serious, he swore by his beard, which covered his breast. The Persians
are fond of long beards. We read in Olearius' Travels of a king of
Persia who had commanded his steward's head to be cut off, and on its
being brought to him, he remarked, "what a pity it was, that a man
possessing such fine mustachios, should have been executed," but added
he, "Ah! it was your own fault." The Normans considered the beard as an
indication of distress and misery. The Ancient Britons used always to
wear the hair on the upper lip, and so strongly were they attached to
this custom, that when William the Conqueror ordered them to shave their
upper lip, it was so repugnant to their feelings, that many of them
chose rather to abandon their country than resign their mustachios. In
the 15th century, the beard was worn long. In the 16th, it was suffered
to grow to an amazing length, (see the portraits of Bishop Gardiner, and
Cardinal Pole, during Queen Mary's reign,) and very often made use of
as a tooth-pick case. Brantome tells us that Admiral Coligny wore his
tooth-pick in his beard.

C.B.Z.

* * * * *



SINGULAR CUSTOM AT ROUEN.

(_For the Mirror_.)


The chapter of Rouen, (which consists of the archbishop, a dean, fifty
canons, and ten prebendaries,) have, ever since the year 1156, enjoyed