People in both England and Scotland held that a goat is never seen for a whole twenty-four hours together. Once in every day, they said, goats slip away to visit the devil and have their beards combed. Hone gives it among other popular beliefs about the devil, such as his cloven foot, which Sir Thomas Browne put down to his habit of appearing as a goat.
Goats and the Devil’s Comb
Printed under 15 September
Lore and belief
they pay a visit to the devil in order to have their beards combed.
From Hone's Every-Day Book, vol. 2, col. 1240. Read the original
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