<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2012-07-10</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>John Pas</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B110811.pdcc.</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="A93919">
<STC T="W">S5695</STC>
<STC T="T">E134_15</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99873061</BIBNO>
<VID>156405</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>THE SEVEN WOMEN CONFESSORS, <HI>OR A</HI> DISCOVERY <HI>OF THE</HI> Seuen white Divels which liued at <HI>Queen-&s;treet</HI> in <HI>Coven-Garden.</HI></P>
<P>VIZ.
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>Katherine Wels,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Su&s;an Baker,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Anne Parker,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Katherine Smith,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Elinor Hall,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Mary Iones,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Dorathy Marsh.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P><HI>WHOSE</HI> ARTICLES ARE HEREIN DECLARED, AND their mad pranks pre&s;ented to the view of the World.</P>
<P><HI>DISCO&V;ERED</HI> By <HI>Iohn Stockden</HI> a Yeoman. Jan. 22. 1641.</P>
<P>London. Printed for <HI>Iohn Smith.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>THE SEVEN WOMEN Confe&s;sors. <HI>OR,</HI> A DISCOVERIE OF THE SEVEN WHITE Divels, which lived at <HI>Queen-&s;treet</HI> in <HI>Coven-garden.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_ROman Papi&s;ts are dai|ly complain'd of, their names of late have bin &s;o odious unto each Prote|&s;tant, that they cry up and down <HI>Eng|land, down with them down with them.</HI></P>
<PB REF="3">
<P>Nor is their cry unju&s;t, &s;o many di&s;tracti|ons by them being cau&s;ed, <HI>Ie&s;uits, Prie&s;ts,</HI> and <HI>Friers,</HI> were once in <HI>England,</HI> as plenty as <HI>Patientees, Promooters,</HI> or double feed <HI>Attor|n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ies.</HI> At which, was very much murmuring, many ju&s;t rea&s;ons being given to the <HI>Parlia|ment</HI> how prejudiciall their &s;taying would be to the kingdome.</P>
<P>Whereupon the Honourable Court of <HI>Par|liament</HI> took it into their wi&s;e con&s;iderations, and one of the fir&s;t things which they e&s;tabli|&s;hed was their bani&s;hment, again&s;t the time &s;pecified in the <HI>Proclamation,</HI> and tho&s;e which were found &s;lack in obeying the afore&s;aid <HI>Proclamation,</HI> were to &s;uffer according to the Lawes of <HI>England:</HI> &s;ome were &s;uppos'd to fly away, but many were known to be left be|hind, wherof one is executed, and eight at this time are pri&s;oners in New-gate. Not one of them being uncondemned: one of which was tryed upon Munday being the 17. day of Jan. who being called to the Bar, he was asked whi|ther he were a Je&s;uit or no: at which he &s;ee|med to an&s;wer with a pu&s;h, why was I b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ought <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">i her el&s;e; yes, I confe&s;&s;e to you all, that I have bin a Je&s;uit above thirty years, and &s;ay unto you all, J think in my con&s;cience that there is no &s;uch law, is to condemn a man for his con&s;cience.</P>
<P>Wherupon a Jury was called, who &s;at up|on
<PB REF="3">him, guilty of death: whereupon hee was condemned to be drawn, hang'd and quarter'd, at which he &s;eem'd not &s;o much as to change his countenance, hoping to be reprieved as the re&s;t before were.</P>
<P>But leaving him to his fortunes: by all good womens favours, I will treat of a late Di&s;covery of &s;ome women Confe&s;&s;ors, who&s;e title although it be rude, yet is this Relation true.</P>
<P>Some certain women belonging to the Po|pi&s;h crew, perceiving that <HI>Ie&s;uits, Prie&s;ts,</HI> nor <HI>F<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">yers</HI> did dare publickly to &s;hew their faces, impudently re&s;olved to &s;upply their places, and privatly proclaimed them&s;elves Confe&s;|&s;ors, ordained by Father <HI>Ciprian,</HI> their abode was in Queen-&s;treet at Coven-garden.</P>
<P>Unto whom did daily many a&s;&s;emblet hem|&s;elves, not onely for ab&s;olution, but di&s;tracti|on.</P>
<P>Their Names are the&s;e:
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>Katherin Wels,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Su&s;an Baker,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Anne Parker,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Katherin Smith,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Elinor Hall,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Maior Iones,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Dorathie Mar&s;h.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>The manner of their ab&s;olution was thus.
<PB REF="4">He or &s;he which came to be confe&s;&s;ed, brought a piece of &s;ilver in hand, which was paid as an offering to the chiefe Matron <HI>Katherine Wels,</HI> then of all the &s;even might he chu&s;e his Con|fe&s;&s;or, which goes pre&s;ently into a room with them or her, but this by the way mu&s;t be made known, that among&s;t the&s;e &s;even female Con|fe&s;&s;ors was there but one old woman, which was Mi&s;tris <HI>Wels,</HI> the other young and hand|&s;ome.</P>
<P>Either of which being privately confe&s;&s;ing one, it was ten to one (unle&s;&s;e &s;he knew him well) if &s;he did not make him confe&s;&s;e that his pur&s;e was gone: and to come thither to com|plain for it, no man dur&s;t, for fear of a good-Fridays whipping out of Lent; for why, each of them were &s;worn to keep the&s;e Articles.</P>
<P N="1">I. FIr&s;t, never to declare any thing to Hereticks, which belong to their &s;acred Order.</P>
<P N="2">II. Secondly, never again to come unto them, unle&s;&s;e in the dark.</P>
<P N="3">III. Thirdly, that he &s;hould not que&s;tion their holy Au|thoritie.</P>
<P N="4">IV. Fourthly, that wickedne&s;&s;e was never committed in that hou&s;e.</P>
<PB REF="4">
<P N="5">V. Fiftly, to confe&s;&s;e all things to them, nothing being hid.</P>
<P N="6">VI. <HI>Sixtly, never to be confe&s;&s;ed, by any man after|wards.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And la&s;tly, if it were his fortune to ingonder with any of the female Confe&s;&s;ors, not to tell it to any of the re&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>And &s;o the Pope mu&s;t help him: by which way they &s;tuffe their pur&s;es with gold, and their bellies with children, and then did they again&s;t their wils for&s;ake their cheating Nun|nery, the chiefe cau&s;e being di&s;covered, by <HI>John Stockden,</HI> a plain Country fellow, who was willing to have a wench, but not to &s;wear to their Articles.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
