The ſix women Preachers.

• Anne Hempſtall,
• Joan Bauford
• Elizabeth Bancroft,

and

• Mary Bilbrowe,
• Suſan May,
• Arabella Thomas.

IN ancient times have I read of Propheteſſes, but not untill of late heard of women Prea­chers, their onely reaſon or cauſe of preaching was, that there was a deficiency of good men, wherefore it was but fit, that vertuous women ſhould ſupply their places, they were (men they did mean) good for nothing, but to make their texts good by expounding the language of the Beaſt, but they themſelves would preach nothing, but ſuch things as the ſpirit ſhould move them.

The firſt and chief of this female and Sacerdo­ticall function, was one Anne Hempſtall, living in the Pariſh of Saint Andrews Holborne, neere Lon­don, and in the County of Middleſex, upon a cer­tain time, ſhe having a minde, ſaid ſhee was mo­ved to be zealouſly affected, called an aſſembly2 of her bibbing Goſſips together, whoſe thoughts were bent more upon the ſtrong water bottle, then upon the uſes or doctrines which their ho­ly ſiſter•ntended to expound unto them, but be­ing come to the houſe of this Anne Hempſtall, zea­lous Nan ſpake to them after this manner.

Beloved ſiſters, this laſt night I dreamed a ſtrange Dream, moreover me thought I ſaw a vi­ſion, in which Anna the Proheteſſe was preſented unto my view, the ſplendour of whoſe counte­nance did caſt me into a trance, wherein I lay un­till the next morning, and the morning being come, I could conceive no interpretation of my Dream but this, that I ſhould imitate godly An­na, by preaching unto you, as ſhee propheſied to others, her ſpeech ſtrook them all into an aſto­niſhment, at which, this prophane Anne cryed out, Now doth the holy Ghoſt deſcend downe upon you, Wherefore give eare unto mee, then did ſhe begin to talke, and ſpeak unto them that which firſt came into her minde, but the chiefe matter of her Text was this, That womans haire was an adorning to her, but for a man to have long haire, it was a ſhame unto him, which the Scripture it ſelfe cryed fie upon; long did ſhee preach, and longer I dare avouch then ſome of the audience were willing, for ſome of them had as far home as White Chappell, wherefore her longitude might cauſe a brevitude of her ſucking the Aquavitae bottle; two houres being expired, and the bottom of the ſtool beginning to look o­pen-mouthed with her furious ſtamps, ſhee gave3 them as much peace as in her lay, and ſo conclu­ded.

Mary Bilbrowe, one of the audience, being of the Pariſh of Saint Giles in the Fields, deſired them to be all with her the next morning, and after Sermon, they ſhould have a good fat pig to break­faſt, beſides a cup of Sack or Claret to waſh it down, they all agreed unto it, and making uſe of all the Rhetorick which they were borne unto, they gave her thanks, and ſo for that time a Bottle of Ale or two being devoured, they departed every one to their owne houſes. The next morn­ing, they met altogether at the houſe of Mary Bilbrow, whoſe husband was a good honeſt Brick­layer, and ſo ſoon as they came within the doores of her houſe, ſhee brought them all into her Par­lour as ſhee called it, and inſteed of ſtools and cuſhions, ſhee had provided before hand, three bricks a piece for them to ſit upon, her reaſon was this, ſhee thought they would not fit much, becauſe women to good inſtructions love ſtanding, her Pulpit was framed very ſubſtantial­ly of brick, ſo high, that ſcarce any thing, but her ſtanding up tippet could be ſeen, ſhe began there very devoutly to make an ex tempore prayer, but before ſhee had ſcarce ſpoke twenty words, her daughter came running in very haſtily, telling her a Gentleman at Bloomsbury ſtaid to ſpeake with her about urgent occaſions, which hearing, ſhee lept out of her prayer into this ſerious meditatiō, I think it be the Gentleman I was withall at Saliſ­bury4 Court, whom I promiſed this day to meet with all, whereupon ſhee left her Pulpit, ſpread the cloth,•nd brought her Goſſips in a pig accor­ding to her promiſe, who fed heartily, and ſo de­parted, ſo much at this time for Middleſex female Teachers.

Now give mee leave to take water, and goe to Graveſend, and ſo further into Kent, where I ſhall tell you of one Joan Bauford in the Town of Fe­verſham, who taught in Feverſham, that husbands being ſuch as croſſed their wives wils might law­fully be forſaken.

Then was there one Suſan May of Aſhford in the County of Kent alſo which preached in a Barne there, that the Devill was the father of the Pope, The Pope the father of thoſe which did weare Surplices, wherefore conſequently the Devill was the Father of all thoſe which did not love Puritans.

There was likewiſe one Elizabeth Bancroft in Ely in Cambridgſhire, where Biſhop Wren firſt going to place Altars there, preached behind the mini­ſter upon a Saturday, that it was fit upon Sunday to Sacrifice the Popes Bird upon his own Altar.

Then laſtly there was one Arabella Thomas a Welch woman, which lived in the City of Saliſ­bury, which preached, and in her Sermon ſaid that none but ſuch painfull creatures as her ſelfe ſhould goe to Heaven, fo•thoſe Miniſters which did not preach twice upon every Sabbath day, ſhee ſaid that very ſhortly the black Raven by day, and the5 white Owle by night ſhould ſcratch out their eyes.

Thus have I declared ſome of the female Acade­myes, but where their Vniverſity is I cannot tell, but I ſuppoſe that Bedlam or Bridewell would be two convenient places for them, is it not ſufficient that they may have the Goſpell truly and ſincere­ly Preached unto them, but that they muſt take their Miniſters office from them? if there had been ſuch a dearth of the Goſpell as there was in the Reigne of Queene Mary it had beene an occaſion ſome what urgent, But God bee pray­ſed it was not ſo, but that they ſeemed to bee ambitious, and becauſe they would have ſuperio­rity, they would get upon a ſtoole, or in a tubb in­ſteed of a pulpit. At this time I have deſcribed but ſix of them, ere long I feare I ſhall relate more, I pray God I have no cauſe, and ſo for this time I conclude.