THE right Worshipfull Mr. WAR­DEN, calling for his flowred Sattin-sleeves with the Canvas-backe, his Wife perceived by that, and the brushing of his Demicaster, it was Hall-day. His Breeches were Velvet, intayled to the Heyres male of his Family, ever since the Scottishman begg'd the Wardrobe. Thus put into Print (his Garters composed into a true-loves knot, and his Shooes shining to the terrour of poore people) away Hee trots, with as much [Page 2] grace is an Hartfordshire-horse, leaving his thrice reverend Wife with a penny-pot of Alligant and a toast in her hand: J say, his Thrice reverend Wife, as shoe had beene sometimes a Schoole-Mistresse, now a Midwife, and Mrs. Warden.

Shee had scarce likt her lippes after the first glasse, but five or sixe of her Daughters from Rat­cliffe and Wapping, came to offer their Egges and Muskodell unto her. They had lately delivered a Petition concerning their opinions in redresse of matters in State, and had elected Mr. WARDEN (since the same of his Speech had spred him) to be their Spokesman when occasion should offer.

Now after some three or foure Quarts, and a little bandy talke the Egges provoked, one of them very demurely rising drops a Wapping curtsie, sim­pers twice or thrice, cast up her squints, and begins (with a looke like skim'd Milke) as morally as the Song of Towle, Towle, Towle, gentle Bell for a soule, &c. to bee very Religiously angry with the King and a Malignant party of Nobility, Clergie, Jud­ges, Gentry, and Reprobate Cavaliers; nay, and in truth it is feared (saith shee) that three parts of the Kingdome have their eyes blinded with a kind of Duty and Conscience, and what is the roote of all this unrighteousnesse, but that abhominable Prophane, Superstitious, Idolatrous, Babilonish, and conjuring booke of Common —. Heere her face grew black, and she sate downe to take breath: whilest another of the Nimphes, called Gammer Toad-fish starts up in her place, and cryes: Nay, Mother, there be some that blush not to talke of a Perogative, and I know not what, as if wee of the [Page 3] Elect could speake Treason; Nay, (prophane wretches) there want not some that dare laugh and gibe at Mr. War­den himselfe, and his thrice-endowed Speech, at our Peti­tion too, though it were penned by as Zealous a Brewers Clarke, as ever pray'd in Hebrew. With that the very an­cient Gentlewoman (in a kind of anger, like an Ape when it is mocked) throwes a cleane Partlet upon her shoul­ders, and nestling in her Chaire like a Beare, that is to show trickes, after three or foure mops and mowes, thus bespoke attention.

Most pure and chosen of the Times, my Daughters and Companions in Predestination, I know you will not doubt that truth, which a most Learned man and friend of ours, hath very ignorantly and impudently set forth, that Democricy, Aristocricy, &c. (he might have added Hypocri­sie) are as much from God, as Monarchy. By which posi­tion (to speake truth) hee shewes his wisdome in his Ig­norance by proving nothing. It may hold that a Stable, or an house of Office are places, and as ancient as Churches; therefore as Sacred and proper to teach in. And by the same beliefe (when He shall but please to say it) are we to obey and confide in our own opinions before all things. Which inference and your ascertion throwes me very pregnantly upon my Husbands argument of the Malitia.

The Malitia (deare Daughters and Sisters of the Pint) hath already beene most faithfully handled by one great Observator, and not unlearnedly by my Husband, on which I raise my first observation. That, as the Philosophers have a Maxime, we are borne for our Country, so the Law­yers have a Rule, That every man is next to himselfe: By which it will follow (and must) If men be bound either to hazard their Lives, or words for their Country, that Leg [...] talionis, their Countrey is bound to hazard their Estates, [Page 4] Wives, and Children to requite and uphold them; for what are their estates, wives, and children, if not protected and secured theirs? So that to an easie judgement it will ap­peare, the Militia is but a mutuall bond and enterchange of mens estates and affections, and (as that worthy lover of his King saith) a very legall invention to keepeth City loyall to the King, and to make the King confide in the City. Beside the great and unknowne benefit it bringeth to Feather-makers, Brokers, and other dutifull Subjects, whereas the Commission of Array is another thing, and if any be so presumptuous to think it legall, yet by the same Author we are informed, there is an equity in the Law be­yond the letter, by w ^ch we may dispence with our estates and consciences as we please, believe what we list, and take up new Opinions and Armes, as we shall thinke fitting for Church or Common-wealth. Nor stand we bound (an happinesse of these present times before any other) to confide in any such exposition of Judges or Lawyers be­fore our own: But as I have often heard my learned and double-combed Husband say, Oh what a flourishing Common-wealth should we see, if it were contrived in­to Halls and Companies, and govern'd by Wardens and Ma­sters? Indeed this would come very neere that Modell of Church government laid down by that most hypocriticall and seditious Fox of the Church, who begot the Protesta­tion protested (pardon me Elect Members of the Conven­ticle) they be Hieroglyphick termes to expresse his zeale, learning, and boldnesse by. And now I am come so neere the Church, I will place my observation upon my Hus­bands point as it stands, and only peep in at the window, because I know you are all Gentlewomen of the function, and shewed your abilities in all those places by him men­tioned. It is nothing what language their Liturgie is in, [Page 5] for they confesse the most unlearned may know enough to be saved by: Ergo, Learning is needlesse, & if needlesse, why not prophane? Nay I gather further thus: If learning were either necessary or convenient, the Scriptures would injoyne it as it doth other things that are so, but the most unlearned may be saved, nay are saved; Ergo, Learning is neither necessary nor convenient: and so from the major consequently to the minor; if not Learning, neither Rea­son nor Sence. For as that man of Revelations Mr. Greene proves it fully, Ignorance and Noise, are markes sufficient enough wherby to know our Election: and the other with the sanctified Lungs, Mr. Hunt, in his tale of a Tub, both maintaineth and maketh good, Learning to be a meere trouble and vexation to Religion. By which reasons weo can (if it please us) as easily prove it as lawfull for women as men to be Bishops (if Bishops were lawfull at all) which wee must deny. And therefore J hope it shall not need much breath to prove them Antichristian, where it is so orthodoxly beleeved already; not because of their estates and honours (for riches and honour are not to be despised, if placed upon the right Saints) but because they will not resigne them to us and our righteous seed, who ought to inherit the Earth. And here againe, wee have just cause to vent out holy malice against the Lawes for putting a prophane bridle on us; but thankes be given, the bowels of our hope is somewhat inlarged.

