Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1846-08-27

HrsroRY OF THE BEARD-Of the antiquity
of the custom of wearing the beard. there can
be but little doubt, since, unless ADAM was
the first barber, as well as gardener, he mus
have worn the old ornament TO his chin with
which God had furnished him, though moth
ing has shown the mutability of fashion mos
than to cut. colour and curl, since the creation
Of man. The Jews have, perhaps, been more
constant to the beard, Of any nation, having
worn it from the time of the Patuarchs TIL
within few years back nay, with them the
cut of the beard was a sacred duty--to shave
it was sign Of mourning, and to pluck it an
insult The early Greeks wore the beard long,
as also for short period did tue Romans
The British at one period, (when CEssR in
vaded Britain clipped the beard close, and
wore only the moustache. The Saxons who
first arrived ON our island must have been an
extremely fierce looking race, since their wills.
kers and moustaches are described as OF mn
mense length, reaching 10 the breast. VIM
LIAM the Conqueror ordered all the men to
shave in England, though he himself conun-
ued to wear a short beard and moustaehe.--.
King STEPHEN, HENRY the Second, RIcHsRn
the first, and JoHN, all wore their beard accord
ing TO their several tastes. HENRY the Third
was clean shaven; EDWARD the First and Sc
cond both were lastldious in the arrangements
of their boards and moustaehes; as Were also
all the beaux and couftlers during their reign,
crisping them with hot Irons and taking great
pains with their cut and curl. In RICHARD
the Seconds reign we observed the iorked
beard Of the Chaucer fashion. During the
regns Of EDWARD the Sixth and RICHARD the
Third, men wore their faces ad hbituAa Rich
mond shaved; HEERY the Eighth sported a
till shaped beard, like the one described as or
namentne the chin OF HUpIBRAs; in the sue
ceedng reign we recognise beard pertaining
70 the countenance of that wondrous mortal, the
slightest glance of whose face of genius and
beauty (enshrined as il is in all English hearts }
lascinates the eve wherever his picture hangs
in our halls, and we bless heaven that we
speak the tongue that SHAKESPEARE wrote. Du-
ring ELIzABETH's reign men OF all parties APP
pear TO have been extremely choice IN the
Shape of their boards. Each profession seems
to have been peculiarly barbed. The courter,
scholar, soldier, and priest, had each their own
peculiar twist OF moustache. Men even swore
by their boards in the good old days OF Queen
BEss, for what says the Bard--''Stand you
forth now, stroke your chins and swearby your
boards that | am q knave." The squash
buckler and bully, we presume, were furnish
81, as it is customary TO represent pistol"
upon the boards, with beard like a coppice
OF brushwood and moustache of most forini-
dable twirl many cashiered rascals, with
hearts as white as snow, wearing upon their
chins the beard of Hercules" In fact, accord
ing TO some authorities, men were at thattim
so careful of their chins, that 1t was no uncom-
mon thing for them TO be encassed at night
lest they should turn in bed and rumple their
boards out Of proper form during sleep. The
soldier, during ELIzABETH's reign, was per-
haps more sohcitous to sport an ample Wallace
upon his face than any other profession, and
we find him accordingly in the 'Seven Ages
Of Man." described as bearded like pard"
when on service and again when ''stern
alarms had changed to merry meetings." we
find the old ornament Of the warriors cheeks
stufiing some boicher's cushion"