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To The Editor Of The Freemasons' Magazine
It must , however , be acknowled ged that the ladies in general ar « much more addicted to the suppression of years than the men , as they consider beauty more immediatel y their province , and too weh know that age , even in a Ninon del' Enclos , will wither the lilies and roses of a fine face . I have been acquainted with several ladies who not only stopped the course of time in this respect , but absolutelmade for what
y reprisals was past , by dropping a year gradually as they advanced . I have an aunt who is now , according to the Bible , than which no authority can be more orthodox , in her forty-fourth year ; but hairing for these , last four years sunk an annual rotation , she is at this period , agreeable to her supputation , just m her six and thirtieth ; so that six years henc ' e , instead of fiftyshe will be exactl
, y thirty . This is grinding young again without a mill ; but the misfortune is , the sure index of age appears upon her forehead , and every additional wrinkle is an additional testimony in favour of the Bible . The conduct of my young aunt makes me frequently call to mind that ludicrous passage in the Diable Boiteux , where two ladies are examined before a notary , who asks their respective ages . The
lady of sixty-nine acknowledges herself forty ; but the lady of forty-eight thinks it a very impertinent question ; however , at length being hard pushed , she says very whimsicall y , " Si cela est absolument necessaire , regardez moi done avec attention , & mettez mon age en conscience . " If it be absolutely necessary , examine me attentivel y , and let . your conscience dictate . Upon their retiring from their examination the old ladlaughs
, y at the folly of the notary , who could be so simple as to imagine they would give in their real age to be pronounced against them in open court ; then acknowledges she had suppressed twenty years ; ¦ and thinks the other had done very right in following her example . ' This remark highly piques the younger , who will not even now allow herself to be more than thirty-five . ' But the other telling her she at her birthand
was present ; adding , " I knew your father , he was not young when he died , and that is near forty years ago , " the young lady is so enraged that she is willing to sacrifice'Ver mother ' s virtue to her vanity and youth , and replies with much warmth , " Oh ! as to that , madam , I do not mind it a pin ; for when my father married my mother , he was then too old to beo-et children . " °
I know not whether my ' aunt would call her mother ' s chastity in question upon such an occasion ; but I really believe her ' s is so completely preserved by time , that it will never be blown upon in the circles of scandal , and that she will die a virgin , notwithstanding the retrograde steps she is incessantly taking from age towards matrimoiry . NO FOOL ,
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
To The Editor Of The Freemasons' Magazine
It must , however , be acknowled ged that the ladies in general ar « much more addicted to the suppression of years than the men , as they consider beauty more immediatel y their province , and too weh know that age , even in a Ninon del' Enclos , will wither the lilies and roses of a fine face . I have been acquainted with several ladies who not only stopped the course of time in this respect , but absolutelmade for what
y reprisals was past , by dropping a year gradually as they advanced . I have an aunt who is now , according to the Bible , than which no authority can be more orthodox , in her forty-fourth year ; but hairing for these , last four years sunk an annual rotation , she is at this period , agreeable to her supputation , just m her six and thirtieth ; so that six years henc ' e , instead of fiftyshe will be exactl
, y thirty . This is grinding young again without a mill ; but the misfortune is , the sure index of age appears upon her forehead , and every additional wrinkle is an additional testimony in favour of the Bible . The conduct of my young aunt makes me frequently call to mind that ludicrous passage in the Diable Boiteux , where two ladies are examined before a notary , who asks their respective ages . The
lady of sixty-nine acknowledges herself forty ; but the lady of forty-eight thinks it a very impertinent question ; however , at length being hard pushed , she says very whimsicall y , " Si cela est absolument necessaire , regardez moi done avec attention , & mettez mon age en conscience . " If it be absolutely necessary , examine me attentivel y , and let . your conscience dictate . Upon their retiring from their examination the old ladlaughs
, y at the folly of the notary , who could be so simple as to imagine they would give in their real age to be pronounced against them in open court ; then acknowledges she had suppressed twenty years ; ¦ and thinks the other had done very right in following her example . ' This remark highly piques the younger , who will not even now allow herself to be more than thirty-five . ' But the other telling her she at her birthand
was present ; adding , " I knew your father , he was not young when he died , and that is near forty years ago , " the young lady is so enraged that she is willing to sacrifice'Ver mother ' s virtue to her vanity and youth , and replies with much warmth , " Oh ! as to that , madam , I do not mind it a pin ; for when my father married my mother , he was then too old to beo-et children . " °
I know not whether my ' aunt would call her mother ' s chastity in question upon such an occasion ; but I really believe her ' s is so completely preserved by time , that it will never be blown upon in the circles of scandal , and that she will die a virgin , notwithstanding the retrograde steps she is incessantly taking from age towards matrimoiry . NO FOOL ,