The Mid-wives just COMPLAINT: AND, Divers other well-affected Gentlewomen both in City and Country: showing to the whole Christian-world, the just cause of their long-sufferings in these Distracted TIMES, for want of Trading, and their great fear of the continuance of it.  
Which sad Complaint was tendered to the House on Tuesday, Septemb. 22. 1646.  
With some other Notes worthy special Observation.  
Published according to Order.  
LONDON, Printed for T. S. 1646.   

The Midwives just Complaint, and divers other Gentlewomen both in City and COUNTRY.  
Humbly showing,  
THat whereas many miseries do attend upon a Civill-war, there is none greater than the breaking of that conjunction which matrimony hath once confirmed, so that womens husbands being absent at the wars, they cannot enjoy that necessary comfort and benevolence which they expect from them: this, if well considered, is a shrewd matter, and doth give beginning to a natural depopulation of towns and Cities, when the causes of populous fertillity are any ways hindered, whereby all places, especially this famous City, must needs become very thin of people, and great want of men, fit for employment both for Church and State, and all Corporations must necessary from thence ensue, for men grow not up on a sudden, there must be a seed time before harvest, bearing of children before their birth, as we very well know, who in that kind have been great assistants unto women, and constant deliverers of much good to the Common wealth.  
And whereas we are called Midwives by our Profession, we knowing the cases of women better than any other, as being more experienced in what they sensibly suffer since the wars began, living the religious lives of some cloysterd Nuns, contrary to their own natural affections, if they could by any means help it, without wronging their husbands: Our own Complaint shall therefore consist of many branches, whereby the injuries of women in this present age may be clearly discerned, for it is a great wrong that women should want their husbands and live without comfort, thereby we Midwives are also undone, for as women are helpers unto men, so are we unto women in all their extremities, for which we were formerly well paid, and highly respected in our parishes for our great skill and midnight industry, but now our Art doth fail us, and little gettings have we in this age barren of all natural joys, and onely fruitful in bloody calamities, we desire therefore that for the better propagation of our own benefit, and the general good of all women, wives may no longer snare their husbands to be devoured by the sword, but may keep them fast locked within their own loving arms day and ●●ght, perfecting their embraces in such a manner as is no●●● be expressed freely, but may be easily conceived by the ●●rong fancy of any understanding woman; We Midwi●e m●st be as secret as night, and close in all conceits, but we know most assuredly that this would bring about much content, while ourselves should feast high at christenings, & nurses also should more frequently be paid for their monthly keeping of women: we have with much horror and astonishment heard of Kenton-Battaile, the Battailes at Newbury, the Battle at Marston-more, the Battle at Naseby, wherein many worthy members and men of great ability were lost to the number of many thousands, which doth make us humbly to complain, that blood may not hereafter be  shed in such a manner, for many men, hopeful to have begot a race of souldiers, were there killed on a sudden, before they had performed any thing to the benefit of Midwives, which was a great loss and hindrance to the Common-wealth; whereby some maids were deprived of promised marriage, and wives by the hand of death were quickly Widdowed, and with them the hope of posterity was also extinguished, it is therefore hereafter to be desired that war may not eat up and devour the youth of this Kingdom, but that men may perform the blessing given to Adam, by increasing and multiplying, thereby to repair the great havoc and loss which this unnatural war doth make in England. Heretofore the happiness of the English women was compared unto Heaven, but now they have just cause to tremble at the report of every gun, which can sand a speedy death to their instruments of conjunction and delight, without whom they are but half themselves, and being indeed nothing in themselves, from them they received perfection, weight measure and number, and grow as rich in children as they are in beauty, while we Midwives shall fare and feed the better for their frequent christenings and gossipings.  
We take notice what devilish new Engines for war are daily invented by the Cyclops and such like Artists, to destroy one another; namely the Poleax, Petronels, Carbines, Firelocks, Snap-hances, Pistols, nay cases of Pistols, granades, and their hand granades, and the mortar pieces, and your terrible two-edged swords, able to affright poor women to see such naked weapons; then the cavaliers, and your Dragoneers and your Ingineers, which are those persons which exercise those weapons: such instruments were never used, or scarce seen in England, and all out of jealousies, doubts and fears; because you men will not confided in one another: All these weapons are but to destroy brave men which should be preserved and kept for better uses and purposes: It were far better for those men that they followed their own trade, and the old game of England at home with their wives; then for them to run abroad to be Commanders and common souldiers and stand Sentinel two or three houres in the could for a little Suffolk cheese and a piece of brown bread, and at length kill one another for eight pence a day, with the night to boot too: and it may be lose a limb or some other good joint: when indeed and in very good soothe they need not stand at home so long by nineteen parts and have more thanks( if not a reward) for their pains.  
