IT's Storied that the Athenians, were a Politick people, and car'd not that their Women should bare away the spoiles of their Estate; who therefore had Officers on purpose, who were to order the Apparel and Gestures for Women, and and to take singular care, that not one might wear any thing un­becoming her place or degree, and those were called Gyneconomi. Now in this our Age, such a Committee is very much wanted, to settle the Affairs of the Females in our Kingdom, to keep them in their Respective Limits and due order.

The Ephori, to Correct the Spartan Extravagances had the like power. Licurgus's Laws for Youth, were so Remarkably choice, that the very Reading of them would make us Reflect on our Impudencies, and reduce us to so high degrees of Civility and Modesty, with the people of that City, that passing through the Streets on their Lawful Occasions, they wrapt themselves up in their Cloaks▪ least they should prattle to every one they met, or Gaze up and down, acting the Peacock: By the Practice of which method, the Masculine Sex, excelled in all Bashfulness and Gravity; the principal Perfections of the Feminine, their Voices were no more heard than Statues of Stone, neither their [Page] [Page] [...] [Page 2] Damosels more Chast, than those young▪ Men walked in the Streets. Now this may make thee Blush, and throw down your lofty head to the Ground (though not so exalted with horns to the Heavens as formerly) consider the rudeness, wild and im­modest Gestures, Staring, Gaping, the Idle and Dissolute Car­riage of the very Virgins and Ladies, who set themselves with their Naked Breasts, Necks, and Sepulchred Bodies, to be pick't up and Gazed on, to incend (as if not enough) kindled the Sparkles of the Fire of Lust; till at last it's blowen up to a perfect Consuming Flame. They stand, as Solomon sayes, In the Corner of the Streets, turning their backs upon every Passanger, as it were to signifie, they'l Prostitute themselves at his pleasure. There started out a Sect early in the Church called (Paterniani) possibly of the filthy Fountain of the Gnosticks, who's opinion was; that the Upper parts of the Body were really made by GOD; but the Lower parts from the Girdle were made by the Devil: They grew so fond of their fancy, they imagined gave them a Liberty, to do with the Devils part as they Listed, providing they Re­serve Chast the rest to GOD: It's to be feared this Heresie has got footing insensibly in the Land, Witnessed by daily Demonstrati­on, and taken a general hold, Encroaching beyond it's bounds, presuming to make Invasions on the poor remains it has left unto GOD, scarce left him an Eye, to behold his works of Wonder, or a hand to perform Acts of Christianity, or a Lip to shew forth his Praises. The Tongue (the Trumpet of his Ho­nour and Glory) is now set on the Fire of Hell (as the Apostle James says) Belching out the Infernal Vapours with Mons Aetua; as furiously as the Tayle is Reaking with the Smoak and Streams of Impurity and filth. This is most sad and Lamentable to be­hold, that our Ladies (so far from obeying the Apostle) yeild the more abundant Honour to the less Honourable parts, which these Hereticks say were made by the Devil: and become so uni­versally Neglectful of God's, that (like a Mansion in a Wilder­ness or a House on the top of a Solitary Mountain) they Desert [Page 3] it all bare and unfurnished, forsaking it utterly naked to Shift for its poor self as it can, and shewing to all men how ready they are to Surrender Possession to the Devil. Oh 'tis Pitty, that Women should be such Hereticks, but their Un­covered Necks and Fairly open Breasts, are clear Demonstrations of their Apostacy, shame, and Guilt. Yet I do except in Verity and upon Sound Equity, that there's Ladies so Graciously Virtuous and Illustrious with the Beautifull Ornaments of the Soul, that they Blush and are ashamed of the Immoralities and Voluptuous­ness of many of their Sex, giving Lascivious precedents to others.

Adamiani I called them, because partly like unto them Hereticks, that went Naked, by that Heretick, who called himself Adamus, and Feigned to be the Son of GOD: Commanding all people to go Naked, which became a great inlet to Wickedness.

Reason it's self can prescribe Rules to this Sufficiently, tho' not (Secundum Dei voluntatem pro salute) for our Salvation.

