# The Present State of Peru/5i

CUSTOMS AND MANNERS.
To illustrate this subject, and at the same time to avoid giving offence, the authors of the Peruvian Mercury have had recourse to an ingenious allegory, which they entitle "An Historical Apologue on the Corruption of the Roman Colonies in Africa," and the application of which will be readily understood. It is introduced in the following manner. The historical department, the first in the order of our publication, demands from us a decided preference. It has therefore been our wish to possess all the valuable materials contained in the archives, so as to be enabled to enrich and adorn ​it. For this purpose we have purchased a prodigious quantity of manuscripts, which had hitherto been consigned to the dust, and to oblivion. On the afternoon of the day before yesterday, we were engaged in examining them, when the censor of our society threw out the idea of compiling and publishing a history of the public morals of these countries. We instantly repelled the thought, not only on account of the arduousness of the undertaking, but likewise of the risk of its not being acceptable, or taken in ill part. Our associate insisted that his proposition should be adopted; but we employed all our eloquence to persuade him that our apprehensions were well founded. A fortuitous accident enabled us to terminate the dispute. It chanced that among the above-mentioned manuscripts we met with a parchment half eaten by the worms, but whether from the pen of Tacitus, Florus, or Suetonius, is uncertain. Its context appeared to us to be very analogous to the subject under discussion; and we therefore agreed to translate it literally, so far as it was legible, and to publish it, with a view to see whether this respectable public is sufficiently docile to receive, without displeasure, corrections of a similar nature. It bears the inscription which has been already pointed out, and begins thus:
"——Quid rides? Mutato nomine de te Fabula narratur. Horat.
"When the invincible Scipio destroyed Carthage, all Africa became subject to the Capitol. The spirit of enterprize inspired an ardent longing for certain regions which were in a manner inhabitable. There were entire nations who preferred the shores of Numidia to those of Italy. Many cities ​were founded. The parched Carthaginian, and the naked Lybian, saw certain virtues, which had hitherto been unknown, flourish in their soil.
"The rigid integrity which is characteristic of a republican heart, shone in these colonies as at Rome. Proud of the glorious title of a Roman, each individual, whatever might be his age or condition, sought to merit, by his heroical exploits, the honour which that name conferred on him. The matron, content in the retirement of a disabused time of life, looked forward with anxiety to the relation of the military prowess of her sons. The wedded female had no other delight than that of rearing the fruits of her conjugal tenderness, and moulding them into good citizens. The damsel, full of innocence, was a stranger to love until the happy moment when Hymen revealed to her its mysterious secrets. She fancied that this sentiment was merely a recompense due to the valour of some youthful lover, who viewed her with impassioned eyes when he returned from the war laden with the spoils of the enemy.
"The frailty and inconstancy inherent in our miserable species, were too powerful for the virtue even of the Romans, and operated a change in these fine principles. Riches and voluptuousness were the fatal instruments; and the degeneracy of the colonies found its punishment in the moral and physical calamities which supervened.
"Enriched by the treasures of Annon, Amilcar, Syphax, and the other subjugated kings and generals, the Romans began to view with disgust the severity of the ancient customs they had brought from Europe. Frankness, sobriety, valour, and constancy, were virtues which gradually became relaxed, and yielded at length to dissimulation, rioting, frivolity, and ​sloth. For the rural and domestic labours, they tore from their fire-sides and household gods, the Nubians, Egyptians, and Abyssinians. The martial laws, the right of conquest, and the example of other nations, gave a legitimacy to this description of tyranny.
"The enervation of the Romans was infused, in an immediate way, into their wives; and they contributed to augment and perpetuate it. The Portias, Cornelias, and Lucretias, highly gratified at being relieved from their domestic duties by the African female slaves who surrounded them, laid aside the needle, and the spindle, delivering themselves up to vanity, and finally concentrating all their delight in the intrigues of Cupid. They were in need of secret agents and confidants; and for this purpose made choice of their bondwomen. The latter, constitutionally degenerate, and less conspicuous on account of the parity of colour, were better calculated to go abroad, to maintain an epistolary correspondence, and to promote a furtive introduction. Insensibly, those who had before served them in the meanest capacities, found themselves the depositaries of the confidence of their ladies.
"On another hand, these same Roman women, at whose breasts had been nurtured those who in the sequel gave laws to the whole world, viewed with disdain the noble occupation of suckling and rearing their infants. They confided this trust to the female slave, who saw hanging at her neck him who was destined to be one day her lord.
"Behold thus the monstrous Egyptian women at one and the same time the sovereign disposers of the life of those to whom they appertained, and of the honour of their mistresses. Elated by this double motive, they emulated the Roman ​females themselves, in their dress, their language, and even in their pleasures. The youth whose beard began to form itself, feeling as it were an attachment to his puerile dependency, viewed with tenderness and complacency a cast whose milk was his first aliment. The husband, dissatisfied with the cold retribution of a divided bed, sought a compensation in the female slave. The horror of his loathsome crime was confounded in the obscurity of his accomplice. The mixture of the specieses became common, and thence originated the various sub-divisions which are more or less valued in proportion to the degrees of proximity or distance from their original colour. These spurious fruits of an abominable union ceased already to be useful in the domestic occupations, or performed them with an air of superiority. The fashions, personal merit, and the education of the youth, were swayed and directed by these vile souls. Their influence, and the common depravation, were carried to such a length, that the Roman women, even these Roman women, gloried in having some resemblance, either in the mind or person, with their female slaves. The avenues of pleasure and of love ........."
