THE resolution Of the Women of London to the Parliament.  
Wherein they declare their hot zeal in sendnig their busbands to the warres, in defence of King and Parliament, as also the proceedlngs of the King a● York, with their full determination in maintaining this their Resolution, to the admiration of the Reader.  
With their desires to the Parliament that this may be printed.  
 depiction of a woman admonishing her husband to go to war 
Go to the wars.  
Aug. 26    

The Resolution of the women of London at a meeting in the Garden Allies in Moore Fields.  
BE it known that we the women of London, or rather the women kind, or female sex, whether wives, widows, maids, or foolish virgines, if there bee any such, of what size soever we be, low or tall, or of whatsoever con●ition, whether rich or poor, great or small, honest or half honest, even from the blacke-bagge to the Oyster-wench, do all agree, that if there should be wars, as wee do shrewdly suspect it by the daily noise of drums, the great preparations which are made, and the powder which is continually spent, together with the cracking of Guns in the streets, we that are wives, and are troubled with bad husbands, that will spend all abroad, and then come home and use us scurvily, beating us out of doors, do purpose to use our tongues in such a violent manner, that our continual scolding shall make them go to the warres, and then will we in our husbands absence, live as merrily as may be, drink, feast, and walk abroad; and if we have a mind to it, keep and maintain a friend, that upon occasion may do us a pleasure: let our husbands fight, they are mad-brain'd enough, they can fight with their poor wives, let them try now if they can fight with their enemies. As for widows, they have no hu●bands to lose; and some of them ate so old, that Cupid is their malignant party, they cannot get husbands for love nor money, and therefore they are resolved to mary none but Cavaliers. I would all the Cavaliers would matched to these old guns, that they might leave taking Castles, and mary these old Crones, who during the time of the warres, are resolved to sit still in their chambers and do nothing, not so much as say their prayers, contriving onely by what means they may secure their gold from being taken away by the enemy. Maids are also resolved, that the report of wars shall not beat the strong conceit of a hu●band out of their minds; but if they can, they will mary, if it bee but to bring a race of Souldiers inso the world; and to the end that they may maintain themselves in a generous fashion, there being such a plenitude and plenty of maids, that one spoils the others markets in the way of matrimony, some m●ids are fully resolved to expose themselves and their commodities to trading, not doubting but to have three for one for every adventure, and afterward make very good wives for hungry Souldiers, at their return from the warres. But because we will not seem to iest in a matter of earnest, therefore seeing the Kings majesty hath withdrawn himself from his Parliament, and hath disencouraged their proceedings, nay, and which is worse, hath raised an Army to destroy us all, God bless us; we women must needs descant upon these words of dangerous consequence: for we know that men are drawn away by several means and occasions, some by wine, some by covetousness, and some( though we say it ourselves) by women; but to with-draw is a word of great importance, and will afford many observations we conjecture, that in this place it signifies to bee drawn by the malignant party; or if the word be turned, we women know that draw with are words of doubtful construction, sometimes to be drawn with temptation, as wee women are often drawn with faire alluring promises; or in a more particular sense, though somewhat opprobrious to bee drawn with an affection of strong drink to pawn our petticoats, to be drawn with the love of this or that new fangle, to put our husbands to charge for the procuring thereof; to be drawn with the delights, pleasures, pastimes, or to be drawn with the love of any thing whether fine apparel, good wine, good cheer, gay garments and precious stones, all this is to be withdrawn with the concupiscence of our own desires, or to be drawn with our own desires and concupiscence; and so we upon assured grounds do conceive without the help of any Courtiers or Scollars: That the King is withdrawn by some wicked counsellors, commonly called the malignant party, or else drawn with the advice of some wicked counselor. We say no more, yet something we will say more. It follows in the nex● place, that the King hath withdrawn himself, which is a matter to be thought upon: for many a man is withdrawn when he is not himself, and is none of his own man as we say, but is indeed stark drunk; but the King God be thanked, is a wise, gracious, and temperate Prince, a sovereign that can reign and rule over his own passions, and therefore it may very well seem strange, even to women of the best understanding, that the King hath withdrawn himself: for if the King had been withdrawn and not himself, or himself had been withdrawn and not the King, it had then been very likely that the King might in time have withdrawn himself from those evil wicked counsellors, who have not onely withdrawn the King and himself, but also himself and the King: and indeed to speak plainly, the Kings own self.  
