Ingenious and diverting letters of a lady's travels into Spain; describing the devotions, nunneries, humour, customs, laws, militia, trade, diet, and recreations of that people / [Marie Catherine Jumelle de Berneville Aulnoy].

  • Madame d'Aulnoy
Date:
1717
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Ingenious and diverting letters of a lady's travels into Spain; describing the devotions, nunneries, humour, customs, laws, militia, trade, diet, and recreations of that people / [Marie Catherine Jumelle de Berneville Aulnoy]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    fome Women, with whom I might fpend my time with lefs impatience, till the Litters came, which were to be fent to me from Sr. Sebaftian. He readily complied with my Requeft : For being a Perfon of Quality and Worth, he is much efteemed at Bayonne, He fail’d not the next Morning to bring feveral Ladies to vifit me. = Thefe Women begin here to feel the fcorching Heats of the Sun : their Complexion is dark ; their Eyes fparkling 5 they are charming enough ; their Wits are fharp; and I could give you a farther Account of their Capacities, could I have better underftood what they faid : Not but that they could all {peak French, yet with fuch a different Dialect, as furpafs’d my Un- derftanding. Some who came to fee me, brought little fucking Pigs under theirArms, as we do little Dogs. It’s true they were very {pruce, and feveral of ’em had Collars of Ribbands, of various Colours. However, this Cuftom looks very odd, and I cannot but think that feveral among themfelves are difgufted at it. When they danced, they muft fet them down, and ler thefe grunting Ani- mals run about the Chamber, where they made a very plea- fant Harmony. Thefe Ladies danc’d at my intreaty ; the Ba- ron of CafHleneau having fent for Pipes and'T'abors. — 3 _ TheGentlemen who attended the Ladies, took each of ’em her whom he had brought with him; and the Dance began in a ‘ Round, all holding Hands.” They had afterwards long Canes brought them; and then each Spark taking hold of the Lady’s Handkerchief, which feparated them from one another, mov’d very gracefully at the found of this martialfort of Mufick,which infpired them with fuch Heat, that they feem’d not to be able to moderate it. This feem’d to me to refemble the Pyrric Dance fo much celebrated by the Antients ; for thefe Gentle- men and Ladies made fo many ‘Turns, Frisks and Capers, their anes being thrown up into the Air, and dexteroufly caught a- gain,that it isimpoffible to defcribe their Art and Agility: And _ À had a great deal of Pleafure in feeng’em 5 but methoughts it lafted too long, and I began to grow weary of this ill-order’d Ball : when the Baron de Cafllencan, who perceiv'd it, caufed fe- yeral Baskets of dried Fruit to be broughtin. Theyarethe Jews. who pals for Portuguefe, and dwell at Bayonne, who tranfport them from Gevoa, and furnifh all the Country with them. We - wanted not for Limonade, and other refrefhing Waters, of which thefe Ladies drank heartily ; and fo the Entertainment ended. : I was carry’d the next Morning to fee the Synagogue of the eus; in the Suburb of the Holy Spirit, but met with nothing: À remarkable
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