Here the parchment was so much worm-eaten, that it was impossible for us to ascertain to what length these declamations may have been carried. In one respect we congratulated ourselves on this circumstance; for if the author of the manuscript had been enabled, through us, to explain himself still further, his translators might have been exposed to the risk, that this noble public, and the persons engaged in its service, might regard this fragment as a metaphorical satire, which certainly never entered into their thought.
​Plate IX. represents two female domestics, natives, who have adopted the Spanish dress, and, with it, the habits of their superiors,
In continuation of the above satire, a correspondent who styles himself Hiponobates, addresses to the Academical Society the following
ALLEGORICAL DREAM.
The hardness of my couch, the agreeable recollections of my daily adventures, and the perusal of the Mercuries, which I have recourse to almost invariably before I lie down to rest, are wont to procure me dreams of so delightful and durable a nature, that the illusions of my no6lurnal repose occasionally appear to me to be realities. The other night, in thinking of the allusion which the historical apologue you have published might convey, my fancy was exalted; and, with this subject strongly impressed on my mind, I fell asleep. The drowsy poppies which Morpheus shed over me, to lull my wearied faculties, were not capable of effacing entirely the impressions of my spirit. Whether it was occasioned by the particular nature of these impressions, or by the sensibility of the soul, I know not, but I had a dream of such length and consistency, as to appear to me. to be deserving of your attention, if it be on no other account than because it corresponds with the above cited apologue, the object of each of the broken narrations being in a manner the same.
Pl. IX.
(Upload an image to replace this placeholder.)
Two Female domestics who have adopted the Spanish dress. Pub. Feb. 16. 1805 by Richard Phillips. 6. New Bridge Street.
Absorbed in the contemplation of so many beauties, I observed a venerable old man, clad like the Goths our ancestors, ​approach me with his hoary locks. The ecstacy which had taken a complete possession of me, deprived me of all dread and apprehension on viewing him. He came up to me, and in a grave and deliberate tone, addressed me thus: "Fortunate man, whosoever thou mayest be, who hast had the happiness to tread on this ground, know that thou art in the country of Astrea. That divinity a fugitive from thy perverse world, where it is criminal to speak the truth and practise justice; where nothing more is coveted than a vile and deceitful adulation;—has chosen in this island a retreat, in which she lives without any other companion than myself. I am True Merit: I have retired to this solitude, because I could find neither access, protection, nor reward among thy race of beings."
Notwithstanding this address filled me with confusion, I was about to make a reply expressive of my thanks, and in the way of compliment, when I saw a new prodigy, still more awful than the former: enveloped in a cloud partly azure and partly of a golden hue, a figure resembling a human being stood before me. I fancied it to be the goddess; but in an instant the old man, as if he had divined my thought, said to me: "Thou art mistaken: this is not Astrea, but the celebrated Eugenia, who, having in the world the reputation of being the most lovely of women, is come hither, to the end that we may confirm her in that opinion. Approach, take heed, hear, profit, and be silent."
As soon as I had a near view of the nymph who had appeared to us, I exclaimed: "Eternal Heavens, what do I see!" I was unable to say more, my senses having been subdued by terror. I perceived a creature of my own species, but ​of a different sex, beautiful as a goddess, or more than a goddess, if that be possible. Her long and black hair was confined by small and numerous tresses; it scarcely flowed with freedom on the shoulders, and there, forming graceful ringlets, played with the wind, or with the motions of the body. Her eyes were black and piercing. Her eye-brows, of the same colour, regular, and thickly planted, set off to still greater advantage the perfect whiteness of her face:—of a face which appeared to me so beautiful, and so divine, that the Peruvian ladies alone could vie with her in symmetry of features. The arms, well turned, full, and delicate, terminated in hands of equal perfection. The other parts of the body remained concealed in the dense substance of the cloud, so as to prevent me from ascertaining, by the particulars of her dress, the nation and country to which this prodigy of beauty might belong.
Without being able to contain myself, I said to the old man, my guide: "If you and Astrea be just and dispassionate judges, you cannot deny to Eugenia the title which she claims, of possessing an incomparable assemblage of graces."—"Ah! inexperienced youth," replied the scrupulous elder; "enraptured youth, thy admiration would be just, if all the beauties thou vie west were inherent and natural, and were not counterbalanced by affectation and imposture. Observe attentively: that white which surprizes thee so much, is a thin coat of arsenic or white lead, laid on with art, and in a manner glued to the skin. This is a despicable custom in any other nation; but, among the countrywomen of Eugenia, it is absolutely criminal, seeing that, by its adoption, they injure and tarnish their natural whiteness, that surprizing whiteness which ​excites the envy of all the other ladies in the world. Art thou desirous to see the mischiefs by which this detestable paint is accompanied? Remark the forehead, which has a somewhat disproportionate width: it proves that the hair has fallen off at the temples, by the friction of this vile ingredient. Observe, now that she smiles: she has several decayed teeth; and if it were lawful for thee to approach her, thou wouldst be sensible that her breath even is in some measure vitiated. All these are consequences of the same abuse."
