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On the Dreffes of English Ladies. Feff Coufin Hannah walk much in the 1 "OREIGNERS obferve, that there ar in the world more beautiful or more than thofe of England. Our countrywo been compared to those pictures, where the work of Raphael, but the draperies t by fome empty pretender, deftitute of entirely unacquainted with design.

If I were a poet, I might obferve on fion, that fo much beauty, fet off with a vantages of dress, would be too powerful gonift for the oppofite fex; and therefo wifely ordered, that our ladies fhould w left their admirers fhould entirely want rea

any

But, to confefs a truth, I do not find t a greater averfion to fine clothes than the w other country whatfoever. I cannot fa a fhopkeeper's wife in Cheapfide has a tenderness for the fortune of her husband, citizen's wife in Paris; or that Miss in a b fchool, is more an economist in drefs, tha moiselle in a nunnery.

Although Paris may be accounted the which almost every fashion takes its rife, its in is never fo general there as with us The there the happy method of uniting grace and and never excufe a woman for being awk dreffed, by faying her clothes are in the mo

The never tricks out a squabby Doric shape with Corinthian finery; or, to speak without metaphor, fhe conforms to a general fashion, only when it happens not to be repugnant to private beauty.

The English ladies, on the contrary, feem to have no other standard of grace but the run of the town. If fashion give the word, every diftinction of beauty, complexion, or ftature, ceases. Sweeping trains, Pruffian bonnets and trollopees, as like each other as if cut from the fame piece, level all to one standard. The Mall, the gardens, and play-houses, are filled with ladies in uniform; and their whole appearance shows as little variety or tafte, as if their clothes were bespoke by the colonel of a marching regiment, or fancied by the artist who dreffes the three battalions of guards.

But not only the ladies of every shape and complexion, but of every age too, are possessed of this unaccountable paffion for levelling all distinction in drefs. The lady of no quality travels faft behind the lady of fome quality; and a woman of fixty is as gaudy as her grand-daughter. A friend of mine, a good-natured old man, amused me, the other day, with an account of his journey to the Mall. It feems, in his walk thither, he for fome time, followed a lady, who, as he thought by her dress, was a girl of fifteen: it was airy, elegant and youthful. My old friend had called up all his poetry on this occafion, and fancied twenty Cupids prepared for execution in every folding of her white negligee: he had prepared his imagination for an angel's face. But, what was his mortification to find, that

the

the imaginary goddefs was no other than his coufin Hannah, fome years older than himself!

But, to give it in his own words: "After the "tranfports of our first falute," said he, "were

over, I could not avoid running my eye over her "whole appearance. Her gown was of cambric,

cut fhort before, in order to discover an high"heeled fhoe, which was buckled almoft to the "toe. Her cap consisted of a few bits of cambric,

and flowers of painted paper stuck on one fide of her head. Her bofom, that had felt no hand but the hand of time these twenty years, rofe, fuing "to be preffed. I could, indeed, have wished her ❝ more than an handkerchief of Parifnet to shade "her beauties; for, as Taffo fays of the rofe-bud, Quanto fe moftra men tanto e piu bella. A fe"male breaft is generally thought more beautiful, as it is more fparingly discovered.

"As my coufin had not put on all this finery for "nothing, fhe was at that time fallying out to the

Park, when I had overtaken her. Perceiving,

however, that I had my beft wig, the offered, "if I would 'fquire her there, to fend home the "footman. Though I trembled for our reception " in public, yet I could not, with any civility, re"fufe: fo, to be as gallant as poffible, I took her hand in my arm, and thus we marched on to"gether.

"When we made our entry at the Park, two antiquated figures, fo polite and fo tender, foon attracted the eyes of the company. As we made 66 our way among crowds, who were out to fhow

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their finery as well as we, wherever we came, I perceived we brought good humour with us. "The polite could not forbear fmiling, and the vulgar burst out into a horfe-laugh at our grotefque figures. Coufin Hannah, who was perfectly confcious of the rectitude of her own appearance, attributed all this mirth to the oddity of mine; while I as cordially placed the whole to her account. Thus, from being two of the " beft-natured creatures alive, before we got half way up the Mall, we both began to grow peevifh, and, like two mice on a fring, endeavoured to revenge the impertinence of the fpec"tators upon each other."" I am amazed, coufin Jefferry," fays Mifs," that I can never get you to drefs like a Chriftian. I knew we should have the eyes of the Park upon us, with your great wig fo frizzled, and yet fo beggarly, and your monftrous muff. I hate thofe odious muffs." I could have patiently borne a criticism on all the reft of my equipage; but, as I had always a peculiar veneration for my muff, I could not forbear being piqued a little; and, throwing my eyes with a fpiteful air on her bofom, "I could heartily wish, Madam," replied I," that, for your fake, my "muff was cut into a tippet."

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"As my coufin, by this time, was grown heartily "afhamed of her gentleman-ufher, and as I was ne46 ver very fond of any kind of exhibition myself, it was mutually agreed, to retire for a while to one "of the feats, and from that retreat remark on "others, as freely as they had remarked on us.

"When

"When feated, we continued filent fo employed in very different fpeculat "garded the whole company, now, "view before me, as drawn out me amusement. For my entertainment,

had, all that morning, been imp "charms; the beau had put on lac

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young doctor a big wig, merely to "But quite different were the sentimen "Hannah. She regarded every well66 man as a victorious rival: hated ever "feemed dreffed in good humour, or w pearance of greater happiness than h perceived her uneafinefs, and attempt it, by obferving, that there was no c the Park to-day. To this the readily "and yet," fays fhe," it is full enough "of one kind or another." My fmilin "obfervation, gave her fpirits to purfuc "of her inclination; and now she began "her skill in fecret history, as fhe found pofed to liften. "Obferve," fays fh that old woman in tawdry filk, and dr beyond the fashion: that is Mifs Bid green. Mifs Biddy it feems has money "The confiders that money was never fo "it is, now, fhe feems refolved to keep

has to herself. She is ugly enough, you "I affure you, fhe has refufed feveral o "my own knowledge, within this twelv "Let me fee; three gentleman from Irela