Bernini, the sculptor, once ventured to arrange the monarch’s curls in accordance with his own notions of classic dignity. He had been sent for, from Rome, at great expense, to superintend some additions to the Louvre, and was engaged on a bust of Louis, when perceiving that the king’s forehead was too much over-shadowed with curls, he thrust them back, saying to the king, “Your Majesty’s face should be seen by every one.” This originated the _frisure à la Bernin_. Combing these elaborate curls was the envied occupation of the beaux. In that inimitable dramatic sketch by Molière, “Les Précieuses Ridicules,” which resembles a clever etching by a master-hand, it will be remembered that Mascarille, the pretended marquis, combs his curls in the presence of the ladies with the usual blandishments. The scented powder with which these wigs were besprinkled was selected with the nicest judgment and at great cost. In this respect also, Mascarille, who had made free with his master’s clothes, the better to make love in the court fashion to the fair _precieuse_, was as well furnished as any of the court gallants. _Mascarille._ Et celle-la? (Il donne à sentir les cheveux poudrés de sa perruque.) _Madelon._ Elle est tout à fait de qualité; le sublime en est touché délicieusement. Well might Gorgibus, in choleric mood exclaim: Ces pendardes-là, avec leur pommade, ont, je pense, envie de me ruiner. Je ne vois partout que blancs d’œufs, lait virginal, et mille autres brimborions que je ne connais point. Elles ont usé, depuis que nous sommes ici, le lard d’une douzaine de couchons, pour le moins; et quatre valets vivraient tous les jours des pieds de moutons qu’elles emploient. We are not well enough informed in such manners to know if these family recipes be worthy to be compared with the “capons greaz” which good Queen Bess carried with her, as we learn from Nichol’s “Progresses,” to make the hair to shine like a mallard’s wing. We own to a natural dread of such domestic manufactures, and always greatly admired that fine piece of strategy on the part of Dr. Primrose, when observing his daughters busily concocting some compound over the fire--and informed by little Dick of its true nature--he grases the poker and capsizes the ingredients. The nomenclature of wigs is very ample, a complete system of classification might be adopted, and genus and species discriminated with the greatest nicety; there were Wigs Military, Legal, Ecclesiastical, and Infantile; we can only find room for a few varieties: Perruque à bonnet. ---- à nœuds. ---- ronde. ---- pointue. ---- naissante. ---- à deux queues. ---- à tonsure. ---- à la brigadière. ---- de l’Abbé. ---- à boudin. ---- à papillons. ---- à deux marteaux. ---- à trois marteaux. ---- à bourse.