Nobody supposes their colour to be natural for a moment, any more than he would if it were blue or green: and this unambiguous judgment of the matter is owing to two causes; first, to the universal knowledge we have, that French women are naturally either brown or yellow, with very few exceptions; and secondly, to the inartificial manner in which they paint; for they do not, as I am most satisfactorily informed, even attempt an imitation of nature, but besmear themselves hastily, and at a venture, anxious only to lay on enough.

Where therefore there is no wanton intention, nor a wish to deceive, I can discover no immorality.

But in England, I am afraid, our painted ladies are not clearly entitled to the same apology.

They even imitate nature with such exactness 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 E----, whom I well remember.

Her roses and lilies were never discovered to be spurious, till she attained an age that made the supposition of their being natural impossible.