902 
lity of logical disquisition, but do 
not promise to observe the same re- 
gularity, any farther than it may 
comport with my purpose of writ- 
ing as fast as [ can. 
« As to the immorality of the cus- 
tom, were I in France, I should see 
none. On the contrary, it seems, 
in that country, to be asymptom of 
modest consciousness, and a tacit 
confession of what all know to be 
true, that French faces have, in fact, 
neither red nor white of their own. 
This humble acknowledgment of a 
defect, looks the more like a virtue, 
being found among a people not re- 
markable for humility. Again, be- 
fore we can prove tke practice to be 
immoral, we must prove immorality 
in the design of those who use it; 
either, that they intend a deception, 
or to kindle unlawful desires in the 
beholders. But the French ladies, 
so far as their purpose comes in 
question, must be acquitted of both 
these charges. Nobody supposes 
their colour to be natural for a mo- 
ment any more than he would, if it 
were blue or green: and this unam- 
biguous judgment of the matter, is 
owing to two causes: first, to the 
universal knowledge we have that 
French women are naturally brown 
or yellow, with a very few excep- 
tions ; and secondly, to the inartifi- 
eial manner in which they paint: for 
they do not, as I am most satisfae- 
torily informed, even attempt an 
imitation of nature, but besmear 
(themselves hastily, and, at a ven- 
ture, anxious only to lay on enough. 
When, therefore, there is no wan- 
ton intention, nor a wish to deceive, 
I can discover no immorality. But, 
in England, (if -am afraid) our 
painted ladies are not clearly entit- 
led to the same apology. They 
even imitate nature with such ex- 
ANNUAL REGISTER, {s03. 
aétness, that the whole public is 
sometimes divided into parties, who 
litigate, with great warmth, the 
question, whether painted or not. 
This was remarkably the case with - 
a Miss B , whom I well remem- 
ber. Her roses and lilies were never 
discovered to be spurious, till she 
attained an age, that made the sup- 
position of their being natural im- 
possible. This anxiety to be not 
merely red and white, which is all 
they aim at in France, but to be 
thought very beautiful, and much 
more beautiful than nature has made 
them, is a symptom not very favour- 
able to the idea we would wish to 
entertain of the chastity, purity, and 
modesty of our countrywomen. That 
they are guilty of a design to de- 
ceive, is certain. Otherwise, why so 
much art; and if to deceive, where- 
fora, and with what purpose; cer- 
tainly, either to gratify vanity of 
the silliest kind, or, which is still more 
criminal, to decoy and inveigle, and 
earry on, more successfully, the bu- 
siness of temptation. Here, there- 
fore, my opinion splits itself into 
two opposite sides upon the same’ 
question. I can suppose a French 
woman, though painted an inch 
deep, to be a virtuous, discreet, ex- 
cellent charaéter, and, in no in- 
stance, should I think the worse of 
one, because she was painted. But 
an English belle must pardon me, if 
I have not the same charity for her. 
She is, at least, an imposter, whe- 
ther she cheats me or not, because 
she means to do so; and it is well, 
if that be all the censure. she de- 
serves. 
This brings me to my second 
class of ideas upon this topic, and 
here I feel, that I should be fear- 
fully puzzled, were I called upon to 
recommend the practice on the 
score 
