   
that of  tying a false beard upon the   
chin1 which was made of plaited hair1   
and  of a peculiar form1 according to   
the rank of the person by whom it  was  
worn4 ,private individuals had a small  
beard1 scarcely two inches  long2 that  
of a king was of considerable length1   
square at the bottom2  and the figure of
 gods were distinguished by its turning 
up at the  ends4 ,the women always wore 
their hair long and plaited4 ,the back  
part  was made to consist of a number of
 strings of hair1 reaching to the       
shoulder-blades1 and on each side other 
strings of the same descended  over the 
breast4 ,the hair was plaited in the    
triple plait1 the ends  being left      
loose1 or1 more usually1 two or three   
plaits were fastened  together at the   

extremity by woollen strings of         
corresponding colour4  ,many of the     
mummies of women have been found with   
the hair perfectly  preserved1 plaited  
in the manner described1 the only       
alteration in its  appearance being the 
change of its black hue1 which became   
reddened by  exposure to great heat1    
during the process of embalming4    ,the
 ,hebrews wore their hair generally     
short1 and checked its growth by  the   
application of scissors only4 ,they seem
 at an early period to have  availed    
themselves of the assistance of art1 not
 only for beautifying  the hair1 but    
increasing its thickness2 while the     
heads of the priests  were anointed with
 an unguent of a peculiar kind4 ,the    
custom of  anointing the head became a  
general mark of gentility1 and an       
essential  part of the daily toilet4    
,the ,lawgiver of the ,jews did not     
think it  beneath the dignity of his    
code to introduce into it an especial   
ordinance concerning the fashion of the 

beard--8,thou shalt not mar the  corners
 of the beard0--7,leviticus ,,xix41 v4  
#bg74 ,by the 8corners0 the             
commentators understand the extremities2
 and this precept1 no doubt1  like      
others in the same chapter1 arose from  
the leading policy of the  theocracy1   
which sought to create a people in      
everything distinct from1  and unmixed  
with1 the idolators by whom they were   
surrounded4    ,it was the noble destiny
 of the ,greeks to add beauty and       
refinement  to the creations and        
speculations of a previous age4 ,the    
love of the  beautiful was a passion    
with the ,greeks2 it was stamped1 so to 
speak1  on the meanest objects of       
every-day life1 and found its loftiest  
expression in their poetry and the      
magnificent works of art1 which  every  
civilized people regard as models for   
imitation4 ,even in the  mere matter of 
a head-dress1 we are struck with the    
beauty of the  classic forms in ,greek  
sculpture1 which show a rare perception 

of the  beautiful1 in wonderful contrast
 to the barbarism of earlier1 and1 we   
may add1 succeeding ages4 ,in ,homer the
 ,greeks are repeatedly spoken  of as   
the 8long-haired ,greeks10 and to almost
 every character in the  ,iliad and     
,odyssey some epithet is applied in     
allusion to the beauty of  the hair4 ,it
 is enough to allude to the fair-haired 
,helen1 the nymph  ,calypso1 ,circe1 and
 ,ariadne2 the flowing locks of         
,achilles1 the curls  of ,paris1 and the
 auburn hair of ,ulysses4 ,it will be   
remembered that  ,achilles made         
sacrifice of his yellow hair at the     
funeral pyre of  ,patroclus1 in honour  
of the friend he loved4    ,the ancient 
practice of wearing the hair long was   
adhered to for many  centuries by the   
,spartans4 ,the ,spartan boys always had
 their hair cut  quite short2 but1 as   
soon as they reached the age of puberty1
 they let  it grow long4 ,they prided   
themselves upon their hair1 and called  
it  the cheapest of ornaments4 ,before  

engaging in battle1 they combed and     
dressed their hair with much care1 as   
did ,leonidas and his followers at      
,thermopylae4    ,the custom of the     
,athenians was different4 ,they wore    
their hair long  in childhood2 but the  
youths cut off their flowing locks at a 
certain  age1 and1 as a religious       
ceremony1 consecrated them to some god3 
on attaining the age of manhood1 they   
again let the hair grow4 ,in  ancient   
times at ,athens the hair was rolled up 
in a kind of knot on  the crown of the  
head1 and fastened with golden clasps in
 the shape of  grasshoppers4 ,the       
,athenian females1 also1 wore the hair  
much in the  same fashion4 ,it was      
usually confined in a net-work of silk  
or gold  thread1 or a cap or turban of  
close material1 and1 at times1 by broad 
bands of cloth of different colours     
wound round the head4    ,the ,greek    
philosophers were distinguished by their
 majestic beards1  and ,socrates1 it    
would seem1 pre-eminently so4 ,homer's  

description of  the venerable beards of 
,nestor and ,priam is doubtless familiar
 to most  readers4 ,the ,greeks wore    
their beards till the time of           
,alexander2 and  ,plutarch mentions that
 the beards of the ,macedonian soldiers 
were cut  off to prevent the enemy from 
seizing hold of them in battle4         
,pliny says that the ,romans wore their 
hair long till the year #ded  ,a4,u4,c41
 when ,p4 ,ticinius ,mena first         
introduced a number of barbers from     
,sicily4 ,those bearded ancestors of the
 ,romans1 with their long hair1  came1  
in after times1 to be regarded with no  
little reverence1 as the  true type of  
manly virtue and integrity1 8the fine   
old ,roman  gentleman40 ,at the time of 
the invasion of the ,gauls1 ,livy tells 
us1 as  the soldiers entered ,rome1 they
 were struck with awe and astonishment  
at the noble beards and venerable aspect
 of the old magnates seated at  their   
thresholds2 and1 that a soldier         
venturing1 out of mere curiosity1  but  

to touch the beard of one of them1 the  
affront was resented by  a blow with his
 ivory sceptre1 which was the signal for
 a general  slaughter4    ,the hair was 
usually worn short and crisp till the   
time of ,commodus1  who was particularly
 luxurious in the dressing and          
ornamenting of his  hair1 which was     
powdered with gold4 ,having1 however1 a 
somewhat uneasy  conscience1 he resorted
 to the singular practice of burning off
 the  beard1 8timore tonsoris10 says    
,lampridius4    ,scipio ,africanus first
 set the example of shaving4 ,persons of
 quality  had their children shaved for 
the first time by a person of the same  
or  greater quality1 who1 by this means1
 became godfather or adopted father  of 
the children4 ,the day was observed as  
one of rejoicing1 and the hair  of the  
beard made an offering to some god4 ,the
 beard of ,nero1 we are  told1 was put  
into a golden box adorned with pearls1  
and consecrated  in this way to ,jupiter
 ,capitolinus4 ,hadrian was the first   

emperor  who wore a beard2 ,plutarch    
says he wore it to hide the scars in his
  face4 ,constantine was distinguished  
by the title of 8,pogoniatos20 and  we  
should do injustice to ,julian's beard  
to omit mention of it here4  ,gibbon    
says1 8the ,emperor had been insulted by
 satires and libels2 and1  in his turn1 
composed1 under the title of the        
#8,enemy of the ,beard1'  an ironical   
confession of his own faults1 and a     
severe satire on the  licentious and    
effeminate manners of ,antioch40 ,he    
descants with seeming  complacency on   
his own 8shaggy and populous beard0--a  
phrase  which we may interpret literally
 or not1 as we please4 ,the historian   
adds1 8,this imperial reply was publicly
 exposed before the gates of  the       
palace1 and the ,,misopogon remains a   
singular monument of the  resentment1   
the wit1 the humanity1 and the          
indiscretion of ,julian40  ,probably no 
nation ever patronized the tonsor with  
more assiduity than  ,rome in the       

decadence of the ,empire4 ,the young    
patrician exquisites  of those days     
devoted hours daily to the barber and   
the bath2 and no  lady's train of slaves
 was complete without the ornatrix1     
whose  duty it was to attend the toilet 
of her mistress1 for the special        
purpose of dressing her hair4    ,an    
elegant simplicity at one time          
characterized the head-dress of the     
,roman ladies1 who generally adopted the
 fashion of the ,greeks1 which  usually1
 however1 soon degenerated into         
extravagance and coarseness4  ,they     
piled upon their heads imitations of    
castles and crowns1 cumbrous  wreaths1  
and other absurdities1 and knotted the  
hair with tiresome  minuteness4         
8,with curls on curls they build their  
head before1      ,and mount it with a  
formidable tower3      ,a giantess she  
seems1 but look behind2      ,and then  
she dwindles to the pigmy kind40    ,the
 calamistrum or curling irons1 had a    
busy time of it1 for the  craving after 

novelty was intense1 and any artificial 
arrangement of  the hair welcomed as a  
change4        8,more leaves the forest 
yields not from the trees1        ,than 
there be fashions of attire in view1    
,for each succeeding day brings         
something new40    ,poppea1 ,nero's     
wife1 was so conspicuous for the beauty 
of her hair1  that he composed a poem in
 honour of it4    ,it was the custom of 
the ,romans to let their beard and hair 
grow during  the period of mourning2 as 
we are informed by ,suetonius1 ,augustus
 did  his1 after the terrible ,varian   
catastrophe4 ,the slaves had the hair   
cut close as a mark of servitude4 ,wigs 
and false hair were worn by the         
,romans1 more especially by the females2
 thus ,martial----        8,the golden  
hair which ,galla wears        ,is      
her's--who would have thought it8       
,she swears 'tis hers2 and true she     
swears1        ,for ,i know where she   
bought it60    ,juvenal describes       
,messalina putting on a wig of flaxen   

hair to conceal  her own black locks    
when she left the palace in disguise3   
8,et nigrum flavo crinem abscondente    
galero40    ,among the ,gauls 7,gallia  
comata7 long and flowing hair was       
greatly  esteemed4 ,csar says that he   
always ordered the long hair of the     
conquered races to be shaved off1 in    
submission to the ,roman arms2 and1     
during the decline of the empire1       
whenever a province revolted1 the       
patriot leaders urged the adoption of   
the opposite fashion of wearing  long   
hair1 as a mark of freedom and          
independence4 ,thus the fashion of  the 
hair1 as in later times1 had a political
 significance1 and took  part in        
revolutions and the great struggles for 
social freedom4                         
,,freaks ,,of ,,fashion4                
,,chapter ,,iii4      ,we will now      
conduct the reader1 who has condescended
 to accompany  us thus far1 through the 
succeeding centuries and complete our   
illustrations of the fashion of bygone  

times4    ,csar describes the ,britons  
as having long flowing hair1 and a beard
 on  the upper lip only4 ,a bust in the 
,british ,museum1 one of the ,townley   
marbles1 supposed by some to represent  
,caractacus1 may be taken as a  good    
example of the fashion of hair worn by  
the ,british chieftains4  ,the hair is  
parted along the crown of the head1 and 
disposed on each  side of the face and  
down in the neck in thick bold masses4  
,immense  tangled moustaches1 reaching  
sometimes to the breast1 completed the  
hirsute ornaments of the tattooed       
,briton4 ,strabo says1 in his time the  
inhabitants of the ,scilly ,islands had 
long beards1 like goats4 ,dion  ,cassius
 alludes to the long yellow hair of     
,boadicea flowing over her  shoulders1  
which sufficiently indicates the        
coiffure of that  undaunted heroine4    
,the ,anglo ,saxons considered fine hair
 as the most becoming of personal       
ornaments1 and took every pains to dress
 it to the greatest advantage4          

,aneurin1 the ,welch bard1 says1 the    
warriors wore a profusion of hair1  and 
were as proud of it as the women1       
decking it with beads and  ornaments4   
,it was worn long1 and parted on the    
forehead1 falling  naturally on the     
shoulders2 the beard of ample growth1   
and forked4 ,to  have the hair cut      
entirely off was considered a great     
disgrace--a mode  of punishment         
inflicted upon criminals4 ,adhelm1      
bishop of ,sherbone1  who wrote in the  
eighth century1 describes a maiden as   
having her  locks delicately curled by  
the iron of those adorning her4 ,the    
clergy  were obliged to shave the crowns
 of their heads1 and to keep their  hair
 short to distinguish them from the     
laity4 ,again and again the             
denunciations of the clergy were        
directed against the practice of        
wearing long hair1 but with partial     
results2 the old ,teutonic love of      
flowing locks was too strong to be      
extinguished by the threatenings of  the

 ,church4    ,when the ,gauls were ruled
 by native sovereigns1 none but nobles  
and  priests were allowed to wear long  
beards4 ,a close shaven chin was a  mark
 of servitude4 ,in the days of          
,charlemagne1 kings rivalled each  other
 in the length and majesty of their     
beards4 ,eginhard1 secretary to         
,charlemagne1 describes the old race of 
kings as coming to the ,field of  ,mars 
in a carriage drawn by oxen1 and sitting
 on the throne with their  flowing      
beards and dishevelled locks4 ,so sacred
 a thing was a king's  beard1 that three
 of the hairs enclosed in the seal of a 
letter or  charter were considered the  
most solemn pledge a king could offer4  
,the ,danes1 like the ,anglo ,saxons1   
took great pride in their hair2 and  the
 ,english women1 we are told1 were not a
 little captivated with some  ,danish   
officers1 who especially delighted in   
combing and tending their  hair3 and we 
read of one ,harold with the fair locks1
 whose thick  ringlets reached to his   

girdle4    ,the ,normans1 at the time of
 the ,conquest1 not only shaved the     
upper lip  and the entire face1 but also
 cropped close or shaved the back of the
  head4 ,harold's spies1 unacquainted   
with so singular a custom1 on the       
approach of the ,conqueror's forces1    
reported that his army was composed  of 
priests1 and not soldiers4 ,holinshed   
states that after the ,conquest  the    
,english were ordered to shave their    
beards and round their hair1  after the 
,norman fashion4 ,when ,william returned
 to ,normandy1 he took  with him some   
young ,englishmen1 as hostages3 the     
,french greatly admired  their long     
beautiful curls4 ,the ,normans and      
,flemings1 who accompanied  the         
,conqueror1 were too solicitous about   
their good looks to be long  restricted 
to the stunted growth prescribed by     
military rule4 ,all  classes soon       
indulged in the forbidden luxury1 and1  
as is usually the  case1 the reaction   
was extreme2 so much so1 that ,william  

of ,malmesbury  who makes complaint of  
the cropping of his countrymen in the   
previous  reign1 reprobates the         
immoderate length of the hair in the    
time of  ,rufus4    ,the prevailing sin 
of unshorn locks and curled moustaches  
had long been  a grievous scandal in the
 eyes of the clergy4 ,councils were held
 at  ,limoges1 in #ajca2 by ,gregory    
,,vii4 in #ajgc1 and again at ,rouen in 
#ajie2  on this much discussed          
grievance4 ,anselm1 archbishop of       
,canterbury  refused his benediction to 
those who would not cut their hair4 ,and
  ,serlo1 bishop of ,seez1 when ,henry  
was in ,normandy1 seems to have taken   
the matter literally into his own hands4
 ,observing that the king and  courtiers
 were moved by his zeal and eloquence1  
when preaching against  this extravagant
 profusion of hair1 he pulled out a pair
 of scissors1  and docked the whole     
congregation1 king and all1 on the spot4
 ,a royal  edict to the like effect was 
immediately issued4 ,st4 ,wulstan1      

bishop of  ,worcester1 took a somewhat  
singular method of enforcing his        
commands4  ,when anyone knelt to receive
 his blessing1 he would snip off a lock 
of  their hair1 throwing it in their    
face1 and bidding them to cut off the   
rest1 or perish in perdition4    ,the   
effigies of ,henry and his ,queen       
,matilda1 at ,rochester ,cathedral1     
show the style of hair worn in those    
days4 ,the king is represented with  the
 beard trimmed round1 and hair flowing  
in carefully-twisted ringlets  upon his 
shoulders and down his back4 ,the       
queen's hair descends in two  long      
plaits to the hips1 and terminates in   
small curls4 ,these plaits  were        
sometimes encased in silk1 and bound    
round with ribbon4    ,whatever changes 
were effected by the zeal of the clergy1
 it is certain  that the fops in        
,stephen's reign had not conformed to   
their teachings4  ,historians describe  
their effeminate ringlets3 and when     
these were not  sufficiently ample1     

recourse was had to false hair4    ,in  
,france1 the denunciations of the clergy
 were as little heeded as  in ,england4 
,louis ,,vii41 however1 sacrificed his  
hair to save his  conscience2 he shaved 
himself as close as a monk1 and         
disgusted his  pleasure-loving queen1   
,eleanor of ,guienne1 by his denuded    
aspect and  asceticism4 ,eleanor        
bestowed her favors upon another1 was   
divorced1 and  subsequently gave her    
hand and dower--the fair provinces of   
,guienne and  ,poitou--to ,henry1 duke  
of ,normandy1 afterwards king of        
,england--the  first of the             
,plantaganets4 ,in ,henry's reign the   
old ,norman custom1 of  shaving the     
beard closely1 was revived4    ,during  
the absence of ,richard ,cur de ,lion1  
closely trimmed hair and  shaven faces  
were the fashion2 but1 towards the close
 of this reign1  short beards and       
moustaches reappeared4    ,in king      
,john's reign curled hair was so much   
the fashion1 that the  beaux seldom     

appeared with any covering on their     
head1 that their  flowing locks might be
 everywhere admired4 ,the king himself1 
and the  nobles of his party1 wore beard
 and moustaches1 out of contempt1 it is 
said1 for the discontented barons4 ,his 
effigy in ,worcester ,cathedral  has the
 beard closely trimmed1 and moustaches4 
,curls and a shaven face1 denote the    
gentlemen in the days of ,henry  ,,iii42
 the ladies wear the hair turned up and 
confined in a caul4    ,crispness of the
 hair and beard 7which was curled with  
the nicest  care7 was the favourite     
fashion at the court of ,edward         
,longshanks4 ,his  successor1 as we may 
judge from the effigy at ,gloucester1   
wore the  beard carefully curled1 and   
the hair cut square on the forehead1    
which  hung in wavy ringlets below the  
ears4 ,can it be true that the beard of 
this wretched king suffered the         
indignity we read of in history8 ,did   
,maltravers order the king to be shaven 
with cold water from a dirty  puddle1   

while on a journey near ,carnarvon2 and 
the poor king1        8,fallen1 fallen1 
fallen1 fallen1      ,fallen from his   
high estate10    bursting into tears    
exclaim1 8,here at least is warm water  
on my cheeks1  whether you will or not40
 ,beards at that time were seldom worn  
but by  aged persons1 officers of state1
 and knights templars4    ,edward ,,iii4
 on his tomb at ,westminster1 is figured
 with a noble beard1  which would not   
have disgraced the chin of some old     
,greek in the heroic  ages4    ,in      
,richard the ,second's reign1 we notice 
the hair of the ladies caught  up       
prettily in a gold fret or caul1 the    
hair usually surmounted by some         
ornament in jewelry1 in the form of a   
chaplet1 as described by ,chaucer3      
8,and everich on her head      ,a rich  
fret of golde1 which withouden drede    
,was full of stately net stones set1    
,and every lady had a chapelet40    ,the
 king1 as appears from his effigy1 wore 
flowing curls1 confined  by a narrow    

fillet round the temple2 his beard and  
moustache short1  from which two small  
tufts depended on each side of the chin4
 ,the  8,canterbury ,tales0 furnish     
admirable sketches by a master-hand  in 
illustration of our subject4 ,the       
squire1 8a lover and a lusty  bachelor10
 is pictured 8with locks curl'd as they 
were laid in press20  the franklin had a
 beard        8,white was his beard as  
is the dayesy20    the merchant--       
8,a merchant was there with a forked    
beard20    and the sumpnour1            
8,with sealled browes1 black and pilled 
beard4'      ,the ,pardoner had hair as 
yellow as wax1      ,but smooth it hung1
 as doth a strike of flax2      ,by     
ounces hung his locks that he had1      
,and therewith he his shoulders         
overspread1      ,full thin it lay by   
culpons1 on and on4               99    
99       99       99       99        ,no
 beard had he1 no ever none should have1
      ,as smooth it was as it were newe 
shave40    ,the 8shipman10 we know not  

if he had 8the long gray beard1 and     
glittering eye10 of ,the ,ancient       
,mariner1 but        8,with many a      
tempest had his beard been shaken20     
the miller's beard1                     
8,as any sow or fox1 was red1      ,and 
thereto broad1 as though it were a      
spade20    and the ,reve--        8,the 
,rev was a choleric man1      ,his head 
was shav'd as nigh as ever he can2      
,his hair was by his ears round yshorn2 
,his top was decked like a priest       
beforn40    ,but here we must part      
company with the pilgrims1 and proceed  
on our way4    ,during the reign of     
,henry ,,iv41 there occurred a marked   
change of  fashion2 the hair was now    
closely cropped round the head4 ,the    
king  retained the beard and moustaches2
 but1 his successor1 ,henry ,v41        
discarded them1 and1 in his reign1 even 
military men seldom wore  moustaches1   
and none but old men had beards4 ,a kind
 of horned  head-dress was in favour    
with females1 which ,lydgate1 the monk  

of ,bury1  ridicules3        8,horns    
were given to beasts for defence2       
,a thing contrary to feminity--    but  
8feminity0 heeded not4    ,men's faces  
were all closely shaven in the time of  
,henry ,,vii42 and  certain turban-like 
and heart-shaped head-dresses1 worn by  
females1  were now of such unusual      
width1 that we are told the doors of the
  palace at ,vincennes had to be altered
 to admit the ,queen of ,charles        
,,vii41 ,isabella of ,bavaria1 when in  
full dress4 ,at ,paris1 the horned      
head-dresses were doomed to perish in   
the flames4 ,in #adbi1 a famous         
cordelier1 one ,thomas ,conecte1        
preached in the church of ,st4          
,genevieve1  for nine days in           
succession1 to some thousands of        
auditors1 against the  pomps and        
vanities of this wicked world2 and1 in a
 fit of enthusiasm1  fires were lighted1
 the men flung their dice and cards into
 the  flames1 and the women their       
monstrous head-dresses1 tails1 and other

  articles of finery4 ,a somewhat       
similar head-dress1 however1 survives to
  this day among the peasantry about    
,rouen1 ,caen1 c42 and the steeple      
head-dress of the fifteenth century is  
exactly represented by the  ,cauchoise1 
still worn in ,normandy4    ,again in   
the reign of ,edward ,,iv41 another     
change occurs1 and the hair  is suffered
 to hang in profusion over the ears in  
large thick masses1  called 8side       
locks10 covering the forehead1 and      
drooping over the eyes  in a very       
awkward manner--a fashion which scarcely
 varied during the  remaining years of  
the ,plantaganets4    ,leland1 in his   
description of the pageants at the      
marriage of ,elizabeth  to ,henry       
,,vii41 relates how the ,queen was      
royally apparelled1 8her  fair yellow   
hair hanging down plain behind her back1
 with a caul 7or  net-work7 of pipes    
over it1 and a circlet of gold1 richly  
garnished  with precious stones1 upon   
her head40 ,to wear the hair at full    

length  on the shoulders was the        
approved fashion for a bride--,anne     
,boleyn  was so attired at her          
nuptials--and the fashion was very      
generally  followed by unmarried        
females4 ,the men vied with the fair sex
 in the  length of their flowing curls1 
and the dandies1 especially1 loaded     
their shoulders with a rich profusion4  
,louis ,,xii4 of ,france had a very     
magnificent chevelure1 till disease     
compelled him to take refuge  in a wig4 
,it is almost as needless to say ought  
of 8bluff king ,hal10 as to  describe   
the current coin of the realm4 ,he is a 
sort of ,blue ,beard1  and the tragical 
story of his wives is known to          
everybody4 ,he it was1  who1 in his     
royal will and pleasure1 issued a       
peremptory order that the  heads of his 
attendants and courtiers should be      
polled4 ,we may be sure  that short     
crops were soon in fashion4 ,the        
,venetian ambassador at the  ,english   
court writes1 that when ,henry heard    

that the king of ,france  wore a beard1 
he allowed his1 also1 to grow1 which1   
being somewhat red1  had the appearance 
of golden hair4 ,henry was then about   
twenty-nine  years of age4    ,francis  
the ,first1 who was wounded in a        
tournament1 had to submit to  the loss  
of his locks2 so the pliant courtiers   
parted with theirs1  which set the      
fashion of cropping the hair very close4
    ,we have seen how bishops1 in olden 
time1 laid violent hands on their       
flocks1 and imposed penalties on the    
laity1 for too successfully  cultivating
 their curls4 ,but the sight of a bishop
 in danger of being  shaved by his      
colleagues is a curiosity4 ,we give the 
story as we find  it in ,southey's      
8,omniana30 8,guillaume ,duprat1 bishop 
of ,clermont1  who assisted at the      
council of ,trent1 and built the college
 of the  ,jesuits at ,paris1 had the    
finest beard that ever was seen4 ,it was
 too  fine a beard for a bishop2 and the
 canons of his cathedral1 in full       

chapter assembled1 came to the barbarous
 resolution of shaving him4             
,accordingly1 when next he came to the  
choir1 the dean1 the prevot1  and the   
chantre approached with scissors and    
razors1 soap1 basin1  and warm water4   
,he took to his heels at the sight1 and 
escaped to his  castle of ,beauregard1  
about two leagues from ,clermont1 where 
he fell  sick1 from vexation1 and died40
    ,hastening onward1 we come to the   
days of good ,queen ,bess--and foremost 
is the figure of the queen herself--    
8,the cynosure of neighbouring eyes40   
,this was an age ever memorable for the 
choicest wits1 and1 we need  not scruple
 to add1 ,,beards4 ,these were of every 
variety of cut1 size1  and colour2 and  
certain professions were distinguished  
by particular  beards4 ,the cathedral   
beard1 long and square-trimmed1 which   
fell upon  the breast1 was worn by      
divines of the ,english church2 the     
broad  spade-beards and steeletto beards
 by soldiers3 the former in favour  with

 the ,earl of ,essex1 the latter with   
,lord ,southampton4 ,there were1        
likewise1 hammer-shaped beards1 like the
 ,roman ,t1 similar to the  formidable  
beard of the present ,emperor of        
,france2 the pique devant1  forked1     
needle1 and tile-shaped beard2 and      
round1 trimmed beards1 8like  a glover's
 paring-knife40    ,taylor1 the         
,water-,poet1 who had a curious         
cork-screw beard of his own1  in his    
8,whip for ,pride10 thus flagellates the
 whole race3        ,now a few lines to 
paper ,i will put1      ,of men's beards
 strange and variable cut2      ,in     
which there's some do take as vain a    
pride      ,as almost in all other      
things beside4      ,some are reaped    
most substantial as a brush1      ,which
 make a natural wit known by the bush4  
,some seem as they were starched stiff  
and fine1      ,like to the bristles of 
some hungry swine2      ,and some 7to   
set their love's desire on edge7        
,are cut and pruned like a quick-set    

hedge4      ,some like a spade1 some    
like a fork1 some square1      ,some    
round1 some mowed like stubble1 some    
stark bare2      ,some sharp            
stiletto-fashion1 dagger-like1          
,that may1 with whispering1 a man's eye 
out pike2      ,some with the hammer    
cut1 or ,roman ,t1      ,their beards   
extravagant reformed must be2      ,some
 with the quadrate1 some triangle       
fashion1      ,some circular1 some oval 
in translation1      ,some perpendicular
 in longitude1      ,some like a thicket
 for their crassitude2      ,that       
heights1 depths1 breadths1 triform1     
square1 round1      ,and rules          
geometrical1 in beards are found2       
,besides the upper lip's strange        
variation1      ,corrected from mutation
 to mutation2      ,as 'twere from      
tithing unto tithing sent1      ,pride  
gives ,pride continual punishment4      
,some 7spite their teeth7 like thatch'd 
eaves downward grows1      ,and some    
grow upwards in despite their nose4     

