The very troublers and impoverishers of mankind, I can hardly forbeare to commend to the world a saying of a Lady living sometime with the Queen of Bohemia, I know not where shee found it, but it is pitty it should be lost. The world is full of care, much like unto a bubble; Women and care, and care and women, and women and care and trouble. The Verses are even enough for such odde pegma's I can make my selfe sicke at any time, with comparing the dazling splender wherewith our Gentlewomen were imbellished in some former habits, with the gut-foundred goosdom, wherewith they are now surcingled and debauched. Wee have about five or six of them in our Colony: if I see any of them accidentally, I cannot cleanse my phansie of them for a moneth after. I have been a solitary widdower almost twelve yeares, purposed lately to make a step over to my Native Country for a yoke-fellow: but when I consider how women there have tripe-wifed themselves with their cladments, I have no heart to the voyage, least their nauseous shapes and the Sea, should work too sorely upon my stomach. I speak sadly; me thinkes it should breake the hearts of Englishmen, to see so many goodly English-women imprisoned in French Cages, peering out of their hood-holes for some men of mercy to help them with a little wit, and no body relieves them. It is a more common then convenient saying, that nine Taylors make a man: it were well if nineteene could make a woman to her minde: if Taylors were men indeed, well furnished but with meer morall principles, they would disdain to be led about like Apes, by such mymick Marmosets. It is a most unworthy thing, for men that have bones in them, to spend their lives in making fidle-cases for futulous womens phansies; which are the very pettitoes of Infirmity, the giblets of perquisquilian toyes. I am so charitable to think, that most of that mystery would worke the cheerfuller while they live, if they might bee well discharged of the tyring slavery of mis-tyring women: it is no little labour to be continually putting up English-women into Out-landish caskes; who if they be not shifted anew, once in a few months, grow too sowre for their Husbands. What this Trade will answer for themselves when God shall take measure of Taylors con sciences is beyond my skill to imagine. There was a time when The joyning of the Red-Rose with the White, But now our Roses are turned to Flore de lices, our Carnations to Tulips, our Gilliflowers to Dayzes, our City-Dames, to an indenominable Quamalry of overturcas'd things. Hee that makes Coates for the Moone, had need to take measure every noone: and he that makes for women, as often, to keepe them from Lunacy. I have often heard divers Ladies vent loud feminine complaints of the wearisome varieties and chargable changes of fashions: I marvell themselves preferre not a Bill of Redresse. I would Essex Ladies would lead the Chore, for the honour of their County and persons; or rather the thrice honorable Ladies of the Court, whom it best besemes: who may well presume of a Le Roy le veult from our sober King, a Les Seigneurs ont assentus from our prudent Peers, and the like Assentus, from our considerate, I dare not say wife-worne Commons: who I beleeve had much rather passe one such Bill, than pay so many Taylors Bills as they are forced to doe. Most deare and unparallel'd Ladies, be pleased to attempt it: as you have the precellency of the women of the world for beauty and feature; so assume the honour to give, and not take Law from any in matter of attire: if ye can transact so faire a motion among yourselves unanimously, I dare say, they that most renite, will least repent. What greater Honour can your Honors desire, then to build a Promontory president to all foraigne Ladies, to deserve so eminently at the hands of all the English Gentry present and to come: and to confute the opinion of all the wise men in the world; who never thought it possible for women to doe so good a work? If any man think I have spoken rather merrily than seriously he is much mistaken, I have written what I write with all the indignation I can, and no more then I ought. I confesse I veer'd All the counties and shires of England have had wars in them since the Conquest, but Essex, which is onely free, and should be thankfull. [Printed in the original edition as a marginal gloss.] my tongue to this kinde of Language de industria though unwillingly, supposing those I speak to are uncapable of grave and rationall arguments. I desire all Ladies and Gentlewomen to understand that all this while I intend not such as through necessary modesty to avoyd morose singularity, follow fashions slowly, a flight shot or two off, shewing by their moderation, that they rather draw countermont with their hearts, then put on by their examples. I point my pen only against the light-heel'd beagles that lead that chase so fast, that they run all civility out of breath, against these Ape-headed pullets, which invent antique foole-fangles, meerly for fashion and novelty sake. In a word, if I begin once to declaime against fashions, let men and women look well about them, there is somewhat in the businesse; I confesse to the world, I never had grace enough to be strict in that kinde; and of late years, I have found syrrope of pride very wholesome in a due Dos, which makes mee keep such store of that drugge by me, that if any body comes to me for a question-full or two about fashions, they never complain of me for giving them hard measure, or under-weight. But I addresse my self to those who can both hear and mend all if they please: I seriously fear, if the pious Parliament doe not find a time to state fashions, as ancient Parliaments have done in part, God will hardly finde a time to state Religion or Peace: They are the surquedryes of pride, the wantonnesse of idlenesse, provoking sins, the certain prodromies of assured judgement, Zeph. 1. 