AN Exchange-Woman does as far exceed a meer Gentle-Woman, as a Civil Tradesman does a common Shark, having a commenda­ble Calling to vouch for her honesty. She's one Bow with two strings, being generally born to a compitable Fortune, she wisely shrowds her self under the safe Covert of a good Trade. To secure her feli­city; her Shop serves her instead of a Nunnery, where being bufied with the concerns of a laudable calling, she forgets, or neglects the Debauches of the Town: She's rail'd in like an Altar, and secur'd by a Partition as a thing that's sacred. She's as tempting as the forbidden Fruit, [Page 2]and has a Noli me tangere for her Motto: She needs no o­ther Purgatory, having gone through the strict Discipline of a severe Mistress, whereby she becomes so accustomed to Vertue, that at length it grows Natural. She is that poli­tick Hermophrodite, who acts the part both of Man and Woman, in preserving both her Honour and Family; a large Book with a little Title, being really worth five times as much as her Fortune; She's an En-tail for Life, and who­ever has her may reckon he has purchas'd above a hundred a Year.

As for her Original she is generally the Honourable off-spring of some Country Gentleman, who being curst with a multitude of Blessings (I mean Children) and by ambition made slave to his eldest Son, is forced to piece out his Daugh­ters fortune with a profitable employ, which is often the Stirrop to sublimer Fortune.

Her Education is as Gentile as her Birth, and she knows not but she's a Fortune till she goes to receive it. She is re­spected according to the noise of her Fathers Estate, which is generally two hundred a year, and kept as fine in her Child-hood as if she were to enjoy it her self.

Her Vertuous Education breeds in her so sweet an Inno­cence that she dreads to look in a Mans face for fear of dis­covering his desires at his Eyes, and if he says but 'Faith, she presently corrects him for Swearing. She has such a pro­pensity to goodness that she acts it unawares, and often sur­prizes both her self and others with her own Vertue. She is as ignorant of Vice, as of Terra Incognita and though she [Page 3]designed to be wicked she would not know how to effect it. She often wonders at the production of mankind, and lives to eleven or twelve years of Age before she's convinc'd that she did not spring out of the Parsly-Bed.

Thus having the advantages of a Gentile Birth, good E­ducation, and vertuous Inclination; she is design'd by her Pa­rents, whose affections are larger then their [...]ags (their Quality obliging them to live up to the heighth of their E­state) to be put under the discreet tuition of some honest and able Exchange-Woman, thereby to obtain an honest and honourable employment, to secure her from those storms of Fate which are commonly severe on little Fortunes.

That the Employment is as honourable as any other In-Land Trade cannot be denyed, they enjoying the same Privi­ledges, dealing in as Rich Commodities, and having attain'd as great Estates, as any other Vocation whatsoever. Which hath induc'd many noble families distressed by War, or Ac­cidents, to bring up their Daughters to this Calling where­in some have prov'd so fortunate as to give a happy Resur­rection to their whole family. And at this day Heaven is so kind to their commendable endeavours, as to recompence their good designs with unexpected success, of which, should I give a Catalogue of those young Ladies, whose unparallel'd Vertue, and good deportment have tempted Men of extraor­dinary Estates to desire them in Marriage; I should write ra­ther a Volumn then a sheet: But my design in Writing be­ing only to rescue that honourable Society, from the bitter invectives of that Satyrical Character, I shall forbear parti­culars, and only acquaint you, That the Exchange it self is no less than an Academy, and the Youth therein, the dilligent [Page 4]Student of Vertue and good manners, 'tis true, there is some Sub graduates, and other Mistresses of Arts, who like kind and careful Tutoresses take such pains with their Pupils, that they never leave instructing them till they have made them as knowing as themselves; If any prove vitious or Irrefectory they are presently expell'd.

So that an Exchange Maid is a refin'd Vertuosa, one who has seal'd her Gentility, with the Martyrdom of an Appren­ticeship, she's as happy in her Shop as a Miss in a Play­house: and better pleas'd with the moderate gains of an ho­nest Trade, than the other is with the Extravagant Allow­ance of a Wild Gallant, she's so far from being a drudge to the world that she sits still and gets an Estate.

The whole Town's her Labourer, and he that goes finest her greatest slave, who as if his Money were a bad Commo­dity foolishly exchanges it for Lace or Ribbonds; as Bubbles do to Gamesters, he brings her Cash whether she will or no; He's her meer subject, and like the French King she imposes a Tax upon every thing he wears. How then can she be un­happy when even our fancies and Extravagancies contribute to her welfare.

She's a Creature ready cut and dry'd for all preferment, and no less than a coach and six, can tempt her from her em­ployment, an arrogant Fop that courts her to a smile, swears he has got her heart, and with himself contrives an assignati­on, when she only did it, either in complaisance to his folly or her own advantage.

A spruce Cit, bristles up to her like a Turky-cock, and would fain be Trading, but as she has attractions to draw, so she has discretion to slight his Amours, her facetious dis­course, makes him think her easie to come at, when, indeed sh [...] does it as Welshmen on H [...]ls, who though they [...] near together, are really likely never to meet.

In short, her smilles are innocent, as sleeping Infants, and she preserves her self an un-blemish'd Sacrifice for a happy Husband; She has all the accomplishments of a Gentle Woman, but if she be defective in any thing 'tis Vice, being un-acquainted with the Gallants; She's a Stran­ger to deceit, and hating the ratling of a Coach remains untainted with the Pleasures and Debauches of the Town.

In her Shop she patiently attends both her business and Fate, and when she marries needs no advice from a Mid-Wife to cheat her Husband into the belief of a Maiden-head: In fine she is happy as she is, but if she alter her condition, experience shews us, she may become a Dutchess.