The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 12, No. 336, October 18, 1828Various
History
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 12, No. 336, October 18, 1828
Various
Popular literature -- Great Britain -- Periodicals
The Greeks and Romans wore false hair. It was esteemed a peculiar honour
among the ancient Gauls to have long hair. For this reason Julius Caesar,
upon subduing the Gauls, made them cut off their hair, as a token of
submission. In the royal family of France, it was a long time the
peculiar mark and privilege of kings and princes of the blood to wear
long hair, artfully dressed and curled; every body else being obliged to
be polled, or cut round, in sign of inferiority and obedience. In the
eighth century, it was the custom of people of quality to have their
children's hair cut the first time by persons they had a particular
honour and esteem for, who, in virtue of this ceremony, were reputed a
sort of spiritual parents or godfathers to them. In the year 1096, there
was a canon, importing, that such as wore long hair should be excluded
coming into church when living, and not be prayed for when dead.
Charlemagne wore his hair very short, his son shorter; Charles the _Bald_
had none at all. Under Hugh Capet it began to appear again; this the
ecclesiastics were displeased with, and excommunicated all who let their
hair grow. Peter Lombard expostulated the matter so warmly with Charles
the Young, that he cut off his own hair; and his successors, for some
generations, wore it very short. A professor of Utrecht, in 1650, wrote
expressly on the question, Whether it be lawful for men to wear long
hair? and concluded for the negative. Another divine, named Reeves, who
had written for the affirmative, replied to him. In _New_ England a
declaration was inscribed in the register of the colony against the
practice of wearing long hair, which was principally levelled at the
Quakers, with unjust severity.
P.T.W.
* * * * *
Pagoda in Kew Gardens.
[Illustration: Pagoda in Kew Gardens.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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