“Theywerethreethousandfivehundredmen，ofwhomtheoldestcameshortoffiveandfortyyears，andtheyoungestwasabovetwenty。
Theywerealltallandwellmade，withlongblackhair，forthemostpartcurled，coatsofblackSpanishleather，withsleevesofvelvet，orclothofgold，clothbreecheswithgoldlace，mostofthemscarlet；
girdlesofvelvet，lacedwithgold，withtwopistolsoneachside；acutlasshangingatabelt，suitablytrimmed，threefingersbroadandtwofeetlong；ahawking-bagattheirgirdle，andapowder-flaskhungabouttheirneckwithagreatsilkriband。Someofthemcarriedfirelocks，andothersblunder-busses；theyhadallgoodshoes，withsilkstockings，andeveryoneacapofclothofgold，orclothofsilver，ofdifferentcolours，onhishead，whichwasverydelightfultotheeye。“
“TheBeggars’Opera，“inourowncountry，isanotherinstanceoftheadmirationthatthievesexciteuponthestage。Oftheextraordinarysuccessofthispiece，whenfirstproduced，thefollowingaccountisgiveninthenotesto“TheDunciad，“andquotedbyJohnsoninhis“LivesofthePoets。““Thispiecewasreceivedwithgreaterapplausethanwaseverknown。BesidesbeingactedinLondonsixty-threedayswithoutinterruption，andrenewedthenextseasonwithequalapplause，itspreadintoallthegreattownsofEngland；
wasplayedinmanyplacestothethirtiethandfortiethtime；atBathandBristol，&c。fifty。ItmadeitsprogressintoWales，Scotland，andIreland，whereitwasperformedtwenty-fourdayssuccessively。Theladiescarriedaboutwiththemthefavouritesongsofitinfans，andhouseswerefurnishedwithitinscreens。Thefameofitwasnotconfinedtotheauthoronly。ThepersonwhoactedPolly，tillthenobscure，becameallatoncethefavouriteofthetown；[LaviniaFenton，afterwardsDuchessofBolton。]herpictureswereengravedandsoldingreatnumbers；herlifewritten，booksoflettersandversestoherpublished，andpamphletsmadeevenofhersayingsandjests。
Furthermore，itdroveoutofEngland，forthatseason，theItalianOpera，whichhadcarriedallbeforeitfortenyears。“Dr。Johnson，inhisLifeoftheAuthor，says，thatHerring，afterwardsArchbishopofCanterbury，censuredtheopera，asgivingencouragement，notonlytovice，buttocrimes，bymakingthehighwaymanthehero，anddismissinghimatlastunpunished；andadds，thatitwasevensaid，thataftertheexhibitionthegangsofrobberswereevidentlymultiplied。TheDoctordoubtstheassertion，givingashisreasonthathighwaymenandhousebreakersseldomfrequenttheplayhouse，andthatitwasnotpossibleforanyonetoimaginethathemightrobwithsafety，becausehesawMacheathreprieveduponthestage。ButifJohnsonhadwishedtobeconvinced，hemightveryeasilyhavediscoveredthathighwaymenandhousebreakersdidfrequentthetheatre，andthatnothingwasmoreprobablethanthatalaughablerepresentationofsuccessfulvillanyshouldinducetheyoungandthealreadyvicioustoimitateit。
Besides，thereistheweightyauthorityofSirJohnFielding，thechiefmagistrateofBowStreet，whoassertedpositively，andprovedhisassertionbytherecordsofhisoffice，thatthenumberofthieveswasgreatlyincreasedatthetimewhenthatoperawassopopular。