But how is it then, with our such Naked Women, that Im­pudence (not agreeing and consisting with Grace and Vertue) is the product of their Hearts. Sulpitius a Roman, at meeting once his Wife without her Vail, was so highly Affronted, that he De­vorced her: Sure I am it's the General Custom Abroad for Women of all sorts to wear Vails, both Turks, Jews, and Christian Women, when especially they go to Devotion; and Jews when they go to their Reading the Scriptures. But has our Ladies (I wonder) gotten any Dispensation or Sufferance in the Christian Faith, for this Shamefull Barreness of their Bodies. Tertullian [Page 4] may lay down his Pen, and Prescrive no more Rules for Womens Behaviour▪ Here are a sort called Christians of a new Fashion, that scorn all Arguments to the Practice of Vertue, and Ex­ercise of Piety; though they are told, that the Nakedness of their Breasts is Adultry, and that its possible such as go so may be Honest, but very few that see them believe it: They come to the House of GOD, as to a Play, to his Sanctuary to make Con­quests, and to Sanctifie their Sensuality there: What does all this Wanton Nakedness become the Estate and Condition of such that would have Mercy for their Sins; these are not the Postures of Mourners and Penitents at the Throne of Grace.

It's strange, that Ladies should become Incendiaries to Man­kind, they lay open to common view their naked Breasts, with Faces professing their Mind, as tho it were a Bill affixed to the Door Posts, to signifie to the Passers by, that whosoever will, may there buy Honesty, yea, the whole Stock of Chastity and good Manners, at an easy Rate. The Men of our Age I hope are so prudent and Crafty, as not to Buy Wares at their Publick Shops: Knowing by means of an Adultrous woman, a Man is brought to a Piece of Bread. The End of Attire is to hide the Shamefull Nakedness of the Body from the sight of Men; why then are Garments made of [...] Fashion, as the Neck and Breasts are left uncovered? Only to Express the Vanity and Lightness of their Minds; and Display to Man-kind their own Shame and Ignominy: Nay they Glory in their Shame and Dishonour. But those that desires to be appear chast Virgins before the Tribunal of Christ, let them [Page 5] Adorn in Decency and Gravity as becomes the Beauties and Flowers of Christianity. In our Degenerate Age there's such a falling from the truth and Rules of Mortality and good manners (that's inconsistent with the Nature of Holiness) they may have but cold hopes of ever Entering the Gates of the New Jerusalem, but rather, (as they are now Harnessed) be whirl'd unto the Dark Chambers of Acheron. Surely our Womens Practices and Fashions do not agree with the Complexions of their Progenitors, neither their Faces, Breasts, Heart, and Habits are alike: If those under the Law send out their Cryes to you under the Gospel, to be Civil, Holy, Meek, and Chast, and can echo back again to them, that you are so, and Clad in the same Livery, this would be your greatest Glory and Honour, and happy Unifor­mity: But alas! you make Religion vary in its Form, as you in your Fashions, and to be Inconstant in its Precepts, and you are in Faithfulness to them. Ladies the Attire and Spirit of an Harlot (Guilty of such Apostacies and Gayieties, which only had allowancies by the Lacedemonian Law) cannot expect the Appro­bation of a Pure and Chast Virgin: Harlotry Dress (having no Favour in Heaven, but only the Wedding-Garment of Fidelity and Purity) will make your Souls Shake and Tremble, far greater than ever your Shoulders under the Persecution of Stormy Blustering Winds. Moreover if you (Females) will cast but your Eyes on our Saviour, Hanging on the Cross with his Naked Body (to appear more Disgracefull) may have the Influence to Disswade you from your Fashion.

If God Summon'd Adam to give Account why he made himself Naked and Miserable, since he Created him perfect and happy; Surely God will those who perfer Nakedness (the Shameful Fruit of siin) before the Blessing of a modest Cloathing (our Saviour's Purchase): the Course of Nakedness was brought upon you and Bareness of your Shoulders by your first Mothers Folly: Where­fore its Madness in you to Hugg that Curse by Continuing that Nakedness, which made Eve so Ashamed, that she was obliged to cover her self with a Beasts Skin, who had her Body and Breasts Graced before with a Scarf of Innocence: Which if you had, or that which is Purchased by the Gospel, we would have Spared this Subject and Envied your Glory and Honour. But the Women in our Age has so Entered themselves in the Accademy of Atheism and Irreligion, that they are become Strong Devoted Students in the Schools of Ryoting, Leudness, Chambering and Wantoness, Hectoring and Ranting, frequenting the Brothels and the Stage: this now is of General Practice and Com­mon Fashion, that it passeth for Incivility, if any offer to Reprove or so much as frown upon them, but rather to shew Complaisance, and Smile at their Lewd ways of Prophanity: But tho you have Encouragment from Men, yet God in Sacred Record stamps upon you Contemptible Characters. Great Antiochus, who for his Magnificence was Stild, Ephipaues, or Illustrious, yet passeth▪ off the Stage, with the Ignomineous Impress of a Vile Person.