,some their mustachios of such length do
 keep1      ,that very well they may a  
manger sweep6      ,which in beer1 ale1 
or wine1 they drinking plunge1      ,and
 suck the liquor up as 'twere a sponge2 
,but 'tis a sloven's beastly ,pride1 ,i 
think1      ,to wash his beard when     
other men may drink4      ,and some     
7because they will not rob the cup7     
,their upper chaps like pot-hooks are   
turned up4      ,the ,barbers1 thus1    
7like ,tailors7 still must be           
,acquainted with each cuts variety4     
,the word beard1 in former times1 was   
understood to comprehend what  we now   
distinguish as beard1 whiskers and      
moustaches4 ,the colour of  the beard   
was considered of much importance1 and  
dyed1 when needful1  of the desired hue4
 ,bottom1 who was to act the part of    
,pyramus1 8a  most gentleman-like man10 
says1 8,i will discharge it in either   
your  straw-coloured beard1 your        
orange-tawny beard1 your purple-in-grain
  beard1 or your ,french-crown-colour   

beard1 your perfect yellow10 nor  must  
we omit the most venerable of all1 8a   
sable silvered40 ,there was1  also1 the 
yellow1 or ,cain-coloured beard2 and the
 red1 or ,judas-beard1  formerly        
supposed to indicate a treacherous      
nature4    ,beards of very noble        
proportions were worn at the era of the 
,reformation4 ,we may instance ,calvin1 
,beza1 ,peter ,martyr1 ,fox1 ,cranmer1  
and ,john ,knox1 whose beard reached to 
his girdle4 ,possibly this length  of   
beard was encouraged as much out of     
opposition to the ,romish church1  as   
from any real reverence for so          
patriarchal a fashion4 ,sully's  or     
,lord ,burleigh's beard may be taken as 
the finest growth to which  statesmen   
have attained4 ,the poets ,spencer1     
,shakspere1 and ,beaumont1  present fine
 patterns for their tuneful brethren2   
and scholars1 if  they despair of       
acquiring the erudition of a ,scaliger1 
a ,buchanan1  or a ,buxtorf1 may        
resemble these old worthies in their    

plenitude of  beard4 ,every painter is  
familiar with glorious old ,titian's    
beard1 with  ,reuben's and ,vandyke's4  
,and looking back through the vistas of 
past ages1 the monarchs of  the         
intellectual world are1 for the most    
part1 distinguishable by  their handsome
 beards4 ,henry the ,fourth1 of ,france1
 could boast of a  splendid beard2 but  
his successor1 ,louis ,,xiii41 was      
without1 and the  pliant courtiers1 in  
deference to the smooth face of royalty1
 gave up  wearing beards4 ,sully1       
however1 retained his1 much to the      
amusement  of some jesting spirits about
 the court4 ,the old man1 indignant at  
such treatment1 observed to the king1   
8,sire1 your father1 of glorious        
memory1 when he wished to consult me on 
state affairs1 bade the fools  and      
jesters leave his presence40    ,sir    
,thomas ,more's beard but narrowly      
escaped the stroke of the axe  which    
ended the career of that illustrious    
man4 ,the story is told thus3  ,sir     

,thomas ,more at his execution1 having  
laid his head upon the block1  and      
perceiving that his beard was extended  
in such a manner that it  would be cut  
through by the stroke of the            
executioner1 asked him to  adjust it    
properly upon the block2 and when the   
executioner told him he  need not       
trouble himself about his beard1 when   
his head was about to  be cut off1 8,it 
is of little consequence to me10 said   
,sir ,thomas1 8but  it is a matter of   
some importance to you that you should  
understand  your profession1 and not cut
 through my beard1 when you had orders  
only  to cut off my head40    ,ulmus of 
,padua wrote a folio volume on the      
,beard1 as he well might1 if  the length
 of his discourse were proportioned to  
the noble beards it  was his privilege  
to illustrate1 and the dignity and      
gravity of the  subject he had to       
discuss4 ,hotoman wrote a 8,treatise10  
and ,pierius  ,valerianus an 8,eulogium0
 on beards4 ,those of ,italy and ,spain 

alone  are worthy of a separate         
treatise4 ,many an ,arab would rather   
lose his  head than part with his       
beard--it is part of his religion to    
honour  it2 he swears by his beard3 and 
,mahommed1 we are told1 never cut his4  
,in ,spain1 in old times1 it was held in
 like reverence3 an insult to  the beard
 could only be wiped out with blood4    
,the seated corpse of the  ,cid--so runs
 the story--knocked down a ,jew who     
dared to offend against  its majesty by 
touching but a hair of the beard4 ,it   
was reserved for  the pencil of         
,velasquez to give immortality to the   
martial beards of  ,spain1 which        
flourished proudly1 and grew fiercely1  
amid the strife  and smoke of battles4  
,the decline and fall of the ,spanish   
beard is  attributed to ,philip ,v4 and 
his courtiers1 in whose reign it was    
abolished4 ,many a brave ,spaniard felt 
the privation keenly2 and it  became a  
common saying1 8,since we have lost our 
beards1 we seem to have  lost our       

souls40    ,the ,longobardi1 or         
,lombards1 have made themselves a place 
in history2  and stubborn enough they   
proved at times1 as ,frederic ,i41 the  
renowned  old ,barbarossa1 found to his 
cost4 ,and was there not the terrible   
,blue ,beard--that incarnation of       
villainy and bloodthirstiness of  our   
childhood4 ,who has forgotten the beards
 of the ,persian kings1  interwoven with
 gold2 or the long white beard of the   
old ,laconian  mentioned by ,plutarch1  
who being asked why he let it grow so   
long1  replied1 8,it is that seeing     
continually my white beard1 ,i may do   
nothing unworthy of its whiteness80     
,fuller1 however1 says1 8,beard was     
never the true standard of brains20 nor 
of valour either1 if we may  trust      
,bassanio3        8,how many cowards1   
whose hearts are all as false      ,as  
stairs of sand1 wear yet upon their     
chins      ,the beards of ,hercules and 
frowning ,mars2      ,who inward        
search'd1 have livers white as milk2    

,and these assume but valour's          
excrement1      ,to render them         
redoubted40    ,there seems1 at all     
times to have been a sinister protest1  
in some  quarter or other1 against the  
presumed arrogance of the beard--a      
lurking spirit of revolt1 engendered    
possibly of envy1 against the  supremacy
 of its reign4 ,even the                
would-be-philosopher of old did not  go 
unchallenged1 as we may guess from the  
sharp rebuke administered  in the       
memorable words1 8,video barbam et      
palliam2 philosophum nondum  video40    
,and1 indeed1 if the truth must be      
spoken1 there are faces to  which it    
lends no dignity4 ,a mean and           
contemptible nature1 hid behind a       
potent beard1 is a miserable disguise4  
,the affectations of a gentleman  are   
but trifles4 ,raleigh wore stays1 and   
was a great dandy2 but he  was something
 more--an elegant poet1 an accomplished 
gentleman1 and a  gallant soldier4 ,but 
the abuse of a good thing is no argument

 for its  disuse4 ,we grieve to think of
 the degradation of this manly ornament1
  and put no faith in                   
8those ambiguous things that ape        
,goats in their visage1 women in their  
shape20    and would fain hope that a   
return to the 8flat faces10        8such
 as would disgrace a screen10    is next
 to impossible4        8,now1 a beard is
 a thing which commands in a king1      
,be his sceptre ne'er so fair2          
,when the beard wears the sway1 the     
people obey1        ,and are subject to 
a hair4        8',tis a princely sight  
and a grave delight        ,that adorns 
both young and old2      ,a well        
thatch'd face is a comely grace1        
,and a shelter from the cold40    ,even 
our playing cards look the better for   
the beards2 how richly are  the kings   
furnished--what a winning aspect it     
gives them4        8,behold four kings1 
in majesty revered1      ,with hoary    
whiskers and a forked beard40    ,when  
the lively ,beatrice exclaims1 8,i could

 not endure a husband with  a beard on  
his face10 and is reminded she may light
 on one without1  the alternative seems 
by no means pleasing2 for she replies1  
8,what  shall ,i do with him8 dress him 
with my apparel1 and make him my        
waiting gentleman8 ,he that hath a beard
 is more than a youth1 and he  that hath
 none is less than a man40 ,and we take 
it1 though the lady  tells us she was   
born to speak 8all mirth1 no matter0 she
 has given  expression to the opinion of
 her own sex very naively4 ,it was one  
of  those consistent contradictions so  
in character with the delightful        
absurdities of lovers1 for some sighing 
swains to part with 8the old  ornament  
of their cheeks20 some say1 to give a   
more youthful appearance  to those who  
stood in need of it2 and adopted by     
others from the  merciful consideration 
which swayed the heart of ,bottom1 when 
he  resolved 8to roar like a sucking    
dove10 not to 8fright the ladies40      
,when the repentant ,benedick turned    

lover1 his beard was fated to stuff     
tennis-balls4 ,to pluck a hair from the 
beard of the great ,cham1 at the        
bidding of some fair inamorata1 was     
obviously an easy and agreeable  duty to
 the knights of old romance4 ,but what  
shall we say to those  giants' coats    
8,made from the beards of kings40       
,once upon a time1 by the exigencies of 
war1 ,john de ,castro was  compelled to 
leave one of his whiskers in pledge with
 the inhabitants  of ,goa1 as security  
for a thousand pistoles1 which he needed
 to  carry on the siege4 ,a general's   
whiskers valued at #b1jjj pistoles6     
,everything1 in short1 has its use1     
,a barbe de fol apprend-on  raire4      
,in ,elizabeth's reign periwigs made    
their appearance1 and were worn very    
generally by ladies of rank4 ,paul      
,hentzner1 writing of the queen1 then   
in her sixty-seventh year1 says she wore
 false hair1 and that red1 with  a small
 crown on her head4 ,false hair of      
different colours was worn on  different

 occasions by the same person3 sometimes
 the queen appeared in  black hair4     
,mary ,queen of ,scots had black hair2  
but in some of her portraits she is     
represented with light hair1 and1 in    
accordance with the fashion of her  day1
 she frequently wore borrowed locks of  
different colours4 ,knollys1  in a      
letter to ,cecil1 makes mention of one  
8,mistress ,mary ,seaton1  greatly      
praised by the queen1 and one of the    
finest buskers  to be seen in any       
country4 ,among other pretty devices1   
she did set a  curled hair upon the     
queen that was said to be a perewyke1   
that  showed very delicately2 and every 
other day she hath a new device of      
head-dressing without any cost1 and yet 
setteth forth a woman gayly  well40     
,hair-powder first came into fashion in 
#aeij4    ,puttenham1 in his 8,art of   
,poesie10 says1 8,now again at this time
 the  young gentlemen of the court have 
taken up the long haire  trayling on    
their shoulders1 and think this more    

decent1 for what  respect ,i should be  
glad to know40 ,curling the points of   
their beards  and moustaches was a      
favourite style with the young men of   
fashion4 ,the  ladies wore the hair     
curled1 frizzled1 and crisped1 and      
underpropped  with pins and wires1 and  
so tortured into the most fantastic     
shapes3 we  read1 also1 of cauls of hair
 set with seed-pearls and gold buttons4 
,in the days of our ,british ,solomon   
there were first-rate coxcombs and      
exquisites2 and some so solicitous about
 the beauty of the outward  man1 that1  
when they walked abroad1 they carried a 
looking-glass 8in a  tobacco box or dial
 set40 ,towards the close of this reign1
 the hair  of females was combed back in
 a roll over the forehead1 and on this a
  small hood4    ,in ,france1 when      
,louis ,,xiii4 came to the throne1 he   
was too young to  have a beard4 ,for a  
time the beard was unfashionable2 but   
whiskers were  much in favour with      
gallants1 and thought to be greatly     

admired by  their lady-loves4    ,the   
peaked beard of ,charles ,i41 so well   
known from the portraits by  ,vandyke1  
introduces us to the troubled times of  
the ,cavaliers and  ,roundheads4 ,the   
aversion of the latter to the flowing   
curls of the  ,royalists was extreme1   
and led to the adoption of the          
,puritanical crop1  which1 as a mere    
negation and opposed to every principle 
of beauty1  was doomed in turn to be    
discarded with ineffable contempt4 ,one 
would  wish to speak with all respect of
 the stout ironsides who fought at      
,marston ,moor and ,naseby2 but the     
silly crusade1 encouraged by some  of   
the meaner sort against the beautiful   
creations of art1 has done  more to     
estrange men's minds from the noble     
principles they upheld  with their      
swords1 than the united acclaim of their
 preachers could  effect in their       
behalf4 ,the 8love-locks0 of the court  
gallants  were especially hateful to the
 ,puritans4 ,sometimes a single lock of 

hair1 tied at the end with silk ribbon  
in bows1 was allowed to fall  on the    
chest2 others wore two such love-locks1 
one on each side of  the head1 which1 at
 times1 reached to the waist4 ,prynne   
wrote a book  expressly against them1 on
 8,the ,unloveliness of ,love-locks20   
and in  #afdc appeared ,dr4 ,hall's     
tract 8,on the ,loathsomeness of ,long  
,hair10  wherein he complained that     
8some have long lockes at their eares1  
as if  they had four eares1 or were     
prick-eared2 some have a little long    
locke  onely before1 hanging down to    
their noses1 like the taile of a        
weasall2  every man being made a foole  
at the barber's pleasure1 or making a   
foole of the barber for having to make  
him such a foole40 ,and in ,lyly's  play
 of ,midas1 it is asked1 8,will you have
 a low curl on your head1  like a ball1 
or dangling locks1 like a spaniel8 ,your
 moustachioes sharp  at the ends1 like a
 shoemaker's awl1 or hanging down to    
your mouth1  like goats' flakes8 ,your  

love-locks wreathed with a silken twist1
 or  shaggy to fall on your shoulders80 
,the reader cannot have failed to remark
 how these love-locks and  periwigs     
facilitated the disguise of one sex for 
the other1 so often  assumed by         
characters in old plays1 and on which   
the chief interest  or plot of a piece  
frequently turned4 ,thus1 when ,julia1  
in 8,the ,two  ,gentlemen of ,verona10  
desires her maid1 ,lucetta1 to provide  
her with  8such weeds as may beseem some
 well-reputed page40 ,lucetta answers1  
8,why1 then1 your ladyship must cut your
 hair40        ,,julia4--,no1 girl2     
,i'll knit it up in silken strings1     
,with twenty odd conceited true-love    
knots3              ,to be fantastic1   
may become a youth              ,of     
greater time than ,i shall show to be4  
,a periwig favored the escape of the    
,duke of ,york1 afterwards ,james       
,,ii41 from ,st4 ,james's ,palace in    
#afdh1 who luckily 8shifted into        
gentlewoman's clothes10 got on board a  

,dutch vessel below ,gravesend1  and    
landed safely in ,holland4 ,the hostess 
at ,middleburgh1 where the  prince slept
 by the way1 wondered much that 8the    
young gentlewoman  would not let the    
maids help her to bed40    ,as a        
companion picture to the love locks of  
the gentlemen1 the ladies  adorned      
themselves with artificial ringlets1    
cunningly inserted amid  the true2 and  
heart-breakers 7accroche-cur71 arranged 
with  studied and most killing aim4 ,the
 female coiffure of the ,stuart period  
has always been much admired1 with its  
soft clustering curls and               
semi-transparence1 the effect of a      
peculiar friz4 ,some of the portraits   
of that era1 the hair arranged with true
 feminine taste1 gracefully  shadowing a
 complexion of the utmost delicacy1 are 
studies of female  loveliness1 which1   
once seen1 are not easily forgotten4    
,some years ago1 the body of ,charles   
the first was discovered at  ,windsor1  
and it is said the late ,sir ,henry     

,halford and ,george ,,iv4 were  the    
only persons to whom it was shown4 ,sir 
,henry cut off a lock of the  king's    
hair1 and made ,sir ,walter ,scott a    
present of a part1 which he  had set in 
virgin gold1 the word 8,remember0       
surrounding it in highly  relieved      
letters4    ,whiskers were still in     
fashion at the ,french court4 ,the king1
 ,turenne1  ,corneille1 ,moliere1 and   
the chief men of note were proud to wear
 them4  8,it was then10 says a grave    
encyclopedist1 8no uncommon thing for a 
favourite lover to have his whiskers    
turned up1 combed1 and dressed  by his  
mistress2 and hence a man of fashion    
took care always to be  provided with   
every little requisite1 especially      
whisker-wax4 ,it was  highly flattering 
to a lady to have it in her power to    
praise the  beauty of the lover's       
whiskers1 which1 far from being         
disgusting1  gave his person an air of  
vivacity1 and several even thought them 
an  incitement to love40 ,what would our

 gallant ,drake have thought of  this   
effeminacy1 who1 after he had burned    
,philip's fleet at ,cadiz1 in  sailor's 
phrase called it 8singeing the king of  
,spain's whiskers40    ,the ,roundheads 
were mercilessly ridiculed in ballads1  
and pelted  with poetry in every style  
of doggerel1 till finally gibetted for  
the amusement of posterity by the author
 of ,hudibras4 ,the nick-name  of       
,roundheads1 we are told1 arose from    
their putting a round bowl or  wooden   
dish upon their heads1 and cutting their
 hair by the edges or  brim of the bowl4
 ,the bowl may1 or may not1 have been in
 use for this  purpose1 but nothing     
could exceed the ugliness of the        
,puritan crop4        8,what creature's 
this1 with his short hairs1      ,his   
little band1 and huge long ears1        
,that a new faith has founded80    ,even
 such brave and noble-minded adherents  
as ,colonel ,hutchinson could  not      
escape the censure of their own party   
for not conforming in all  respects to  

the vulgar notions of orthodoxy4 ,his   
long and beautiful  hair was looked upon
 with suspicion as betraying a certain  
lukewarmness  in their cause4 ,the      
,puritans even forbade the women to wear
 braided  hair4 ,and some of them1 more 
zealous than the rest1 made a vow not to
  trim their beards till the parliament 
had subdued the king1 as did ,sir       
,hudibras4                    ',twas to 
stand fast      ,as long as monarchy    
should last2      ,but when the state   
should hap to reel      ',twas to submit
 to fatal steel4    ,these vow-beards   
were also worn by some staunch old      
,jacobites1 to mark  their love for the 
house of ,stuart1 who hoped to see the  
king recalled  to the throne4 ,the beard
 of ,sir ,hudibras has acquired a sort  
of  historical importance1 and1 to do it
 justice1 must be pictured at full      
length3        8,his tawny beard was th'
 equal grace      ,both of his wisdom   
and his face2      ,in cut and die so   
like a tile1      ,a sudden view it     

would beguile2      ,the upper part     
whereof was whey1      ,the nether      
orange mix'd with grey4      ,this hairy
 meteor did denounce      ,the fall of  
sceptres and of crowns2      ,with      
grisly type did represent               
,declining age of government1      ,and 
tell1 with hieroglyphic spade1      ,its
 own grave and the state's were made4   
,like ,samson's heart-breakers it grew1 
,in time to make a nation rue2          
,though it contributed its own fall     
,to wait upon the public downfall40     
,what befel this tawny beard we learn   
from the same faithful narrative  of the
 knight's adventures3                   
8,at that an egg let fly1      ,hit him 
directly o'er the eye1      ,and1       
running down his cheek1 besmear'd       
,with orange tawny slime his beard2     
,but beard and slime being of one hue1  
,the wound the less appear'd to view40  
,in this terrible plight he is visited  
by the widow1 one of ,job's  comforters1
 who begins her discourse with a        

commentary on beards1 which  must be our
 apology for inserting it here3         
8,if he that is in battle conquer'd     
,have any title to his own beard1       
,though yours be sorely lugg'd and torn1
      ,it does your visage more adorn   
,than if 'twere prun'd1 and starch'd1   
and lander'd1      ,and cut square by   
the ,russian standard40    ,butler has  
left us a portrait of ,philip ,nye's    
,thanksgiving ,beard1 which  must not be
 passed by unnoticed3        8,this     
rev'rend brother1 like a goat1      ,did
 wear a tail upon his throat1      ,the 
fringe and tassel of a face1      ,that 
gives it a becoming grace2      ,but set
 in such a curious frame1      ,as if   
'twere wrought in filograin1      ,and  
cut so e'en1 as if't had been           
,drawn with a pen upon his chin3        
,no topiary hedge of quickset1      ,was
 e'er so neatly cut1 or thick-set40     
,it has been seriously asserted that    
paste-board cases were invented to  put 
over these beards at night1 lest their  

owners should turn upon and  rumple them
 in their sleep4 ,the ,puritans carried 
their hatred of long  hair with them to 
their new homes across the ,atlantic4   
,in a code of  laws which they          
published1 among other curious          
regulations it is set  forth1 8that it  
is a shameful practice for any man who  
has the least  care for his soul to wear
 long hair4 ,as this abomination excites
 the  indignation of all pious persons1 
we1 the magistrates1 in our zeal  for   
the purity of the faith1 do expressly   
and authentically declare1  that we     
condemn the impious custom of letting   
the hair grow--a custom  which we look  
upon to be very indecent and dishonest1 
which terribly  disguises men1 and is   
offensive to modest and sober persons1  
inasmuch  as it corrupts good manners10 
with much more to the like effect1 in a 
strain of dreary verbiage and           
exhortation4 ,long hair1 according to a 
,puritan poet1 was nothing else than the
 banner of ,satan displayed in  triumph 

from a man's head4    ,milton's         
beautiful hair1 falling upon his        
shoulders in broad masses of  clustering
 curls1 and setting off features of rare
 beauty1 is deserving  of special       
honour4 ,it is a question whether those 
sacred hairs were  sacrilegiously       
handled by certain ruffianly overseers  
in #agij1 during  some repairs to the   
church of ,st4 ,giles1 ,cripplegate4 ,if
 the body then  exhumed1 and presumed to
 be ,milton's1 were in reality the      
earthly  remains of our great poet1     
these 8sapient1 trouble-tombs10 after a 
carouse1 7how wonderfully a parish feast
 smooths the way to some dirty  job1 so 
easily reconciled to the parochial      
mind71 8cutting open the  leaden coffin1
 found a body in its shroud1 and1       
believing it to be that  of the poet1   
they extracted the teeth1 cut off the   
hair1 which was six  inches long1 and   
combed and tied together1 and then left 
the scattered  remains to the grave     
diggers1 who were permitted to exhibit  

