Two Or Three
Of Them Have About Four Or Five Hundred A Year:
The rest, in general,
may have about one hundred pistoles, arising from the silk, oil, wine,
and oranges, produced in their small plantations, where they have
also country houses.
Some few of these are well built,
commodious, and situated; but, for the most part, they are
miserable enough. Our noblesse, notwithstanding their origin, and
the cheap rate at which their titles have been obtained, are
nevertheless extremely tenacious of their privileges, very
delicate in maintaining the etiquette, and keep at a very stately
distance from the Bourgeoisie. How they live in their families, I
do not choose to enquire; but, in public, Madame appears in her
robe of gold, or silver stuff, with her powder and frisure, her
perfumes, her paint and her patches; while Monsieur Le Comte
struts about in his lace and embroidery. Rouge and fard are more
peculiarly necessary in this country, where the complexion and
skin are naturally swarthy and yellow. I have likewise observed,
that most of the females are pot-bellied; a circumstance owing, I
believe, to the great quantity of vegetable trash which they eat.
All the horses, mules, asses, and cattle, which feed upon grass,
have the same distension. This kind of food produces such acid
juices in the stomach, as excite a perpetual sense of hunger. I
have been often amazed at the voracious appetites of these
people. You must not expect that I should describe the tables and
the hospitality of our Nissard gentry.
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