spear. Under the painting was the
following terse epigram:--

"Passans, contemplez le malheur
D'Absalom pendu par la nuque;
Il aurait evite ce malheur,
S'il eut porte une perruque."

The lines lose some of their piquancy when rendered into English as
follows:--

"The wretched Absalom behold,
Suspended by his flowing hair:
He might have 'scaped this hapless fate
Had he chosen a wig to wear."

THE BARBER'S SHOP

The old-fashioned barber has passed away. In years agone he was a
notable tradesman, and was a many-sided man of business, for he shaved,
cut hair, made wigs, bled, dressed wounds, and performed other offices.
When the daily papers were not in the hands of the people he retailed
the current news, and usually managed to scent the latest scandal, which
he was not slow to make known--in confidence, and in an undertone, of
course. He was an intelligent fellow, with wit as keen as his razor;
urbane, and having the best of tempers. It has been truthfully said of
this old-time tradesman that one might travel from pole to pole and
never encounter an ill-natured or stupid barber.

Long days are usually worked in the barber's shop, and many attempts
have been made to reduce the hours of labour. We must not forget that
compulsory early closing is by no means a new cry, as witness the
following edict, issued in the reign of Henry VI., by the Reading
Corporation: "Ordered that no barber open his shop to shave any man
after 10 o'clock at night from Easter to Michaelmas, or 9 o'clock from
Michaelmas to Easter, except it be any stranger or any worthy man of the
town that hath need: whoever doeth to the contrary to pay one thousand
tiles to the Guildhall."

[Illustration: A Barber's Shop in the Time of Queen Elizabeth.]

In the reign of Queen Elizabeth the rich families from the country
thought it no disgrace in that simple age to lodge in Fleet Street, or
take rooms above some barber's shop. At this period, indeed, the
barber-surgeon was a man of considerable importance. His shop was the
gathering-place of idle gallants, who came to have their sword-wounds
dressed after street frays. The gittern, or guitar, lay on the counter,
and this was played by a customer to pass away the time until his turn
came to have his hair trimmed, his beard starched, his mustachios
curled, and his love-locks tied up. We give a picture of a barber's shop
at this period; the place appears mor