But Mrs. Cole, in opposition to this, assured me that
the gentlemen I should be presented to were, by their rank
and taste of things, infinitely superior to the being touched
with any glare of dress or ornaments, such as silly women
rather confound and overlay than set off their beauty with;
that these veteran voluptuaries knew better than not to hold
them in the highest contempt: they with whom the pure native
charms alone could pass current, and who would at any time
leave a sallow, washy, painted duchess on her own hands, for
a ruddy, healthy, firm-flesh'd country maid; and as for my
part, that nature had done enough for me, to set me above
owing the least favour to art; concluding withal, that for
the instant occasion, there was no dress like an undress.
I thought my governess too good a judge of these matters
not to be easily over-ruled by her: after which she went on
preaching very pathetically the doctrine of passive obedience
and not-resistance to all those arbitrary tastes of pleasure,
which are by some styl'd the refinements, and by others the
depravations of it; between whom it was not the business of
a simple girl, who was to profit by pleasing, to decide, but
to conform to. Whilst I was edifying by these wholesome
lessons, tea was brought in, and the young ladies, returning,
joined company with us.
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