that this Zoilus had a very long Beard that hung down upon his Breast, but no Hair upon his Head, which he always kept close-shaved, regarding, it feems, the Hairs of his Head as fo many Suckers, which if they had been fuffer'd to grow might have drawn away the Nourishment from his Chin, and by that means have ftarved his Beard.

I have read fomewhere that one of the Popes refus'd to accept an Edition of a Saint's Works, which were presented to him, because the Saint in his Effigies before the Book, was drawn without a Beard.

WE fee by thefe Inftances what Homage the World has formerly paid to Beards; and that a Barber was not then allow'd to make thofe Depredations on the Faces of the Learned, which have been permitted him of later Years.

ACCORDINGLY feveral wife Nations have been fo extremely jealous of the leaft Ruffle offer'd to their Beards, that they seem to have fixed the Point of Honour principally in that Part. The Spaniards were wonderfully tender in this Particular. Don Quevedo in his third Vision on the last Judgment, has carry'd the Humour very far, when he tells us that one of his vain-glorious Countrymen, after having receiv'd Sentence, was taken into cuftody by a couple of evil Spirits; but that his Guides happening to diforder his Muftachoes, they were forced to recompense them with a Pair of Curling Irons before they could get him to file off.

IF we look into the Hiftory of our own Nation, we shall find that the Beard flourish'd in the Saxon Heptarchy, but was very much difcourag'd under the Norman Line. It shot out, however, from time to time, in feveral Reigns under different Shapes. The laft Effort it made feems to have been in Queen Mary's Days, as the curious Reader may find, if he pleases to perufe the Figures of Cardinal Poole, and Bishop Gardiner; tho' at the fame time, I think it may be question'd, if Zeal against Popery has not induced our Proteftant Painters to extend the Beards of thefe two Perfecutors beyond their natural Dimensions, in order to make them appear the more terrible.

I find but few Beards worth taking notice of in the Reign of King James the First.

DURING the Civil Wars there appeared one, which makes too great a Figure in Story to be paffed over in Si

lence:

lence; I mean that of the redoubted Hudibras, an Account of which Butler has tranfmitted to Pofterity in the folling Lines:

His tawny Beard was th' equal Grace
Both of his Wifdom, and his Face;
In Cut and Dye fo like a Tyle,
A fudden View it would beguile :
The upper Part thereof was Whey,
The neither Orange mixt with Grey.

THE Whisker continu'd for fome time among us after the Expiration of Beards; but this is a Subject which I fhall not here enter upon, having difcuffed it at large in a diftinct Treatife, which I keep by me in Manufcript, upon the Muftachoe.

IF my Friend Sir ROGER's Project, of introducing Beards, fhould take effect, I fear the Luxury of the prefent Age would make it a very expenfive Fashion. There is no queftion but the Beaux would foon provide themfelves with falfe ones of the lightest Colours, and the moft immoderate Lengths. A fair Beard, of the Tapiítryfize, Sir ROGER feems to approve, could not come under twenty Guineas. The famous Golden Beard of foulapius would hardly be more valuable than one made in the Extravagance of the Fashion.

BESIDES, we are not certain that the Ladies would not come into the Mode, when they take the Air on horseback. They already appear in Hats and Feathers, Coats and Periwigs; and I fee no reason why we may not fuppofe that they would have their Riding-Beards on the fame Occafion.

I may give the Moral of this Difcourfe in another Paper. X

Friday,

N° 332. Friday, March 21.

Minus aptus acutis

Naribus horum hominum

Dear Short Face,

I

Hor.

N your Speculation of Wednesday laft you have given us fome Account of that worthy Society of Brutes the Mobocks; wherein you have particularly fpecify'd the ingenious Performances of the Lion-tippers, the Dancing-mafters, and the Tumblers: But as you acknowledge you had not then a perfect History of the whole "Club, you might very eafily omit one of the most nota⚫ble Species of it, the Sweaters which may be reckon'd a "fort of Dancing-mafters too. It is it feems the Cuf⚫ tom for half a dozen, or more, of these well difpos'd Savages, as foon as they have inclos'd the Perfon upon whom they defign the Favour of a Sweat, to whip out ⚫ their Swords, and holding them parallel to the Horizon, ⚫ they describe a fort of Magick Circle round about him ⚫ with the Points. As foon as this Piece of Conjuration ' is perform'd, and the Patient without doubt already be

