All Englishmen, however, who have young and beautiful wives,
should, if they are not indifferent about their conduct, avoid a trip to
_Paris_, &c. tho' it be but for "_a six weeks tour_." She must be good
and wise too, if six weeks does not corrupt her mind and debauch her
morals, and that too by her own sex, which is infinitely the most
dangerous company. A French woman is as great an adept at laughing an
English-woman into all contempt of fidelity to her husband, as married
English-women are in general, in preparing them during their first
pregnancy, for the touch of a man-midwife,--and both from the same
motive; _i.e._ to do, as they have done, and bring all the sex upon a
level.
XXIX.
The French will not allow their language to be so difficult to speak
properly, as the English language; and perhaps they are in the right;
for how often do we meet with Englishmen who speak French perfectly? how
seldom do we hear a Frenchman speak English without betraying his
country by his pronunciation? It is not so with the Spaniards; I
conversed with two Spaniards who were never twenty miles from
_Barcelona_, that spoke English perfectly well.
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