"The hands," exclaimed in continuation the scrupulous censor, "those hands which, physically, are beyond a doubt well shaped, delicate, and handsome, have, in a moral point of view, several very notable defects. Those honourable marks which the use of the needle, or of the distaff, occasionally leaves, are not to be traced on them. Among her country-women, it is considered as derogatory, to know how to take up a loop in a stocking; and but few are to be found who are able to embroider a pair of ruffles, for the husband, or for the boys. The discoloration which is so perceptible at the tips of the thumb, fore-finger, and middle finger of the right hand, is owing to these extremities being regularly made to answer the purpose of the fork, in the repasts:—a filthy practice by which the strongest stomach must be nauseated. Fortunately, however, this indelicacy is not to be found among certain principal nymphs who are the flower and the glory of that highly favoured country. So long as Eugenia and her few culpable companions shall persist in this uncleanly custom, they will not merit my prepossession, nor the suffrage of Justice."
Pl. X.
(Upload an image to replace this placeholder.)
A lady of Lima in her full dress. Pub. Feb. 17. 1805. by Richard Phillips. 6. New Bridge Street.
out Other small defe6ts, although not very common ones. I availed myself of the opportunity he afforded me, to demand of him the country to which this Eugenia, so beautiful and so lovely to the view, might belong. He replied with a mysterious smile: "The country of Eugenia is distant from Pekin about two thousand leagues, and more than ten thousand itinerary miles farther from Madrid."—"Alas!" I exclaimed with surprize, "you cannot be in earnest. You wish to say that the country of Eugenia is " The violence with which I made this exclamation awaked me, intercepting on my lips the word by which I was about to divulge the whole of the secret. I awoke, I say, and remained so utterly astonished with this dream, that I address myself to you, gentlemen, praying that you will either interpret it yourselves, or publish it, to the end that it may be explained by any one of your readers deeply versed in these subjects.
A lady of Lima, in her full dress, is represented in Plate X.
The original from which the engraving was made, is a highly finished portrait, bearing the stamp of great fidelity of delineation. The most conspicuous part of the costume is the faldellin, or short hoop petticoat, more particularly worn in the carriage, and at public entertainments. It is made of richly embroidered cloth, velvet, &c.; is rendered flexible by the means of whalebone; and provided with a wadding, to give it a greater protuberance, so as to display the ​the ankle more perfectly. It is attended, however, by this inconvenience, that, in climbing a hill, or on any sudden motion, the wearer makes an exposure which borders on indecency. Its numerous plaits cause it to assume a variety of graceful forms, at the same time that they render it very costly, fifteen yards of stuff at the least being consumed in the outward covering. The expence of this article of dress alone, is rated at between three and four hundred crowns; notwithstanding which, a modish female of Lima seldom pays a ceremonious visit, without having previously had recourse to the Bodegones, the principal street in which the fashion-mongers reside, for a faldellin of the newest taste. In their jewels, and, in general, in every part of their dress, the ladies of the Peruvian capital are equally extravagant.
One of their favourite ornaments is the puchero de flores, or nosegay, which, as it may serve to illustrate the progress of luxury in that capital, with the civil history of which it is in some degree connected, merits a detailed description. Its basis consists of the blossom of a small apple of the size of a nut, of a white lily, of one or two rose-buds, of the same number of cherry-blossoms, and of the flowers of the Seville orange; the whole laid on a plane -leaf, of the dimension of the eighth part of a sheet of paper. On the surface of this plane-leaf are disposed chamomile-flowers, the flowers of the yellow lily, violets, daisies, and thyme; and, over these again, a small branch of bazil mint, another of a sweet pea bearing a violet flower intermixed with white, and, occasionally, a stem of hyacinth, a branch of the odoriferous rush having yellow flowers and white leaves, and the ​blossoms of a small fruit, a kind of strawberry, but larger in size. Having been sprinkled with a water of a common scent, or with a spirituous solution of amber, this puchero is valued at half a real.
The different aggregates, such as the blossoms of the little orange of Quito, of the apricot, of the small apples which have an amber colour, of the larger fruits, and of the medlar, together with the chirimoya, carnations, gillyflowers, anemones, tulips, and other flowers in full season, being conjoined with a puchero of double or treble the size of the simple one, augment its price to two or three piastres. Its value is raised or diminished, in proportion to the private festivities which are on foot, and to the times of the public festivals.
