The Fan shall flutter in all Female Hands, And various Fashions learn from various lands, For this, shall Elephants their Iv'ry shed; And polished Sticks the waving Engine spread: His clouded Mail the Tortoise shall resign, And round the Rivet pearly Circles shine. On this shall _Indians_ all their Art employ, And with bright Colours stain the gaudy Toy; Their Paint shall Here in wildest Fancies flow, Their Dress, their Customs, their Religion show, So shall the _British_ Fair their minds improve, And on the Fan to distant Climates rove. Here shall the _Chinese_ Dame her Pride display, And silver Figures gild her loose Array; She boasts her little Feet and winking Eyes, And tunes the Fife, or tinkling Cymbal plies; Here Cross leg'd Nobles in rich State shall dine, When on the Floor large painted Vessels shine, For These, O _China_, shall thy Realms be sought, With These, shall _Europe's_ mighty Ships be fraught, Thy glitt'ring Earth shall tempt their Ladies Eyes, Who for thy brittle Jars shall Gold despise. Gay _France_ shall make the Fan her Artists' Care, And with the Costly Trinket arm the Fair. ............................................. While Widows seek once more the Nuptial State, And wrinkled Maids repent their Scorn too late, As long as youthful Swains shall Nymphs deceive, And easie Nymphs those youthful Swains believe, While Beaus in Dress consume the tedious Morn, So long the _Fan_ shall Female Hands adorn.[238] [Footnote 238: _The Fan_, by Gay, ed. 1714.] To anyone interested in the use of the fan at this period, a perusal of Addison's article in the _Spectator_ (No. 102) is recommended: it is too long for reproduction here, and would be thoroughly spoilt by merely making use of extracts from it. They seem to have been seldom lost, or if so, were not of sufficient value to advertise--in fact, I have only met with one advertisement, 'A painted Landskip Fann, cutt, gilded Sticks,' and for this a reward of 7_s._ 6_d._ was offered. That they were largely imported is evident by the following notice: 'For Sale by the Candle, at the Marine Coffee House in Birchin Lane &c.--Forty Thousand Fans of Sundry Sorts;' but these most probably were either Chinese, Japanese, or Indian palm fans. Before closing the subject of women's costumes the 'Mob' must be noticed--that dress of which Swift writes: 'The ladies were all in Mobs; how do you call it?--undressed.'[239] This negligent costume, of which no actual contemporary description seems to exist, is never mentioned except to be decried--as, for instance, the question is asked, 'How is a man likely to relish his wife's society when he comes home and finds her slovenly, in a Mob?' And there were one or two other articles of dress not usually mentioned, and not described, as 'Women's laced Head Cloaths commonly called _Quaker's Pinners_' and '_Dowds_.' [Footnote 239: _Journal to Stella_, letter 11.]