Paris le 16 Mai 1780.

My dear Cousin

I am myself much to blame in having suffered so much time to pass since I last wrote to you but hope you will think my fault in some measure diminished when I assure you it has been greatly occasioned by my waiting for an opportunity of sending my letter without expence to you, as I am sensible my epistles can be by no means worth the postage. I feel however my silence is no ways entirely to be excused since it has caused you for a moment to doubt of my affection, which you may be assured, my dear Phila, is ever the same & not to be lessened by either time or absence, circumstances which altho’ generally supposed to change the sentiments, are far from having that effect on mine, & which therefore I hope in future you will not do me the injustice to doubt of. I sincerely rejoice in the good accounts you have had of your brother William as well in your brother James’ success at College. They have both of them most likely almost forgot their cousin, but I hope when you write you do not omit to remember me to them.

Our stay in Paris has been much longer than we at first intended. Clarinda’s long and dangerous illness has been in part the cause; she is at present much better & we think of soon moving; it will not be however a great way; we propose spending the summer, or at least a part of it a small distance from this place, at a lady’s country house about 20 miles from Paris. The country is pretty & I do not doubt spending some time agreeably, besides I shall not be sorry to quit for a little while the dissipations of the town, & to enjoy a little quiet. Paris is however the city in the world the best calculated to spend the whole year in; it is not like London, where the summer months are insupportable. The walks & rides here, the amusements which continue the whole year round, the almost continual residence of people of fashion, all these things render it at all times agreeable. We were a few days ago at Versailles & had the honor of seeing their Majesties & all the royal family dine & sup. The Queen is a very fine woman, she has a most beautiful complexion, & is indeed exceedingly handsome; she was most elegantly dressed, she had on a corset & petticoat of pale green lutestring covered with a transparent silver gauze, the petticoat & sleeves puckered & confined in different places with large bunches of roses, & an amazing large bouquet of white lilac. The same flower, together with gauze, feathers, ribbon & diamonds intermixed with her hair. Her neck was entirely uncovered & ornamented by a most beautiful chain of diamonds, of which she had likewise very fine bracelets; she was without gloves, I suppose to shew her hands & arms which are without exception the whitest & most beautiful I ever beheld. The King was plainly dressed, he had however likewise some fine diamonds. The rest of the royal family were very elegant, & indeed I may say the court of France is, I believe, upon the whole one of the most magnificent in all Europe.

There is perhaps no place in the world where dress is so well understood & carried to so great a perfection as in Paris, & no wonder it should be so since people make it the chief business & study of their lives. Powder is universally worn, & in very large quantities, no one would dare to appear in public without it. The heads in general look as if they had been dipped in a meal-tub. Hats likewise (which are called English but which do not bear the least resemblance to those of our nation) are much the fashion. The hair is cut in shades, not worn high at all. It was with reluctance, I conformed to the mode in this article, as my hair was very long on my arrival, & I was obliged to have it cut to half its length; but what will not all powerful fashion effect? & so much for the modes.

Let us now speak of something more interesting. I am happy to find you are so well pleased with Ightham, it is certainly an agreeable thing to have ⟨paper torn here⟩ neighbours; I know not my dear friend whom you can have seen that have given you such accounts of me, but of this you may be assured, that you or whoever else expects a phenomenon or anything very accomplished in me will be much disappointed when ever they see me, & indeed to have had so much said in my favor is enough to make me afraid of ever presenting myself, as I am sensible how very very far the reality will fall short of people’s expectations.

You are very good in saying you wish for my return to England, be assured there is no one whom I should be more happy in seeing again than yourself. It is a pleasure however which seems to be at present very uncertain when I shall have. As to my settling abroad it is not at all likely, altho’ not absolutely impossible as it is a thing that at this moment depends entirely on myself. I think like you that there are many worthy persons among my own countrymen, but I think likewise that worth is confined to no country or nation, & equally to be found in Germany, Flanders or France. With all this do not imagine that I have left my heart in either of those places. You may be certain I never was more mistress of it than at this moment, & that I do not doubt keeping it whole for many years to come. Indeed it is so well filled up by friendship, that there is no room for any other sentiment. I am certainly much flattered at the assurance you give me of your confidence in me, but do not desire to have it proved at the expense of your liberty. All badinage apart I hope you will long preserve it, & to tell you the truth I don’t think either you or I very likely to lose either our gaiety or peace of mind for any male creature breathing. Adieu my dear cousin, do not follow my example but let me hear from you soon. Mama joins me in every kind wish, love etc to yourself, my uncle & aunt & all your family; be assured how sincerely I am yours most affectionately

Eliza Hancock.

I believe you will be troubled to read my letter as it is most abominably wrote, indeed I have been in such a hurry as I am obliged to go out & be dressed & send my letter before noon, that I hardly know what I have wrote. By the same gentlemen who are so good as to take charge of this, I send my picture in miniature done here to my Uncle G: Austen. He will most likely shew it you. Pray tell me in your next if you think it at all like what you remember me. It is reckoned here like what I am at present. The dress is quite the present fashion & what I usually wear.