Cache-Control: public, max-age=1024000 Covent Garden Ladies 1788: Madame Darlez

Harris's List of Covent-Garden Ladies for the year 1788

Madame Darlez

Madam D—sl—z, No. 46, Frith-street, Soho.

Si javois pour heritage,
Le tresor le plus charmant,
je vous en donnerois en gage,
Et mon coeur pour un present.

It is only six months that this lady has left her native country, and at present speaks very little English. She is young and lively, (but still does not seem to possess so much vivacity as the majority of her countrywomen;) she loves to revenge her countrymen's cause on the English, by doing what the most valorous Frenchman would never effect, that is, to bring Britons on their knees; she is now about twenty two, rather short and fat, with a plump face, and such a roguish lear in her eye, that cannot be resisted. Several of our brave officers have spent some of their best blood in her service, and regretted they had no more to shed. Her lovely dark hair seems like a net to catch lovers, and her lower tendrils, which sport on her alabaster mount of Venus, are formed to give delight.

She has one qualification which many English girls want, which is a certain cleanliness in the Netherlands. They are contented to wash their faces, necks, and hands; but Mademoiselle, like many of her countrywomen, thinks that not enough; she performs constant ablutions on the gulph of pleasure, and keeps it constantly fresh, cool, and clean, never putting a morsel into that mouth, till she has fully absterged every possible remnant of the last meal. She constantly mounts her bidet, and with a large sponge laves the whole extent of the parish of the mother of all saints. Some may, perhaps, think her a female spy, or a smuggler; but surely a girl, who so freely discloses her own secrets, can have no improper aim at those of government; and her commodity cannot be pronounced as contraband when it hath so often been duly entered.

She dresses quite in the French stile and taste, lays on a profusion of rouge and pearl powder, and is not particularly partial to money, but will condescend to take a couple of guineas, not as payment, but solely as une gage d'amour.