them for  money to the public4 ,mr4     
,philip ,neve1 of ,furnival's ,inn1 who 
published  an account of the            
transaction1 was strongly convinced that
 the body was  that of ,milton1 although
 the hair and other circumstances       
favoured the  opinion that it was the   
body of a woman40 ,was anything more    
disgusting  ever perpetrated in the days
        8,when ,bradshaw bullied in a   
broad-brimmed hat10    or since8    ,the
 ,restoration of ,charles ,,ii4 ushered 
in ,,the ,,age ,,of ,,great ,,wigs--a   
subject of too much importance to be    
summarily disposed of1 and which  we    
purposely reserve for the next chapter4 
,,wigs4                                 
,,chapter ,,iv      ,the introduction of
 the ample perriwig has always been     
regarded as  the most ambitious effort  
of tonsorial art4 ,and as it rarely     
happens  that any one mind is capable of
 perfecting a discovery by a single     
effort2 so the honour of conceiving the 
beau ideal of a fully-developed  wig can

 scarcely1 with justice1 be claimed by  
any particular artist4  ,like the       
,absolutism1 of which it may be regarded
 as the symbol1 it  was the growth of   
time1 and expanded to its fullest       
dimensions under  the favouring rule of 
the ,grand ,monarque4 ,during that long 
reign1  extending over the greater part 
of a century1 the ,wig sat supreme upon 
the brows of one of the great ,princes  
of the ,earth1 at whose nod the  nations
 trembled2 whose wrath was fire and     
desolation1 as the ruined  towns of the 
,palatinate may still bear witness 7,rex
 dixit1 et factum  est72 whose ambition 
was fed with war and conquest2 but whose
 heart  was all as false as the smooth  
curls which counterfeited the graces of 
perpetual youth4    ,the true           
morphological development of the wig    
appears to have been  after this        
fashion4 ,first of all a small portion  
of artificial hair  was cunningly       
inserted among the natural curls1 to eke
 out the economy  of ,nature2 this      

suggested the idea of two supplementary 
bunches2  then a third was added2 these 
in turn were connected by a coif1 and   
the result was the perruque  calotte4   
,it is recorded of the  ,cardinal de    
,richelieu that he was the first to     
introduce this form of  peruke at court4
 ,it formed part of the attire of the   
,duke of ,bedford1  so whimsically      
described by ,de ,grammont to ,charles  
,,ii4 8,sir10 said he1  8,i had the     
honour to see him embark in his coach1  
with his asthma1 and  country equipage1 
his perruque  calotte neatly tied with a
  yellow riband1 and his old-fashioned  
hat covered with oil-skin1 which  became
 him uncommonly well40 ,the first       
appearance of ,louis ,quatorze in  his  
grand peruke is not duly set forth with 
historic accuracy2 but the  important   
part it played in the daily routine of  
court etiquette is  well known4 ,the    
chief valet slept in the king's         
apartment and called  him at the        
appointed hour4 ,then it was announced  

in the ante-chamber  that the king was  
awake4 ,in came the members of the royal
 family  to wish him 8good morning20    
after them1 the first gentleman of the  
chamber1 the grand master of the        
wardrobe and other officers bringing    
the king's dresses4 ,from a silver gilt 
vessel the valet pours spirits  of wine 
on the royal hands1 and a duke presents 
the holy water4 ,after  a very short    
religious service1 the king's perruques 
are laid before  him1 and choice is made
 of one most pleasing to his majesty1   
which  is subsequently elevated to the  
head by the king's own hand4 ,other     
ceremonies disposed of1 the king must be
 shaved3 one holds the basin1  another  
adjusts the shaving-cloth and applies   
the razor2 a soft sponge  dipped in     
spirit of wine is passed over the royal 
face1 and afterwards  pure water in the 
same manner1 which completes the        
operation1 the chief  valet all the time
 holding the looking-glass4 ,at all the 
mysteries of  la premire entre1 the     

grand entre1 and the dressing  of the   
king by the courtiers1 the ceremony of  
the breakfast1 and the  state           
receptions1 the peruke is present4 ,but 
before proceeding to the  council1 the  
chief valet furnishes another wig for   
the king's pate3 it  goes to mass with  
him1 attends him at dinner1 accompanies 
him to the  abode of ,madame de         
,maintenon and elsewhere2 comes home in 
good time1  and is present at the supper
 au grand couvert3 then bows to the     
ladies and courtiers in the grand       
saloon1 and returns with the king for  a
 while to his own apartments to witness 
the felicities of a king in  private    
life4 ,about midnight again all is      
bustle and preparation2 the  chief      
barber arranges the dressing table in   
the king's chamber2 a cold  collation is
 put by the bedside1 ready to the king's
 lips1 should he  wake with an appetite 
in the night2 the courtiers are         
assembled1 and  the king enters4 ,he    
hands his hat and gloves to some        

favoured nobleman  who is present to    
receive them1 the sword by knightly     
hands is carried  to the dressing-table1
 the almoner holds the wax lights and   
repeats  the prayer1 the watch and      
reliquary are given in charge to a valet
 de  chambre1 blue ribbon1 cravat and   
waistcoat are dispensed with1 two       
lacqueys remove the garters1 two more   
are required to draw off the  stockings1
 two pages present slippers1 and the    
,dauphin the chemise  de nuit2 the king 
bows1 the courtiers retire1 and the     
grand  coucher is finished4 ,now the    
hair has to be combed and arranged2  one
 valet holds the looking-glass and the  
other a light2 the bed is  aired1 and   
the ,wig goes to bed with the king2 the 
chief valet draws  the curtains1 and1   
within the secret recesses of that      
impenetrable  shade1 the perriwig is    
exchanged for a nightcap1 and the royal 
hand of  ,louis presenting it outside   
the curtains1 it is consigned to the    
care  of its trusty guardian1 the chief 

valet1 who then locks the doors1 and    
lays down on a bed prepared for him in  
the same chamber4 ,good night1          
,monsieur ,bontemps4--,what if some of  
these wonderful wigs could publish      
their 8,secret ,memoirs10 what a        
treasury of scandal it would disclose   
for the gratification of the pickers-up 
of 8unconsidered trifles60    ,binette  
was the great perruquier of that        
,augustan age4 ,without his aid  neither
 king nor courtiers could go forth in   
becoming fashion4 ,his  carriage and    
running footmen were constantly to be   
seen passing to  and fro the streets of 
,paris1 in attendance on the nobility4  
,in #afef1  ,louis le ,grand appointed  
forty wig-makers to wait upon the       
,court1 and  in #afgc a corporation of  
,barbiers-perruquiers1 consisting of    
#bjj members1 was established to supply 
the commonalty of ,paris4 ,at  one time 
the minister ,colbert1 judging from the 
large sum of money  remitted from       
,france to foreign countries for hair1  

that the balance  of trade was against  
his own country1 was desirous of        
introducing some  kind of cap to take   
the place of the wig1 and spoke to the  
king on the  subject2 but the wig-makers
 took the alarm1 memorialized the king1 
and  showed from statistics that the    
profit on wigs exported from ,paris more
  than equalled the sum paid to         
foreigners for the material2 so that    
,colbert's project was laid aside1 and  
wigs and wig-makers flourished  more    
than ever4 ,the number of licenses was  
now increased to #hej1 and  the members 
known under the title of                
barbiers-perruquiers1                   
baigneurs-etuvistes4 ,the corporation   
had its provost1 wardens1  and syndics1 
which were appointed by letters patent1 
and the offices  were hereditary4 ,the  
king bestowed on this corporation the   
sole right  of dealing in hair1 either  
by wholesale or retail2 of making and   
selling powder or pomatum2 preparations 
to remove the hair2 drops  for the cure 

of toothache1 c4 ,the use of powder was 
not at first  sanctioned by the monarch1
 but at last he yielded to the wishes of
 his  courtiers1 and permitted a        
trifling quantity to be sprinkled on his
  own perukes4 ,not only was the wig a  
thing of magnitude1 it possessed  also  
considerable weight2 a stylish wig      
weighed rather more than a  couple of   
pounds1 and was worth1 according to the 
best authorities1 a  thousand crowns4   
,light hair was most esteemed1 and      
fetched at times  as much as eighty     
francs the ounce4 ,to prevent           
imposition1 it was  ordered that no     
second-hand wigs should be sold1 except 
by certain  dealers on the ,quai de     
l',horloge4 ,when these costly wigs were
  first introduced the wearers appeared 
in the streets1 in all sorts of         
weather1 with their hats in their hands1
 so anxious were they not to  disarrange
 their well-ordered curls4 ,menage has  
preserved a poem of  that period which  
ridicules the custom1 and concludes     

thus3        8,critics1 how narrow are  
your views1      ,who thus the prudent  
youth abuse6      ,by a just value he is
 led      ,both of his wig and of his   
head2      ,the one he knows was dearly 
bought1      ,the other would not fetch 
a groat40    ,bernini1 the sculptor1    
once ventured to arrange the monarch's  
curls in  accordance with his own       
notions of classic dignity4 ,he had been
 sent  for1 from ,rome1 at great        
expense1 to superintend some additions  
to the  ,louvre1 and was engaged on a   
bust of ,louis1 when perceiving that the
  king's forehead was too much          
over-shadowed with curls1 he thrust them
  back1 saying to the king1 8,your      
,majesty's face should be seen by every 
one40 ,this originated the frisure  la  
,bernin4    ,combing these elaborate    
curls was the envied occupation of the  
beaux4 ,in that inimitable dramatic     
sketch by ,molire1 8,les ,prcieuses     
,ridicules10 which resembles a clever   
etching by a master-hand1 it will  be   

remembered that ,mascarille1 the        
pretended marquis1 combs his curls  in  
the presence of the ladies with the     
usual blandishments4 ,the scented       
powder with which these wigs were       
besprinkled was selected with the       
nicest judgment and at great cost4 ,in  
this respect also1 ,mascarille1  who had
 made free with his master's clothes1   
the better to make love in  the court   
fashion to the fair precieuse1 was as   
well furnished  as any of the court     
gallants4                               
,mascarille4       ,et celle-la8 7,il   
donne  sentir les cheveux poudrs de sa  
perruque47                              
,madelon4       ,elle est tout  fait de 
qualit2 le sublime en est touch         
dlicieusement4    ,well might ,gorgibus1
 in choleric mood exclaim3       ,ces   
pendardes-l1 avec leur pommade1 ont1 je 
pense1 envie de me     ruiner4 ,je ne   
vois partout que blancs d'ufs1 lait     
virginal1 et     mille autres           
brimborions que je ne connais point4    

,elles ont us1     depuis que nous      
sommes ici1 le lard d'une douzaine de   
couchons1     pour le moins2 et quatre  
valets vivraient tous les jours des     
pieds de moutons qu'elles emploient4    
,we are not well enough informed in such
 manners to know if these family        
recipes be worthy to be compared with   
the 8capons greaz0 which good  ,queen   
,bess carried with her1 as we learn from
 ,nichol's 8,progresses10  to make the  
hair to shine like a mallard's wing4 ,we
 own to a natural  dread of such        
domestic manufactures1 and always       
greatly admired that  fine piece of     
strategy on the part of ,dr4 ,primrose1 
when observing his  daughters busily    
concocting some compound over the       
fire--and informed  by little ,dick of  
its true nature--he grases the poker and
 capsizes the  ingredients4    ,the     
nomenclature of wigs is very ample1 a   
complete system of  classification might
 be adopted1 and genus and species      
discriminated  with the greatest nicety2

 there were ,wigs ,military1 ,legal1    
,ecclesiastical1 and ,infantile2 we can 
only find room for a few  varieties3    
,perruque  bonnet4        ----    nuds4 
----   ronde4        ----   pointue4    
----   naissante4        ----    deux   
queues4        ----    tonsure4         
----    la brigadire4        ----   de  
l',abb4        ----    boudin4          
----    papillons4        ----    deux  
marteaux4        ----    trois marteaux4
        ----    bourse4    ,we shall    
only be following the usual course of   
,fashion if we pass from  the ,french   
,court to ,whitehall4 ,in ,england the  
ladies are said to have  been beforehand
 with the gentlemen in the great ,wig   
movement4 ,pepys  writes 7#affb71 8,by  
and bye came ,la ,belle ,pierce to see  
my wife1 and  to bring her a pair of    
perruques of hair as the fashion now is 
for  ladies to wear1 which are pretty1  
and one of my wife's own hair1 or  else 
,i should not endure them40 ,the year   
following ,pepys made a similar         

investment on his own                   
account--8,november #c1 ,home1 and by   
and bye comes  ,chapman1 the perriwig   
maker1 and upon my liking it 7the wig71 
without  more ado1 ,i went up1 and then 
he cut off my haire1 which went a little
  to my heart at present to part with   
it2 but it being over1 and my  perriwig 
on1 ,i paid him #c1 and away went he    
with my own haire to make  up another   
of2 and ,i by and bye went abroad1 after
 ,i had caused all my  maids to look    
upon it1 and they concluded it do become
 me1 though ,jane  was mightily troubled
 for my parting with my own hair1 and so
 was ,besse4    8,november #h1 ,lord's  
,day4--,to church1 where ,i found that  
my coming in  a perriwig did not prove  
so strange as ,i was afraid it would1   
for ,i  thought that all the church     
would presently have cast their eyes on 
me1  but ,i found no such things40      
,the same minute chronicler informs us  
that the ,duke of ,york put on a        
perriwig in ,february1 #affc1 and that  

he saw the king in one for the  first   
time the following ,april4    ,by       
command of ,charles ,,ii41 members of   
the ,university of ,cambridge were      
forbidden to wear perriwigs2 and1 on    
another occasion1 when a chaplain  was  
preaching before him in a wig1 he bid   
the ,duke of ,monmouth1 then  chancellor
 of the university1 to cause the        
statutes concerning decency  of apparel 
to be more strictly enforced4 ,to be    
deprived of their  wigs was a clerical  
grievance4 ,in ,france1 a turbulent     
priest at the  cathedral of ,beauvais   
insisted on his right to wear one at    
mass1 but  was hindered from doing so1  
when he solemnly placed the             
objectionable  wig in the hands of a    
notary at the church doors1 and         
protested against  the indignity which  
had been put upon him4    ,the year of  
the ,great ,plague was one of the most  
terrible in our  annals--,death smote   
his victims by thousands--the voice of  
lamentation  and mourning stilled for a 

time the gaieties of a dissolute court4 
,the  men of fashion became alarmed lest
 the poison of the plague might lurk    
insidiously in the curls of their wigs4 
,pepys entertained the same             
fear3--8,september #c1 7#affd74--,up1   
and put on my coloured silk suit1  very 
fine1 and my new perriwig1 bought a good
 while since1 but durst  not wear1      
because the plague was in ,westminster  
when ,i bought it2 and  it is a wonder  
what will be the fashion after the      
plague is done as to  perriwigs1 for    
nobody will buy any hair for fear of    
infection1 that it  had been cut off the
 heads of people dead of the plague40   
,wigs were first worn by barristers     
about #afgj4 ,the judges were at  first 
somewhat opposed to the innovation1 as  
suited only to fops1  and unbecoming so 
learned a profession2 and some of the   
more zealous  leaders of the fashion    
were not suffered to plead in their new 
attire4  ,time has long since reconciled
 us to the forensic head-dress2 and if  

the public be at all sceptical as to the
 merits of horse-hair1 the  rare talents
 it has fostered would alone command    
respect4 ,custom and  precedent have now
 securely enthroned the wig in the      
,halls of ,justice1  and authority looks
 with suspicion on any attempt to       
interfere with  its prerogative4 ,lord  
,campbell tells us that when he argued  
the great  ,privilege ,case1 and had to 
speak for sixteen hours1 8he obtained   
leave  to speak without a wig2 but under
 the condition that it was not to be    
drawn into a precedent40    ,as early as
 #afed1 ,evelyn had been shocked at the 
discovery that  ladies of fashion       
painted their cheeks2 and ,pepys records
 that in the  galleries at ,whitehall he
 beheld the ladies of honour 8just for  
all  the world like men with doublets   
buttoned up to the breast1 and with     
perriwigs and hats40 ,how closely       
,french fashions were imitated at       
,whitehall we may judge from an entry in
 ,evelyn's diary3--8,following  his     

majesty this morning through the        
gallery1 ,i went with the few who       
attended him into the ,duchess of       
,portsmouth's dressing-room1 where she  
was in her morning loose garment1 her   
maids combing her1 newly out of  her    
bed1 his majesty and the gallants       
standing about her40 ,although  modesty1
 which ever accompanies good taste1 had 
fled the court of  ,charles1 some fine  
examples might be selected from the     
,court ,beauties1  as illustrating the  
special beauty of a natural and becoming
 coiffure4  ,de ,grammont has not failed
 to notice the hair of ,la ,belle       
,hamilton1  which was well set1 and fell
 with ease into that natural order which
 is  so difficult to imitate4 ,miss     
,jenning's hair was of a most beauteous 
flaxen1 adorning the brightest          
complexion that ever was seen4 ,and the 
portraits of ,nell ,gwynn show that     
sprightly damsel with short ringlets    
about the temples1 massed like bunches  
of grapes1 in most tempting  clusters4  

,among the smaller works of art which   
the perruquier produced for the  fair   
sex1 we may mention a description of    
false hair set on wires1 so  as to stand
 out like wings from each side of the   
head2 and the merkin1  so called1 which 
was arranged in a group of curls at each
 side of the  face1 small over the      
forehead and thence increasing like the 
lower part  of a pyramid4    ,during the
 brief reign of ,james ,,ii4 wigs grew  
larger still1 and false  hair put the   
natural ornament of a man's head        
completely in the shade4  ,holme1       
writing in #afhh1 assures his readers   
that the custom of wearing  wigs1 then  
so much used by the generality of men1  
8was quite contrary  to the custom of   
their forefathers1 who got estates1     
loved their wives1  and wore their own  
hair10 and adds pathetically1 8in these 
days there  be no such things40 ,the    
love-lock was soon engrafted on the wig1
 to  which allusion is made in ,beaumont
 and ,fletcher's 8,cupid's ,revenge30   

8,he lay in gloves all night1 and this  
morning ,i      ,brought him a new      
perriwig with a lock at it40    ,there  
was1 also1 a long perriwig in vogue with
 a pole-lock or  suffloplin1 as the     
perruquiers termed it1 the prototype of 
the  giant pig-tails1 once so dear to   
the army and navy1 who never turn tail  
on the enemy4 ,we read1 likewise1 of the
 travelling or campaign-wig1  with long 
knots or twisted tails tied with ribbon1
 depending from the  bottom of the wig  
laterally--technically styled 8knots or 
bobs1 or a  dildo on each side with a   
curled forehead40    ,in the next reign 
wigs still went on increasing in size4  
,combing the  curls in public1 or when  
flirting with the ladies1 was esteemed  
haut  ton4 ,ivory or tortoiseshell combs
 of large size were carried in  the     
gentlemen's pockets1 with which they    
imitated ,mascarille1 we make  no doubt1
 very abominably4 ,they certainly manage
 these things much  better in ,france3  
in fashion we are content to be servile 

imitators of  the ,french1 and the copy 
is usually very inferior to the         
original4  ,madame ,sevign1 in one of   
her charming letters1 gossiping about   
the  ,duchess de ,bourbon1              
writes3--8,rien n'est plus plaisant que 
d'assister   sa toilette1 et de la voir 
se coiffer2 j'y fus l'autre jour3 elle  
s'veilla  midi et demi1 prit sa robe de 
chambre1 vint se coiffer1  et manger un 
pain au pot2 elle se frise et se poudre 
elle-mme1 elle  mange en mme tems2 les  
mmes doigts tiennent alternativement la 
houppe  et le pain au pot2 elle mange sa
 poudre et graisse ses cheveux2 le  tout
 ensemble fait un fort bon djeun et une 
charmante coiffure40  ,to this age      
belongs the extraordinary head-dress    
usually called a  commode3 the hair was 
combed upwards from off the forehead1   
and upon  this was built a huge pile of 
ribbons and lace1 arranged in tiers1    
and over all a scarf or veil drooping on
 the neck and shoulders4 ,it  rivalled  
the fabled turrets which crown the head 

of ,cybele1 and was  worn by ,queen     
,mary herself as part of the court      
costume4 ,in ,england  these were       
,halcyon days for wig-makers4 ,in later 
years wigs were more  generally worn by 
all classes2 but1 for the most part1    
they were wigs  for the million1 more   
moderate in their pretensions1 till at  
last they  dwindled down to a mere      
apology for a wig4 ,the quantity of hair
 alone  in a wig for a nobleman or      
gentleman in those high and palmy days  
of  wig-making was more than ten natural
 crops could furnish4 ,the material  was
 most costly4 ,in #agjj1 a young country
 girl received #fj for her  head of     
hair2 and the grey locks of an old      
woman1 after death1 sold  for fifty     
pounds3 the ordinary price of a wig was 
about forty pounds4  ,full-bottomed     
wigs1 invented by one ,duviller1 to     
conceal1 it is said1 a  want of symmetry
 in the shoulders of the ,dauphin1 were 
appropriated by  the learned professions
 and those who studied to look          

uncommonly grave  and sagacious4        
8,physic of old her entry made          
,beneath the immense full-bottom's      
shade1      ,while the gilt cane1 with  
solemn pride1      ,to each sagacious   
nose applied1      ,seemed but a        
necessary prop      ,to bear the weight 
of wig at top40    ,children1 too1 wore 
wigs2 and1 if unprovided with so        
necessary an  article of dress1 the hair
 was combed and curled1 so as to look as
 much  like a wig as possible4          
,archbishop ,tillotson was the first of 
our prelates who wore a wig4 ,in  one of
 his sermons he writes3 8,i can remember
 when ministers generally1  whatever    
their text was1 did either find or make 
occasion to reprove  the sin of long    
hair2 and if they saw any one in the    
congregation  guilty in that kind1 they 
would point him out particularly1 and   
let fly  at him with great zeal40       
,the reign of ,queen ,anne saw the      
magnitude of the wig somewhat           
diminished1 but the variety of wigs in  

fashion was increased4 ,steele's  wig at
 one time formed a heavy item in his    
expenditure4 ,his large black  perriwig 
cost him 7we are supposing it was paid  
for7 as much as forty  guineas4 ,swift  
had a fine state wig for grand occasions
 waiting his  coming to ,st4 ,james's1  
as did poor ,vanessa4 ,colley ,cibber's 
wig1 in  which he played a favourite    
character1 was of such noble            
proportions1  that it was brought upon  
the stage in a sedan by two chairmen4   
,how it  was that ,colonel ,brett       
desired to possess this formidable wig1 
at any  price1 must be told in ,cibber's
 own words3 8,possibly1 the charms of   
our  theatrical nymphs might have had   
some share in drawing him thither2  yet1
 in my observation1 the most visible    
cause of his first coming  was a more   
sincere passion he had conceived for a  
fair full-bottom'd  perriwig1 which ,i  
then wore in my first play of the ,fool 
in  ,fashion4           99       99     
99       99       99    ,now1 whatever  

contempt philosophers may have for a    
fine perriwig1 my  friend1 who was not  
to despise the world1 but to live in it1
 knew very  well that so material an    
article of dress upon the head of a man 
of  sense1 if it became him1 could never
 fail of drawing to him a more  partial 
regard and benevolence than could       
possibly be hoped for in an  ill-made   
one18--terms were offered--and it ended 
in an agreement to  finish our bargain  
that night over a bottle40 8,that single
 bottle was  the sire of many a jolly   
dozen10 at their subsequent meetings1 as
 he  explains further on4    ,the       
tie-wig1 an abridgment of the long      
curled perriwig1 was worn by  many1 but 
was not considered court dress4 ,lord   
,bolingbroke1 having to  wait upon the  
queen in haste1 once went to court in a 
tie-wig1 which so  offended ,queen      
,anne1 that she said to those about her1
 8,i suppose his  lordship will come to 
court the next time in a nightcap40     
,swift writes1  7#agab73 8,as prince    

,eugene was going with ,mr4 ,secretary  
to court1 ,mr4  ,hoffman1 the ,emperor's
 resident1 said to his highness that it 
was not  proper to go to court without a
 long wig1 and his was a tied up one4   
8,now10 says the prince1 8,i know not   
what to do1 for ,i never had a long     
perriwig in my life2 and ,i have sent to
 all my valets and footmen1 to  see     
whether any of them had one1 that ,i    
might borrow it2 but none of  them had  
any40 ,but the secretary said 8 was a   
thing of no consequence1  and only      
observed by gentlemen ushers40 ,after   
the battle of ,ramillies1  the name of  
the ,ramillie-wig was given to a wig    
with a long tapering  tail1 plaited and 
tied1 with a great bow at the top1 and a
 smaller one  at the bottom40    ,the   
little incident of ,lord ,petre         
depriving ,mrs4 ,fermor of a ringlet    
gave rise to ,pope's poem 8,the ,rape of
 the ,lock40 ,belinda's head-dress  is  
thus described3        8,this nymph1 to 
the destruction of mankind1             