It were nothing so irksome to us poor Midwives that our trade is now decayed, if the sword in the scabbard were used and employed against a foreign Enemy; it would not then be half so grievous, for the old proverb saith, what the eye sees not, the heart grieves not at. But we poor Midwives both see, and our hearts know it and now our tongues confess it; that it is a lamentable case when the son shall go out against the father; father against the son; brother against brother, and kinsman against kinsman, this we speak is grievous to be thought on; and we condole even to the lower-most angle of our triangular hearts.  
We desire therefore that a period may be set to these unhappy differences, and that the general and natural Standard may no longer lie couchant; but that women may be fruitful vines, that there may be no arms, but such as will lovingly embrace women, and because we know that some upon different occasions desire to absent themselves from their best beloved, having first plundered their chests and took away that they have, we desire that such men may be compelled forthwith to return to their wives, or bear on their heads the fortune which they have most worthily deserved, being guilty of that punishment by their long absence.  
And whereas all are not Penelopes that can withstand the siege of a strong temptation, but must yield up the Fort to the flattering enemy of their long preserved chastity, it is better to keep then to make that frail sex honest: let not therefore the drum wound the air no more with false strokes, nor the pike be bathed in the blood of guiltless men, let not the sword ravish from our bosoms the delight of our lives: this word Husband speaking benefit and comfort both to Wives and Midwives, since our felicity cannot subsist without the others fertillity and fruitfulness, and therefore let us Midwives whom it most nearly concerns, desire that some order may be taken; that the old Song of England, may not bee again revived, slow men of London: And that the delicate sex of women may not lie in their beds like could Marble images cut out by some Artificers hand, but being full of warm spirit and life, they may oblige the world to them by repairing the losses of this war, and have husbands as formerly, at their command, to maintain them bravely, and bring them yearly under the delivering power of the Midwife, which cannot be done unless the wars cease, and men return again unto their wives.  
Moreover wee have just cause to fear those dreadful Prophesies which point so directly at this age, foretelling 
Mother Shiptons prophesy.  that there should be a great scarcity of men, and such abundance of women far exceeding the other, both in strength and number, so that a hundred should run after one, being a fearful prodigy in nature, and a dearth to be more feared, than that of Corn, or any other commodity: coals are not so necessary as Husbands warm in bed, and comfortable at board, and therefore in this sad age it is fit to take a view of the calamities of women in other Nations, for if men be scarce, all other plenty is nothing to women, they consummate our happiness, and make us richer than all the precious stones of the signifies, therefore most deplorable will the continual loss of more Souldiers be, since they might live to comfort us, & declare their undaunted valour in the soft and delightful field of love: And whereas most certain intelligence hath been brought unto us, that the queen when she was in England did heretofore set up her Standard: we desire likewise that our Standard may once again be set up in our City and Suburbs; for we Midwives know that women are not so could or out of soul, but that they can endure a fight bravely under a Standard, and can use a weapon as well as men if they get it in their handling, let their courage therfore teach them to fight for their own privileges, and if they prove the weaker vessels, yet wee Midwives desire that the distresses of widowed women be looked upon with a charitable construction, not doubting but by all good willers to their sex, this complaint will be regarded as the public voice of their long concealed affections, showing also how greatly necessitated they have been in their husbands absence, whose happy return shall satisfy their longing, and give us the Midwives of London great cause to rejoice. For although we were in good hopes that the wars were now brought to a happy end & therfore did intend to wave this petition or Complaint in the happy enjoying of our Husbands, yet our fear is that the Wars in Ireland beginning now again, and there being some clouds which threaten from the North, that we in these winter nights may still want the company of our husbands and have as could & empty bodies and( if timely redress be not had) as just an occasion of complaint, as ever heretofore.  
FINIS.