It would seem that the beard was held in the highest esteem, especially
in Asiatic countries, from the earliest period of which any records have
been preserved. The Hebrew priests are commanded in the Book of
Leviticus, ch. xix, not to shave off the corners of their beards; and
the first High Priest, Aaron, probably wore a magnificent beard, since
the amicable relations between brethren are compared, in the 133rd
Psalm, to "the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the
beard, even Aaron's beard; that went down to the skirts of his
garments." The Assyrian kings intertwined gold thread with their fine
beards--and, judging from mural sculptures, curling tongs must have been
in considerable demand with them. In ancient Greece the beard was
universally worn, and it is related of Zoilus, the founder of the
anti-Homeric school, that he shaved the crown of his head, in order that
all the virtue should go to the nourishment of his beard. Persius could
not think of a more complimentary epithet to apply to Socrates than that
of "Magistrum Barbatum," or Bearded Master--the notion being that the
beard was the symbol of profound sagacity.[158] Alexander the Great,
however, caused his soldiers to shave off their beards, because they
furnished their enemies with handles whereby to seize hold of them in
battle. The beard was often consecrated to the deities, as the most
precious offering. Chaucer, in his _Knight's Tale_, represents Arcite as
offering his beard to Mars:

And evermore, unto that day I dye,
Eternè fyr I wol bifore the fynde,
And eek to this avow I wol me bynde,
My berd, myn heer, that hangeth long a doun,
That neuer yit ne felt offensioun
Of rasour ne of schere, I wol ye giue,
And be thy trewè seruaunt whiles I lyue.[159]