Doth dwell so near the tongue,

That her silence in the beards defence

May do her neighbour wrong.

Now a beard is a thing that commands in a king,

Be his sceptre ne’er so fair:

Where the beard bears the sway the people obey,

And are subject to a hair.

’Tis a princely sight, and a grave delight,

That adorns both young and old;

A well-thatcht face is a comely grace,