7, 8. It is beyond all account, how many Gentlemens and Citizens estates are deplumed by their feather-headed wives, what useful supplies the pannage of England would afford other Countries, what rich returnes to it selfe, if it were not sliced out into male and female fripperies: and what a multitude of misimploy'd hands, might be better improv'd in some more manly Manufactures for the publique weale: it is not easily credible, what may be said of the preterpluralities of Taylors in London: I have heard an honest man say, that not long since there were numbered between Temple-barre and Charing-Crosse, eight thousand of that Trade: let it be conjectured by that proportion how many there are in and about London, and in all England, they will appeare to be very numerous. If the Parliament would please to mend women, which their Husbands dare not doe, there need not so many men to make and mend as there are. I hope the present dolefull estate of the Realme, will perswade more strongly to some considerate course herein, than I now can. A WORD OF IRELAND NOT OF THE NATION UNIVERSALLY, NOR OF ANY MAN IN IT, THAT HATH SO MUCH AS ONE HAIRE OF CHRISTIANITY OR HUMANITY GROWING ON HIS HEAD OR BEARD, BUT ONELY OF THE TRUCULENT CUT-THROATS, AND SUCH AS SHALL TAKE UP ARMES IN THEIR DEFENCE. [From "The Simple Cobler"] These Irish anciently called Antropophagi, man-eaters: Have a Tradition among them, That when the Devill shewed our Saviour all the Kingdomes of the Earth and their glory, that he would not shew him Ireland, but reserved it for himselfe: it is probably true, for he hath kept it ever since for his own peculiar; the old Fox foresaw it would eclipse the glory of all the rest: he thought it wisdome to keep the land for a Boggards for his unclean spirits imployed in this Hemisphere, and the people, to doe his Son and Heire, I mean the Pope, that service for which Lewis the eleventh kept his Barbor Oliver, which makes them so blood-thirsty. They are the very Offall of men, Dregges of Mankind, Reproach of Christendom, the Bots that crawle on the Beasts taile, I wonder Rome it self is not ashamed of them. I begge upon my hands and knees, that the Expedition against them may be undertaken while the hearts and hands of our Souldiery are hot, to whom I will be bold to say briefly: Happy is he that shall reward them as they have served us, and Cursed be he that shall do that work of the Lord negligently, Cursed be he that holdeth back his Sword from blood: yea, Cursed be he that maketh not his Sword starke drunk with Irish blood, that doth not recompence them double for their hellish treachery to the English, that maketh them not heaps upon heaps, and their Country a dwelling place for Dragons, an Astonishment to Nations: Let not that eye look for pity, nor that hand to be spared, that pities or spares them, and let him be accursed, that curseth not them bitterly. THOMAS SHEPARD [Thomas Shepard was another of the famous Massachusetts divines who were educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and who were later driven from the Church of England by Archbishop Laud. He came to Boston in 1635 at the age of thirty, and from 1636 till his death in 1649 was pastor of the church at Cambridge. His many published writings were almost all on religious and theological subjects. His style is at times unusually modern, and he is more readable than many of his contemporaries, but none of his works stands out with especial distinction. His brief "Autobiography" remained in manuscript until 1832, when it was privately printed. It was first published in Alexander Young's "Chronicles of the First Planters of Massachusetts Bay," in 1846. The first passage given below was quoted by Thomas Prince in his "Annals of New England" from "A manuscript of Master Shepard's written in his own hand." The text is that of the reprint of the "Annals" in Edward Arber's "English Garner." The second selection is from Shepard's pamphlet, "The Cleare Sunshine of the Gospell breaking forth upon the Indians in New England," originally published in London in 1648, and reprinted in the Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society, 1834. The selection from "The Sincere Convert" is from the first London edition, 1659. A marginal gloss, which summarizes each paragraph without comment, is here omitted. The extract from the "Autobiography" is from Young's reprint, referred to above. This modernizes the spelling.] AN INTERVIEW WITH BISHOP LAUD December 16, 1630. I was inhibited from preaching in the diocese of London by Doctor LAUD, Bishop of that diocese. As soon as I came, in the morning, about eight o'clock; falling into a fit of rage, he asked me, "What degree I had taken in the University?" I answered him, "I was a Master of Arts." He asked, "Of what College?" I answered, "Of Emmanuel." He asked me, "How long I had lived in his diocese?" I answered, "Three years and upwards." He asked, "Who maintained me all this while?" Charging me to deal plainly with him; adding withal, that he had been more cheated and equivocated with by |