A discourse of auxiliary beauty. Or artificiall hansomenesse. In point of conscience between two ladies.

* 1.1I Must confesse Madame your LaP saies more in vindication of these Artificiall helps of handsomenesse, and better avoid all those odious objections made against them, by my weaknesse, than ever yet I heard or read; Nor can I but agree with your La^ps just sense and expressions, how partiall un∣just judges of things: How petulant and passionate censurers of persons and actions common people are, and those masters of them,

who have most of a plebeian stroak in their temper and education; or who affect a vul∣gar empire, by vulgar easinesse and compli∣ances: Tis true they frequently save or dam, as they are swayed, not with judgement and charity, but with prepossession or fury, being content to opine not with the wisest, but the most, glorying more in the number of their abetters, than in the strength and weight of their reasons.

§. But yet in this case, so much contro∣verted, and so oft concluded, against your sense, by learned and godly men, I know your LaP is so humble and modest as to consider, that your thoughts are but the thoughts of a woman; who is the weaker ves∣sel, of greater fraileties and lesse capacity: Therefore not to be laid in the least ballance of contradiction against those many wor∣thy and famous men, who very probably had more strong reasons, and Scripture instances for what they thus eagerly and bitterly de∣cryed, than either they have expressed by writing, or we can now comprehend; nor is your LaP in any sort to measure the vali∣dity of their arguments against it, by the in∣firmity of later allegations, either by others, or now by my self who like Ruth have not so much as the gleanings of those Boazzes large fields and plentifull harvests.

And yet, in the generall prospect of the whole matter, doth it not seem very strange and improbable to your LaP that so many holy men should have been, without due cause, so severe and so crosse against our sex, in those ornaments and reliefes of beauty, the con∣fessions of which (though with all those sober and morall restraints, which are justly impo∣sed in all other enjoyments) had been a very great indulgence and ingratiating to wo∣men of greatest quality and best breeding, who might the easier been won to greater rigors of religion, if in this they might have been allowed with the credit of Chri∣stianity and peace of their conscience, what they generally so covet for the advantages of their looks and countenances.

§. I have observed in my dayes, that many preachers (otherwaies very commen∣dable) are lesse acceptable to Ladies of qua∣lity and gentlewomen of the noblest and fairest editions, because of their severe and damning rigors frequently uttered against all auxilia∣ries, of beauty, or set offs to handsomenesse; So scandalised at Ladies powdering, curling, and gumming their haire; so jealous of their using any quickning to their complexion, though neither they nor any other know of it; So impatient of any black patch, though it be but a plaster to a pimple: That they

degrade those from all degrees of grace and virtue, modesty and chastity, whom they find, or suspect guilty of these in the least kind.

I am sure some of them Thunder against all these and other like ornaments of women, with the ancient terror; though as your La∣diship thinks, they do not shine with the potent convictions and lightnings of the Fa∣thers (but make their auditors more afraid than hurt) yet ought we not by an implicite credulity ascribe that honor to the Fathers and their followers, as not to doubt or con∣tradict their judgements, though we see not their grounds or reasons? And will it not (at best) seem too great an arrogance for your LaP or any of our sex, to contend in a case of Conscience, with so many of our own later Reformed Divines; who have one from an other taken this point to be so clear and granted, as a grosse sin, that few or none of them ever went about, seriously to discusse it or solidly to prove it to be any sin at all?

However (Madame in the last place) since it is a disputable point, and so dubious as to conscience and practise, is it not wis∣dome to follow the safest part, which is not at all to use any such toyes and tinctures: In which negative of abstaining there can be no danger; which may be great on the other side of using; if either it should be

a sin in it self, or at least go, under such scru∣ples and uncertainties, as can hardly be cleared or avoided as to the conscience of the doer, where the opinions of so many eminent per∣sons makes (as you see) such potent batteries against it, what shield of perswasion can be sufficient to defend us from great shakings and some impressions of terrour.

Notes

• * 1.1

  12. Obje. Painting the face unlawfull because, doubtfull at best and not of faith.