,nourished two locks1 which graceful    
hung behind      ,in equal curls1 and   
well conspired to deck      ,with       
shining ringlets the smooth ivory neck4 
,love in these labyrinths his slaves    
detains1      ,and mighty hearts are    
held in slender chains40    ,the poet   
explains how these 8mazy ringlets10 owed
 much of their beauty  to a rigorous    
discipline3        8,was it for this you
 took such constant care      ,the      
bodkin1 comb1 and essence to prepare8   
,for this your locks in paper durance   
bound1      ,for this with torturing    
irons wreathed around8      ,for this   
with fillets strained your tender head1 
,and bravely bore the double loads of   
lead80    ,belinda's lock1 in imitation 
of the lost tresses of ,berenice1 is    
translated to the heavenly regions3     
8,a sudden star1 it shot through liquid 
air1      ,and drew behind a radiant    
trail of hair40    ,a compliment to     
,belinda appropriately concludes the    
poem3        8,when these fair suns     

shall set1 as set they must1      ,and  
all those tresses shall be laid in dust1
      ,this lock the ,muse shall        
consecrate to fame1      ,and 'midst the
 stars inscribe ,belinda's name40    ,in
 ,swift's verses called 8,death and     
,daphne10 we have a metaphorical        
description of a beau's wig3            
8,from her own head ,megara takes       
,a perriwig of twisted snakes1          
,which in the nicest fashion curl'd1    
7,like toupes of this upper world71     
,with flour of sulphur powder'd well1   
,that graceful on his shoulders fell4   
,an adder of the sable kind      ,in    
line direct hung down behind40    ,both 
old and young fops carried the follies  
of the wig mania to a  most ridiculous  
extent4 ,the author of the 8,london     
,spy0 introduces us  to a smart young   
fellow 8with a wheelbarrow full of      
perriwig on20 and  that impudent fellow1
 ,tom ,brown1 in his 8,letters from the 
,dead to the  ,living10 writing of a    
certain beau1 styled ,beau ,whittaker1  

says1 8,his  perriwig was large enough  
to have loaded a camel1 and he had      
bestowed  upon it at least a bushel of  
powder20 and speaking elsewhere of      
another fop1 with a perriwig of the same
 dimensions1 he observes1 8,if  ,nature 
had indulged our primitive parents with 
such an extraordinary  production1 they 
would have had little reason to have    
blushed at1  or been ashamed of their   
nakedness40 ,to speak seriously1 if the 
wig  did not quite clothe the body like 
a tunic1 it more than concealed  the    
head4 ,the malicious spy we have quoted 
above comes across another  fopling in a
 fine wig1 and moralizes after this     
manner3 8,his head is a  fool's egg hid 
in a nest of hair40 ,if we accompany him
 to ,man's ,coffee  ,house1 we shall    
see1 8a gaudy crowd of ,tom ,essences   
walking  backwards and forwards with    
their hats in their hands1 not daring to
  convert them to their intended use1   
lest it should put the foretops of      
their wigs into some disorder2 their    

whole exercise being to charge and      
discharge their nostrils1 and keep their
 perriwigs in proper order40  ,the      
fortune of a life not unfrequently      
turned upon the imposing--we  should    
have said the captivating appearance of 
a wig3 unluckily  in every lottery there
 are many blanks2 and ,addison tells of 
one  inveterate fortune-hunter1 who 8had
 combed and powdered at the ladies  for 
thirty years40    ,there were some      
inconveniences attending the use of     
wigs4 ,there was no  such thing as      
walking forth to enjoy fresh air and    
exercise except in  the finest weather1 
if attired as became a gentleman2 to be 
carried  about by chairmen1 and jolted  
in a sort of trunk or band-box was a    
most  unenviable distinction4 ,if a dark
 cloud hung over the ,park or the ,mall1
  away hurried the magnificent          
perriwigs--away flew the pretty women   
in their hoods and ribbons4 ,gay1 in his
 8,trivia10 sounds the note of  warning3
        8,when suffocating mists obscure

 the morn1      ,let the worst wig1 long
 used to storms be worn2      ,this     
knows the powdered footman1 and with    
care      ,beneath his flapping hat     
secures his hair4          99  99  99 in
 vain you scow'r      ,thy wig alas6    
uncurl'd1 admits the show'r4      ,so   
fierce ,alecto's snaky tresses fell1    
,when ,orpheus charm'd the vig'rous     
powers of hell      ,or thus hung       
,glaucus beard1 with briny dew          
,clotted and straight1 when first his   
am'rous view      ,surprised the bathing
 fair40    ,swift1 in the 8,city        
,shower10 laughs at the distressed wigs3
        8,here various kinds1 by various
 fortunes led      ,commence            
acquaintance underneath a shed4         
,triumphant ,tories and desponding      
,whigs      ,forget their feuds1 and    
join to save their wigs40    ,to be     
caught in the rain was a terrible ordeal
 for the curls2 but  accidents by fire  
were still more calamitous4 ,at a       
display of  fireworks1 an old writer    

says1 the spectators screwed themselves 
up  in the balconies to avoid the       
fireworks1 8which instantly assaulted   
the perukes of the gallants and the     
merkins of the madams40 ,wigs1 too1     
being of considerable value1 were       
frequently stolen from the head4 ,gay   
gives an instance of a very artful      
dodge3        8,where the mob gathers   
swiftly shoot along1      ,nor idly     
mingle in the noisy throng4             
99       99       99       99       99  
,nor is thy flaxen wig with safety worn4
      ,high on the shoulder1 in the     
basket borne1      ,lurks the sly boy1  
whose hand to rapine bred1      ,plucks 
off the curling honours of the head40   
,to be brought into actual contact with 
a powdered beau1 was reckoned  one of   
the misadventures which a prudent man   
would wish to avoid4        8,you'll    
sometimes meet a fop of nicest tread1   
,whose mantling peruke veils his empty  
head1      ,at every step he dreads the 
wall to lose1      ,and risks1 to save a

 coach1 his red-heeled shoes2      ,him1
 like the miller1 pass with caution by1 
,lest from his shoulders clouds of      
powder fly40    ,while the coarser sex  
revelled in all the luxury of full      
perriwigs1 we  may be sure the fair sex 
bestowed as great attention on their    
hair4  ,if enterprises of great moment  
were undertaken by the wigs1 there was  
fearful slaughter of human hearts from  
the masked batteries of the  ladies'    
smiles4 ,in 8,love's ,bill of           
,mortality10 given at length in the     
,spectator1 we read of one1 8,jack      
,freelove1 murdered by ,melissa  in her 
hair40    8,the toilet10 says ,addison1 
8is their great scene of business1 and  
the  right adjustment of their hair the 
principal employment of their lives40   
8,at her toilet she puts on every toy   
,that ladies use when eager to destroy2 
,three hours by the clock1 7and some say
 four71      ,she sat in polishing her  
form all o'er1      ,and culling arrows 
from her fatal store40    ,the resources

 of a lady's toilet were too numerous to
 be brought within  the compass of      
,cowley's verse4 ,he declines           
8,to relate      ,the strength and      
riches of their state--      ,the       
powder1 patches1 and the pins1      ,the
 ribbons1 jewels1 and the rings1        
,the lace1 the paint1 and warlike       
things1      ,that make up all their    
magazines40    ,and1 fortunately1 what  
he despaired of accomplishing lies      
beyond the  limits of our present       
subject4 ,but the time spent at the     
toilet was  not all dedicated to dress  
and the tire-woman4 ,addison's skilful  
pen  will supply an apt illustration2   
8,sempronia is at present the most      
professed admirer of the ,french nation2
 but is so modest as to admit  her      
visitants no farther than her toilet4   
,it is a very odd sight  that beautiful 
creature makes when she is talking      
politics1 with her  tresses flowing     
about her shoulders1 and examining that 
face in the  glass1 which does such     

execution upon the standers-by4 ,how    
prettily  does she divide her discourse 
between her woman and her visitants6    
,what sprightly transitions does she    
make from an opera or a sermon to  an   
ivory comb or a pin-cushion6 ,how have  
,i been pleased to see her  interrupted 
in an account of her travels by a       
message to her footman1  and holding her
 tongue in the midst of a moral         
reflection by applying  the tip of it to
 a patch60        8,vanessa held        
,montaigne and read1      ,whilst ,mrs4 
,susan combed her head10    ,the        
,duchess of ,sunderland1 daughter of the
 celebrated ,duchess of  ,marlborough1  
and like her mother1 says ,horace       
,walpole1 conspicuous for  her long and 
beautiful hair2 was a great politician1 
and used1 when  combing it1 to receive  
the visits of those whose vote and      
interest  she sought to influence4      
,while ,queen ,anne dressed1 prayers    
used to be  read in an outer room1 and  
once ordering the door to be shut while 

she  shifted1 the chaplain stopped4 ,the
 queen sent to ask why he did not       
proceed4 ,he replied1 8,he would not    
whistle the word of ,god through the    
key-hole40 ,the author of the           
8,reminiscences0 adds1 that ,queen      
,caroline  was wont to dispatch her     
toilet and hear prayers in the same     
fashion4  ,the ,duchess of ,marlborough 
on one occasion was somewhat prodigal of
  her fine fair hair1 of which she had  
the greatest abundance2 for being       
engaged at her toilet1 in a fit of anger
 towards the ,duke1 she cut off  those  
commanding tresses and flung them in his
 face4    ,the beauties of those days   
made politics1 the card table1 and the  
toilet1 their chief study1 and          
8,thought the life of ev'ry lady        
,should be one continued play-day--     
,balls1 and masquerades1 and shows1     
,visits1 plays1 and powdered beaus40    
,the wits and poets of that brilliant   
era1 have hit off the manners  of the   
times1 and all the paraphernalia of     

patches1 fans1 hoops1 and  head-dresses1
 by a few touches of the pen1 with such 
airy grace and  lightness in the true   
spirit of comic revelry1 and with       
keenest irony1  that more modern efforts
 in the same style appear1 by           
comparison1  coarse and clumsy4 ,in our 
own day one would think the artists all 
copied from the same model1             
8,small waist1 wide flounces1 and a face
 divine1      ,wretchedly foolish1 and  
extremely fine40    ,the ladies'        
head-dresses1 which1 in the time of     
,william ,,iii41 had shot  up to a      
height which would have astonished even 
,de ,grammont's ,princess  of ,babylon1 
had now fallen many degrees4 ,addison   
remarks1 8some ten  years ago1 the      
female part of our species were much    
taller than the  men4 ,the women were of
 such an enormous stature1 8that we     
appeared as  grasshoppers before them40 
,at present the whole sex is in a manner
  dwarfed and shrunk into a race of     
beauties that seems almost another      

species4 ,i remember several ladies who 
were very near seven feet high  that at 
present want some inches of five4 ,how  
they came to be thus  curtailed ,i could
 never learn30        ,instead of       
home-spun coifs were seen      ,good    
pinners edged with ,colberteen4    ,old 
ladies continued for some time longer to
 adhere to the huge  head-dresses1 which
 supplied ,lady ,wortley ,montague with 
a bit of  raillery for her 8,town       
,eclogues30        ,at chapel shall ,i  
wear the morn away8      ,who there     
appears at these unmodish hours         
,but ancient matrons with their frizzled
 towers4    ,queen ,anne in the latter  
years of her reign wore her hair in a   
simple1  graceful style1 well suited to 
her quiet nature1 with clusters of curls
  at the back of the neck2 nor was any  
hair-powder permitted to sully  the     
brightness of her chesnut ringlets4 ,her
 sweet voice seems still  to plead for  
her with posterity1 and to be remembered
 with something  like affection1 when   

the splendid victories of the great     
,marlborough  are losing somewhat of    
their lustre on the page of history4    
,the fruits  of industry and the        
blessings of peace are too precious to  
be weighed  against the glories of war4 
,but1 who can look at the portraits of  
,marlborough1 with the long curls of the
 wig resting on the cuirass1  without   
feeling there was truth in the saying of
 a foreigner1 8,that his  looks were    
full as conquering as his sword40       
,how to wear a wig was part of the      
education of a man of the world1 not  to
 be learned from books4 ,those who know 
what witchcraft there is in  the        
handling of a fan1 what dexterity in the
 8nice conduct of a clouded  cane10 will
 imagine the wits and gentlemen of old  
did not suffer the  wig to overshadow   
their temples with perpetual gloom1 like
 the wreath  of smoke which overhangs   
our ,modern ,babylon4 ,and many a       
country squire  must have tried in vain 
to catch the right toss of the head2 to 

sport a  playful humour in those crisp  
curls2 or to acquire the lofty carriage 
of the foretop1 or the significant      
trifling with some obtrusive lock2  and 
felt as awkward in his new wig as a     
tailor on horseback1 or a  fat alderman 
with a dress sword dangling between his 
legs4 ,there  must have been something  
truly ridiculous in the prostrations of 
the  perriwig-pated fop1 who            
,returns the diving bow he did adore1   
,which with a shag casts all the hair   
before1      ,till he with full decorum 
brings it back1      ,and rises with a  
water-spaniel shake4    ,for many years 
wigs were worn of the natural colour of 
the hair1 but  about #agad it became    
customary to have them bleached2 this1  
however1  was not found to answer1 as   
they soon turned of a disagreeable      
shade1  so that recourse was had to     
hair-powder1 the use of which soon      
became  general4 ,at the accession of   
,george #ast1 it is mentioned that only 
two  ladies wore hair-powder4 ,white    

perukes were characteristic of the early
  ,georgian era4 ,about the same period 
we notice that one side only of  the wig
 was frequently tied together into a    
sort of club which hung  down upon the  
chest in a very lop-sided fashion4 ,a   
few years later  bag-wigs were in vogue2
 when first introduced in ,france they  
were only  worn en dshabille2 in a short
 time1 however1 they came to be         
regarded as the most essential part of  
the full-dress costume of a  beau4 ,the 
,french bag-wig1 as it was styled1 when 
it first made its  appearance among us1 
was called in ridicule a fan-tail1 and  
said to  resemble the winged cap of     
,mercury2 the women likened the bag-wigs
 to  asses' ears1 and the men retorted  
by allusion to the horns which were     
visible in a lady's head-gear4 ,the tu  
quoque has ever been the  ready argument
 with both sexes4        ,follies they  
have so numberless the store1      ,that
 only we who love them can have more4   
,in some satirical verses1 published    

#agec1 the contour of the wig1 set  off 
from the face1 is clearly shown3        
8,let a well-frizzled wig be set off    
from his face2      ,with a bag quite in
 taste1 from ,paris just come1          
,that was made and tied up by ,monsieur 
,frisson2      ,with powder quite       
grey--then his head is complete2--0     
,the tie-wig1 which ,lord ,bolingbroke  
helped to bring into fashion1  was a    
very stiff and solid affair1 as compared
 with the long curled  perriwigs which  
preceded them4 ,the curls appear as if  
hardened into  rollers2 and the pendant 
lumps of hair1 looped and tied at the   
ends1  as if modelled after the fashion 
of the proud horse-tails1 turned up  and
 bound with straw1 at a fair4 ,it would 
be as difficult to determine  why such  
cumbrous wigs were tolerated without any
 beauty to recommend  them1 as to say   
why ,george ,i4 chose such ugly ,german 
mistresses4 ,was  it because1 like      
certain kinds of old china1 deformity   
was pleasing8  ,the king's favourites   

might possibly resemble the china1 but  
the wigs  were certainly not as frail4  
,horace ,walpole has left us a lively   
description of ,lord ,sandwich's        
tie-wig1 in a letter to ,sir ,h4 ,mann1 
#agde3 8,i would speak to our new ally1 
and your old acquaintance1 ,lord        
,sandwich1 to assist in it2 but ,i could
 have no hope of getting at his  ear1   
for he has put on such a first-rate     
tie-wig1 on his admission to  the       
admiralty-board1 that nothing without   
the lungs of a boatswain can  ever think
 to penetrate the thickness of the      
curls4 ,i think1 however1  it does      
honour to the dignity of ministers3 when
 he was but a patriot1  his wig was not 
of half its present gravity40 ,we have  
yet to notice the  wig with the long    
queue1 8small by degrees and beautifully
 less0--the  drollest and most awkward  
of all additions to the human form since
  the long tails in ,kent were inflicted
 on the men by a miracle1 as a          
punishment for sticking fish tails to   

some monks' garments4                   
8,as ,i live6      ,the hair of one is  
tied behind1      ,and plaited like a   
womankind1      ,while t'other carries  
on his back1      ,in silken bag1 a     
monstrous pack3      ,but pray1 what's  
that much like a whip1      ,which with 
the air does waving skip      ,from side
 to side1 and hip to hip8      ,it is a 
modish pig-tail wig40    ,when the ,czar
 ,peter was in ,holland he made free    
with a burgomaster's  wig in a very     
characteristic manner4 ,he was at       
church3 the service  was somewhat dull1 
and his head getting cold1 when1        
observing a good  warm wig on the head  
of a fat functionary near him1 he       
clapped it  on his own pate1 and did not
 restore it until the service was over4 
,churchill1 the poet1 used to declare   
that his career at ,oxford was cut      
short by a large bushy wig1 which added 
such a sage solemnity to the  grave     
aspect of the examiner's face1 that he  
could not control his  laughter4        

,churchill had his jest1 and was        
rejected at the examination4  ,garrick  
himself was once driven from the stage  
by a fit of laughter1  brought on at the
 sight of a powdered wig4 ,a            
,whitechapel butcher in a               
church-warden's wig1 accompanied by his 
dog1 occupied seats in front  of the    
stage4 ,garrick was playing ,lear1 and  
preparing for a triumph at  the end of  
the fifth act4 ,the butcher1 overcome   
with heat and mental  excitement1 was in
 a melting mood2 to relieve which1 he   
took off his  wig1 and placed it on the 
dog's head1 who advanced to the         
orchestra1  holding himself up by the   
fore-paws4 ,at the critical moment1 when
  inspiration seemed to animate every   
tone and gesture of the great  actor1 it
 chanced that his eye1 8in a fine frenzy
 rolling10 lighted  on his four legged  
critic1 who was as intent as any biped  
present on  the scene before him1 and   
quite indifferent to his large          
well-powdered  ,sunday peruke4 ,at the  

moment the effect was irresistible2 the 
dog  outdid ,garrick1 who fairly ran off
 the stage amid roars of laughter  from 
the whole house4    ,of old1 the doctor 
who set up in business without a wig in 
the best  style of art was as little    
likely to succeed in his profession as a
  modern physician without his carriage4
        8,each son of ,sol1 to make him 
look more big1      ,had on a large1    
grave1 decent1 three tailed wig40    ,of
 course1 we don't suppose that ,dr4     
,brocklesby's barber or the learned     
doctor intended it as an advertisement2 
but it was the constant  practice of his
 barber to carry the said doctor's wig  
in its box  through the crowd at the    
,exchange1 calling out1 8,make way for  
,dr4  ,brocklesby's wig60 ,our allusion 
is to the dignity and importance of  the
 wig1 which were fully recognized by the
 honourable and illustrious  professors 
of the healing art1 who will please to  
excuse our indulging  in a pleasant     
stave of an old song3        8,if you   

would see a noble wig1      ,and in that
 wig a man look big1      ,to           
,ludgate-hill repair1 my joy1      ,and 
gaze on ,doctor ,delmayhoy40    ,the    
parson was as well found in wigs as the 
doctor4 ,mandeville says  of a wealthy  
parson1 8,his wigs are as fashionable as
 that form he is  forced to comply with 
will admit of2 but1 as he is only       
stinted in  their shape1 so he takes    
care that for goodness of hair and      
colour  few noblemen shall be able to   
match 'em40 ,it is encouraging to know  
that the clergy look so closely to the  
goodness of the article they  put before
 us4 ,warton wrote an 8,ode to a        
,grizzle ,wig10 which is not  the worst 
ingredient in that pleasant miscellany  
of his1 8,the ,oxford  ,sausage30       
8,all hail1 ye ,curls1 that rang'd in   
rev'rend row1        ,with snowy pomp my
 conscious shoulders hide6      ,that   
fall beneath in venerable flow1         
,and crown my brows above with feathery 
pride6        ,high on your summit1     

wisdom's mimick'd air        ,sits      
thron'd with pedantry1 her solemn sire1 
,and in her net of awe-diffusing hair1  
,entangles fools1 and bids the crowd    
admire4        ,o'er every lock1 that   
floats in full display1        ,sage    
ignorance her gloom scholastic throws2  
,and stamps o'er all my visage1 once so 
gay1        ,unmeaning gravity's serene 
repose4               99       99       
99       99       99        ,but thou1  
farewell1 my ,bob6 whose thin wove      
thatch        ,was stor'd with quips and
 cranks1 and wanton wiles1      ,that   
love to live within the one-curled      
scratch1        ,with fun and all the   
family of smiles4               99      
99       99       99       99        ,no
 more the wherry feels my stroke so     
true2        ,at skittles in a grizzle1 
can ,i play8      ,woodstock1 farewell6 
and ,wallingford adieu6        ,where   
many a scheme relieved the lingering    
day4        ,such were the joys that    
once ,,hilario crown'd1        ,ere     

grave preferment came my peace to rob2  
,such are the less ambitious pleasures  
found        ,beneath the liceat of an  
humble ,bob40    ,but at ,bath the      
clergy thought of other things beside   
divinity lectures  and professorships4  
,anstey tells of a young spark of a     
clergyman  sporting about in a more     
fashionable1 but less canonical1        
coiffure than  the grizzle-wig3         
8,what a cropt head of hair the young   
parson has on      ,emerged from his    
grizzle1 the unfortunate sprig          
,seems as if he were hunting all night  
for his wig40    ,lely and ,kneller     
could best illustrate the heroic age of 
wigs2 but  ,hogarth's ready pencil      
furnishes abundant details of their     
social  state4 ,the comic element seems 
to abound in all his sketches of wigs4  
,in his print of 8,the ,bench10 they    
slumber in the softest repose1 in       
undisturbed gravity1 and nod with the   
profoundest humour4 ,the eminent        
lawyers were not all senior wranglers in

 those days4 ,look at the print  of     
8,the ,country ,dance10 and say if ever 
wigs hung more unbecomingly on  the     
shoulders of the most awkward frights2  
but for an enormous pig-tail  wig where 
could we select a finer specimen than in
 the print of 8,taste  in ,high ,life40 
,these choice ,exotics1 as he has       
labelled them1 are  evidently great     
favourites with this humourous artist4  
,but the print we  are most concerned   
with is 8,,the ,,five ,,orders ,,of     
,,periwigs1 as  they were worn at the   
late ,coronation1 measured              
,architectonically40  ,at the foot of   
the print the following advertisement is
 added3       ,in about #ag years will  
be completed1 in #f vols4 folio1 price  
#ae     guineas4 ,the exact measurements
 of the ,periwigs of the ,ancients1     
taken from the ,statues1 ,bustos1 and   
,basso-,relievos of ,athens1            
,palmyra1 ,balbec1 and ,rome1 by        
,modesto1 ,periwig-maker1 from          
,lagado4    ,five rows of perriwigs1    

faithful portraits we dare be sworn     
every one1  illustrate the ,five ,orders
 of ,perriwigs4 ,first in order we have 
the  ,,episcopal1 ,,or ,,parsonic       
,,wigs1 followed by the ,,old ,,peerian 
,,or ,,aldermanic2  the ,,lexonic2      
,,composite1 or ,half ,natural2 and1    
last of all1 the  ,,queerinthian4 ,the  
reader will understand from the         
advertisement given  above that the     
engraving was a notable quiz on         
,athenian ,stuart1 as  he was called1   
whose laborious and accurate work on the
 ,antiquities  of ,athens has been of   
such service to architects4 ,it is said 
that the  portrait of ,stuart1 outlined 
as a wig-block in the original was so   
unmistakably like the author of the     
,antiquities that ,hogarth struck  off  
the nose on purpose to disguise the joke
 a little4 ,one of the ,,old  ,,peerian 
order of wigs was at once recognized as 
a hit at the notorious  ,bubb           
,doddington1 8the last grave fop of the 
last age30        8,who1 quite a man of 

gingerbread1      ,savour'd in talk1 in 
dress1 and phiz1      ,more of another  
world than this40    ,bubb ,doddington's
 wig is again figured by ,hogarth in one
 of the  prints of 8,the ,election10    
where it shares in the perils and       
triumphs  of the chairing of the member4
 ,cumberland says that when ,doddington 
was made ,lord ,melcomb1 he actually    
strutted before the looking-glass1      
coronet in hand1 to study deportment4   
,warburton's wig was another of  the    
portrait-wigs1 of the ,parsonic order4  
,from ,hogarth's most popular  works    
alone one might select a gallery of     
wigs--tie-wigs1 bag-wigs1  pig-tails1   
and bob-wigs1 in every variety--well    
worthy of earnest  criticism4 ,matthews 
used to say he wondered what the beggars
 did with  their left off clothes till  
he went to ,ireland1 when he discovered 
some of those old relics curiously      
clinging to the nakedness of their      
brethren of the ,emerald ,isle4 ,what   
became of the old wigs we had  ourselves

 never sufficiently considered till we  
scanned one of these  said prints1 and  
found1 to our delight1 what had         
evidently once been a  wig comically    
seated on the head of a young vagrant   
beside a gutter4    ,voltaire's wig1 in 
the eyes of his contemporaries1 was as  
fatally  charged with the electricity of
 criticism1 as ,dr4 ,johnson's proved   
to be1 to the terror of his obsequious  
followers4 ,this ,rhadamanthus  of      
literature1 speaking of ,geneva1 says1  
8,je secoue ma perruque1 la  republique 
est bien poudre40 ,there was one1 ,andr1
 a perriwig maker1  who wrote a play in 
#agfj1 and ventured to solicit          
,voltaire's friendly  criticism4 ,his   
reply is well known2 it filled four     
sides of a sheet of  letter-paper with  
merely a repetition of 8,monsieur ,andr1
 faites  des perruques10 and ending1    
8toujours des perruques et jamais  que  
des perruques40 ,descartes had a great  
passion for perukes2 and  at the taking 
of ,dresden1 ,frederick the ,great found