To the augmentation of value above-mentioned, is to be superadded the price of the flower named ariruma, which is so arbitrary, that it rises from six reals to six or seven piastres, according to the season, or to the demands of the purchasers. Artificial flowers of this description having been recently introduced, have in some measure diminished the value of the natural ones. It is, however, to be noticed, that the puchero of natural flowers is to be procured at every season of the year, there being simply a variation of the more exquisite flowers, which, for want of a proper degree of skill in the culture, are not at all times obtainable.
This indispensable luxury is purchased by all the different classes of females, in a street fronting the steps of the ​cathedral church, from which it is distant about fifty paces. Thence the expectants proceed, either to seek diversion from the chances which may present themselves, or to wait the appointments that have been already made. It is needless to add, that the Calle del Peligro (Hazard-street), for so this street is denominated, on account of the dangers to which libertines were formerly exposed, in their intercourse with the abandoned females by whom it was frequented, still continues to be the rendezvous of gallantry.
The station occupied by the women who deal in flowers, is divided between those whose speculations are on a large scale, and the retailers. The former have their backs to the church; each of them confining herself to one or two spccieses of flowers. They are the female gardeners; and in their front are ranged those w-ho make the pucheros, on the tables placed before them. They are very intent on this occupation, and at the same time very courteous.
In private houses, the puchero, or that which corresponds to the puchero, is constantly made to serve as a domestic and favourite gratification. The ladies seledt the flowers, and free them from the sandy and seminal particles, which are apt to soil, and are devoid of scent; such as the yellow at the extremity of the orange-flower, the fibrils of which give out an amber stain, in common with those of the daisy and rose-bud, and of the blossoms of the medlar, apple, and smaller fruits. Having sprinkled them afresh with the purest water, they are placed beneath a crystal vase, into which is introduced a small chafing-dish filled with live coals. On this chafing-dish is poured the most exquisite perfume, blended with different ​aromatics, to the end that the natural fragrancy of the flowers may be heightened.
This delicate operation having been performed, an economical distribution is made among the ladies who are present. Each places her portion in her bosom, and thence presents her favourite with an orange-blossom, or a small bunch of flowers, which sometimes receive a greater value from the beautiful hand that bestows them, than from that of Nature herself.
COMPLAINT OF FIXIOGAMIO, ON THE EXTRAVAGANCE OF HIS WIFE.
[Addressed to the Academical Society.]
To you, gentlemen, as true lovers of the country, I have recourse for counsel, and for relief from the anxieties, sufferings, and perplexities, which oppress and drive me to despair.
I am a reputable and well-disposed man, very much at your service, gentlemen, and wedded to a lady of great judgment and talents, according to vulgar report;—well born, of a gentle disposition, possessing many graces and accomplishments, and endued with a rare wit. A certain friend of mine, a great observer in these matters, has noticed in her twenty-five different modes of laughing, and more than forty of looking. As a proof of her vivacity, he says that he has never seen her either gape or stretch herself, notwithstanding she has passed four nights in succession without sleep. In short, she is a precious pearl, and the theme of all the assemblies.
​We will now take a view of the reverse of the medallion, which I shall describe with all possible fidelity. This same nymph, so gracious, and gifted with so many choice and exalted qualities, is the cause of my principal torments. I have a settled annual income of little more than a thousand piastres, to which certain perquisites, usually denominated by evil-disposed persons manos puercas (illicit profits), being added, my revenue may be estimated at two thousand. I sincerely wish that I had millions to lay at the feet of my spouse; but I can assure you that I have not more than I have mentioned. Now to proceed to a recital of my troubles. She never misses a play; and at the bull feasts she must have her gallery provided. In the winter season come the excursions, and the extra-excursions, to the mountains; the promenades, and the extra-promenades, to the banks of the Amancaes river; and, to crown the whole, she must set out to see the tower of Atocongo, otherwise the house would be thrown into disorder. In the summer, the evenings are passed at the promenade of la Piedra Lisa. She regularly bathes with a female companion, and after having quitted the bath, takes a store of the refreshments and fruits that are hawked about. The regular meals within doors are not on that account a jot diminished.
From time to time, we keep the festivals of Lurin, that of San Pedro De Chorrillo, the one which is celebrated at Bellavista, those of San Christoval, Santiago Del Cercado, and ​the Other peregrinations with which you are well acquainted, without reckoning, once a week at least, a day fixed by one of her companions for an excursion to a garden or plantation in the vicinity. Not an ecclesiastic takes the religious habit, nor a nun, nor a monk even, the vows, but she is the first to hasten to the ceremony. At the festivals of the Blessed Virgin, and the masses of the new year, her devotion is incredible: she scarcely sleeps on those days, that she may not lose any of these holy assemblies. But what deprives me of all patience is this, that in the midst of these rambles, and not satisfied with them, she never absents herself from a public execution. She knows to a minute when a capital punishment is to be inflicted on one; when another is to be whipped; and on these mornings she rises early, makes a hasty breakfast, and we set out for the square. I have not yet done. When one of the lottery clerks passes by the house, during the few hours she is within doors, she calls him in, and after a long chit-chat about the chances past, present, and to come, stakes on four numbers at the least, which, with as many smaller adventures, amount to eight piastres per month:—"pay them, my soul," she repeats, addressing herself to me; "I have not any loose cash about me!" One day, to my great misfortune, she had a hit; but such was the concourse of female visitants' and their attendants, to partake of the treat, and so many the presents distributed on the occasion, that I may say proverbially, the tart cost me a loaf, or, in other words, I was obliged to make considerable disbursements, the hundred and twenty-five piastres gained by our fortunate adventure not sufficing to defray the expences. These things torment me not a little; but who is capable of resisting a lady?
