As I never had any intention of beginning the Digression I am making all this preparation for, till I come to the 15th chapter ----I have this chapter to put to whatever use I think proper ----I have twenty this moment ready for it ----I could write my chapter of Button-holes in it----
Or my chapter of _Pishes_, which should follow them----
Or my chapter of _Knots_, in case their reverences have done with them----they might lead me into mischief: the safest way is to follow the track of the learned, and raise objections against what I have been writing, tho' I declare beforehand, I know no more than my heels how to answer them.
And first, it may be said, there is a pelting kind of _thersitical_ satire, as black as the very ink 'tis wrote with----(and by the bye, whoever says so, is indebted to the muster-master general of the _Grecian_ army, for suffering the name of so ugly and foul-mouth'd a man as _Thersites_ to continue upon his roll----for it has furnish'd him with an epithet)----in these productions he will urge, all the personal washings and scrubbings upon earth do a sinking genius no sort of good----but just the contrary, inasmuch as the dirtier the fellow is, the better generally he succeeds in it.
To this, I have no other answer----at least ready----but that the Archbishop of _Benevento_ wrote his _nasty_ Romance of the _Galatea_, as all the world knows, in a purple coat, waistcoat, and purple pair of breeches; and that the penance set him of writing a commentary upon the book of the _Revelations_, as severe as it was look'd upon by one part of the world, was far from being deem'd so by the other, upon the single account of that _Investment_.
Another objection, to all this remedy, is its want of universality; forasmuch as the shaving part of it, upon which so much stress is laid, by an unalterable law of nature excludes one half of the species entirely from its use: all I can say is, that female writers, whether of _England_, or of _France_, must e'en go without it------
As for the _Spanish_ ladies ----I am in no sort of distress----
As I have no intention of beginning the Digression I am making all this preparation for, till I come to the 15th chapter - I have this chapter free to put to any use I think proper. - I have twenty this moment ready for it - I could write my chapter of Button-holes-
Or my chapter of Pishes-
Or my chapter of Knots - but they might lead me into mischief: the safest way is to follow the track of the learned, and raise objections against what I have been writing, though I declare, I know no more than my heels how to answer them.
It may be said, there is a pelting kind of Thersitical satire, as black as the ink 'tis wrote with - this sort of satirist urges that all the personal washings and scrubbings upon earth do a genius no good - but on the contrary, the dirtier the fellow is, the better he succeeds.
To this, I have no other answer but that the Archbishop of Benevento wrote his nasty Romance of the Galatea, as all the world knows, in a purple coat, waistcoat, and purple breeches; and on account of that outfit, the penance that was set him of writing a commentary upon the book of Revelations was hardly too severe.
Another objection to this remedy is its lack of universality; for the shaving part of it, by an unalterable law of nature, excludes one half of the species entirely from its use. All I can say is, that female writers, whether English or French, must do without it.
- As for the Spanish ladies - I do not care.
Book 9 - Chapter 14