 in the wardrobe of  ,count ,brhl some  
hundreds of wigs--one authority says    
fifteen hundred4    ,some time before   
bag-wigs went out of fashion a practical
 joke was  played off in ,pall ,mall1   
with the intention of bringing bags into
  contempt1 which had like to have ended
 somewhat seriously4 ,the  particulars  
are given in the ,annual ,register of   
#agfa4 ,some wags dressed  up a porter  
in a bag-wig and lace ruffles1 and made 
him as ,frenchified  as possible1 and   
drove him into the midst of the         
fashionable throng  in the ,mall4 ,his  
superb dress immediately won the        
admiration of the  votaries of pleasure1
 who seemed anxious to make his         
acquaintance2 but  his absurd conduct   
soon convinced them of the trick which  
had been  played upon them1 and the     
fellow was thrust out from among        
them--we  sincerely hope with the       
addition of a good cudgelling4    ,the  
time came when perriwig makers had      
fallen upon evil days4 ,the  fashion was

 evidently on the decline--something    
must be done for the  common good2 when1
 ,curtius like1 they took a bold leap4  
,accordingly1  on the #aath ,february1  
#agfe1 they presented a petition to his 
majesty  ,george ,,iii41 the prayer of  
which was1 that a law should be passed  
to enforce the wearing of wigs1 and that
 his majesty should help to  keep up the
 fashion4 ,alas6 for the mutability of  
human affairs1 it  is questionable if   
the good king had the power to revive1  
even for  an hour1 an expiring fashion3 
it is certain in this instance1 as in   
others of graver moment1 he obstinately 
adhered to his own choice1  and clung to
 his pig-tail in spite of remonstrance4 
,the ,london mob1  however1 proceeded to
 legislate after their own fashion2 and1
 observing  that the wig makers1 who    
wished to make others wear wigs1 wore no
  wigs themselves1 they seized hold of  
the petitioners by force1 and  cut off  
all their hair4 8,should one wonder10   
says ,horace ,walpole1 8if  carpenters  

were to remonstrate that since the peace
 there has been  no call for wooden     
legs40 ,george ,,iii4 might well be     
content with his  modest pig-tail1 which
 queen ,charlotte1 like a home-loving   
wife1 as she  was1 often powdered and   
bound with ribbon1 and curled his       
majesty's  hair in the style he         
preferred1 well knowing in such matters 
none could  please him so well as       
herself2 and thus adorned1 we are told1 
he read  the speech from the throne at  
the meeting of parliament4    ,at the   
marriage of the ,princess ,royal to the 
,prince of ,orange1 in the  reign of    
,george ,,ii41 the bridegroom wore a    
long curled perriwig to hide  the       
terrible hump which disfigured his      
princely shoulders4 ,as soon as  the    
awkward ceremony was over1 the queen    
gave vent to her feelings in a  flood of
 tears4    ,the ,maccaroni ,club1 #aggb1
 set the fashion of wearing the hair in 
a  most preposterous style4 ,it was     
combed upwards into a conical-shaped    

toupe of monstrous size2 and1 behind the
 head1 the hair was plaited  and tied   
together into a solid bundle1 which of  
itself must have been  an inconvenient  
load for a gentleman's shoulders4 ,the  
ladies wore a  head-dress of similar    
altitude1 piling ,peleon upon ,ossa1 in 
the shape  of a cushion of horse hair   
and wool1 over which the hair1 pomatumed
  and powdered1 was spread out and      
carried upwards towards the clouds1     
bedecked with lace and ribbon2 the sides
 of this delectable mountain  were      
ornamented with rows of curls3 but words
 can convey but a very  poor idea of    
this diverting monstrosity4 8,an you    
come to sea in a  high wind10 says ,ben 
to ,mrs4 ,frail1 in ,congreve's 8,love  
for ,love10  8you mayn't carry so much  
sail o' you head--top and top-gallant40 
,and  the ,macarronies in their day ran 
the same risk of being capsized by a    
squall4 ,at the opera these head-dresses
 so completely intercepted all  view of 
the stage to those in the rear1 that1 in

 #aggh1 a regulation  was put in force  
which excluded them altogether from the 
amphitheatre4    ,the amiable ,cowper1  
shocked at the vulgar assurance of the  
once coy  shepherdess1 beheld           
8,her head1 adorned with lappets pinned 
aloft1      ,and ribands streaming gay1 
superbly raised1      ,and magnified    
beyond all human size1      ,indebted to
 some smart wig-weaver's hand      ,for 
more than half the tresses it sustains40
    ,cowper1 like ,shakspere appears to 
have entertained a great antipathy  to  
wigs4 ,the author of the ,diverting     
,history of ,john ,gilpin assailed  them
 in their dotage3 ,shakspere would have 
nipped them in the bud4  ,cowper1       
writing to a friend1 says1 8,i give you 
joy of your own hair4 ,no  doubt you are
 a considerable gainer by being         
disperriwigged444499 99 99 ,i  have     
little doubt if an arm or a leg could   
have been taken off with as  little pain
 as attends the amputation of a curl or 
a lock of hair1 the  natural limb would 

have been thought less becoming than a  
wooden one40                            
8,look on beauty1      ,and you shall   
see 'tis purchased by the weight2       
,which therein works a miracle in       
nature1      ,making them lightest that 
wear most of it4      ,so are the       
crispd1 snaky1 golden locks1      ,which
 make such wanton gambols with the wind1
      ,upon supposed fairness1 often    
known      ,to be the dowry of a second 
head2      ,the skull that bred them in 
the sepulchre40                         
,,merchant ,,of ,,venice4    ,the       
,water-poet was more explicit than      
elegant when he inveighed against  the  
dames        8,whose borrowed hair      
7perhaps not long before7      ,some    
wicked trull in other fashion wore2     
,or one that at the gallows made her    
will1      ,late chokd with the         
hangman's pickadill2      ,in which     
respect a sow1 a cat1 a mare1      ,more
 modest than these foolish females are2 
,for the brute beasts1 7continual night 

and day17      ,do wear their own still1
 7and so do not they470    ,pennant had 
a strange aversion to wigs1 and1 when he
 was half seas  over1 used to snatch    
them off the wearers' heads4 ,once1 at  
,chester1  dining with an officer and a 
personal friend1 7who1 knowing his      
particular weakness1 purposely sat next 
him1 to prevent mischief17  being       
somewhat elated with wine1 he made a    
sudden dart at the officer's  wig and   
threw it into the fire4 ,the officer1   
enraged at the insult1  drew his sword1 
and ,pennant took to his heels4 ,the son
 of ,mars was  close upon him when      
,pennant's better knowledge of the      
bye-ways of  ,chester stood him in good 
stead1 and he contrived to give the     
enemy  the slip4 ,his friend1 who       
remembered all the particulars of this  
hair-breadth escape1 used to call it    
,pennant's ,tour in ,chester4    ,when  
,fag1 in ,sheridan's play of 8,the      
,rivals10 meets ,sir ,anthony's         
coachman at ,bath1 he tells him he must 

polish a little1 and that 8none  of the 
,london whips of any degree of ton wear 
wigs now40 ,but the  bucolic mind is    
eminently conservative1 and ,thomas     
makes answer1 8,odd's  life6 when ,i    
heard how the lawyers and doctors had   
took to their own  hair1 ,i thought how 
'twould go next4 ,why1 bless you1 the   
gentlemen of  the professions ben't all 
of a mind2 for in our village now1 thoff
 ,jack  ,gauge1 the exciseman1 has ta'en
 to his carrots2 there's little ,dick1  
the farrier1 swears he'll never forsake 
his bob1 though all the college  should 
appear with their own heads40    ,it was
 during the first shock of the ,french  
,revolution1 when the laws1  religion1  
and social institutions of ,france were 
overturned1 as by an  earthquake1 that  
wigs were discarded with other insignia 
of the old  rgime4 ,the heroes of pagan 
,rome1 and the fabled deities of        
,greece1  supplied the ,french          
,republicans with models for their      
newest fashions4  ,the men with rough   

cropped hair sported a ,brutus1 and the 
ladies  in scanty draperies assumed the 
coiffure  la ,greque4 ,while the  heroic
 citizens rejoiced in their newly       
acquired liberty and freedom  from wigs1
 the chaste matrons went in search of   
false hair1 to imitate  the classic     
beauties of antiquity4 ,in ,england1    
however sudden the  transformations in  
high life1 the change1 agreeably to the 
genius of  the people1 was rather the   
growth of a new system than the         
uprooting  of the old4 ,the old wig     
decayed slowly beside the growth of a   
new  crop1 and lingered long in many a  
humble circle1 became the oracle of  the
 club1 and enjoyed the dignity of the   
arm-chair and the repose of  the        
chimney-corner2 and some would be laid  
up in ordinary with family  relics in   
the old lumber-room1 like ,uncle ,toby's
 white ,ramillies wig  in the old       
campaign trunk1 which the corporal put  
into pipes and  furbished up for the    
grand coup de main with widow ,wadman1  

but  which resisted all ,trim's efforts1
 and the repeated application of        
candle-ends1 to bring into better curl4 
,it chanced that ,queen ,charlotte's    
auburn locks fell off during her        
accouchment4 ,at this fatal omen the    
extravagant head-dresses then  in       
fashion were suddenly sacrificed4 ,her  
majesty and the princesses  in #agic    
were pleased to discard hair-powder1    
which speedily rid the  beau monde of   
that encumbrance4 ,in #agie the         
hair-powder tax of  one guinea per head1
 imposed by ,pitt's act1 came into      
operation4 ,the  tax at one time        
realized as much as #bj1jjj per annum4  
,this lessened  considerably the number 
of powdered heads2 and hair-powder1 once
 so  necessary to the finish of the     
finest gentleman1 fell into disuse1     
except with a few gentlemen's           
gentlemen--the ,fitz-,jeames in livery4 
,for state and ceremony except among the
 lawyers and the bench of  bishops1 at  
last nothing worthy the name of a       

perriwig was left  to admire4 ,george   
the ,third's bag-wig was as unpretending
 as the  king himself4 ,his statue      
beyond ,charing ,cross will happily     
remind  posterity of that most          
respectable monarch--and his wig4 ,dr4  
,johnson's  scratch-wig1 of which       
,boswell has left us a most authentic   
account1 is  familiar to most readers4  
,that famous old scratch1 too small for 
his  head1 always uncombed1 and the fore
 part burnt away by contact with the    
candle1 must be carefully distinguished 
from the smart wig which ,mrs4          
,thrale's butler kept for him at        
,streatham and placed on his head as he 
passed through the hall to dinner4      
,during the decadence of the wig1 the   
army and navy wore pig-tails1  which    
were nourished with regulation charges  
of powder and pomatum4 ,how  gallantly  
they defended them1 the history of many 
a well-fought battle  can tell--        
8,not once or twice in our rough island 
story1      ,the path of duty was the   

way to glory40    ,in #ahjd1 the        
soldier's allowance of pig-tail was     
reduced to seven  inches1 and in #ahjh  
the order was promulgated to cut them   
off1 but  countermanded the very next   
day4 ,however1 revocation was           
impossible2  for the barbers1 with their
 usual alacrity1 had performed their    
stern  duties successfully1 and not a   
pig-tail remained to the ,british army4 
,is the reader curious to know something
 about ,sergeants of the coif1  and the 
mysteries of the bar-wig with its rows  
of curls and twin tails8  ,let him make 
his studies from nature1 and 8the       
stiff-wigged living  figures10 as ,elia 
calls them4 ,the sages of the law were  
among the last  to forego the use of    
wigs in private life2 and it is said    
that ,mr4  ,justice ,park acquired the  
cognomen of ,bushy ,park1 from the      
peculiar  fashion of his wig1 which he  
retained long after his brethren of the 
long robe had forsaken theirs4 ,in the  
,table-talk of ,samuel ,rogers there  is

 an anecdote of ,lord ,ellenborough's   
wig4 ,the judge was setting out  for the
 circuit1 and as ,lady ,ellenborough    
wished to accompany him1 it  was agreed 
between husband and wife that no        
band-boxes of any kind  would be        
tolerated2 for1 when travelling1 his    
lordship had a great  aversion to       
band-boxes4 ,on the journey1 however1 as
 the judge was  stretching his legs in  
the carriage1 they came in contact with 
the  thing he so cordially detested--a  
band-box4 ,in an instant his lordship   
seized hold of it1 and threw it out of  
the window4 ,the carriage  stopped1 and 
the footman was about to pick it up1    
when his lordship  called out1 8,drive  
on60 ,arrived at the county town1 when  
the judge  was putting on his robes     
before going into court1 enquiry was    
made for  the wig1 which1 at the last   
moment1 was nowhere to be found4 ,after 
much delay1 the footman was interrogated
 by his lordship1 8,where is  my wig80  
8,why1 my lord10 replied the servant1   

8you threw it out of the  window40 ,it  
seems that her ladyship's maid1 envious 
that a judge's wig  should travel so    
comfortably in its proper case1 while   
some pieces of  millinery were in danger
 of being terribly crushed for want of a
 larger  box1 at their last resting     
place had made an exchange1 and put the 
fright of a wig in a band-box1 and the  
millinery in the wig-box4 ,the  most    
villainous of the wig tribe was         
certainly the peruke of ,george the     
,fourth's reign1 which1 pretending to   
imitate the natural hair1 was1 on  that 
very account1 the more detestable1 in as
 much as an ape's features  are more    
ridiculous from bearing some resemblance
 to a man4    ,even the bishops have    
gradually forsaken the episcopal wig4   
,the ,irish  bishops do not appear to   
have worn them4 ,the ,honorable ,richard
  ,bagot1 bishop of ,bath and ,wells1   
was the first of our modern bishops  who
 dispensed with the wig4 ,many years    
previous to his obtaining the           

bishopric1 the ,prince ,regent had said 
to him in a joke1 8,you are much  too   
handsome a man to wear a wig2 remember1 
whenever ,i make you a  bishop you may  
dispense with wearing one40 ,however1   
when the bishop  reminded his sovereign 
that his promise when ,regent exempted  
him from  wearing a wig1 it was only    
after much hesitation that the favour   
was  granted4 ,bishop ,bloomfield       
officiated in an orthodox-peruke at the 
coronation of ,william ,,iv42 and more  
recently in the ,house of ,lords1 at    
times1 a solitary wig came forth like a 
decrepid fly in mid-winter1  drowsily   
contemplating the change and bustle     
going on around it4 ,for a  brief space 
it walked the earth like a troubled     
spirit--the reverend  fathers have      
exorcised it1 and it is no more seen of 
men4    ,when ,george ,,iv4 was king1   
his were the model whiskers 7though     
false  ones7 which constituted the      
standard of perfection4 ,our continental
  neighbours1 in derision1 frequently   

likened the ,english whiskers to  mutton
 chops or a string of sausages2 but     
,john ,bull who is always  tolerant of  
abuse1 and goes about matters after his 
own sturdy fashion1  maintained his     
whiskers with imperturbable gravity4    
,moore1 in one of  his humorous poems1  
thus takes off the vanities of royalty1 
and it says  much for the good sense of 
the king that he could enjoy the wit of 
the  poet when directed against himself3
        8,he looks in the glass--but    
perfection is there1      ,wig1         
whiskers1 and chin-tufts all right to a 
hair2      ,not a single ex-curl on his 
forehead he traces--      ,for curls are
 like ,ministers1 strange as the case   
is1      ,the falser they are1 the more 
firm in their places40    ,some brief   
notes yet remain to complete the present
 imperfect sketch1  but of too recent   
date to warrant their insertion here4   
,it is  gratifying to know that1 under  
the present glorious and auspicious     
rule1 improvement is taking place in all

 matters of taste1 and that  even in the
 changeful fashions of the day we are   
much indebted to the  refined judgment  
of our most gracious ,queen1 ,,victoria1
 whom may ,god  long preserve to reign  
over a free and enlightened people4     
,,barbers4                              
,,chapter ,v4      ,barbers1 by common  
consent1 enjoy a most enviable          
reputation4 ,both in  fact and fiction  
they are the representatives of         
shrewdness and good  nature2 and in some
 of the choicest literature extant1 the 
sayings and  doings of the brethren of  
the craft are among the best of their   
kind4  ,it would be a dull world without
 ,figaro4    ,the barber's shop was for 
centuries the emporium of gossip1 the   
idler's club2 and when the young ,roman 
wished to meet with a rake as           
pleasure-loving as himself1 he sought   
him at the barber's1 possibly to        
contrive how to steal away some old     
man's daughter or his money-bags4  ,and 
thither came the old miser to get his   

finger-nails clipped1  taking care1     
however1 to take the parings away with  
him4 ,all classes  frequented the       
barber's shop2 and we may suppose the   
lively satirists  of old visited the    
spot1 as ,molire did the barber of      
,pezenas1 to find  material for some of 
their best sketches of character4       
,the ,roman barbers1 it must be         
confessed1 were somewhat garrulous1 and 
their tongues went as nimbly as their   
shears4 ,like the moderns1 they  put a  
rough cloth round the patient1 as we are
 half inclined to call  the customer who
 submitted to the operation1 for we fear
 their razors  were none of the best1   
for some preferred to have their beards 
plucked  out by means of plasters       
applied to the face1 and then those     
terrible  tweezers completed the work1  
pulling out the stray hairs the razors  
or plasters had left behind4 ,some      
wealthy men had the duties of the       
barber performed by their own slaves1   
but the shops were thronged  with       

customers1 and the tonsor was at all    
times the most obedient and  obliging   
servant of the public4 ,one of the      
peculiarities of their art  was the     
clicking of the shears1 to which        
,juvenal makes allusion3        8,he    
whose officious scizzors went snip1     
snip1      ,as he my troublesome young  
beard did clip40    ,several of these   
worthies attained to great distinction1 
and rose from  the shop to the senate4  
,the furniture of a barber's shop1 to   
those who are curious in matters  of    
antiquity1 might serve to explain the   
customs of a very remote  period4 ,the  
basin is mentioned in ,ezekiel3 it is   
the cantherus  of the middle ages1 which
 was of bright copper4 ,from a peculiar 
soap1  lascivium1 used by the           
fraternity1 we derive the word lather4  
,washing-balls were used for washing and
 softening the beard before  shaving1   
and the pomatum in use was known as     
capillare4 ,various  modes of frizzing  
and plaiting the hair1 distinguished by 

appropriate  terms1 are alluded to by   
archologists2 but we turn a deaf ear to 
such  traditions--our lode-star glistens
 near the barber's pole1 ,mambrino's    
helmet1 bright with sunny memories of   
golden romance and the adventures  of   
the knight of ,la ,mancha4 ,there has   
been some diversity of opinion as  to   
the origin of the well-known barber's   
pole4 ,the prevalent opinion  is        
probably the true one1 that it          
represents the staff held in the  hand  
by the patient phlebotomized by the     
barber-surgeon2 and that the  red ribbon
 coiled round it represents the tape by 
which the arm was  compressed during the
 operation4 ,and here1 at the threshold1
 we observe  the mystical union between 
,barbery and ,surgery2 and hence the    
dignity  and professional honours to    
which the barbers justly lay claim4     
,lord  ,thurlow1 in the ,house of ,peers
 7#agig7 decorated the barber's pole    
with  somewhat different colours when he
 stated 8that1 by a statute then in     

force1 the ,barbers and ,surgeons were  
each to use a pole4 ,the barbers  were  
to have theirs blue and white1 striped1 
with no other appendage2  but the       
surgeons'1 which was the same in other  
respects1 was likewise  to have a       
galley-pot and a red rag1 to denote the 
particular nature  of their vocation40  
,our business is not with the           
galley-pot1 although  we love the golden
 beard of sculapius well4 ,we incline to
 the belief  that there were no         
jealousies between the happy couple at  
an early  period of their union4 ,the   
fees of both professions were1          
doubtless1  small1 and seldom any but   
minor operations attempted2 while1      
probably1  the ignorance of both parties
 was so nearly balanced as to produce   
the  desired equality so necessary to   
the concord of the married state4 ,for  
many long years we know they jogged on  
together without complaint of  any kind2
 that subsequently1 if not very loving1 
they tolerated each  other with due     

decorum2 and that1 when at last they got
 to wrangling  and high words1 they     
luckily obtained a divorce4    ,the     
barber's basin certainly ranks next in  
importance to the pole4 ,the  basin of  
the proper form had the usual           
semi-circle cut out of the brim1  that  
it might fit into the neck2 and1 in     
another part1 a hollow place1  like a   
little dish1 to hold the soap3 its      
office was two-fold1 and was  in        
requisition both for bleeding and       
shaving4 ,to the disturbed vision  of   
,don ,quixote the brass basin glittered 
like burnished gold4 ,his  adventure    
with the village barber1 mounted on his 
dappled grey ass1 the  renowned helmet1 
and the part it played in the astounding
 feats of that  flower of chivalry1 are 
known the world over1 and are among the 
most  pleasant associations connected   
with the barber's trade4 ,at a public   
festival in ,holland1 in honour of the  
,earl of ,leicester1 ,holinshed  says a 
barber set up some three score of bright

 copper basins on a  wall1 with a wax   
candle burning in each1 and a painting  
of a rose and  crown1 and an inscription
 in ,latin1 8this made a faire shew1 and
 was  a pretie deuise40 ,if the fellow  
were an honest patriot1 he deserved a   
pyramid of brass basins for a monument4 
,punning inscriptions and quaint devices
 outside of the shop were  frequently   
adopted as alluring bait for the lovers 
of odd whims and  fancies1 who thought  
none the worse of the man for having    
some spice of  humour in his            
composition4 ,over a barber's shop      
,hogarth has set up this  inscription1  
8,shaving1 bleeding1 and teeth drawn    
with a touch1 ,,ecce  ,,signum40 ,bat   
,pigeon1 of whom honourable mention is  
made by both  ,steele and ,addison1 had 
a curious device of a bat and a pigeon1 
which1  in its day1 attracted much      
attention4 ,the wig-maker's sign of     
,absalom  hanging from the oak by his   
hair1 and the darts of ,joab fixed in   
his  side1 is probably of ,french       

origin4 ,the story is told of a barber  
at  ,troyes1 and the inscription runs   
thus3        8,passans1 contemplez la   
douleur      ,d',absalon pendu par la   
nuque3      ,il et vit ce malheur       
,s'il avait port la perruque40    ,the  
,english version is more concise3       
8,o ,absalom1 unhappy sprig1      ,thou 
shouldst have worn a perriwig40    ,the 
barber's chair may be regarded as the   
centre of the system4 ,the  proverb 8,as
 common as a barber's chair0 is well    
known1 and ,shakspere's  clown adds 8it 
fits all buttocks0--the word is not     
ours--the seat  of honour1 if you       
please1 reader1 furnished with twin     
cushions to  protect the sacred ,luz1   
out of which the ,rabbins say the       
renewed  mammal is to sprout forth at   
the resurrection1 as you are probably   
aware4 ,in old prints1 the chattels of a
 barber's shop are usually  few and mean
 enough2 but the chair--the descendant  
of the sella  tonsoria--bears some rude 
flourishes of art1 is broad and massive 

and well-cushioned1 as became the throne
 of so many grave potentates4  ,one is  
as much astonished at the size of the   
combs1 scissors1 and  razors of the     
ancient barbers as at the giant arms and
 armour worn  by the knights of old4    
,what ponderous blades these artists    
wielded  it is fearful to contemplate4  
,there is an old joke that some barber  
advertised shaving by the acre1 and     
cutting blocks with a razor one  would  
think not impossible with such weapons4 
,actius' razor1 which  was of the       
keenest1 must have been after this      
fashion4 ,as razors are  of very old    
date1 it may interest some one to know  
that1 long before  ,sheffield or        
,sheffield blades were thought of1      
,palermo did business in  their         
commodity4 ,the presiding deity was not 
unfrequently the greatest  curiosity    
about the place4 ,a certain knack of    
snapping the fingers  was a common      
practice among them2 tradition says1 it 
recalled to mind  the clicking of the   

shears used by their great ancestors4   
,morose1 in  ,ben ,jonson's 8,silent    
,woman10 so detested this sound1 as     
indeed he did  noises of all kind1 that 
meeting with a barber who was without   
this  trick of his profession1 he       
thought it so eminent a virtue1 that he 
made him chief of his counsel1 which    
reminds one of ,adrian's rebuke to  his 
gossip of a barber1 who1 in reply to the
 man's query how he should  like to be  
shaved1 said--silently6 ,but barber's   
were better employed  than in curing the
 ill-humours of the ,morose family4 ,in 
,stubbes'  ,anatomie of ,abuses 7#aehc7 
is a dialogue about old barbers1 which  
we  will in part transcribe3            
8,there are no finer fellowes under the 
sunne1 nor experter in     their noble  
science of barbing than they be2 and    
therefore1     in the fulness of their  
overflowing knowledge1 7oh6 ingenious   
heads1 and worthy to be dignified with  
the diademe of folly and     vain       
curiositie67 they have invented such    

