Holme derives the denomination barber from barba, a beard, and describes him as a cutter of hair; he was also anciently termed a poller, because in former times to poll was to cut the hair: to trim was to cut the beard, after shaving, into form and order.

The instrument-case of a barber, and the instruments in their several divisions, are particularly described by Holme. It contained his looking-glass, a set of horn combs with teeth on one side and wide, "for the combing and readying of long, thick, and stony heads of hair, and such like perriwigs," a set of box combs, a set of ivory combs with fine teeth on both sides, an ivory beard-comb, a beard-iron called the forceps, being a curling iron for the beard, a set of razors, tweezers with an earpick, a rasp to file the point of a tooth, a hone for his razors, a bottle of sweet oil for his hone, a powder box with sweet powder, a puff to powder the hair, a four square bottle with a screwed head for sweet water, wash balls and sweet balls, caps for the head to keep the hair up, trimming cloths to put before a man, and napkins to put about his neck, and dry his hands and face with. After he was shaved and barbed, the barber was to hold him the glass, that he might see "his new-made face," and instruct the barber where it was amiss: the barber was then to "take off the linens, brush his clothes, present him with his hat, and, according to his hire, make a bow, with your humble servant, sir.'

6

The same author thus figures

H

The Barber's Candlestick. He describes it to be "a wooden turned stick, having a socket in the streight peece, and another in the cross or overthwart peece; this he sticketh in his apron strings on his left side or breast when he useth to trim by candlelight."

Without going into every particular concerning the utensils and art of " Barbing and Shaving," some may be deemed curious, and therefore worthy of notice. It is to be observed, however, that they

are from Randle Holme, who wrote in 1688, and relate to barbers of former days.

Barber's Basin.

The barber's washing or trimmingbasin had a circle in the brim to compass a man's throat, and a place like a little dish to put the ball in after lathering. Holme says, that "such a like bason as this, valiant Don Quixote took from a bloody enchanting barber, which he took to be a golden head-piece."

The barber's basin is very ancient; it is mentioned by Ezekiel the prophet. In the middle age it was of bright copper.*

Razor.

This is a figure of the old razor of a superior kind, tipped with silver; " that is," says Holme, "silver plates engraven are fixed upon each end of the haft, to make the same look more gent and rich." The old man, being fidgetted by this ornament, declares, "it is very oft done by yong proud artists who adorne their instruments with silver shrines, more then seting themselves forth by the glory that attends their art, or praise obtained by skill." Before English manufactures excelled in cutlery, razors were imported from Palermo + Razors are mentioned by Homer.

"This is a small chafer which they use to carry about with them, when they make any progress to trim or barb gentiles at a distance, to carry their sweet water (or countreyman's broth) in; the round handle at the mouth of the chafer is to fall down as soon as their hand leaves it;" so says Holme. Mr. J. T. Smith remarks, that "the flying barber is a character now no more to be seen in London, though he still remains in some of our country villages; he was provided with a napkin, soap, and pewter bason, the form of which may be seen in many of the illustrative prints of Don Quixote." The same writer speaks of the barber's chafer as being-"A deep leaden vessel, something like a chocolate pot, with a large ring, or handle, at the top; this pot held about a quart of water boiling hot, and thus equipped, he flew about to his customers." These chafers are no longer made in London; the last mould which produced them was sold in Newstreet, Shoe-lane, at the sale of Mr. Richard Joseph's moulds for pewter utensils, in January, 1815: it was of brass and broken up for metal.*

This is their ancient shape. "In former times these were much used to curl the side locks of a man's head, but now (in 1688) wholly cast aside as useless; it openeth and shutteth like the forceps, only the ends are broad and square, being cut within the mouth with teeth curled and crisped, one tooth striking within another.'

Scissors.

Hair-scissors were long and broad in the blades, and rounded towards the points which were sharp.

Beard-scissors had short blades and long handles.

The barber's scissors differed in these respects from others; for instance, the tailor's scissors had blunt points, while the seamster's scissors differed from both by reason of their smallness, some of them having one ring for the thumb only to fit it, while the contrary ring or bow was large enough to admit two or three fingers.

Beards.

Barber's Chafing Dish.

This was a metal firepot, with a turning handle, and much used during winter, especially in shops without fire-places. It was carried by the handle from place to place, but generally set under a brass or copper basin with a flat broad bottom, whereon if linen cloths were rubbed or let remain, they in a little time became hot or warm for the barber's use.

Barber's Crisping Irons.

Smith's Anc. Topog.

Pick-a-devant Beard.