Wehaveanotherinstanceofthesameresultmuchnearerourowntimes。Schiller’s“Rauber，“thatwonderfulplay，writtenbyagreenyouth，pervertedthetasteandimaginationofalltheyoungmeninGermany。AnaccomplishedcriticofourowncountryHazlitt，speakingofthisplay，saysitwasthefirstheeverread，andsuchwastheeffectitproducedonhim，that“itstunnedhim，likeablow。“Afterthelapseoffive-and-twentyyearshecouldnotforgetit；itwasstill，tousehisownwords，“anolddwellerinthechambersofhisbrain，“andhehadnoteventhenrecoveredenoughfromit，todescribehowitwas。Thehigh-minded，metaphysicalthief，itshero，wassowarmlyadmired，thatseveralrawstudents，longingtoimitateacharactertheythoughtsonoble，actuallyabandonedtheirhomesandtheircolleges，andbetookthemselvestotheforestsandwildstolevycontributionsupontravellers。Theythoughttheywould，likeMoor，plundertherich，anddelivereloquentsoliloquiestothesettingsunortherisingmoon；relievethepoorwhentheymetthem，anddrinkflasksofRhenishwiththeirfreecompanionsinruggedmountainpasses，orintentsinthethicknessesoftheforests。Butalittleexperiencewonderfullycooledtheircourage；theyfoundthatreal，every-dayrobberswereveryunliketheconventionalbandittiofthestage，andthatthreemonthsinprison，withbreadandwaterfortheirfare，anddampstrawtolieupon，wasverywelltoreadaboutbytheirownfiresides，butnotveryagreeabletoundergointheirownproperpersons。
LordByron，withhissoliloquising，high-souledthieves，has，inaslightdegree，pervertedthetasteofthegreenhornsandincipientrhymestersofhiscountry。Asyet，however，theyhaveshownmoregoodsensethantheirfellowsofGermany，andhavenottakentothewoodsorthehighways。MuchastheyadmireConradtheCorsair，theywillnotgotosea，andhoisttheblackflaginemulationofhim。Bywordsonly，andnotbydeeds，theytestifytheiradmiration，anddelugetheperiodicalsandmusicshopsofthehandwithversesdescribingpirates’andbandits’brides，androbberadventuresofeverykind。
Butitistheplay-wrightwhodoesmostharm；andByronhasfewersinsofthisnaturetoanswerforthanGayorSchiller，andthemoderndramatizersofJackSheppard。Withtheaidofscenery，finedresses，andmusic，andtheveryfalsenotionstheyconvey，theyvitiatethepublictaste，notknowing，“——vulgairesrimeursQuelleforceontlesartspourdemolirlesmoeurs。“
InthepennytheatresthataboundinthepoorandpopulousdistrictsofLondon，andwhicharechieflyfrequentedbystriplingsofidleanddissolutehabits，talesofthievesandmurderersaremoreadmired，anddrawmorecrowdedaudiences，thananyotherspeciesofrepresentation。Therethefootpad，theburglar，andthehighwaymanareportrayedinunnaturalcolours，andgivepleasantlessonsincrimetotheirdelightedlisteners。Therethedeepesttragedyandthebroadestfarcearerepresentedinthecareerofthemurdererandthethief，andareapplaudedinproportiontotheirdepthandtheirbreadth。There，wheneveracrimeofunusualatrocityiscommitted，itisbroughtoutafresh，withallitsdisgustingincidentscopiedfromthelife，fortheamusementofthosewhowillonedaybecomeitsimitators。
Withthemerereaderthecaseiswidelydifferent；andmostpeoplehaveapartialityforknowingtheadventuresofnotedrogues。Eveninfictiontheyaredelightful:witnesstheeventfulstoryofGilBlasdeSantillane，andofthatgreatrascalDonGuzmand’Alfarache。Herethereisnofearofimitation。Poets，too，withoutdoingmischief，maysingofsuchheroeswhentheyplease，wakeningoursympathiesforthesadfateofGilderoy，orMacphersontheDauntless；orcelebratinginundyingversethewrongsandtherevengeofthegreatthiefofScotland，RobRoy。If，bythemusicoftheirsweetrhymes，theycanconvincetheworldthatsuchheroesarebutmistakenphilosophers，bornafewagestoolate，andhavingbothatheoreticalandpracticallovefor“Thegoodoldrule，thesimpleplan，Thattheyshouldtakewhohavethepower，Thattheyshouldkeepwhocan，“