strange fashions and     monstrous      
manners of cutting1 trimmings1 shavings1
 and washings1     that you would wonder
 to see4444 ,besides that1 when they    
come     to the cutting of the haire1   
what snipping and snapping of the       
cycers is there1 what tricking and      
trimming1 what rubbing1     what        
scratching1 what combing and clawing1   
what trickling and     toying1 and all  
to tawe out money1 you may be sure4 ,and
 when     they come to washing1 oh6 how 
gingerly they behave themselves         
therein2 for then shall your mouth be   
bossed with the lather     or fome that 
riseth of the balles 7for they have     
their sweete     balles wherewithall    
they use to washe72 your eyes closed    
must     be anointed therewith also4    
,then snap go the fingers2 ful          
bravely1 ,god wot4 ,thus1 this tragedy  
ended1 comes me warme     clothes to    
wipe and dry him withall2 next the eares
 must be     picked and closed togither 
againe artificially forsooth2 the       

hair of nostrils cut away1 and every    
thing done in order comely     to       
behold4 ,the last action in this        
tragedie is the paiment of     monie4   
,and least these cunning barbers might  
seem unconscionable     in asking much  
for their paines1 they are of such a    
shamefast     modestie1 as they will    
aske nothing at all1 but1 standing to   
the curtesie and liberalitie of the     
giver1 they will receive     all that   
comes1 how much soever it be1 not giving
 anie again1 ,i     warrant you2 for    
take a barber with that fault1 and      
strike off     his head4 ,no1 no1 such  
fellows are ,rar in terris1 nigrisque   
simillimi cygnis1--8,rare birds upon the
 earth1 and as geason     as black      
swans40 ,you shall have also your       
,orient perfumes for     your nose1 your
 fragrant waters for your face1         
wherewith you     shall bee all to      
besprinkled3 your musicke againe1 and   
pleasant     harmonie shall sound in    
your eares1 and all to tickle the       

same with vaine delight4 ,and in the end
 your cloke shall be     brushed1 and1  
,god be with you1 gentleman644499 99 99 
99 99 99 ,but yet     ,i must needs say 
7these nisities set apart7 barbers are  
verie     necesarie1 for otherwise men  
should grow verie ougglisom and         
deformed1 and their haire would in      
processe of time overgrowe     their    
face1 rather like monsters1 than comlie 
sober ,christians40      ,stubbes1      
himself1 was an inveterate trifler--one 
of an army of pigmies  warring against  
cranes2 but we acquit him of all malice2
 he belonged  to that numerous class who
 originate nothing1 but find fault with 
everything--        8,the long-neck'd   
geese of the world for ever hissing     
dispraise      ,because their natures   
are little10    as ,tennyson calls them4
 ,an apt turn for flattery was very     
requisite in  an accomplished           
barber--one of the most difficult       
things1 by the way1  for humanity to    
attain to2 for if satire should wound1  

like a keen  razor1 8with a touch that's
 scarcely felt or seen10 flattery1 like 
rouge1 should be applied with a very    
delicate hand1 indeed4 ,suckling's      
verses allude to this hazardous feat3   
8,when ,i'm at work1 ,i'm bound to find 
discourse      ,to no great purpose1 of 
great ,sweden's force1      ,of ,witel1 
and the ,burse1 and what 'twill cost    
,to get that back which was this summer 
lost4      ,so fall to praising of his  
lordship's hair1      ,ne'er so         
deformed1 ,i swear 'tis sans compare3   
,i tell him that the ,king's does sit no
 fuller1      ,and yet his is not half  
so good a colour3      ,then reach a    
pleasing glass1 that's made to lye      
,like to its master most notoriously3   
,and if he must his mistress see that   
day1      ,i with a powder send him     
strait away40    ,but other duties such 
as bleeding1 cupping1 and drawing teeth 
had to be  attended to in turn4 ,those  
who have seen the        8,black rotten 
teeth in order strung1      ,rang'd     

cups1 that in the window stood1         
,lin'd with red rags to look like       
blood10    will acknowledge that this   
was once a very important branch of     
industry4 ,we have ourselves seen the   
tooth of some unknown animal  in a      
collection of the kind1 which1 for size1
 would have astonished  ,professor      
,owen2 the sight of it1 we were told1   
had frightened away many  a toothache4  
,the reader has probably met with the   
anecdote of ,queen  ,elizabeth1 who     
hesitated about having a tooth drawn2   
when ,bishop ,aylmer  sat down in the   
chair1 and said to the operator1 8,come1
 though ,i am  an old man1 and have but 
few teeth to spare1 draw me this60 which
 was  done2 and the queen1 seeing him   
make so slight a matter of it1 sat down 
and had hers drawn1 also4    ,when it   
was part of the popular belief that the 
human subject required  to be bled at   
regular intervals to ensure good health 
and make the  ladies fair1 and when     
every barber-surgeon was ready 8to      

breathe a  vein10 we may be sure the    
lancet was in constant request4 ,cupping
  was recommended to remove a catarrh or
 cold in the head2 and one who  made    
trial of its virtues says1 he was       
startled by being asked by the  operator
 if he wished to be sacrificed2 but     
declined being  scarified on that       
occasion4 ,we take it for granted there 
must have  been uncommon stamina in the 
,british constitution1 or it would long 
since have broken down hopelessly under 
the rough handling it has  undergone4   
,benjamin ,suddlechop1 in ,scott's      
8,fortunes of ,nigel10 has become the   
model barber of our popular literature2 
the sketch is confessedly a  slight one1
 and1 indeed1 after ,cervantes1         
,fielding1 ,smollett1 and ,le           
,sage--not to mention others--have given
 their delineations of the  character1  
the barbers stand in need of no further 
help to fame4  ,even ,suddlechop had    
some music in his soul2 his shop in     
,fleet-street  resounded with the       

tinklings of the guitar1 where the      
lover1 if so  inclined1 might warble 8a 
woeful ballad to his mistress'          
eyebrows10 or  flay some spell-bound    
,marsyas with sounds by no means        
8,as sweet and musical      ,as bright  
,apollo's lute1 strung with his hair40  
,but what shall we say to ,suddlechop's 
little back shop1 from which  he        
supplied his customers with strong      
waters4 ,we consider this a sad  blot   
upon his fame4 ,many of the barbers sold
 cordials and compounded  ,english      
aqua-vit1 and to them we are indebted   
for some of the  earliest recipes for   
,british brandy--an abominable mixture1 
which1 like  the filthy poison known as 
gin1 has destroyed more victims than    
ever  groaned under the lancet of the   
barber-surgeon4 ,could these worthies   
have foreseen what scandalous things    
would come of this gin drinking1  how   
8,the vitriol madness flashes up in the 
ruffian's head1      ,till the filthy   
by-lane rings to the yell of the        

trampled wife10    what disease1 and    
want1 and wretchedness1 and crime1 are  
engendered  of this poison to men's     
souls--all to build up the fortunes of a
 few  wealthy capitalists--we are sure  
even the strong nerves of the dashing   
barber would have failed him1 and he    
would have turned with loathing  from   
the hateful traffic4 ,rabelais makes    
,pope ,calixtus a woman's barber  in the
 other world1 which might be a very     
salutary discipline for a  proud        
pontiff2 and we put it to the prince of 
jovial drinkers himself  to suggest any 
more fitting purgatorial chastisement   
for the gin-fire  aristocracy1 than that
 of compelling them to drink their own  
vile  compounds3 ,prometheus1 bound to  
the rock1 with the vulture preying on   
his liver1 would be but a faint type of 
their misery4    ,before we dismiss     
,suddlechop1 we have to remark that     
though dame  ,ursula1 his wife1 carried 
on the sale of cosmetics and perfumes1  
and  dealt in other mysteries in her own

 room at hand1 the business of a        
perfumer1 as the term is now understood1
 had nothing to do with the  ancient    
craft of barbery2 such matters concerned
 ,st4 ,veronica and the  milliners--the 
barbers and their patron saint1 ,st4    
,louis1 were engaged  on higher         
mysteries4 ,to preserve order1 or1 more 
probably1 to promote  merriment1 a list 
of forfeits was hung up in the shop2    
those who chose  to pay them did1 and   
those who did not might laugh at them-- 
8like the forfeits in a barbers shop1   
,as much in mock as mark40    ,some     
old-fashioned 8rules for seemly         
behaviour0 have been handed to  certain 
learned antiquaries as genuine          
regulations of the craft2 but  old birds
 are not to be caught with chaff1 and   
the archologist knows  better4 ,the     
forfeits are said to have been incurred 
by meddling with  the razors1 talking   
about cutting throats1 swearing1        
pricking another  with the spurs1 taking
 another's turn1 interrupting the       

barber1 and  such like venial offences4 
,it was formerly the custom to apply the
 soap  with the hand when lathering the 
beard2 the practice of using a brush    
was a ,french innovation1 not known in  
,england till the year #agef4 ,nor  must
 we omit to mention that contrivance of 
the dark ages1 the barber's             
candlestick1 which consisted of an      
upright wooden stem1 pointed at the     
lower end1 which was fixed in the apron 
string1 and a projecting branch         
moveable round the stem to hold the     
candle4    ,down even to the time of    
,queen ,anne the barber's shop was      
frequented  by the better sort of       
people1 and the hand that trimmed the   
tradesman  curled the courtier4 ,in     
,green's 8,quip for an ,upstart         
,courtier10 7#aeib71  we read1 8,with   
quaint terms you greet ,master          
,velvet-breeches withal1  and at every  
word a snap with your scissors1 and a   
cringe with your  knee2 whereas1 when   
you come to poor ,cloth-breeches1 you   

either cut his  beard at your own       
pleasure1 or else in disdain ask him if 
he will be  trimmed with ,christ's cut1 
round like the half of a ,holland       
cheese80    ,some of the old histories  
afford curious glimpses of the varied   
fortunes of the trade4 ,in the time of  
,henry ,,vi41 the king's palace was     
surrounded by little barbers' shops1    
under the direction of the barber  of   
the household4 ,there being then no     
carriages1 and the streets being  dirty1
 it is probable that those who went to  
court were first shaved  and dressed in 
these shops4 ,a considerable fee was    
given to this barber  for shaving every 
,knight of the ,bath1 on his creation2  
forty shillings  from every baron2 one  
hundred shillings from every earl2 and  
ten pounds  from every duke4 ,the       
barbers of ,london were first           
incorporated by  ,king ,edward ,,iv41 in
 #adfa1 and at that time were the only  
persons who  practised surgery4 ,in     
,france the ,company of ,barbers dates  

from #ajif4  ,an association called the 
,company of ,surgeons was then formed   
prior to  the act of ,henry ,,viii41    
regulating the trade of barbers and     
surgeons4  ,this act incorporated the   
company of surgeons with the barbers1   
under  the name of the ,barbers and     
,surgeons of ,london1 and defined the   
duties  of both professions3 the barbers
 were not to practice surgery further   
than drawing of teeth1 and the surgeons 
were strictly prohibited from           
exercising the craft of shaving4 ,it is 
needless to add1 that to a much  later  
period1 any act of parliament to the    
contrary notwithstanding1  the barber   
did as much of the surgeon's work as he 
could get4 ,in  certain articles devised
 by ,henry ,,viii4 for the establishment
 of good  order in his household and    
chambers1 there is an order by which the
  king's barber is 8expressly enjoined  
to be cleanly1 and by no means to       
frequent the company of idle persons and
 misguided women1 for fear of  danger to

 the king's most royal person40         
,montaigne complains 7#aeha7 that       
throughout ,italy he had not been able  
to get hold of a single barber that     
could either shave him1 or cut1 or      
arrange his hair properly4 ,the barber  
of ,king ,charles ,,ii4 seems to have   
acquired somewhat of the levity of his  
master1 7evil communications  corrupt   
good manners72 for one day1 while       
shaving him1 with his usual  familiarity
 he hazarded the remark1 that none of   
his majesty's officers  had a greater   
trust than himself4 8,how so1 friend80  
quoth the king4  8,why10 said the       
barber1 8,i could cut your majesty's    
throat whenever  ,i liked40 ,charles    
started up at the idea1 and1 using his  
favourite  oath1 exclaimed1 8,odds fish1
 the very thought is treason60 ,nor     
could  ,king ,charles have forgotten the
 occasion when ,william ,penderel first 
performed the office of barber1 and     
shaved and trimmed him in a very  sorry 
fashion1 that he might elude his        

enemies4 ,royalty must at all  times    
have been a very awkward customer for   
the barber to meddle with4  ,midas'     
barber who appears to have had the      
cacoethes loquendi  which is said to be 
endemic with the craft1 suffered        
dreadfully in  consequence4 ,fortunately
 for a few crowned heads1 the tonsor1   
taught  discretion by the story of      
,midas1 has become the most prudent of  
men1  and not a whisper is uttered on   
earth of any peculiar developement      
about the ears which the ,phrygian cap  
effectually conceals from the  vulgar4  
,female barbers were not unknown to our 
forefathers1 and1 till within a  few    
years1 were to be met with in the       
provinces3 possibly some 8weird         
sisters0 still survive in odd           
localities4 ,we remember a sturdy little
  ,welsh woman who wielded the razor    
very successfully in her native town1   
and was patronized extensively by the   
sailors and quarrymen4 ,the five        
barberesses of ,drury ,lane1 who        

dreadfully maltreated a woman in the    
reign of ,charles ,,ii41 are remembered 
for their infamy4 ,local histories  tell
 of a noted barberess in ,seven ,dials1 
and of a black woman who  did duty at   
,butcher ,row1 near the ,temple4 ,the   
delicate manipulation  of female artists
 is proverbial2 but one shudders at the 
thought of  encountering the armed hand 
of the female barber2 for who has       
forgotten  the trick which the          
barber-damsel put upon ,don ,quixote1   
when she raised  a lather a span high1  
covering up his face and beard with a   
white  foam1 and then left him for      
awhile with his neck outstretched1 and  
his  eyes half shut1 8the strangest and 
most ridiculous figure imaginable20  and
 how poor ,sancho was threatened with   
still worse consequences1 and  protested
 loudly against the beard-scouring by   
the scullions1 adding1  with his usual  
shrewdness1 that there was no such      
difference between  him and his master1 
that one should be washed with angel    

water and  the other with devil's-ley4  
,southey informs us that female shavers 
were not uncommon in ,spain in his day4 
,the more feminine occupation of        
hair-dressing was long carried on by the
 other sex1 in a becoming and  artistic 
manner3 witness the announcement of one 
of them1 copied by  ,strutt from the    
original in the ,british ,museum3--     
,a ,illustration ,r        ,next ,door  
to the ,golden ,bell1 ,st4 ,bride's     
,lane1 ,fleet ,street1                  
,,lyveth ,,lydia ,,beercraft1       ,who
 cutteth and curleth ladies1 gentlemen1 
and children's     hair4--,she sells a  
fine pomatum1 which is mix'd with       
ingredients     of her own makeing1 that
 if the hair be never so thin1 it makes 
it grow thick2 and if short1 it makes it
 grow long4 ,if any     gentleman's or  
children's hair be never so lank1 she   
makes it     curle in a little time1 and
 to look like a perriwig4    ,it will be
 observed in ,queen ,anne's reign no    
other style but that of  the perriwig   

was thought worthy of imitation4 ,in    
former times1 the  university barber was
 a person of some consequence4 ,the     
vice-chancellor  and proctors invited   
the fraternity to an annual supper1 and 
no barber  or hair-dresser could        
exercise his vocation in the university 
unless  he matriculated1--took the usual
 oath1 and had his name entered on  the 
books of the university4 ,it was usual  
for the college barber to  wait upon the
 8freshmen10 and dress and powder them  
in the prevailing  fashion--a custom    
which ,southey was among the first to   
resist--an  innovation he would scarcely
 have ventured on in after life4    ,the
 home of the first ,company of          
,barber-,surgeons in ,london was        
probably  where the hall of their       
successors1 the barbers1 is at this day1
 in  ,monkwell ,street4 ,the present    
building was erected by subscription    
some years after the ,fire of ,london1  
which all but consumed its  predecessor3
 a portion of the hall1 of a            

semicircular shape1 is  actually within 
one of the bastions1 still entirely     
perfect1 of the old  ,roman wall--the   
ancient boundary of the metropolis4 ,the
 court-room1  designed by ,inigo ,jones1
 though small1 is of fine proportions1  
and  contains what must now be          
considered the chief riches of the      
company--a  noble painting by ,holbein1 
8,henry ,,viii4 granting the charter to 
the  ,barber-,surgeons0--one of the     
finest pictures by ,holbein in this     
country4 ,there is also a portrait of   
,inigo ,jones1 by ,vandyke2 a picture   
by ,sir ,peter ,lely1 and other valuable
 paintings4 ,the ,company possesses  a  
silver-gilt cup1 presented by ,henry    
,,viii42 another the gift of  ,charles  
,,ii42 and a large bowl given by ,queen 
,anne4 ,such are some of  the relics the
 barbers may still feel proud of1 which 
we trust are  not fated to decay2 but1  
as this is eminently an age of revival  
and  restoration1 it is to be hoped the 
old hall may yet see better days2  that1

 whatever was garnered up of old by the 
wisdom and prudence of our  forefathers1
 may be wisely and liberally enjoyed by 
this generation1  and the good work     
carried on and extended for a later age4
 ,the arms of  the barbers are3--       
,quarterly first and fourth1 sa1 a      
chevron between three fleams     ar1    
second and third1 per pale ar1 and vert1
 a spatula in     pale ar1 surmounted of
 a rose1 gu1 charged with another of    
the first2 the first rose regally       
crowned proper4 ,between     the four   
quarters a cross of ,st4 ,george1 gu1   
charged with a     lion passant gardant1
 or4 ,crest--,an opinicus1 with wings   
indorsed1 or4 ,supporters--,two lynxes  
proper1 spotted     of various colours1 
both ducally collared and chained1 or4  
,motto--8,de prscientia ,dei40    ,if we
 were privileged to direct our thoughts 
to other lands1 and to  record the      
pleasant life of that admirable         
humourist1 the barber of  ,southern     
,europe1 we might hope to add a little  

sunshine to these pages4  ,who enjoys   
life better than ,figaro--who is as well
 entertained--who is  half as           
entertaining8                           
,ah che bel vivere6      ,che bel       
piacere per un barbiere di qualita1     
,ah bravo ,figaro1 bravo bravissimo     
fortunatissimo4    ,what a lively1      
sensuous1 al fresco life he has of it at
 ,naples2  content1 without the         
semblance of property of any kind2 in   
action1 free  as the breeze2 and in     
spirit1 buoyant as a wave4        ,ah   
che bel vivere6    ,but the shrine of   
,figaro must be sought in ,seville4 ,in 
the charming  fictions of ,cervantes and
 ,le ,sage1 we seem to live on most     
familiar  terms with the ,spanish       
barber1 as much so1 as with ,smollett's 
,hugh  ,strap1 or ,partridge in         
,fielding's 8,tom ,jones40 ,so          
truthfully is the  invisible world      
peopled for us by the power of genius4  
,romance seems in  some way associated  
with the character of a barber--        

8,in ,venice1 ,tasso's echoes are no    
more1      ,and songless rows the silent
 gondolier20    but the barber still    
contrives an occasional serenade1       
accompanying  his amorous tinklings with
 vocal strains which would rouse the    
,seven  ,sleepers4 ,what a contrast to  
his ,european brethren is the grave     
barber  of the ,east1 who is usually    
physician1 astrologer1 and barber1 and  
better known to most of us by the       
amusing story in the ,arabian ,nights   
than from any other source4 ,much might 
be said of ,yankee wit and humour  in   
the person of the ,american barber2     
something too1 of the crude state  of   
the art in ,africa1 where1 to complete  
her modest coiffure1 the sable  beauty  
is seated in the sun with a lump of fat 
on her head1 which  trickles down in    
resplendent unctuous streams with a     
profusion enough  to make a railway     
engine jealous4 ,nor can we stop to     
notice the ,chinese  8one piccie        
,barber-man10 whose speculations on     

heads and tails must be  highly amusing2
 for the ,fates are inexorable1 and our 
canvass too small  to complete the      
picture4    ,we must not1 however1 omit 
all mention of the trade in human hair1 
on  which the wig-maker is dependent for
 his supplies4 ,ovid alludes to this    
traffic--light and auburn hair was most 
sought for by the ,roman ladies  which  
was brought from ,germany and the ,north
 of ,europe--        8,hair is good     
merchandise1 and grown a trade1         
,markets and public traffic thereof     
made2      ,nor do they blush to cheapen
 it among      ,the thickest number1 and
 the rudest throng40    ,in the reign of
 ,elizabeth1 the wearing of false hair  
was something of a  novelty2 ,italian   
ladies of no reputation are said to have
 first revived  the fashion4 ,stubbes   
took up the cudgels in earnest2 he      
says3--       8,they are not simply     
content with their own hair1 but buy    
other     hair1 either of horses1 mares1
 or any other strange beasts1     dyeing

 of what colour they list themselves4   
,and if there be any     poor woman 7as 
now and then we see--,god doth bless    
them with     beauty as well as the     
rich7 that have fair hair1 these nice   
dames will not rest till they have      
bought it4 ,or if any children     have 
fair hair1 then will entice them into a 
secret place1 and     for a penny or two
 they will cut off their hair2 as ,i    
heard that     one did in the city of   
,londinium of late who1 meeting a little
     child with very fair hair1         
inveigled her into a house1 promised    
her a penny and so cut off her hair40   
,in more modern times the demand has    
created a distinct branch of trade1  and
 various agencies are at work to procure
 the needful supply4 ,black  hair comes 
principally from ,brittany and the      
,south of ,france1 where  it is         
collected by dealers who visit the      
principal fairs1 and barter  ribbons1   
kerchiefs1 and such matters1 for the    
tresses of the ,breton  lasses4 ,from a 

superstitious feeling1 most of them are 
averse to take  money for their hair1   
and consider it unlucky to do so4 ,as it
 is an  invariable custom for the       
females to wear a close cap from        
childhood1  the loss of their           
magnificent chignons is thereby         
concealed4  ,germany supplies the       
market1 as of old1 with light and flaxen
 hair1  and this branch of trade is     
chiefly carried on by a ,dutch company4 
,the ,london hair-dressers alone1       
purchase some five tons annually4 ,the  
annual consumption in ,great ,britain of
 foreign human hair is assumed  to be   
about six tons4 ,hair which curls       
naturally1 and is of good  colour and   
very fine1 commands the highest price2  
and certain shades1  which are          
comparatively rare1 are much sought for4
 ,such choice lots  are packed up in    
skins1 to exclude the air1 and exported 
to the best  markets4 ,fashion1 however1
 has much to do in regulating the price4
  ,bryant1 the ,american poet1 whose    