ginning to wax warm, to forward the Operation, that • Member of the Circle towards whom he is fo rude as to turn his Back firft, runs his Sword directly into that • Part of the Patient wherein School-boys are punished; ⚫ and as it is very natural to imagine this will foon make him tack about to fome other Point, every Gentleman ⚫ does himself the fame juftice as often as he receives the Affront. After this Jig has gone two or three times round, and the Patient is thought to have sweat fufficiently, he is very handsomly rubb'd down by fome Attendants, who carry with them Inftruments for that purpofe, and fo discharged. This Relation I had from a • Friend of mine, who has lately been under this Difcipline. He tells me he had the Honour to dance before

the

the Emperor himself, not without the Applause and Acclamations both of his Imperial Majefty, and the whole Ring; tho' I dare fay, neither I nor any of his Acquain⚫tance ever dreamt he would have merited any Reputation by his Activity.

• I can affure you, Mr. SPEC, I was very near be ing qualify'd to have given you a faithful and pain⚫ful Account of this walking Bagnio, if I may fo call it, my felf: For going the other Night along Fleet-freet, ⚫ and having, out of curiofity, juft enter'd into Difcourfe ⚫ with a wandring Female who was travelling the fame way, a couple of Fellows advanced towards us, drew their Swords, and cry'd out to each other, A Sweat! a 'Sweat! Whereupon fufpecting they were fome of the • Ringleaders of the Bagnio, I alfo drew my Sword, and ⚫ demanded a Parly; but finding none would be granted 'me, and perceiving others behind them filing off with great diligence to take me in Flank, I began to fweat ⚫ for fear of being forced to it: but very luckily betaking my felf to a pair of Heels, which I had good reason to ⚫ believe would do me juftice, I inftantly got poffeffion of a very faug Corner in a neighbouring Alley that lay in my Rear; which Poft I maintain'd for above half an hour with great Firmness and Refolution, tho' not letting this Succefs fo far overcome me, as to make me unmindful of the Circumfpection that was neceffary to be ob• ferv'd upon my advancing again towards the Street; by which Prudence and good Management I made a hand• fom and orderly Retreat, having fuffer'd no other Da 6 mage in this Action than the Lofs of my Baggage, and the Dislocation of one of my Shoe-heels, which last I am juft now inform'd is in a fair way of Recovery. These Sweaters, by what I can learn from my Friend, ⚫ and by as near a view as I was able to take of them my felf, seem to me to have at prefent but a rude kind of Difcipline amongst them. It is probable, if you would ⚫ take a little pains with them, they might be brought into ⚫ better order. But I'll leave this to your own Difcretion; ⚫ and will only add, that if you think it worth while to in⚫fert this by way of caution to those who have a mind to preferve their Skins whole from this fort of Cupping, and tell them at the same time the Hazard of treating

⚫ with Night-walkers, you will perhaps oblige others, as ⚫ well as

Your very humble Servant,

Jack Lightfoot.

P. S. MY Friend will have me acquaint you, That though he would not willingly detract from the Merit ⚫ of that extraordinary Strokes-man Mr. Sprightly, yet it is his real Opinion, that fome of thofe Fellows, who are employ'd as Rubbers to this new-fashioned Bagnio, have ftruck as bold Strokes as ever he did in his Life.

I had fent this four and twenty hours fooner, if I • had not had the Misfortune of being in a great doubt about the Orthography of the word Bagnio. I con• fulted feveral Dictionaries, but found no relief; at last having recourfe both to the Bagnio in Newgate-ftreet, and to that in Chancery lane, and finding the original Manufcripts upon the Sign-poits of each to agree literally with my own Spelling, I returned home, full of Satisfaction, in order to dispatch this Epiftle.

Mr. SPECTATOR,

S you have taken moft of the Circumftances of

A human Life into your Confideration, we the un⚫der-written, thought it not improper for us alfo to reprefent to you our Condition. We are three Ladies who live in the Country, and the greateft Improvements we make is by reading. We have taken a fmall Journal of our Lives, and find it extremely oppofite to your last Tuefday's Speculation. We rife by feven, and pafs the beginning of each Day in Devotion, and looking into thole Affairs that fall within the Occurrences of a retired Life; in the Afternoon we fometimes enjoy the Company of fome Friend or Neighbour, or elle work or read; at night we retire to our Chambers, and take leave of each other for the whole night at ten o'clock. We take particular care never to be fick of a Sunday. Mr. SPECTATOR, we are all very good Maids but are ambitious of Characters which we think more lau'dable, that of being very good Wives. If any of your Correfpondents inquire for a Spoufe for an honeft Country Gentleman, whofe Eftate is not dipped, and wants a

6

• Wife