Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift
(Glumdalclitch is a young girl who looks after Gulliver in the land of the Brobdingnags, who are, compared to Gulliver, giants.)
From page 124 & 125
The maids of honour often invited Glumdalclitch to their
apartments, and desired she would bring me along with her, on purpose to have
the pleasure of seeing and touching me. They would often strip me naked
from top to toe, and lay me at full length in their bosoms; wherewith I was
much disgusted because, to say the truth, a very offensive smell came from
their skins; which I do not mention, or intend, to the disadvantage of those
excellent ladies, for whom I have all manner of respect; but I conceive that my
sense was more acute in proportion to my littleness, and that those illustrious
persons were no more disagreeable to their lovers, or to each other, than
people of the same quality are with us in England. And, after all, I
found their natural smell was much more supportable, than when they used
perfumes, under which I immediately swooned away. I cannot forget, that
an intimate friend of mine in Lilliput, took the freedom in a warm day, when I
had used a good deal of exercise, to complain of a strong smell about me,
although I am as little faulty that way, as most of my sex: but I suppose his
faculty of smelling was as nice with regard to me, as mine was to that of this
people. Upon this point, I cannot forbear doing justice to the queen my
mistress, and Glumdalclitch my nurse, whose persons were as sweet as those of
any lady in England.
That which gave me most uneasiness among these maids of honour (when my nurse
carried me to visit then) was, to see them use me without any manner of
ceremony, like a creature who had no sort of consequence: for they would strip
themselves to the skin, and put on their smocks in my presence, while I was
placed on their toilet, directly before their naked bodies, which I am sure to
me was very far from being a tempting sight, or from giving me any other
emotions than those of horror and disgust: their skins appeared so coarse and
uneven, so variously coloured, when I saw them near, with a mole here and there
as broad as a trencher, and hairs hanging from it thicker than packthreads, to
say nothing farther concerning the rest of their persons. Neither did
they at all scruple, while I was by, to discharge what they had drank, to the
quantity of at least two hogsheads, in a vessel that held above three
tuns. The handsomest among these maids of honour, a pleasant, frolicsome
girl of sixteen, would sometimes set me astride upon one of her nipples, with
many other tricks, wherein the reader will excuse me for not being over
particular.