​As the fruit of our marriage, we have three little boys, whose rearing is confided to the nurse, and to a certain female, the bosom friend of my wife, who is the oracle of the house. We will leave this subject of the children, however, till another opportunity, as the discussion would lead us too far, and proceed to our more immediate object.
Pl. XI.
(Upload an image to replace this placeholder.)
A female of Lima, of the middle class of society. Pub. Feb. 21. 1805. by Richard Phillips. 6. New Bridge Street.
Plate XI. represents a female of Lima, of the middle class of society, such as makes the subject of the above complaint.
REPLY OF ANTISPASIA.
I should be glad to know who is this prater, this Fixiogamio, who inveighs so much against his wife in one of your Mercuries. I doubt, and am indeed almost persuaded, that it is a dolt of a brother-in-law of mine. If, peradventure, he is the author of this satire, I am desirous to repay him in ​his own coin, by publishing the follies of his brother Yaco, the husband whom heaven has bestowed on me as a punishment for my sins.
It is now four years since I was married to this dear man, who until very lately followed the avocation of a miner. Twice a year he undertook a journey to his mines. He constantly set out with many hopes; and with these fair prospects he entertained me, whenever I asked of him any aid which might contribute to my own decent support, or to that of the family; but came back with empty bags, and with a heart overwhelmed with sorrow. He never had a kind word to bestow on his unfortunate wife. During our short intervals of repose, he entertained me with a history of his discoveries, of the improvements he had made, of his disputes with the Indians, of the projects he had formed, and other absurdities of the same stamp and currency. He never made the smallest inquiry after my health, or that of the children. He was likewise embarked in commerce. When a ship arrived from Spain, he was incessantly engaged, like a distracted man, in making trips to Callao and back again. It chanced, however, one day, that the guards detected him in a small contraband traffic: he came home to vent his spleen on me, and dared to lift his hand against me. It is thus that all his chagrins, losses, and caprices, fall on poor me; and I have the additional mortification to hear him repeat every where, that I am a bad woman, and do not deserve to possess such a husband.
An inheritance which has fallen to him unexpectedly in la Sierra, has enabled him to emerge from the pursuits of his primitive sphere. We have at this time a considerable income; but on that account my condition is not bettered. In some ​things Yaco is even prodigal; in others he is mean; and in some, again, he appears to be generous. You will see whether I am right in saying this.
In one of the vallies adjacent to the capital, we have a rural retreat to which we repair very often; but these excursions, instead of diverting me, tend to mortify me still more. The apartments of our country-house are very good, and would be infinitely convenient, if the great number of house-dogs my husband maintains, did not keep them constantly dirty and full of fleas, insomuch, that it does not answer any purpose to sweep them daily. He is enraged when he hears any one of his pointers howl, refusing absolutely to allow them to be tied up, and distributing to them food from his table, in preference to his own children. What is most pleasant is this, that while he is guilty of these weaknesses, he quarrels with me if he sees me caress my little dog, or set aside a few of the sweetmeats for a little mulatto girl I have purchased, and whom I am rearing for my favourite domestic. For these reasons, and either on account of the moroseness of Yaco, or of his sordid disposition, we are not visited by any one when we are in the country. I alone am condemned to suffer the wearisomeness of solitude, because my husband knows the direction he is to take when any diversion is on foot. He never loses a meeting at Miraflores, at la Magdalena, or at Surco, and there he plays like a madman. When he loses, which happens very frequently, he returns to his house, and inveighs vehemently against the expences I incur in dressing the children and domestics. On the last Sunday of the past month he ​lost fifty-two ounces of silver; and then treated me as a prodigal and extravagant hussey, because he saw a waxen taper burning in the candlestick, complaining that in this, and in various other ways, I ruined the family.
Neither can I, nor my children, venture into the entry, or court-yard, because he keeps them filled with game-cocks, sometimes tied up, and at other times loose, which he rears with a care greater than that he bestows on the education of the children. He is present at all the cock-fights the amphitheatre affords: he says he has no other vice than this one, and that he cannot correct himself. Two months ago he betted three hundred piastres on a cock of his own breeding, sprung from a good race, which he named the Great Captain: his cock was killed, and he lost his money. His choler and imprecations were vented on me, without my having any other fault than that of being the wife of a lout.
