I'm not sure how to start a compare and contrast paper about natural and cosmetic beauty

Hmm well for contrasting you could talk about how cosmetic beauty affects the natural beauty because it makes you more prone to pimples and zits and all that good stuff. And for comparing you could talk about the emotional side of view of like how some females feel strong with or even without makeup.

Hope this helps!! Good luck!

It seems that you have missed the necessary options for us to answer this question, so I had to look for it. Anyway, here is the answer. What the author means when he writes that the nobles had "resumed their ancient license in its utmost extent" is that the nobles had sought to strengthen their positions of power as much as possible. Hope this helps.