The Anabaptists most excellently deny a great part, if not almost all the Scriptures that make against them any way, and do not we as religiously leave out divers Epistles making against us, or call them Apocryphal? By which Spirit, I hope it is no hard thing to prove a Ba [...]ne, or Sta­ble, or any hole, places most proper to our doctrine & con­versation; for it is Religion makes a church, not the Church Religion; therefore any place may be made a Church. [Page 6] Besides you know we congregate together in the Spirit, to feele as well as heare; and I pray, in what Church of our opposites have you that free conveniency? Then for the universality of it, what Church can be more universall for Simplicisme, Dotagisme, and Hypocri­sisme?

As for the Babylonish Rags and Antichristian Ward­rop, let us leave them to the Kirke of Scotland and Am­sterdam; their Surplices to make sarkes, and their Copes to make cushions: Onely our observation voluntarily here thrusts it selfe in, in which I must heartily admire our brothers of Scotland, that at their first comming hi­ther, they could forget (for what it had beene for them to remember a greater matter?) and over-looke all this needlesse trumpery in the Church, when they begged the leades of it: Which if I could but beleeve they as­say'd, I should thinke their modesty not the lesse meri­torious, though they hardly mist.

Now concerning the pearle Hatband my most ever-Round-headed Husband yawnes at in his Speech, you shall see it, but truly I confesse I never wore it with that pride and delight since he compared it to Popish beades, a word so unnaturall to me, that verily I must drinke the other cup to reconcile my stomacke; but let me tell you ingeniously, it is more for the Popes sake and the King of Spaines, then the Religion meerely it selfe; for in­sooth there be many principles in that Religion which we doe not deny for wholsome and Orthodox, onely we scorne to owne them from the Jesuites, our owne inven­tions being the onely and infallible rule of all our Faith, Hope, and Charity: As first, that Church holdeth Igno­rance the Mother of Devotion, an Article of our Faith. Then they have their Revelations, Visions, Dissentions, [Page 7] so have we. They have private Shrifts, so we. They call it a Veniall sinne with a sister, and in case of necessity can forgive a Neighbours wife, so we. They allow Depo­sing and regulating of Princes by tumults and other wayes, so doe wee. They endeavour to domineere over Church and State, so would wee. They hatch Factions, and say it is good fishing in troubled streames, so do we. And lastly, they deny all this in plaine words, but grant it in effects, and so doe wee.

And although we cannot endure a Surplice, or Crosse, the Popes Bulls, nor his fiercer beasts the Jesuites, yet wee hold it lawfull by the same vertue of equivocations, and mentall reservations, to cheat, sweare, and lye with any that is not one of us, nay even among our selves, if there be an holy cause. And to say which is the best sub­ject, or most honest, the Iesuites or we, would be a very hard question, if wee were suffered to make our owne lawes: Yet by my Husbands leave, though he speake in the abundance of his good will to the advancement of the holy Brethren, me thinks it would be a more heaven­ly sight to see Mr. Howe, or the grave Observator himself in his Barre-gowne, mounted upon the steps at the Ban­queting house in White-hall, expounding Chapters to the Courtiers and Cavaleers, and to have all the Privie Coun­cell chosen out of the Elect, the Pentioners Lay doctors, and the Guard devout Elders; then for Lord Chamber­laine, Groome of the stoole, and Bed-chamber (places indeed most consonant to women) some of the Holy Sisters, who received their education against the world, the flesh, and the Devill in the Zion of New-England, that both the King and State might the more securely confide in their Continence and purity. Let us all fling up the whites of our eyes in an holy hope, that the strong [Page 8] breathing of the spirit may stir up some worthy instru­ments to say Amen to the worke.

But to draw to a conclusion, because I perceive by the fervent twinkling of your eies, and ardent licking of your lips, you would be at your devotions, I shall but wag my petticote at the first of his two last reasons concerning Ireland. And I observe that the spirit doth never leave us destitute of sanctified shifts to over-reach our adver­saries the Protestants; for if we be constrained to break in knavery or beggery, yet we still have some refuge or land of Promise to flye to. Yet sincerely for living in Ireland (though I confesse the advantage great wee have wrought of it and the present times) I know not what to say, because no venemous beast will live there; nor need we care, since New-England (as I verily beleeve) was found out to that purpose: For the designe there I will speake little now, because (as the case standeth) for my part, I had rather all the Souldiers were in Hull then in Ireland; for if the King once take that, by the helpe of his loving and dutifull Subjects (as he calleth them) it will put the Brethren to a great many of hard texts and tedious prayers, if it doe not breake the heart of our Conventicle: And what jealousie and feare can be like that? I appeale to any Reverend Round-head that is not a Cuckold (if there be such an one,) therefore it is high time to bestirre us, (and so please you Mistris Spritsayle but lend me the Chamber-pot) we will have the other quart, and I will conclude, as the same Gentleman be­gan, applying all in these words, that as our case is not like Scotlands, so Scotlands never was, nor (I thinke) can be ever like ours.