His hair trimly dressed, clean linen, and, above all,
a hale, ruddy, wholesome country look, made him out as
pretty a piece of woman's meat as you could see, and I
should have thought nay one much out of taste that could
not have made a hearty meal of such a morsel as nature
seemed to have design'd for the highest diet of pleasure.
Part 5
And why should I here suppress the delight I received
from this amiable creature, in remarking each artless look,
each motion of pure undissembled nature, betrayed by his
wanton eyes; or shewing, transparently, the glow and suf-
fusion of blood through his fresh, clear skin, whilst even
his sturdy rustic pressures wanted not their peculiar
charm? Oh! but, say you, this was a young fellow of too
low a rank of life to deserve so great a display. May be
so: but was my condition, strictly consider'd one jot more
exalted? or, had I really been much above him, did not his
capacity of giving such exquisite pleasure sufficiently
raise and ennoble him, to me, at least? Let who would,
for me, cherish, respect, and reward the painter's, the
statuary's, the musician's arts, in proportion to delight
taken in them: but at my age, and with my taste for plea-
sure, a taste strongly constitutional to me, the talent of
pleasing, with which nature has endowed a handsome person,
form'd to me the greatest of all merits; compared to which,
the vulgar prejudices in favour of titles, dignities,
honours, and the like, held a very low rank indeed.
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