CHARACTERS. 



817 



of labours and fatigue. In fact 

 tlie Calabrians were the Spanish 

 people who longest resisted the 

 arms of the Roman republic. 



The Spanish women here deserve 

 a separate article ; compared with 

 the men, they seem to form a dif- 

 ferent nation. 



The females of Spain are natural- 

 ly beautiful, and owe nothing to 

 art. The greater part are brown ; 

 the few that are fair are chiefly to 

 be found in Biscay. They are in 

 general well proportioned, with a 

 slender and delicate shape, small 

 feet, well-shaped legs, a face of a 

 fine oval, black or rich brown hair, 

 a mouth neither large nor small, 

 but agreeable, red lips ; white and 

 well-set teeth, which they do not 

 long preserve, however, owing to 

 the little care they take of them. 

 They have large and open eyes, 

 usually black or dark hazel, deli- 

 cate and regular features, a pecu- 

 liar suppleness, and a charming 

 natural grace in their motions, with 

 a pleasing and expressive gesture. 

 Their countenances are open, and 

 full of truth and intelligence ; 

 their look is gentle, animated, ex- 

 pressive ; their smile agreeable ; 

 they are naturally pale, but this 

 paleness seems to vanish under the 

 brilliancy and expressive lustre of 

 their eyes. They are full of graces, 

 which appear in their discourse, in 

 their looks, their gestures, in all 

 their motions, and every thing that 

 they do. They have usually a 

 kind of embarrassed and heedless 

 manner, which does not fail, how- 

 ever, to seduce, even more than 

 wit and talents. Their counte- 

 nance is modest, but expressive. 

 There is a certain simplicity in all 

 they do, which sometimes gives 

 them a rustic, and sometimes a bold 



Vol. LI. 



air, but the charm of which is in- 

 expressible. As soon as they get 

 a little acquainted with you, and 

 have overcome their first embar- 

 rassment, they express themselves 

 with ease; their discourse is full 

 of choice expressions, at once deli- 

 cate and noble ; their conversation 

 is lively, easy, and possesses a 

 natural gaiety peculiar to them- 

 selves. They seldom read and 

 write, but the little that they read 

 they profit by, and the little that 

 they write is correct and concise. 

 They are of a warm disposition ; 

 their passions are violent, and their 

 imagination ardent, but they are 

 generous, kind, and true, and ca- 

 pable of sincere attachment. 



With them, as with the women 

 of other countries, love is the chief 

 business of life; but with them 

 it is a deep feeling, a passion, 

 and not, as in some other parts, 

 an eflFect of self-love, of vanity, of 

 coquetry, or of the rivalries of so- 

 ciety. When the Spanish women 

 love, they love deeply and long; 

 but they also require a constant 

 assiduity, and a complete depend- 

 ence. Naturally reserved and mo- 

 dest, they are then jealous and 

 impetuous. They are capable of 

 making any sacrifices ; but they 

 also exact them. On these occa- 

 sions they discover all the energy 

 of their character; and the women 

 of no other nation can compare 

 with them in this point. The Cas- 

 tihan women excel all the rest in 

 love. There are many shades of 

 difference in the manner in which 

 this passion is displayed by the fe- 

 males of different provinces. Those 

 of Castile have most tenderness 

 and sensibility ; the Biscayans are 

 more ardent; the Valentians and 

 Catalans more impetuous; the 



3 G Aragonese 



