5S A VOYAGE TO Book VIT. 



with slips of black velvet. Over the pefficoat is an 

 aproti of the same stuff as the sleeves of the jacket, 

 hanging' down to the bottom cf it. From hence some 

 idea may be formed of the expeace of a dress, where 

 the much g;rcater part of ihe siuit" is merely for orna- 

 ment; nor will it appear stra^ige, that the marriage 

 shift should cost a thousand crowns, and sometimes 

 more. 



One particular on which the women here ex- 

 tremely value themselves, is the size of their feet, 

 a small foot being esteemed one of the chief beau- 

 ties ; and this is the principal fauit they find with 

 the Spanish ladies, who have much larger fcvA than 

 those of Lima. From their infancy they arc accus- 

 tomed to wear strait shoes, that their feet may not 

 grow heyond the size which they esteem beauti- 

 ful ; some of them do not exceed five inches and a 

 half, or six inches in length, and in women of a small 

 stature they are still less. Their shoes have little or 

 no s^le, one piece of cordovan serving both ior that 

 and the upper leather, and of an equal breadth and 

 roundness at the toe and heel, so as to form a sort 

 of long figure of 8 ; hut the foot not conjplying 

 with the figure, brings it to a greater regularity. 

 These shoesare always fastened with diaanond buckles, 

 or something very brilliant in proportion to the abi- 

 lity of the wearer, being worn less for use than orna- 

 ment ; for the Kho<'s are made in such a manner, 

 that they never loosen of themselves, nor do the 

 "buckles liindcr their being taken off. It is unusual 

 to set these buckles with pearls, a particular to be 

 accounted for only from their being so lavish of 

 them in the other ornaments of dress, as to consider 

 them as of too little value. The shoemakers, who are 

 no strangers to the foible of the sex, take great care 

 to make them in a manner very little calculated tor 

 service. The usual price is tlirec half-croNAUs a 

 pair; those embioidered with gold or silver cost 

 from eight to tea crov^ ns. The iaitcr^ however, are 



but 