He is at this time engaged in a law-suit, in consequence of a legacy, for a part of the stream which runs through the grounds: all that is essential in this affair is not worth three snails; but Yaco is very anxious about it, and says, that in this consists the point of honour. He wastes the whole of the morning in the gallery of the royal audience, and knows by heart all the causes that are tried before that venerable tribunal, with their origin and consequences. What disgusts me most, is to see the lively interest he takes in the public elections of the university, and of the consulate, without being either a doctor, or a merchant. On those days he runs, sweats, and overturns all that he meets, without any other object in view, than that of giving himself the airs of one concerned in what is going on. There is not a raffle of horses, buckles, watches, &c. ​which he does not attend; and at the same time he dins the house with his cries, if I venture half a real in the lottery. From morning till night he has the cigarre in his mouth, and a pinch of snuff in his fingers; insomuch that his lips and nostrils- are constantly begrimed; and, notwithstanding, he dares to tax me with being guilty of a scandalous indecency, when he sees me with a few jasmines on the head, or a small bunch of mixed flowers in the bosom.
He has given into the mania of wishing to see me dressed according to his ridiculous taste. A bright yellow, a deep flesh colour, and a pea green, are his favourite colours, and he is desirous that I should not depart from them in the choice of my faldellins. He says that it affords him great delight when he sees me with a Turkey-blue petticoat. Permit me to ask you, gentlemen, what a husband can have to do with the colour of his wife's dress? Ought it not to suffice that we are clad modestly, and with economy? The carriage-mules are not paired; the calash creaks like an overloaded cart; and the coachman has a splendid livery, but occasionally goes barefoot. The fore-court is unpaved; the parlour stools are crazy and falling in pieces; and whenever I touch on the reform of these absurdities, he assails me with a thousand impertinences, calling me a prodigal and an ideot; and concludes with this threat: "go to; I will have thee published in the Mercury."
I should never have done, if I were to enter into a detailed explanation of all the simplicities of my husband, without speaking of the suspicions he has given me; for I am told he has purchased several articles of old furniture, nearly sufficient to furnish a small house. I am surprized that you, ​gentlemen men, who are so sharp sighted in discovering the little defects of the women, should have passed over in silence those of the men, all of which are comprized in the person of this Yaco, with whom, I assure you, I am already seriously disgusted.
As a companion to the subject of Plate XI. a male inhabitant of Lima, of the same condition with the female there represented, is introduced in Plate XII.
THE PERUVIAN PETIT MAITRE.
The following sketch, in which this subject; is facetiously handled, is supposed to be addressed by a person who has made an excursion to Lima, to his friend in the country.
Beloved Leander! I cannot refrain from admiring the promptitude with which you require of me information relative to the customs of the inhabitants of this capital, although, if you abstract the time employed on my journey, you can scarcely consider me as having resided here twenty days;—a very limited time for such a task. You, who made this your residence for several years, must be well acquainted with these customs; and I therefore think that your request is merely an attempt to know how I practise your lessons. Be this as it may, I shall endeavour to comply with it.
Pl. XII.
(Upload an image to replace this placeholder.)
Male inhabitant of Lima, of the middle class of society. Pub. Feb. 12. 1805. by Richard Phillips. 6. New Bridge Street.
My imagination being wholly occupied by what I had witnessed, I could not do less, when I saw my host, than acquaint him how much I had been surprized at this rare phenomenon. He, who was very familiar with this description of beings, replied to me carelessly, that these defects, as they were not carried to an excess, were little deserving of my notice; but that if I wished to be amused, and to form a competent idea of the mode of thinking of these singular men, he would take me that evening to a ball which was to be given, to celebrate the birth-day of one of the parties. I gladly accepted his offer, and as soon as the appointed time was arrived, we repaired to the house of festivity. The entrance had fallen into decay through the lapse of time. Having passed the court-yard, we came to a hall which had not any other covering than the sky, nor any other furniture beside the mouldy walls. We next proceeded to the parlour, which was regularly ornamented, and lighted with several tapers. At one of the sides I perceived a buffet covered with vessels of silver; but that which engaged all my attention, was a long bench, on which were seated a great number of negro and mulatto women, arrayed in the richest apparel. I could not help admiring this change of conditions, on seeing, in the guise of seignoras, those who in ​our country are slaves. My wonder was augmented, however, when several of these females, stationed the nearest to us, said to each other reciprocally: "See there, the judge's lady; the countess of ——, the marchioness of ——, donna Fulanita de ——," &c. naming in this manner all the principal titles of the ladies who inhabit the capital. I could no longer contain myself, and was at a loss to ascertain whether what was passing was an illusion or a reality. My host, who had been highly diverted by my astonishment, said to me: "Certainly, friend, you have never seen the like. What think you of such a countess, of such a marchioness, and of such a seignora, with a beard more copious than that of the animal with pointed horns, the lascivious spouse of the she-goat?" Imagining that what he said to me was in jest, I drew out my glass, and directed it to the swarthy visages of these ladies; when, lo! how great was my surprize! I saw them covered with beards still more bushy than that of the unfortunate countess Trifaldi. At this time several other personages, equipped in a similar manner, entered the apartment. In rising from the bench to receive them, the company displayed feet as large as those of Polyphemus, but well made. "What is this?" said I to my host: "Is there in this country such a class of women?" He, observing my simplicity, and want of apprehension, bit his lips, and could with difficulty refrain from laughter. At length, recovering his gravity, he said to me: "These are of the number of those whose graces and fine airs you recounted to me this morning. Here they are not ​under any apprehension; and accordingly they are decked out with all the ornaments and embellishments of the fair sex. The ridiculous creatures you see on the other side, as they come from a distance, are content with having the head decorated with jasmines and a party-colour hood, without divesting themselves of the other parts of their male attire." He had scarcely concluded this explanation, when the alcaid and his attendants arrived, and barred the outlets with all possible diligence. Having formed a string of countesses, marchionesses, and seignoras, and appropriated to themselves the refreshments that had been prepared, they led them to the jail, where their heads were shaven, with a view to cool them, at the same time that the corroborative of a good bastinado was applied to the shoulders.
