hey highly provoked an itch of florid
warm-spirited blood through every vein: but above all, my bed fellow
Phoebe, whose pupil I more immediately was, exerted her talents in
giving me the first tinctures of pleasure: whilst nature, now warmed
and wantoned with discoveries so interesting, piqued a curiosity which
Phoebe artfully whetted, and leading me from question to question of her
own suggestion, explained to me all the mysteries of Venus. But I could
not long remain in such a house as that, without being an eye-witness of
more than I could conceive from her descriptions.

One day, about twelve at noon, being thoroughly recovered of my fever, I
happened to be in Mrs. Brown's dark closet, where I had not been half
an hour, resting upon the maid's bed, before I heard a rustling in the
bed-chamber, separated from the closet only by two sash doors, before
the glasses of which were drawn two yellow damask curtains, but not so
close as to exclude the full view of the room from any person in the
closet.

I instantly crept softly and posted myself so, that seeing everything
minutely, I could not myself be seen; and who should come in but the
venerable mother Abbess herself! handed in by a tall, brawny young
Horse-grenadiers, moulded in the Hercules style: in fine, the choice of
the most experienced dame, in those affairs, in all London.

Oh! how still and hush did I keep at my stand, lest any noise should
baulk my curiosity, or bring Madam into the closet!

But I had not much reason to fear either, for she was entirely taken up
with her present great concern, that she had no sense of attention to
spare to anything else.

Droll was it to see that clumsy fat figure of her's flop down on the
foot of the bed, opposite to the closet door so that I had a full front
view of all her charms.

Her paramour sat down by her: he seemed to be a man of very few words,
and a great stomach; for proceeding instantly to essentials, he gave her
some hearty smacks, and thrusting his hands into her breasts, disengaged
them from her stays, in scorn of whose confinement they broke loose, and
sagged down, navel-low at least. A more enormous pair did my eyes
never behold, nor of a worse colour, flagging, soft, and most lovingly
contiguous: yet such as they were, this great beef-eater seemed to paw
them with a most unenviable lust, seeking in vain to confine or cover
one of them with a hand scarce less than a shoulder of mutton. After
toying wi