his beard in order that his vazírs should not have wherewith to _lead_
him. The beards of modern Persian soldiers were abolished in consequence
of a singular accident, which Morier thus relates in his _Second
Journey_: When European discipline was introduced into the Persian army,
Lieutenant Lindsay raised a corps of artillery. His zeal was only
equalled by the encouragement of the king, who liberally adopted every
method proposed. It was only upon the article of shaving off the beards
of the Persian soldiers that the king was inexorable; nor would the
sacrifice have ever taken place had it not happened that, in discharging
the guns before the prince, a powder-horn exploded in the hand of a
gunner who had been gifted with a very long beard, which in an instant
was blown away from his chin. Lieutenant Lindsay, availing himself of
this lucky opportunity to prove his argument on the inconvenience of
beards to soldiers, immediately produced the scorched gunner before the
prince, who was so much struck with his woeful appearance that the
abolition of military beards was at once decided upon.

It was customary for the early French monarchs to place three hairs of
their beard under the seal attached to important documents; and there is
still extant a charter of the year 1121, which concludes with these
words: "Quod ut ratum et stabile perseveret in posterum, præsentis
scripto sigilli mei robur apposui cum tribus pilis barbæ meæ."--In
obedience to his spiritual advisers, Louis VII of France had his hair
cut close and his beard shaved off. But his consort Eleanor was so
disgusted with his smooth face and cropped head that she took her own
measures to be revenged, and the poor king was compelled to obtain a
divorce from her. She subsequently gave her hand to the Count of Anjou,
afterwards Henry II of England, and the rich provinces of Poitou and
Guienne were her dowry. From this sprang those terrible wars which
continued for three centuries, and cost France untold treasure and three