This monftrous faihion has generally been attributed to the
jealoufy o f the men. Admitting this to have been the cafe,
the Chinefe muft be allowed to be well verfed iti thè management
o f the fex, to have fo far gained the afeendancy over
them, as to prevail upon them to adopt a faihion, which required
a voluntary relinquiihment o f one o f the greateft pleafures
and- bleifmgs o f life, the faculty o f locomotion ; and to contrive
to render this faihion fo nniverfal that any deviation from' it
fhould he confidered as difgraceful, The defire o f being
thought fuperior to the reft o f his fellows fometimes, indeed,
leads a man into fir angeex tra vacancies. Upon this principle the
men o f learning, as they are pleafed to ftyle themfelves,, foffer the
nails o f their little fingers to grow fometimes to the enormous
length o f three inches for the foie: purpofe o f giving'.oculax dé-
monftration o f the irapoffibility o f their being employed in any
fort o f manual labour ; and upon the fame principle, perhaps,
the ladies o f China may be induced to continue the cuftom
o f maiming their female infants, in order that their children
may be diffiinguiihed from thofe o f the peaiantry, who, in moft
o f the provinces, are condemned to fubmit to the drudgery o f
the field.
The Interior wrappers o f the ladies’ feet are faid to be feldom
changed, remaining, fometimes, until they can no longer hold
together ; a cuftom that conveys no ve ry favourable idea o f
Chinefe cleanlinefs. This, indeed, forms no part o f their character
; on the contrary they are what Swift would call a
frow zy people. The comfort o f clean linen, or frequent change
I o f
o f under-garments, is equally unknown to the Sovereign and to
the peafant. A fort o f thin coarfe filk fupplies the place o f cotton
or linen next the Ikin, among the upper ranks ; but the
common people wear a coarfe kind o f open cotton cloth. Thefe
veftments are more rarely removed for the purpofe o f waihing
than for that o f being replaced with new ones; and the confe-
quenee o f fuch negleCt or economy is, as might naturally be fup-
pofed, an abundant increafe o f thofe vermin to whofe production
filthinefs is found to be moft favourable. The higheft
officers o f ftate made no hefitation o f calling their attendants in
public to feek in their necks for thofe troublefome animals,
which, when caught, they very compofedly put between their
teeth. T he y carry no pocket handkerchiefs, but generally blow
their nofes into fmall fquare pieces o f paper which fome ■ o f
their attendants have ready prepared for the purpofe. Many
are not fo cleanly, but fpit about the rooms, or agalnft
the walls like the French, and they wipe their dirty hands in the
fleeves o f their gowns. T h e y fleep at night in the fame clothes
they wear by day. Their bodies are as feldom wafbed as their
articles, o f drefs. T h e y never make ufe o f the bath, neither
warm nor cold. Notwithftanding the vaft number o f rivers and
canals, with which, every part o f the country is interfefted, I do
notremember to h^tve feen a fingle graupe o f boys bathing. The
men, in the hotteft day o f fummer, make ufe o f warm water
for waihing the hands and face. T he y are unacquainted with
the ufe o f foap. We procured, in Pekin, a fort o f Barilla with
which and apricot oil we manufactured a fufficient quantity o f
this article to waih our linen, which, however, we were under
the neceffity o f getting done by our own fervants.
On