The evil of all this is in our Women, and are Plaguie Poy­sonous to the World: Their Fashions give bad Examples to other Nations, we are all apt to London Fashion, to follow either good or bad, and GOD knows, if that Whoreish Dress of Women be good, setting themselves out to be Pick't and Admired by poor Mankind, with the Enchantments of the Painted naked Breasts. [Page 7] I say, these are ready to follow the London Fashion, but not so apt as we do the French, Apeing them every way to our great shame, hurt, and Dishonour. And so it is, if we consult History, Don Sebastian, then King of Portugal, one time this Humour infected him and his Subjects, of attiring themselves after the Castilian Fashi­on, all the Noble Persons and Gentlemen practising nothing so much, than to speak the Castilian Language (which it seems is very E­legant and Expressive) with the same Ambition as we do the French, between whom and them there was no great Natural Kindness, but a very bitter Antipathy, hating the Person whose Language they loved. It pleased GOD, that Sebastian Dying without any Issue,, and the Crown lying at the Stake, as the Golden Ball for every pretender, to venture at, who but King Philip of Castile run fairest for it, and with an easie streach got it set on his head, to the general sorrow, but little Redress of the Discontented Subjects, to whom afterwards he proved no favour­able Prince. Also we find the Jews (before the Final Destructi­on of their Temple by Titus Vespasian) had gotten a Custom to impose no other Names upon their Children, but such as were Roman, nor would wear any Garments but after the Roman Guise, their very Arms for War, and Soldiers Cloaths, were in all respects like theirs, striving to imitate their Fashion intirely, whom they so suddenly after, severely suffered under. What Application shall we make of this to poor Britain, that our Garbs, and Ladies Dresses, are not only of the French Fashion, but the very Producti­ons of their Country▪ No proper handsome young Men, can be picked from the Sons of our Yeomen and Inferiour Gentry to make Vale de Chambres to our Gallants! No hand but a French hand to Shave! no Cut but a French Taylors to shape Cloaths! No Lan­guage but the French to serve our Tongues! No Religion but the French to content our Souls! But I pray, What may be the end of all this? There's a Disease among us called of that Name too, I wish it may not be too Epidemical; if it be not gotten into our Bodies, sure I am it's gotten into our Heads, while we set our [Page 8] selves to Study and Contrive nothing more, than to please our Fancies, with the levities of the French: And how little reason have we to imitate them, and then to merit our Happiness of our good Cloath and Beoff, of our good Laws and Religion, of our Native Immunities, seing one of them declares, he had rather be served by a French Dog, than by an English Man. But now I Conclude, and come to a Period to you Ladies, that you may not imitate their Fashions, or go on in these your Trespasses for the future, but totally humble your selves in-side as well as outside▪ Mortifie your Carnal Bestial Lusts, put on Sack-cloth and Ashes, and your Eyes break forth into Fountains of Tears, to wash away your guilt and the loathsom filth of your Disease, so daily increasing by the Fur­niture of your naked bosoms) that will tumble you at last into the rotteness of the Grave, and the Conscience within, will Tor­ture yong unwilling ears with the dismal tydings of an approach­ing Dissolution▪ and Death it self will hardly be bribed to the Ci­vility of crying respite to the Message, then you'll be chanting out the dying Notes of Adrian. O Animula, blandula vagula, quo nunc [...]! O my miserable darling Soul, into what dark shades art thou now passing. To prevent this, I hope you'll wear no more the Badges of Hell▪ or a Sodomitical impudence, yea, that seed pro­duces the fruit of a curse to your present State, which you may readily consider most. The Lord sayeth, Isa. 3.16.17.18. V. Because the Daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched [...] smite with a Scab the crown [...] Daughters of Zion, and discover their secret parts, and [...] the bravery of their [...] Ornaments, instead of sweet [...] instead of [...] a [...]ent