Such a punishment was worthy of so monstrous an insanity. But can any motives be assigned to exculpate this failing? Plato was of opinion, that at the beginning of the world all mankind were androgyni; but that they having insulted him, Jupiter divided them into two halves, man and woman; on which account the propensity of one sex for the other is so extremely natural. May it not likewise be said, that in many men there still remain certain relics of the other sex, which naturally manifest themiSelves } Both consequences have the same solidity and force as the arbitrary system of Plato: it is certain that weak heads alone, inflated with wind, can give into the mania of appearing that which they are not;—a mania which is of such antiquity, that in the time of Augustus, these counterfeit hermaphrodites were met with at Rome. Horace represents to us the youth Nearcus, with the hair flowing gracefully on the shoulders, and perfumed with the most ​exquisite scents. He also speaks of Ligurinus, proud of the beauty of his countenance.
I see plainly, dear Leander, that these sketches provoke your laughter and your indignation at the same time: but I think that my ready compliance with your wishes, will give a new energy to our correspondence, and shew the warmth of the affection of your
FILALETES.
The above specimens of Peruvian literature, given under the head of Customs and Manners, may be considered as so many views of society in that country. It only remains to add to them a sketch of domestic economy, as it refers to the education of children. This production bears the signature of Eustachio Phylomathes, and sets out as follows:
Six years ago I was united in wedlock, in this capital, to Teopiste, a beautiful and virtuous female, but possessed of the prejudices of her sex. Heaven has bestowed on me three girls and a boy. The sight of them, and their company, constitute the whole of my felicity; and their education is the object of all my solicitude. At the beginning of the last year, I was obliged to undertake a journey to Cuzco;—a sacrifice which was required by the state of my affairs, and the narrowness of my fortune. During six months I was separated from my wife and my children. It is necessary to be a good husband, and a good father, to be enabled to appreciate the value of these precious names. God alone knows what my heart suffered during so long an absence!
My pursuits at length enabled me to reach this territory. ​On my way back I thought I should die with gladness, when, from the eminences which surround this capital, I first discerned the towers of its temples. I proceeded to my house: the embraces of my family, and the tears of an unfeigned tenderness, were the congratulations we mutually bestowed on each other. The confusion attendant on this joyous emotion prevented me from noticing the innocent expressions of my children.
As soon as the first tumult of the affections was calmed, I perceived that all these little creatures treated me with thou. I was surprized, and demanded of Teopiste whence sprang this novelty, so opposite to the principles of education I had laid down before my journey. She replied, coolly, that my children had remained in the house of Democracia, her mother, during my absence; and that they had there been taught that which was common among all the classes of the inhabitants. My surprize was augmented: I asked several of my friends whether this was positively the custom in Lima; and had the mortification to receive the assurance, that the greater part of the mothers, aunts, and grandmothers, not only followed this low practice of allowing themselves to be addressed in the singular number by the infants who surrounded them, but likewise gave it their encouragement and support.
I have not sufficient words to express the admiration, or, I should rather say, the indignation, I felt on hearing this. ​The days on which my step-mother, or sisters-in-law, come to see the children, are to me days of torment. Yesterday I was exposed to a rude attack of the following nature: one of my female cousins came to the house, in consequence of Democracia, and her adherents, being there on a visit: my youngest daughter, Clarissa, ran to embrace her, exclaiming: "wilt thou give me a sweetmeat, a little present!" I could dissemble no longer, but, calling to me the little girl, asked her somewhat sharply, whether she had forgotten the mode of making a request which I had taught her? I had scarcely concluded when Democracia, darting at me a fierce glance, and snatching the child from my arms, said to me in a tone of malediction: "it is well known that you do not love your children, and that you are rather their tyrant than their father. You who undertake to teach others good breeding, ought first to know that it argues great audacity to seek to correct a general custom; and that, were this not even the case, it is my will and pleasure."
How much I was irritated by this mode of procedure may be readily concluded; but, not to disturb the tranquillity of the neighbourhood, I forbore to speak in reply, and withdrew. I unburthen myself to you, gentlemen, and entreat you to demand, in my name, of all the mothers who think with Democracia, what idea they entertain of filial respect, and paternal superiority? If the idiom of our language has confidential and familiar expressions differing from those of reverence, why should they be confounded? Why should we accustom children to hold the same language to their mother as to the female slave who attends them, and not to distinguish their father from the coachman? And, lastly, why should a ​condescension which is so contrary to subordination, and even to the sound policy of nations, be considered as the effect of paternal love?