,pegasus seems to have taken fright at  
the gaudeous dresses of the beauties in 
the ,broadway1 thus discourses  of hair 
with a poet's license3        8,and     
thick about those lovely temples lie    
,locks that the lucky ,vignardonne has  
curled4      ,thrice happy man6 whose   
trade it is to buy1        ,and bake1   
and braid those love-knots of the world2
      ,who curls of every glossy colour 
keepest1      ,and sellest1 it is said1 
the blackest cheapest4        ,and well 
thou mayst--for ,italy's brown maids    
,send the dark locks with which their   
brows are dressed1      ,and ,gascon    
lasses1 from their jetty braids1        
,crop half1 to buy a riband for the     
rest2      ,and the fresh ,norman girls 
their tresses spare1      ,and the      
,dutch damsel keeps her flaxen hair4    
,then1 henceforth1 let no maid nor      
matron grieve1        ,to see her locks 
of an unlovely hue1      ,grizzled or   
thin1 for liberal art shall give        
,such piles of curls as nature never    

knew4      ,eve1 with her veil of       
tresses1 at the sight      ,had blushed1
 outdone1 and owned herself a fright40  
,when long-curled perriwigs were in     
fashion1 some fine heads of hair        
fetched extraordinary prices2 and as it 
was impossible to find human  hair in   
sufficient quantity for the purposes of 
trade1 recourse was  had to horse-hair4 
,one of the companies projected just    
before the  bursting of the ,south ,sea 
bubble1 was a company for dealing in    
human  hair which promised unheard of   
profits4 ,in 8,a ,description of        
,trades10  published #agdg1 we are told1
 8that the business of hair-curlers and 
sellers is properly a part of perriwig  
making1 but of late years they  have    
prevailed so much as to become quite a  
separate trade1 and really  not an      
inconsiderable one neither1 some of them
 being even styled  merchants1 who have 
the makers-up of hair in all shapes for 
their customers4 ,there are also        
abundance of hawkers and pedlars who  go

 up and down the country to buy up this 
commodity1 who generally  dispose of it 
to these hair-sellers40 ,the material   
for a perriwig being  somewhat costly1  
and trickery not uncommon1 the character
 of the barber  was the best guarantee  
for the quality of the wig4 ,the reader 
has  probably heard how ,tom ,brown1    
meeting a parson at ,nando's            
,coffee-house1  recommended him to the  
honestest perriwig-maker in             
,christendom--the  barber at            
,chelmsford1 with his nineteen          
daughters1 all bred up to his  own      
trade1 and being kept unmarried1 their  
hair grew so prodigiously  fast that it 
gave them full employment throughout the
 year2 the barber  cropped them every   
four years1 and never lacked a plentiful
 harvest--so  that ,chelmsford was as   
famous for its wigs1 as ,romford for    
calves4 ,the  girls were all virtuous1  
which made the hair the stronger1 and   
there  was not finer hair to be had in  
the kingdom4 ,on this1 the parson who   

was in want of a new wig1 and had been  
cheated in his last purchase1  set out  
for ,chelmsford1 and returned thoroughly
 satisfied--that he had  been sent on a 
fool's errand4    ,the value of long    
fair hair1 when wigs were in fashion1 is
 amusingly  shown in ,walpole's anecdote
 of the ,countess of ,suffolk1 married  
to ,mr4  ,howard4 8,such was their      
poverty1 that having invited some       
friends to  dinner1 and being           
disappointed of a small remittance1 she 
was forced  to sell her hair to furnish 
the entertainment1 and for which she    
obtained twenty pounds40 ,middle ,row1  
,holborn1 was chiefly inhabited by      
perriwig-makers1 and the ,french barbers
 congregated in ,soho4    ,one of the   
mysteries of the craft was the art of   
dyeing hair1 and every  barber was      
supposed to be fully initiated in this  
occult science4  ,greeks and ,romans    
performed similar feats in their day1   
but blonde  hair being most esteemed1   
the compositions they used were of a    

very  different nature to those employed
 by the moderns2 strictly speaking  they
 could hardly be called dyes1 they      
partook more of the nature of  caustic  
pomades and pigments3 such were the pil 
,mattiac1 the  caustica spuma1 spuma    
,battava1 c41 of their authors1         
imported for the most part from         
,germany4 ,making old folks young again1
  at least in appearance1 was not beyond
 the power of ,roman art1 for  the locks
 of age1 white as the plumage of the    
swan1 could be suddenly  changed to that
 of a crow4 ,sir ,thomas ,brown suggests
 that ,medea might  have possessed some 
famous dye3--8,that ,medea1 the famous  
sorceress1  could renew youth1 and make 
old men young again1 was nothing else   
but  that1 from the knowledge of        
simples1 she had a receipt to make white
  hair black1 and reduce old heads into 
the tincture of youth again40  ,mohammed
 forbade the dyeing of the hair2 and a  
story is told of ,herod1  that in order 
to conceal his advanced age1 he used    

secretly to dye his  grey locks with a  
dark pigment ,in the greater number of  
,anglo-,saxon  ,m4,s4,s4 the hair and   
beard are painted blue1 and sometimes   
green and  orange4 ,strutt concluded    
from this1 that the ,saxons dyed or     
tinged  their hair in some way2 but the 
point is doubtful4 ,in the fourteenth   
century1 yellow was the favourite       
colour1 and saffron was used as a  dye4 
,again1 in ,elizabeth's reign1 fair hair
 became fashionable1 and the  ladies    
used various compositions to obtain the 
desired shade4 ,stubbes  is indignant at
 the practice1 and exclaims with his    
usual warmth3--8,if  any have hair of   
their own natural growing which is not  
fair enough1  then will they dye it in  
divers colours1 almost changing the     
substance  into accidents by their      
devilish1 and worse than these1 cursed  
devices40 ,foreign charlatans1 quack    
doctors1 and astrologers1 were          
formidable rivals of the barber1 and    
succeeded in disposing of their  dyes   

and cosmetics in the most unblushing    
manner2 some affected to be  so occupied
 in the sublime study of contriving     
cures for all the ills  which flesh is  
heir to1 as to have no leisure for      
cosmetic practice1  and coolly announced
 that their wives attended to such      
matters4 ,a high  ,german doctor and    
astrologer informed the public that he  
was blessed  with a wife 8who could make
 red hair as white as a lily1 shape the 
eyebrows to a miracle1 make low         
foreheads as high as you please1 and    
had a rich water which would make the   
hair curl40 ,the practice of  shaping   
the eyebrows1 though now in disuse1 was 
at one time considered  a very delicate 
and important operation4 ,every one has 
remarked the  extreme fineness of the   
eyebrows in the pictures of the great   
,italian  masters4 ,the ,st4 ,catherine 
of ,rafaelle1 and the ,saints of        
,francia1 in  the ,national ,gallery1   
are instances of this2 such was the     
fashion of  the ,italian ladies of the  

fifteenth century1 and was esteemed a   
great  beauty4 ,the eyebrows were       
carefully reduced in substance to a mere
  line1 till scarcely visible4 ,a lady1 
whose lover had an unconquerable        
aversion to red hair1 once made         
application to a noted quack1 who1      
politely answered3--8,this is no        
business of mine1 but my wife's1 who'll 
soon redress your grievances1 and       
furnish you with a leaden comb and my   
,anti-,erythran ,unguent1 which after   
two or three applications  will make you
 as fair or as brown as you desire40 ,we
 hope1 for the  ladies sake1 it turned  
out to be the true ,elisir d'amore4 ,a  
,mr4  ,michon1 a goldsmith1 in #agaj1   
advertised a clear fluid1 which would   
change red or grey hair to brown or     
black1 under the name of 8,the          
,tricosian ,fluid40 ,the remarkable     
success which attended the use of the   
,cyananthropopoion1 patronized by       
,titmouse ,tittlebat1 is known to  all  
readers of 8,ten ,thousand a ,year40 ,it

 would1 however1 say but little  for the
 progress of chemistry in our day1 if we
 were unprovided with  some efficient   
means of dyeing the hair2 in competent  
hands1 no doubt1  the thing is easy     
enough4 ,the old-fashioned dyes are now 
perfectly  useless1 and may safely be   
consigned to the same limbo with ,peter 
,pindar's razors3        8,sir10 quoth  
the razor man1 8,i'm not a knave2       
,as for the razors you have bought1--   
,upon my soul1 ,i never thought         
,that they would shave40        8,not   
shave0 cries ,hodge1 with wondering1    
staring eyes1        ,and voice not much
 unlike an ,indian yell--      8,what   
were they made for1 then1 you knave80 he
 cries4        8,made10 quoth the       
fellow1 with a smile1 8to sell40    ,the
 names of no inconsiderable number of   
barbers are inscribed on  the roll of   
,fame4 ,in the very foremost rank we may
 place that of the  poor barber1        
,arkwright1 who lived to accomplish such
 great things  for the trade of this    

country4 ,his was an instance of that   
material  success which the dullest can 
comprehend1 and the vulgarest worshipper
  of ,mammon will stand agape at4 ,to be
 knighted by the ,sovereign1 and  to    
realize half a million of money1 would  
be fame enough for most  ambitious      
minds--but this is but dust in the      
balance1 compared with  the value of the
 vast enterprise to which the barber's  
talents gave  the first impulse4        
,wealth1 beyond the dreams of avarice1  
has accrued  from that giant industry2  
and yet rival manufacturers would have  
crushed him if they could1 so blind is  
grasping selfishness to its  own true   
interests4 ,till the age of             
twenty-eight1 ,arkwright worked at  the 
barber's trade1 then turned dealer in   
hair1 which he travelled  about to      
collect and dispose of to the trade4 ,a 
hair-dye he happened  to get hold of was
 a source of considerable profit to him4
 ,but his  good genius was at hand to   
rescue him from obscurity1 and although 

his  subsequent career appeals but      
little to the imagination1 his fame will
  long endure to attest the energy and  
the capability of the ,british  workman4
 ,belzoni was another earnest spirit    
working out its freedom  in a different 
way4 ,his adventurous career is well    
known2 had it not  been for the         
promptings of an active mind1 he might  
have lived and died  shaving beards at  
,padua4 ,burchiello1 the ,florentine1   
gave up the razor1  and courted the     
,muse1 as he says in one of his sonnets2
        8,la ,poesia combatti col       
rasio40    ,jasmin1 the ,french poet of 
,agen1 rose from extreme poverty to     
comfort  and independence as a barber1  
and acquired a well-earned reputation   
by his pleasant verses 8,les            
,papillotes10 and the ,poem 8,l',aveugle
 de  ,castel ,cuill40 ,allan ,ramsey    
must be numbered with the barber poets2 
and literature is indebted to           
,winstanley1 a barber of the time of    
,charles ,,ii41 for his 8,lives of the  

,english ,poets40 ,these1 however1 have 
earned other titles than those conferred
 by their original calling2  there are  
others1 whose sole claim to notice is   
their professional  reputation4 ,among  
the most noted barbers of their day we  
may mention  8the gentleman barber0 to  
the ,earl of ,pembroke1 who built a     
large  house with tennis-courts and     
bowling-green1 nick-named ,shaver's     
,hall1 the resort of the gayest of the  
nobility1 where many a fortune  was lost
 and won2 and ,farr who opened the      
well-known coffee-house1  8,the         
,rainbow10 in ,fleet ,street1 hard by   
,temple ,bar4 ,lillie who had a  shop at
 the corner of ,beaufort ,buildings1 in 
the ,strand1 whose fame  is preserved in
 the pages of the ,tatler and           
,spectator4 ,honest ,bat  ,pigeon1 of   
whom ,steele and ,addison make          
honourable mention4 ,gregory1  the      
famous peruke-maker1 from whom the wig  
called a 8,gregorian0 took  its name1   
and who lies buried in the church of    

,st4 ,clement ,danes1 with  an epitaph  
in rhyme1 writ1 says ,aubrey1 by a      
,baron of the ,exchequer4  ,shammeree1  
the fashionable wig-maker of the reign  
of ,william ,,iii42 and  ,stewart1 the  
author of the 8,the ,noble ,art of      
,hair-dressing40 ,amid minor            
celebrities1 ,don ,saltero occupies a   
conspicuous place--he opened his        
museum-coffee-house1 in ,cheyne ,walk1  
,chelsea1 in #afie4 ,sir ,hans ,sloane  
supplied him with many curiosities for  
his museum4 ,his own name was  ,james   
,salters4 ,he claimed to have some skill
 on the fiddle1 could draw  a tooth1    
made most excellent punch1 and was      
esteemed a virtuoso and a  wit4 ,he     
includes himself among the oddities at  
the ,chelsea ,knackatory1  with much    
complacency1 in the following verses3   
,through various employs ,i've past--   
,a scraper1 virtuos' projector1         
,tooth-drawer1 trimmer1 and at last     
,i'm now a gim-crack-whim collector2    
,monsters of all sorts here are seen1   

,strange things in nature as they grew  
so3      ,some relics of the ,sheba     
,queen1        ,and fragments of the    
fam'd ,bob ,crusoe2      ,knick-knacks1 
too1 dangle round the wall1        ,some
 in glass cases1 some on shelf2         
,but1 what's the rarest sight of all1   
,your humble servant shows himself--    
,on this my chiefest hope depends4      
,now1 if you will my cause espouse1     
,in ,journals pray direct your friends  
,to my ,museum-,coffee-house2      ,and 
in requital for the timely favour1      
,i'll gratis bleed1 draw teeth1 and be  
your shaver4    ,steele1 alluding to    
,don ,saltero1 asks1 8why must a barber 
be for ever a  politician1 a musician1  
an anatomist1 a poet1 and a physician80 
,he was  evidently puzzled to account   
for the varied talents of the           
brotherhood4    ,the sons of barbers    
have1 likewise1 achieved great          
distinction3 we  may instance ,jeremy   
,taylor1 secretary ,craggs1 the friend  
of ,addison2  ,tonson1 the publisher2   

,turner1 the painter2 and ,lord         
,tenterden4 ,we are  told by one whose  
testimony we cannot doubt1 that when    
,lord ,tenterden  visited ,canterbury in
 company with his son1 he took him to   
the very  spot where his own father had 
carried on his humble trade1 and said1  
8,charles1 you see this little shop2 ,i 
have brought you here on purpose  to    
show it you4 ,in that shop your         
grandfather used to shave for a  penny6 
,that is the proudest reflection of my  
life6 ,while you live  never forget     
that1 my dear ,charles40 ,lord ,st4     
,leonards1 we believe1  rose from a     
sphere equally humble1 and his father   
followed the same  trade4 ,lord         
,campbell has rescued the name of 8,dick
 ,danby0 from oblivion  by a kindly     
notice in one of his volumes1 8,one of  
the most intimate  friends ,i have ever 
had30 says his lordship1 8was ,dick     
,danby1 who kept  a hair-dresser's shop 
under the ,cloisters in the ,inner      
,temple4 ,he could  tell who were       

getting on and who were without a brief1
 who succeeded  by their talents and who
 hugged the attorneys1 who were desirous
  of becoming puisne judges1 and who    
meant to try their fortune in           
parliament1 which of the chiefs was in a
 failing state of health1 and  who was  
next to be promoted to the collar of    
,s4,s4 ,poor fellow6 he died  suddenly1 
and his death threw a universal gloom   
over ,westminster ,hall1  unrelieved by 
the thought that the survivors who      
mourned him might  pick up some of his  
business--a consolation which           
wonderfully softens  the grief felt for 
the loss of a favourite ,nisi ,prius    
leader40 ,we may  conclude by quoting   
the words of the same learned           
author3--8,although  there be something 
exciting to ridicule in the             
manipulations of  barbers1 according    
both to works of fiction and the        
experience of life1  there is no trade  
which furnishes such striking examples  
of ready wit1  of entertaining          

information1 and of agreeable manners40 
,,structure1 ,,growth1                  
,,and                                   
,,colour ,,of ,,the ,,hair4             
,,chapter ,,vi4      ,in olden time1 the
 hair was said to be produced by 8a     
vapour or  excrement of the brain40 ,in 
the more exact language of science it is
  described as a horny appendage of the 
skin4 ,the skin is shown to be  composed
 of two layers--the outer termed the    
cuticle1 the inner the  cutis4 ,the     
cuticle is an insensible transparent    
membrane covering the  whole surface of 
the body2 the portion exposed to the air
 consists  of flattened cells or scales 
which are continually being renewed2    
while on the inner surface1 in contact  
with the cutis1 is a soft  mucous       
substance1 in which are situate the     
pigment cells giving the  characteristic
 colour peculiar to race and climate4   
,the cutis is  composed of the layer of 
minute papill1 the principal seat of the
  sense of touch1 covering an intricate 

arrangement of fibrous tissue1  which   
receives the delicate ramifications of  
the nerves and arteries4  ,the sheath   
from which the hair protrudes above the 
skin is formed by  a tubular depression 
of the cuticle which reaches below the  
cutis to  the subjacent fat and cellular
 tissue2 the lower end of the sheath  is
 shaped like a pouch1 and contains the  
pulp from which the bulb  and shaft of  
the hair are formed in successive       
portions--the most  recent pushing      
forward that previously formed4 ,the    
bulbs are larger  in young than in old  
hairs1 and are implanted obliquely in   
respect to  the cuticle4 ,the shaft of  
the hair being formed by an aggregation 
of  parts1 has been likened to a pile of
 thimbles one resting within the  other2
 this overlapping of the outer coating  
of scales gives rise to  that roughness 
which we feel on passing the fingers    
along a hair from  the point to the     
bulb1 though apparently perfectly smooth
 when held  in the opposite direction4  

,the colouring matter of the hair is    
seen in  the pulp1 and is distributed   
between the cells composing the shaft4  
,in  form the hair may be described as a
 flattened cylinder1 not1 however1      
hollow or filled with a kind of pith as 
is usually supposed2 but solid          
throughout and formed of a homogeneous  
mass of a cellular texture4 ,from  the  
extreme minuteness of its structure1 and
 the mystery which shrouds  all vital   
processes1 it is still a question as to 
whether the shaft  of the hair is       
permeable by fluids derived from the    
blood4 ,the old  notion of a circulation
 within the hair like the sap in        
vegetables is  disregarded2 but it is   
contended that absorption does take     
place1 and  that fluids are transmitted 
to the extreme point of the hair4 ,in   
proof  of this we are referred to the   
sudden change of colour which the hair  
undergoes in extraordinary cases of     
mental emotion1 as instanced in the     
sufferings of ,marie ,antoinette1 whose 

hair was found to have turned  grey with
 grief4 ,it is assumed that the altered 
condition of the blood  acting          
chemically upon the fluids of the hair  
destroys the colour4 ,if  this be       
granted1 we must look for minor changes 
in the colour of the  hair with every   
ordinary change in the normal condition 
of the blood4  ,and we are told this    
does actually take place2 that in health
 the hair  is glossy1 brilliant1 and    
rich in hue2 in ill health dry1 faded1  
blank1  and withered4 ,but if this be   
so1 and the connection between the blood
  and fluids of the hair be thus        
intimate1 how comes it that partial     
changes of colour--this paleness of hue1
 and loss of brilliancy2 and  on the    
other hand1 increased depth of colour   
consequent on renewed  health--are not  
common phenomena and familiar to every  
one8 ,doubtless1  we have still much to 
learn of the secrets of ,nature1 and    
there is yet  something wanting to      
complete the revelations of the         

microscope1 and  the teachings of       
physiologists respecting the hair4      
,the palms of the hands and the soles of
 the feet are the only portions  of the 
skin unfurnished with hairs4 ,their     
length and thickness varies             
considerably1 from the softest down     
which is scarcely visible1 to the  long 
hair of the scalp and beard4 ,the       
estimated thickness of a hair  of the   
head is one-tenth of a line4            
,observations seem to show that  flaxen 
is the finest1 and black the coarsest   
hair4 ,in females the hair  of the head 
ordinarily measures from twenty to      
thirty inches1 but in  some instances it
 attains a much greater length2 and     
mention is made  of ladies whose hair   
has been two yards long and reached to  
the ground  when they stood erect4 ,the 
beard has been known to grow to the     
enormous  length of nine feet3 the      
portrait of a carpenter with a beard of 
this  length1 is preserved at ,eidam2   
when at work he was obliged to pack it  

up in a bag4 ,we are told the           
,burgomeister ,hans ,steiningen was     
thrown  down and killed by treading on  
his long beard on the staircase leading 
to the council-chamber of ,brunn4 ,the  
long beard of ,john ,mayo1 a painter  in
 ,germany1 is matter of history2 he used
 to untie it in the presence  of        
,charles ,v41 who laughed heartily on   
seeing it blown about in the  faces of  
the courtiers4 ,busbequius saw at       
,constantinople a janissary  with such a
 quantity of hair on his head that a    
musket-ball would not  penetrate it3 we 
suspect there was some legerdemain in   
this case1 and  that the celebrated     
wizard was anticipated in his gun trick 
by some two  hundred years or more4     
,some commentators have endeavoured to  
determine  the weight of ,absalom's long
 and beautiful hair1 but they differ    
widely  in their computation2 we are    
told that when its inconvenient length  
compelled him at times to cut it off it 
was found to weigh #bjj shekels1  which 

,geddes estimates at #aab ounces1 and   
,clarke at #g-a_/b ounces--a  conclusion
 in which nothing is concluded4 ,seven  
to eight ounces is held  to be about the
 average weight of a lady's tresses4    
,with those who  shave the beard its    
growth is said to be at the rate of six 
and a half  inches per annum1 so that in
 forty years a man must have cut off    
rather  more than twenty feet of beard4 
,in the natural course1 when the hair   
has attained a certain growth1  it is   
thrown off1 and its place supplied by a 
new growth formed from  the pulp within 
the hair follicle4 ,this process is     
continually going  on1 and is analogous 
to the shedding of the coat in          
quadrupeds1 or the  moulting of birds at
 certain seasons4 ,the ,german          
physiologists1 whose  arduous and       
persevering labours in scientific       
research have never been  excelled1 have
 investigated with rare industry the    
minutest details  respecting the growth 
of the hair2 and one of them has        

accomplished  the task of counting the  
number of hairs in heads of four        
different  colours4 ,in a blond one he  
found #adj1jjj hairs2 in a brown1       
#aji1ddj2 in  a black1 #ajb1ifb2 and in 
a red one1 #hh1gdj4 ,erasmus ,wilson    
states that  the superficial surface of 
the scalp may be taken at #abj inches1  
he  averages the number of hairs per    
inch at #ajjj1 which gives #abj1jjj for 
the entire head4 ,it will be seen from  
the greater fineness of the blond  hairs
 that the number is greater than those  
of red or black hair1 and  that red is  
the coarsest4 ,the silken fineness of   
some shades of light  hair is very      
remarkable1 even the poets are evidently
 put to their  wits end adequately to   
express its extreme fineness and        
beauty1--it  is likened to the golden   
beams of day--and who has not seen the  
light  playing upon it1 and streaming   
rays and sparkles of lustrous beauty    
given out1 as it were1 from a diffused  
wave of sunshine--        8,and on her  

hair a glory1 like a saint40    ,it is  
not clearly shown to what we must       
attribute the disposition to  curl1     
which some hair naturally possesses4    
,some have thought that it  was owing in
 a great measure to the presence of a   
considerable amount  of oily matter in  
the shaft of the hair1 which hinders the
 animal  matter from attracting moisture
 which would have a tendency1 it is     
said1 to straighten the hair4 ,but the  
more probable and more general  opinion 
is that it mainly arises from the       
flatness of the hair4 ,now  this        
flattening is sometimes very            
considerable1 and the diameter of the   
hair two-thirds broader in one direction
 than in the other4 ,the hair  of the   
beard and whiskers exhibits the         
peculiarity most distinctly4  ,in       
proportion to its size1 the strength of 
a hair is very remarkable2  one from a  
boy supported a weight of #g1hab grains2
 another from a man1  #ad1bhe grains4   
,the elasticity of the hair is very     

apparent1 a hair  #aj inches long has   
been stretched to #ac inches2 and a hair
 stretched  one-fifth of its entire     
length returns1 with but trifling       
excess1 to  its first dimensions4       
,the chemical analysis of human hair1 as
 given by ,liebig1 shows that  its      
constituents are carbon1 hydrogen1      
nitrogen1 oxygen1 and sulphur4  ,fair   
hair contains most sulphur and oxygen1  
and the least carbon and  hydrogen2     
black hair the most carbon and hydrogen1
 and the least  sulphur and oxygen4 ,the
 hair of the beard contains more carbon 
and less  sulphur than the hair of the  
head4 ,the presence of sulphur occasions
  the peculiar odour of burnt hair1 but 
we question the fact1 as stated  by some
 authors1 that red hair is perceptibly  
redolent of brimstone4 ,by  experiments1
 ,vauquelin obtained from black hair a  
whitish and a greyish  oil2 the whitish 
oil was also present in red hair1 but   
the place of  the greyish green oil was 
supplied by an oil2 the colour of blood4

  ,hair is one of the most              
indestructible of animal substances1    
even less  perishable than the bones2   
this arises from the small quantity of  
water  it contains1 its chief bulk being
 made up of various salts of lime1      
iron1 and manganese4 ,in mummies more   
than two thousand years old the  hair   
has been found unaltered1 as may be seen
 in our own and other  public museums4  
,in the ,abbey ,church of ,romsey1 the  
hair of a female  apparently of the time
 of the ,normans was found perfectly    
entire on  opening a coffin in #ahci4   
,it is in plaits #ah-;inches long1 and  
preserved  in a glass case1 lying upon  
the same block of oak which has been its
  pillow for centuries4 ,and somewhat   
recently1 when the tombs of ,gustavus   
,vasa and his ,queen ,gunilla1 in the   
,cathedral at ,upsal1 were explored to  
gratify the longings of some worthy     
antiquaries2 the hair of the ,queen1    
which according to the popular annals   
was of extraordinary beauty1  still     

remained--when ought else of earthly    
beauty had perished in the  grave4      
,hair is a non-conductor of electricity1
 and every one is familiar with  the    
experiment illustrating electrical      
repulsion1 which causes        8,the    
knotted and combined locks to part1     
,and each particular hair to stand on   
end      ,like quills upon the fretful  
porcupine40    ,some persons possess the
 power of giving considerable motion to 
the  scalp1 and in moments of excitement
 do so involuntarily with some  curious 
results--as was witnessed by ,haydon at 
one of the readings  given by ,mrs4     
,siddons4 ,the artist sat behind an old 
gentleman with  his hair tied in a      
queue1 which suddenly rose like a       
knocker1 and  continued the most lively 
movements during an interval of intense 
and  breathless attention on the part of
 the audience4 ,a good ghost-story  will
 sometimes electrify a youngster1 and   
convert the curled darling  into a      
regular ,brutus4 ,in the 8,may of life10

 e'er he had 8supped full  with         
horrors10 ,macbeth himself had felt such
 innocent fears3        8,the time has  
been1 my senses would have cool'd       
,to hear a night-shriek2 and my fell of 
hair      ,would at a dismal treatise   
rouse1 and stir      ,as life were      
in't40    ,but does the hair grow after 
death8 ,most persons who have not       
reflected  a little on the question1    
answer readily in the affirmative4 ,the 
contraction of the cuticle after death1 
which causes an apparent  lengthening of
 the beard1 has by many been mistaken   
for a new growth of  hair4 ,but there   
are strange instances on record1 where1 
on entering the  charnel house1 a coffin
 has been found to be completely covered
 with an  extraordinary growth of       
hair-like filaments issuing from chinks 
in the  wood or metal1 and trailing in  
every direction to a distance of some   
feet4 ,such a phenomenon is truly       
wonderful1 account for it what way  you 
will4 ,the common solution of the       

difficulty supposes the hair to  have   
grown to this enormous length1 and to   
have been nourished in some  way by     
organic elements resulting from         
decomposition4 ,we need not stop  to    
refute this4 ,the opinion which inclines
 to its being of vegetable  growth is   
likely enough to find favour with those 
who have seen the  remarkable and       
beautiful parasites which clothe with   
their fantastic  draperies the recesses 
of mines and caverns4 ,but this we will 
leave to  learned professors to settle  
among themselves4    ,the colouring     
principle in the hair and skin is held  
to be of a like  nature4 ,light hair    
usually accompanies a fair complexion1  
and black  hair a dark one2 and every   
gradation from fair to dark is generally
  marked by a corresponding alteration  
in the tint of the hair4 ,the  colour of
 the skin and hair being one of the     
physical characters which  serve to     
distinguish the several races of        
mankind1 we may divide them  into two   

great groups3 the fair-haired and the   
dark-haired races4 ,the  dark-haired    
race occupies by far the greater portion
 of the globe2 the  light-haired race   
being restricted comparatively to a few 
settlements1  chiefly in ,europe1 and   
more especially its northern region4    
,these  fair-haired races of the ,north1
 in their bold descents upon the        
,british coasts and subsequent          
immigrations1 drove the dark-haired     
,celts and ,cymri from the plains back  
upon their mountain strongholds1  and   
completely dispossessed the indigenous  
tribes of their territory4  ,from the   
intermixture of race we derive that     
obvious variety in the  different shades
 of hair which characterizes the mixed  
population  of this country--a diversity
 which contributes not a little to the  
remarkable beauty of the women of ,great
 ,britain--while the intermixture  of   
race has doubtless stamped that daring  
and energy upon the people  which have  
made these isles the ,palladium of      