theworldmay，perhaps，becomewiser，andconsenttosomebetterdistributionofitsgoodthings，bymeansofwhichthievesmaybecomereconciledtotheage，andtheagetothem。Theprobability，however，seemstobe，thatthecharmerswillcharminvain，charmtheyeversowisely。
SpeakwithrespectandhonourBothofthebeardandthebeard’sowner。
HUDIBRAS，ThefamousdeclarationofSt。Paul，“thatlonghairwasashameuntoaman“hasbeenmadethepretextformanysingularenactments，bothofcivilandecclesiasticalgovernments。ThefashionofthehairandthecutofthebeardwerestatequestionsinFranceandEnglandfromtheestablishmentofChristianityuntilthefifteenthcentury。
Wefind，too，thatinmuchearliertimesmenwerenotpermittedtodoastheylikedwiththeirownhair。AlexandertheGreatthoughtthatthebeardsofhissoldieryaffordedconvenienthandlesfortheenemytolayholdof，preparatorytocuttingofftheirheads；and，withtheviewofdeprivingthemofthisadvantage，heorderedthewholeofhisarmytobecloselyshaven。HisnotionsofcourtesytowardsanenemywerequitedifferentfromthoseentertainedbytheNorthAmericanIndians，amongstwhomitisheldapointofhonourtoallowone“chivalrouslock“togrow，thatthefoe，intakingthescalp，mayhavesomethingtocatchholdof。
Atonetime，longhairwasthesymbolofsovereigntyinEurope。WelearnfromGregoryofToursthat，amongthesuccessorsofClovis，itwastheexclusiveprivilegeoftheroyalfamilytohavetheirhairlong，andcurled。Thenobles，equaltokingsinpower，wouldnotshowanyinferiorityinthisrespect，andworenotonlytheirhair，buttheirbeards，ofanenormouslength。Thisfashionlasted，withbutslightchanges，tillthetimeofLouistheDebonnaire，buthissuccessors，uptoHughCapet，woretheirhairshort，bywayofdistinction。Eventheserfshadsetallregulationatdefiance，andallowedtheirlocksandbeardstogrow。
AtthetimeoftheinvasionofEnglandbyWilliamtheConqueror，theNormansworetheirhairveryshort。Harold，inhisprogresstowardsHastings，sentforwardspiestoviewthestrengthandnumberoftheenemy。Theyreported，amongstotherthings，ontheirreturn，that“thehostdidalmostseemtobepriests，becausetheyhadalltheirfaceandboththeirlipsshaven。“ThefashionamongtheEnglishatthetimewastowearthehairlongupontheheadandtheupperlip，buttoshavethechin。WhenthehaughtyvictorshaddividedthebroadlandsoftheSaxonthanesandfranklinsamongthem，whentyrannyofeverykindwasemployedtomaketheEnglishfeelthattheywereindeedasubduedandbrokennation，thelatterencouragedthegrowthoftheirhair，thattheymightresembleaslittleaspossibletheircroppedandshavenmasters。
Thisfashionwasexceedinglydispleasingtotheclergy，andprevailedtoaconsiderableextentinFranceandGermany。Towardstheendoftheeleventhcentury，itwasdecreedbythePope，andzealouslysupportedbytheecclesiasticalauthoritiesalloverEurope，thatsuchpersonsasworelonghairshouldbeexcommunicatedwhileliving，andnotbeprayedforwhendead。WilliamofMalmesburyrelates，thatthefamousSt。Wulstan，BishopofWorcester，waspeculiarlyindignantwheneverhesawamanwithlonghair。Hedeclaimedagainstthepracticeasonehighlyimmoral，criminal，andbeastly。Hecontinuallycarriedasmallknifeinhispocket，andwheneveranybody，offendinginthisrespect，kneltbeforehimtoreceivehisblessing，hewouldwhipitoutslily，andcutoffahandful，andthen，throwingitinhisface，tellhimtocutoffalltherest，orhewouldgotohell。