But from whom have they withdrawn the Kings own self; for that is a point very considerable, the words immediately following make it apparent from whom it is, even from his friends, from those that seek his good; and pitty it is it should be so, even in a word, from his faithful loving Parliament; had these wicked counsellors withdrawn him from showing any favour to Papists, and those that are Popishly inclined, or withdrawn him from the Cavaliers, or withdrawn him onely from the City, whereby some women of good carriage have lived very poorly, for want of the Courtiers company; yet all this might have been born with patience, but they have withdrawn him from the Parliament, that is to say, many miles distant from the Parliament; neither was it a small journey that he took, but they have withdrawn him from the Parliament to York; and surely they were none of his friends that advised him to absent himself from his Court at White-hall, from his hunting and other pastimes, and from us though the weakest vessels, yet full of loyalty to his majesty: therefore we women do constantly affirm, that this counsel of withdrawing the King, and the Kings self, which aggravates the matter, was a kind of malicious treason, and the counsellors deserve, in the iudgement of all true hearted women, to be hanged and drawn that have thus withdrawn the King and the Kings self from his loving loyal Parliament.  
And what hath this produced? It is most evident, that the King having withdrawn himself from his Parliament, hath thereby discouraged their proceedings: discouraged doth intimate as much as to dishearten, to oppose and disanimate; as we women, when we are out of clothes, are presently disceuraged: and there is no woman but hath red, that when Venus and Wulcan were taken in bed together, the Poet, as I remember, saith, they were discouraged. And indeed, put the case that any woman, though never so honest, were by her husband surprised, and found lying with another man, would not she on the sudden be much discouraged? and her husband also would bee so much discouraged, that he would never love her afterward. But these are trivial idle matters, and therefore to proceed further, it follows, that he hath discouraged them in their proceedings, that is, the Parliaments proceedings: for they being all members of the Parliament, therefore whosoever they were that have withdrawn the King from the Parliament, have thereby also discouraged their proceedings, which a is shrewd matter: for how can they go forward, or bring any business to effect, or bring to pass what hath been so long expected, while they are by the malignant party, and by the King, withdrawn from the Parliament discouraged, and that in their proceedings: for bashful suitors never attain their desires, women never become good housewives, nor any business can ever be well performed, if the party that doth go about it, bee discouraged; how can then this Parliament do that which they desired to perform for the good of this kingdom, if they be discouraged in their proceedings?  
But let's proceed a little further,& then it will be most evidently manifest, that this discouragement in their proceedings, is nothing; but that which strikes and pierces us women to the heart, is this: It is most true, that the King hath raised an Army to destroy us all: now I pray you consider who it is hath raiseth these forces, it is no Wat Tiler or jack Straw, or any such rebellious company that in former times did rise against the King, but the King doth intend to make war against himself, or on those that love him as well as himself, that is, his loving subiects and Parliament, what follows then? why, by necessary consequence, if the King make war, it must be raised somewhere, and against some body; now this word raising doth import a difficulty in doing any thing with violence; and so we women believe that it will bee a hard matter for the King to raise a great Army in the North, even so it is a hard matter for any woman, though of very good breeding, to raise herself to be a Gentlewoman, or a younger brother to raise his fortunes; but if the King having withdrawn himself from the Parliament, hath discouraged their proceeding, and also raised an Army to destroy us, we women do purpose to raise up our veins, and most hearty to curse the malignant party, who hath persuaded the King to raise this Army; and we women, to show our good affection to the King and Parliament, will bee ever ready to reason and wrangle in defence of them both; and if we had nine lives like a Cat, or nine Cats lives, whieh according to that computation, would be eighty one lives, we would expose them all to hazard for the maintenance of the Kings person and honour, and the privilege of Parliament.   
FINIS.