,liberty and the envy of  the world4 ,we
 notice some marked peculiarities among 
certain tribes  in respect to the colour
 and character of the hair4 ,the        
,mongols and  ,northern ,asiatics1 for  
instance1 are scantily furnished with   
hair and  beard2 the ,kurilians1 on the 
contrary1 are said to be the most hairy 
race of people in the world4 ,their     
beards hang upon their breasts1 and     
arms1 neck and back are covered with    
hair4 ,some of the ,esquimaux have  so  
much beard upon the face that it is     
difficult to make out their  features4  
,the ,incas of ,south ,america1 with    
long thick hair1 very soft  and         
straight1 have only a few scanty hairs  
for a beard4 ,the ,north  ,american     
,indians have straight lank hair4 ,the  
,african ,negroes1 woolly  hair1 which1 
it is needless to say1 is very different
 from wool1 being  merely hair in a     
peculiar state of crispness4 ,the       
colouring matter  in the hair of the    
,negro is in much greater quantity than 

in the  ,european4 ,sometimes this      
woolly hair is met with of great length2
 a  tribe of ,negroes on the ,gold      
,coast have woolly hair fully half a    
yard  long1 which is usually black1 but 
red hair is not uncommon4 ,the ,papuas  
of ,new ,guinea have long black frizzled
 hair growing in tufts in the  most     
strange but admired disorder1 which     
makes their heads appear of  enormous   
size4 ,the ,cafusos in the ,brazils1    
known to have sprung from  the native   
,americans and the ,negroes from        
,africa1 have their hair  excessively   
long1 half woolly and curly at the ends1
 rising eighteen  inches or more        
perpendicularly from the scalp1 forming 
a very ugly and  ridiculous kind of wig3
 the wearers are obliged to stoop as    
they go in  and out of their huts1 and  
the mass of hair is so entangled that it
 is  impossible to comb it4 ,the        
,chinese have very little beard1        
although  extremely anxious to make the 
most of it4 ,some tribes are at great   

pains to eradicate the beard1 and a     
tribe of ,indians on the ,coppermine    
,river not only pluck out the beard1 but
 pull out the hairs from the  head1 thus
 realizing the condition of the         
,myconians1 who1 says ,pliny1  have     
naturally no hair at all4 ,generally    
speaking1 the coloured races  are most  
wanting in beard1 and the white races   
most liberally furnished  therewith4 ,in
 the ,albino1 the hair is of the palest 
flaxen or a dull  whitish hue1 and the  
colouring matter altogether wanting2 the
 skin  partakes of the same deadly      
paleness1 and the pupils of the eyes are
  of a pink colour4 ,albinoes cannot    
endure a strong light2 when exposed  to 
the light1 the eyelids are half closed  
and continually blinking4 ,in           
disposition1 the ,albinoes are gentle   
and not deficient in intellect4  ,this  
peculiar variety was first noticed among
 the blacks1 and obtained  the name of  
white negroes4 ,but ,albinoes1 it is    
known1 are not  confined to any         

particular race or country4 ,in some    
,africans1 patches  of white hair are   
seen covering portions of the head1 and 
in those  parts the skin is invariably  
white4    ,that the colour of the hair  
in certain races has undergone a        
considerable change in the course of    
time is apparent from what  is known to 
have taken place in ,britain4 ,the      
ancient ,germans were  universally      
characterized by red hair and blue eyes1
 and what is termed  a strongly marked  
zanthous constitution2 but1 ,niebuhr    
says1 the ,germans  are now far from    
being a light-haired race2 and          
,chevalier ,bunsen  remarks that he has 
often looked in vain for the golden or  
auburn locks  and light crulean eyes of 
the old ,germans among their            
descendants1  but in ,scandinavia he    
found the colour of the hair and eyes   
precisely  those described by ,tacitus4 
,from this it is inferred that the      
altered  conditions of life1 brought    
about by civilization1 have produced a  

change in the physical character of the 
people4 ,such change1 however1  is      
confined within very narrow limits2 in  
the hair it is but a mere  shade of     
colour or variation in its crispness4   
,under the microscope1  the definite    
form of the human hair is most exact and
 uniform2 so  much so1 that ,mr4        
,queckett was enabled by this test to   
confirm the  conjectures of the         
,archological ,society1 in a very       
scientific manner1  respecting some     
portions of skin taken from church doors
 in ,essex1 and  from ,worcester        
,cathedral4 ,tradition said1 pirates and
 persons guilty  of sacrilege in old    
time were flayed1 and their skins nailed
 to the  church door4 ,mr4 ,queckett was
 to determine if the relics confided to 
his charge1 and which looked exactly    
like scraps of old parchment1 were      
really portions of the human body4 ,a   
few hairs were discovered adhering  to  
the skin and this decided the point--it 
was unmistakeably human hair  and human 

skin--and the ,archologists were made   
happy by the discovery4  ,would that we 
could send the smallest fragment of one 
of those skins  with but a solitary hair
 upon it--which ,hanno hung up in the   
,temple  of ,juno--to ,mr4 ,q41 with the
 publishers' compliments1 that he might 
ascertain the true character of the     
hairy people the old ,carthaginian  fell
 in with on his route4    ,the colour of
 the hair is also an indication of      
temperament3 black  hair is usually     
accompanied by a bilious temperament2   
fair and auburn1  with the sanguine and 
sanguine-nervous2 and very light hair1  
with a  temperament mild and lymphatic4 
,will any one undertake to say what was 
the precise colour of the golden  hair  
so vaunted of by the great poets of     
antiquity8 ,one of our living  poets1   
the author of 8,the ,bride of ,rimini10 
has brought the light of  genius and his
 fine taste and scholarship to the task1
 and the matter  is yet doubtful4 ,some 
have not hesitated to decide that it was

 red1  fiery red1 and nothing short of  
red2 and sneered at the ancients for    
affecting to be connoisseurs in these   
things4 ,some have contended  that it   
was auburn1 which is a glorious colour1 
and seems naturally  associated with    
smiles and the rich imagery of poets4   
,in the well-known  ode of ,anacreon1   
where he speaks of the beauty of his    
mistress as a fit  subject for the      
painter's art1 it is difficult to say   
what colour we  must choose4 ,some      
prefer to think dark jetty locks were   
intended1 such1  possibly1 as ,byron has
 given to one of his beauties3          
8,the glossy darkness of that clustering
 hair1      ,which shades1 yet shows a  
forehead more than fair40    ,ben       
,jonson--no mean authority--blends with 
the jetty locks threads of  fine gold3  
8,gold upon a ground of black40    ,if a
 mere stripling might handle the bow of 
,ulysses1 we would venture  to select   
the colour which ,tennyson has bestowed 
upon a pretty little  portrait3         

8,her eyes a bashful azure1 and her hair
      ,in gloss and hue the chesnut1    
when the shell      ,divides threefold  
to show the fruit within40    ,but why  
be beholden to poets1 who1 after all1   
are but the interpreters  of nature8    
,does not ,scotland to this day own many
 a fair complexion1  and tresses which  
,venice cannot match for sunny          
splendour2 and are not  the dark1       
flowing locks of the ,lancashire witches
 working as secret  charms as ever      
enthralled the courteous knights of old8
 ,it is certain  that1 in regard to the 
hair1 the ancients had no monopoly of   
beauty4    ,concerning grey hair1 we may
 remark that the term is a misnomer     
applied  to single hairs2 for the       
greyness merely arises from the         
commingling  of white and dark hairs4   
,when the secretion of the colouring    
matter in  the pulp ceases1 all         
succeeding growth from the bulb is      
colourless4  ,every one feels some      
little anxiety about grey hairs4 ,to the

 moralist  they are ,death's            
blossoms--the solemn warning to adjust  
the mantle e'er  we fall4 ,with some1   
grey hairs will even intrude upon the   
pleasures  of youth2 with others1 they  
are but as the ripening of the          
corn--when  wisdom gathers her full     
harvest against the time of declining   
strength2  again1 in others1 they wait  
upon old age1 like a wreath of snow on  
the  brow of winter2 and some enjoy life
 to its fullest span1 and there is  no  
sign of 8the sere and yellow leaf30 so  
various are the conditions  of life     
which produce the change of constitution
 which accompanies  grey hairs4 ,it is  
amusing to notice the special theory    
which each one  contrives to account for
 the presence of these tell-tales4      
8,ah60 said  ,louis ,,xii41 as he looked
 in the mirror1 somewhat astonished at  
the  number of grey hairs1 8these are   
owing to the long speeches ,i have      
listened to1 those especially of ,m4    
le----1 have ruined my hair40 ,it  was  

mere folly for the ,teian bard to tell  
the girls how prettily the  white hairs 
of age contrast with the rich tresses of
 youth1 like roses  and lilies in a     
chaplet1 or milk upon roses2 for at his 
time of life1  the old ,sybarite ought  
to have known better4 ,we remember to   
have felt  deeply for the unfortunate   
bridegroom1 when we first read the      
tragical  story1 in the ,encyclopdia    
,metropolitana1 of the gentleman1 8who1 
at  his marriage1 when about forty years
 old1 had a dark head of hair2  but1 on 
his return from his wedding trip1 had   
become so completely  snow white1 even  
to his eyebrows1 that his friends almost
 doubted his  identity40 ,even the      
curled ,anthony must needs make excuses 
to the fair  ,egyptian for his grey     
hairs3                8,what1 girl8     
though grey      ,do something mingle   
with our younger brown2      ,yet ha' we
 a brain that nourishes our nerves1     
,and can get goal for goal of youth40   
,how sudden grief and consuming care    

will blanch the hair is known to  all4  
,memory recalls the lone prisoner in the
 castle of ,chillon1 and the  lofty     
queen who passed from a throne to a     
prison and the scaffold1  to teach      
heroes how to face death4 ,and by these 
truthful signs1 these  silver hairs1 may
 oftentimes be traced the story of a    
broken heart--of  hope too long         
deferred--of fallen ambition--of        
blighted affection1  or of man's        
ingratitude4 ,what more sacred than     
these secret sorrows2  who would seek to
 pry into them with idle questionings8  
,the leaf is  withered1 for the worm is 
at the heart of the tree3        8,this 
white top writeth mine old years2       
,mine heart is also mouldered as mine   
hairs40    ,but hope and sunshine gather
 about the grey hairs ripe for          
immortality3        8,thy silver locks1 
once auburn bright1      ,are still more
 lovely in my sight      ,than golden   
beams of orient light1                  
,,my ,,mary40    ,we have hitherto      

regarded the hair as a thing of beauty  
and the  crowning ornament of man's     
structure4 ,we have now to consider the 
diseases to which it is subject2 and    
first we will speak of ,baldness4       
,where partial baldness arises from     
debility of the system1 the growth  of  
hair usually follows on restoration to  
health1 and accidental  baldness may    
generally be removed by the ordinary    
applications4 ,but  the baldness of a   
more permanent character1 which results 
from the  obliteration of the           
hair-follicles1 seldom admits of a      
perfect remedy4  ,in such cases the skin
 is smooth and glossy1 as is duly noted 
by  ,chaucer1 in his portrait of the    
monk3        8,his head was bald1 and   
shone as any glass40    ,this is the    
alopecia of pathologists1 so called     
because it was said  foxes were         
especially subject to baldness2 or1 as  
some think to  express1 by way of irony1
 that cunning and duplicity may be      
looked for  in bald men4 ,the ridicule  

and contempt which the ancients heaped  
upon  these unfortunate individuals is  
very obvious4 ,among the ,hebrews the   
term bald-pate was an insult and a      
reproach4 ,the origin of this appears   
to have been that baldness was held to  
be the sign of a corrupt youth  and a   
dissolute life4 ,and when physiologists 
are asked to certify to  the falsehood  
of such calumnies1 they answer in       
riddles like the ,sphinx4        8,turpe
 pecus mutilum1 turpis sine gramine     
campus      ,et sine fronde frutex1 et  
sine crine caput40    ,the ancients were
 so proud of their curls and flowing    
locks1 the  physical beauty of manhood1 
and the charms of their female deities1 
earthly and celestial1 that1 for the    
sake of antithesis it may be1  they     
hurled their sarcasms and their sneers  
with a savage vengeance  or ignoble pity
 upon their bald-pated victims in a     
style which modern  politeness declines 
to imitate4 ,it is surprising that ,csar
 should  have shown such sensitiveness  

about his baldness as to have sought    
permission of the ,senate to wear his   
laurel crown at pleasure4  ,the         
privilege was granted1 and the laurels  
shaded the bald pate4  ,fortunately     
women are so very rarely bald that we   
may consider them  exempt from this     
infliction4 ,apuleius1 in his           
,melesiacs1 says1 that  ,venus herself1 
if she were bald1 though surrounded by  
the ,graces  and the ,loves1 could not  
be pleasing even to her husband1        
,vulcan4  ,herodotus remarked that few  
,egyptians were bald2 and eunuchs1 who  
have much subcutaneous fat about the    
scalp1 are free from baldness4  ,it may 
be some consolation to bachelors to     
know1 that according to  ,pliny man in a
 state of single blessedness is never   
bald4 ,caligula and  ,nero are numbered 
among the bald1 and kings have been     
honored with  the title4 ,baldness has  
even found panegyrists4 ,synesius1      
bishop of  ,syrene1 in the fifteenth    
century1 wrote in praise of it2 and     

,hucbald1  a ,benedictine monk1 made it 
the subject of a curious poem1 which he 
very appropriately dedicated to ,charles
 the ,bald4 ,but these perverse         
eulogists were ecclesiastics who        
reckoned the beauty of the hair and  its
 enticements part of the vanities of    
this wicked world it would be  well to  
get rid of4 ,happily the hair escaped   
their treacherous shears4  ,it is       
possible1 however1 to have too much of a
 good thing2 and the  excessive growth  
of hair where least wanted is numbered  
among the ills  which flesh is heir to4 
,no one in these days would think the   
,king of  ,persia's porter1 seen by     
,tavernier1 deserved a double pension   
because  he could tie his moustaches    
behind his neck2 for something very like
  this may be seen any afternoon in     
,hyde ,park2 there is a fashion in such 
things1 and ,nature is by no means      
niggardly in her gifts to man4 ,but     
what is meant by an extraneous growth of
 hair is very different from  this1 and 

by no means ornamental4 ,we allude to   
cases where the whole  body has been    
covered by a growth of long hair4 ,some 
miserable ,fakirs1  in ,india1 have been
 seen clothed with hair several inches  
long4 ,about  #afej1 a hairy child was  
shown as a sight1 and the strange       
phenomenon is  thus accounted for in an 
old play3        8',tis thought the     
hairy child that's shewn about1         
,came by the mother's thinking on the   
picture      ,of ,st4 ,john ,baptist in 
his camel's coat40    ,but the most     
frightful instances are those of bearded
 women4 8,i  like not when a 'oman has a
 great peard10 says ,sir ,hugh2 and the 
old naturalists are at some pains to    
assure us that woman is not             
barbigerous1 for which a very sufficient
 reason has been given3        8,nature1
 regardful of the babbling race1        
,planted no beard upon a woman's face2  
,not ,,mappin',s razors1 though the very
 best1      ,could shave a chin which   
never is at rest40    ,one of the best  

known examples of this repulsive class1 
7,trifaldi1  the afflicted ,duenna not  
excepted71 is that of ,barbara ,urselin1
 born  at ,augsburg1 and shown in       
,ratcliffe ,highway1 in #affh2 her      
portrait  may be seen in ,granger's     
,biography1 and ,evelyn takes note of   
her in  his ,journal4 ,her face and     
hands were all over hairy1 the hair on  
her  forehead and eyebrows combed       
upwards1 she had a long spreading beard1
  the hair of which hung loose and      
flowing like the hair of the head4 ,a   
fellow of the name of ,van ,beck married
 the frightful creature to carry  about 
as a show4 ,charles ,,xii4 had in his   
army a female grenadier1 who  had both  
the beard and the courage of a man4 ,she
 was taken prisoner at  the battle of   
,pultowa1 and carried to ,st4           
,petersburg1 where she was  presented to
 the ,czar2 her beard measured a yard   
and a half4 ,in #aheb1  a young woman1 a
 native of ,switzerland1 with beard and 
whiskers four  inches long1 could find  

no clergyman to marry her to the object 
of  her affections1 until provided with 
a certificate from ,charing ,cross      
,hospital4 ,many other authentic cases  
are on record1 but the subject is  not  
inviting4    ,in rare instances1 the    
colour of the hair undergoes a strange  
metamorphosis from red to black1 or it  
may be from brown to blue or  green1 and
 sometimes it has been seen spotted like
 the leopard's skin4  ,instances are    
known in which it became so sensitive   
that the slightest  touch caused        
exquisite pain4 ,sometimes the hair     
splits at the point1  and becomes       
forked4 ,there is also1 the very rare   
disease--plica  ,polonica--originating1 
no doubt1 in filth and neglect1 in which
 the  hair becomes inextricably tangled 
and matted together by a glutinous      
fluid from the roots1 and the hairs when
 cut are said to bleed4 ,in  the ,museum
 of the ,college of ,surgeons1 the hair 
of a cat may be  seen exhibiting all the
 peculiarities of this singular disease4

 ,the  elf-locks of the old chieftains  
which ,scott describes3--        8,his  
plaited hair in elf locks spread        
,around his bare and matted head--0     
and the locks which ,queen ,mab and the 
,fairies are accused of weaving  8in    
foul sluttish hairs10 are no doubt      
symptoms of the same diseased  and      
monstrous plaiting4    ,that the hair is
 any standard of physical strength is   
one of those  popular notions which rest
 on no sufficient data4 ,samson's       
strength  was the direct gift of ,god-- 
8,god when he gave me strength1 to show 
withal      ,how slight the gift was1   
hung it in my hair40    ,nisus' life was
 held by the singular tenure of one     
golden or purple  hair1 which grew on   
the top of his head2 this was plucked by
 the hand  of his unnatural daughter and
 his life fell a sacrifice to her craft3
  so runs the tale4 ,we cannot say if   
hearts are still held in fief by the    
gift of a lock of hair1 or if lovers in 
this stern iron-age recognize  the old  

traditions in their love affairs2 but   
broad lands were conveyed  in other days
 by as slight a bond4 ,the ,earl of     
,warren1 in the reign of  ,henry ,,iii41
 confirmed to the church of ,s4         
,pancras1 at ,lewes1 certain  land1     
rent1 and tithe1 of which he gave seisin
 per ,capillos capitis  sui et fratis   
sui ,radulfi2 and the hair of the       
parties was cut off by  the ,bishop of  
,winchester before the high altar4      
,the hair1 from its imperishable nature1
 constitutes a material link  between   
the living and the dead2 it survives in 
form and beauty as when  it graced the  
brows of the living2 unchanged in death1
 it shares in  the lasting homage which 
we gladly pay to the memory of the brave
 and  the good4 ,who can regard with    
indifference the sacred relics preserved
  at ,penshurst--the locks of hair of   
,sir ,philip and ,algernon ,sidney8     
,leigh ,hunt has other like-treasured   
memorials1 of which an account has  been
 given to the public by an ,american    

author4 ,the locks are those of         
,milton1 ,keats1 ,shelley1 ,charles     
,lamb1 ,dr4 ,johnson1 ,swift2 and the   
poet  may well feel proud to own them4  
,from what has been said respecting the 
growth of the hair1 it will be          
perceived that there are some special   
points to be attended to1 if we  would  
keep it in perfect order4 ,as the hair  
rises from the bulb above  the cuticle1 
it carries with it a thin pellicle1     
which adheres for a  time to the shaft1 
and afterwards falls off in minute      
scales1 and forms  a kind of scurf in   
the hair4 ,now1 this is simply a natural
 process1  and not to be mistaken for a 
diseased state of the skin2 the scales  
of  detached film merely require to be  
removed with the brush and comb4  ,very 
different1 however1 are the scales on   
the skin of the head1 which1  at times1 
form a loose dandriff1 filling the hair 
with a most unsightly  scurf4 ,this is a
 serious evil1 and requires patient and 
careful  treatment to get rid of        

thoroughly2 and nothing can be less     
likely to  effect a remedy than the use 
of very hard brushes1 which1 by         
irritating  the scalp1 tend to aggravate
 the symptoms4 ,anything which          
unnaturally  irritates the skin of the  
head will originate dandriff2 when the  
functions of the excretory pores and    
sebaceous glands are interrupted1  the  
skin becomes dry1 and the cuticle may be
 said partially to perish2  the dead    
particles are then thrown off by        
cuticular exfoliation4 ,above  all1     
extreme cleanliness1 constant and       
habitual attention to the purity  of the
 skin1 are the best curatives1 and the  
only safeguard against the  occurence of
 this very simple1 but troublesome and  
obstinate disease of  the cuticle4 ,the 
most disagreeable circumstance to be    
noted in this  complaint is1 that those 
who should enjoy perfect immunity from  
the  annoyance1--those        8,who have
 but fed on the roses1 and lain in the  
lilies of life0--    by the use of      

stimulant pomatums1 improper            
hair-brushes1 and badly made  combs1 but
 chiefly the use of abominable          
nostrums--not unfrequently  entail upon 
themselves the very evils which are     
commonly produced by  the opposite      
means1 neglect and inattention to the   
state of the hair4  ,the hair requires  
but a moderate supply of pommade2 but   
this1 to be of  any real benefit1 must  
be compounded secundem artem1 and       
adapted to  the purpose4 ,oils and      
pomatums which merely collect dust are  
not to  be tolerated1 and are frequently
 had recourse to merely to disguise  the
 neglect which suffers the hair to      
become rough from being in              
ill-condition4 ,whenever proper         
attention is given to the hair1 the most
  satisfactory results are usually      
obtained2 and without bestowing such  an
 amount of care1 it is impossible to    
realize the beautiful softness  and     
lustre which any lady's tresses may be  
made to assume4 ,it cost the  poet      

little to bring together                
8,love-darting eyes1 and tresses like   
the morn20    but we promise none but   
very ordinary tresses to such as will   
not1 both  night and morn1 with brush   
and comb1 and suitable preparation1     
detach  every particle of dust from the 
hair4 ,and to those who can appreciate  
the beautiful1 and would gratify a more 
refined feeling than mere  personal     
vanity1 the disposition of the hair     
affords an admirable  opportunity of    
setting off1 by the graces of art1 8the 
beauty of a  woman's face0--            
8,angels are painted fair1 to look like 
you40    ,all the canons of criticism   
are summed up in the perfections of     
female  beauty4 ,what greater ornament  
to perfect beauty that luxuriant hair8  
,we  will conclude our advice to the    
fair with some old verses of ,richard   
,lovelace1 which express1 with the      
freedom of a poet1 a truth that might   
take the form of an aphorism1 that the  
beauty of the hair consists in  its     

flowing outline1 its flexibility1 and   
varying tints--the effect of  light     
reflected from its glossy surface3      
8,amarantha1 sweet and fair1      ,oh1  
braid no more that shining hair6        
,let it fly1 as unconfin'd      ,as its 
calm ravisher1 the wind2      ,who hath 
left his darling1 th' east1      ,to    
wanton o'er that spicy nest4      ,every
 tress must be confest1      ,but neatly
 tangled1 at the best2      ,like a clue
 of golden thread      ,most excellently
 ravelled4      ,do not1 then1 wind up  
the light      ,in ribands1 and         
o'ercloud in night1      ,like the sun's
 in early ray2      ,but shake your     
head1 and scatter day60                 
,,the ,,end4             ,read  ,co41   
,printers1 ,johnson's-court1            
,fleet-street4      ,transcriber's      
,notes3    #a4 ,obvious printers'1      
punctuation and spelling errors have    
been     corrected silently4    #b4     
,some hyphenated and non-hyphenated     
versions of the same words     have been

 retained as in the original4