"Not farre from hence, upon yond rocky hill, Hard by a streight there stands a castle strong, Which doth observe a custom lewd and ill, And it hath long mayntaind with mighty wrong: For may no knight nor lady passe along That way, (and yet they needs must passe that way, By reason of the streight, and rocks among,) But they that Ladies locks doe shave away, And that knight's berd for toll, which they for passage pay. "A shamefull use, as ever I did heare, Said Calidore, and to be overthrowne. But by what means did they at first it reare, And for what cause, tell, if thou have it knowne. Sayd then that Squire: The Lady which doth owne This Castle is by name Briana hight; Then which a prouder Lady liveth none; She long time hath deare lov'd a doughty knight, And sought to win his love by all the meanes she might. "His name is Crudor, who through high disdaine And proud despight of his selfe-pleasing mynd, Refused hath to yeeld her love againe, Untill a Mantle she for him doe fynd, With beards of knights and locks of Ladies lynd, Which to provide, she hath this Castle dight, And therein hath a Seneschall assynd, Cald Maleffort, a man of mickle might, Who executes her wicked will, with worse despight."[61] "To pluck the beard" of another has ever been held the highest possible sign of scorn and contumely; but it was certainly a refinement on the matter, for which we are indebted to the Morte Arthur, or rather probably, according to Bishop Percy, to Geoffrey of Monmouth's history originally, for the unique and ornamental purpose to which these despoiled locks were applied. So particularly anxious was Charlemagne to shew this despite to an enemy that, as we read in Huon de Bordeaux, he despatched no less than fifteen successive messengers from France to Babylon to pull the beard of Admiral Gaudisse. And this, by no means pleasant operation, was to be accompanied by one even still less inviting.