"A full face with a sharp-pointed beard is termed, in blazon, a man's face with a pick-a-devant (or sharp pointed,) beard." Mr. Archdeacon Nares's "Glossary" contains several passages in corroboration of Holme's description of this beard.

Cathedral Beard.

This Holme calls "the broad or cathedral beard, because bishops and grave men of the church anciently did wear such beards.", Besides this, and the picka-devant, he says there are several sorts and fashions of beards, viz. "the British beard hath long mochedoes, (mustachios) on the higher lip, hanging down either side the chin, all the rest of the face being bare: the forked beard is a broad beard ending in two points :-the mouse-eaten beard, when the beard groweth scatter

He further gives the following as

ingly, not together, but here a tuft and there a tuft," &c.

Guillaume Duprat, bishop of Clermont, who assisted at the council of Trent, and built the college of the Jesuits at Paris, had the finest beard that ever was seen. It was too fine a beard for a bishop, and the canons of his cathedral, in full chapter assembled, came to the barbarous resolution of shaving him. Accordingly, when next he came to the choir, the dean, the prevot, and the chantre approached with scissors and razors, soap, basin and warm water. He took to his heels at the sight, and escaped to his castle of Beauregard, about two leagues from Clermont, where he fell sick for vexation, and died.*

Ancient monuments represent the

Greek heroes to have worn short curled

beards. Among the Romans, after the year 454, c. B., philosophers alone constantly wore a beard; the beard of their military men was short and frizzed. The first emperors with a long and thick beard were Hadrian, who wore it to hide his wounds, and Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius, who wore it as philosophers: a thick beard was afterwards considered an appendage that obtained for the emperors veneration from the people.†

Wigs.

A long Perriwig, with a Pole-lock. This he puts forth as being "by artists called a long-curled-wig, with a suffloplin, or with a dildo, or pole-lock;" and he affirms, that "this is the sign or cognizance of the perawick-maker."

That the peruke was anciently a barber's sign, is verified by a very rare, and perhaps an unique engraving of St. Paul's cathedral when building, with the scaffolding poles and boards up. This print, in the possession of the editor of the Every-Day Book, represents a barber's shop on the north-side of St. Paul's churchyard, with the barber's pole out at the door, and a swinging sign projecting from each side of the house, a peruke being painted on

each.

66

A Peruke.

It is figured as seen above by Holme, who also calls it in his peculiar orthography a perawicke," and says it was likewise called "a short bob, a head of hair-a wig that hath short locks a nda hairy crown." He describes it with some feeling. "This is a counterfeit hair which men wear instead of their own; a thing much used in our days by the generality of men; contrary to our forefathers who got estates, loved their wives, and wore their own hair; but," says he, " in these days (1688) there is no such things!"

not hitherto been here related in his armorial language, he always sets them out so, in his "storehouse of armory and blazon." It may be amusing to conclude these extracts from him with his description of this figure in his own words: thus then the old "deputy for the kings of arms" describes it :

"He beareth argent a woman's face; her forehead adorned with a knot of diverse coloured ribbons; the head with a ruffle quoif, set in corners, and the like ribbons behind the head. This," says Holme," is a fashion-monger's head, tricked and trimed up, according to the mode of these times, wherein I am wri ting of it; and, in my judgment, were a fit coat for such seamsters as are skilled in inventions. But" (he angrily breaks forth,) "what do I talk of arms to such, by reason they will be shortly old, and therefore not to be endured by them, whose brains are always upon new devises and inventions! But all are brought again from the old; for there is no new thing under the sun; for what is now, hath been formerly!"

In the great dining-room at Lambethpalace, there are portraits of all the archbishops, from Laud to the present time. In these we may observe the gradual change of the clerical dress, in the article of wigs. Archbishop Tillotson was the first prelate who wore a wig, which then was not unlike the natural hair, and worn without powder.*

pro

It is related of a barber in Paris, that, to establish the utility of his bag-wigs, he caused the history of Absalom to be painted over his door; and that one of the fession, at a town in Northamptonshire, used this inscription, "Absalom, hadst thou worn a perriwig, thou hadst not been hanged." It is somewhere told of another that he ingeniously versified his brother peruke-maker's inscription, under a sign which represented the death of Absalom and David weeping; he wrote up thus:

"Oh, Absalom! Oh, Absalom!
Oh, Absalom! my son,
If thou hadst worn a perriwig,

Thou hadst not been undone !

Townsend, the well-known police-officer, The well-known, light, flaxen wig of is celebrated in a song beginning thus:

Lysons' Environs. f Gent.'s Mag.