In continuation:
When I was at Cuzco, my daughter Clarissa was still at the breast. Her nurse is a creolian negress, named Maria, who was purchased for that end. She appeared to be the picture of humility when she entered the house. She watched over the little one with an almost maternal love; was never absent from the nursery; and had no other will than that of her mistress. With this propitious commencement I departed to prosecute my business, and flattered myself that on my return I should find things in the same posture. But how erroneous were my expectations!
One of the particulars which began to disgust me in Maria, was, that she not only addressed Clarissa in the familiar language of thee and thou, but that the latter called her my mamma, and slept, eat, and played with her, in preference to her young sisters, and even to her mother. I am aware that it is the same with almost all the wet-nurses; but it is not on that account less true, that this usage instils much vulgarity into the mode of thinking of the infants, and contributes still more to render the nurses haughty and overbearing. In reality, Maria is the person who commands in the house: all the servants pay her a marked homage, and are more obedient to her, than to my wife, or myself. Her will is a law; and if, perchance, I chide her for a fault, I am confounded by the clamours of my aforesaid step-mother Democracia, of Teopiste, and of all the parentage.
Now that the child is somewhat advanced in growth, and ​should no longer be under the tutelage of the negress, the very reverse happens. Maria looks to the little girl, and conducts her to the kitchen, to the wash-house, to the street, to the flesh-market, and I know not whither. If my impatience tempts me to rebuke her on this subject, I am sure to be the sufferer. Sometimes I endeavour very seriously to persuade Teopiste, that this want of restraint on the part of the nurses is apt to be fatal to the innocence of the children; that the latter, mixing exclusively with persons of that cast, familiarize themselves with their coarse manners, and learn and adopt all the vulgarities which are practised among slaves: and that a prudent and respectable mother ought not to encourage, either by her counsels, or by her practical example, the indecent dances which they teach the little girls; but should prohibit them with all possible rigour. Teopiste listens to my discourse with much serenity, and then observes: "such is the practice."
What I am about to relate is still more pleasant. Some days ago a patrol lodged in the jail a negro, named John, who had been surprized in the act of gaming at an unseasonable hour of the night. Maria came to me to request of me to see the judge before whom the cause of the imprisonment of the negro was to be tried, to the end that he might be more readily liberated. It struck me that it would be somewhat indecent to appear as the patron of a nocturnal gambler; but I went notwithstanding. I learned that the said John, besides being addicted to the above vice, was an accomplished thief, a picaroon connected with all the assassins who infest the environs of this capital. On procuring ​this information, I forbore to say a single word to the judge, and entered into the necessary explanation with Maria. She burst into a flood of tears, observing that the prisoner was first cousin to the sister-in-law of one of her female companions, and that I ought to set about in good earnest to deliver him from his confinement. Teopiste, who saw the negress weep, grew angry, remarking that it behoved me to take an interest in the affair; and that it was sufficient I had been requested to do so by the female who had reared my child.
To my misfortune, Democracia entered at the moment. Without wishing me a good day, and without any preface, she called me a brute and an ungrateful monster, telling me that I was not justified in giving displeasure to a wet-nurse; that I ought to consider her as a second mother; that persons of the highest dignity pledged themselves, and moved heaven and earth, to oblige not only their servants, but those whom they had taken under their protection; and that if I was not capable of undertaking this good office for Maria, and of procuring the deliverance of the negro recommended by her, she would go in person, and would take care to be accompanied by my wife, and by Clarissa herself. This unfortunate child, stunned by the clamours of her grandmother, and by the lamentations of her nurse, wept bitterly; and all the little ones did the like.
Pl. XIII.
(Upload an image to replace this placeholder.)
Female domestic of Lima, of the class of Quarterons. Pub. Feb. 12. 1805. by Richard Phillips. 6. New Bridge Street.
A favourite female domestic of colour, of the cast of quarterons, is represented in Plate XIII.
* ↑ A flower of mean appearance, but of exquisite scent.—Ulloa.
* ↑ In this part of Peru, the winter begins at the latter end of the month of June, or at the commencement of July. It is then that the abatement of the before intense heats, enables the inhabitants of Lima to make their rural excursions.
* ↑ In those countries, to guard against the insects, the bed is suspended in the air.
* ↑ The favourite resorts of gamesters.
* ↑ This depravity appears to be most common, in Peru, to the blacks, and people of colour; or, perhaps, the writer found it necessary to give this turn to his satire, to avoid offence to the higher classes.
* ↑ The Peruvian ladles value themselves exceedingly on the smallness of their feet, and on this account are accustomed from their infancy to wear tight shoes.
* ↑ Among the Spaniards, as well as French, the familiar language of thee and thou, is employed by equals united by close ties, in addressing each other, or by the superior in accosting the inferior.