38 State of Painting from the Reign of 



were incumbrances, and they knew no ufe 

 of fteel but as it ferved for fafety or deflruc- 

 tion. Their houfes, for there was no me- 

 dium between caftles and hovels, implied 

 the dangers of fociety, not the fweets of it ; 

 and w^henever peace left them leifure to 

 think of modes, they feemed to imagine 

 that falhion confifled in transfiguring the 

 human body, inftead of adding grace to it. 

 While the men wore llioes lb long and 

 picked, that they were forced to fupport 

 the points by chains from their middle ; 

 the ladies eredled fuch pyramids on their 

 heads, that the face became the center of the 

 body ; and they were hardened to thefe pre- 

 pofterous inconveniencies by their priefls, 

 who inftead of leaving them to be cured by 

 the ficklenefs of fafhions, or by the trouble 

 of them, denounced God*s judgments on 

 follies againft which a little laughter and a 

 litde common fenfe had been more effec- 

 tual fermons. It was not far diftant I think 

 from the period of which I am fpeaking that 

 the ladies wore lookino-.g-lafTes about the 

 fame height of their bodies, with that, on 

 which the men difplayed fuch indecent fym- 



bob-. 



