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<DATE>2014-09-05</DATE>
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<NAME>John Pas</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B140619.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="B27429">
<STC T="W">N1156</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">[ocm]31355572</BIBNO>
<VID>187758</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
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<P>THE Night-walkers DECLARATION: Or, the Di&s;tre&s;&s;ed Whores Advice To all their SISTERS IN CITY and COUNTRY.</P>
<P>Set forth (by way of Confe&s;sion) out of a deep &s;en&s;e of the Tribulations they have lately &s;uffered.</P>
<LICENSE LANG="eng">
<P>With Allowance. <HI>Roger L'E&s;trange.</HI></P>
</LICENSE>
<P><HI>London,</HI> Printed for <HI>D. M.</HI> 1676.</P>
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<HEAD>THE Night-walkers Declaration.</HEAD>
<P>LO&s;ers have leave <HI>to &s;peak</HI> by vertue of the Proverb, and words are all the <HI>arms</HI> Na|ture affords our Sex, be&s;ides <HI>tho&s;e</HI> de|&s;ign'd for <HI>Embraces.</HI> 'Tis cu&s;tomary for people under <HI>Per&s;ecution</HI> publickly to <HI>complain,</HI> and we are not the fir&s;t that have ventur'd to call Ju&s;tice by that <HI>name.</HI> A little <HI>Rhetorick</HI> might &s;erve to varni&s;h over an Apology in our be|half, and we could alleadge Pre&s;idents of famous <HI>States,</HI> the Cu&s;tomes of <HI>Venice,</HI> and Indulgences of <HI>Rome;</HI> together with the Doctrines of ancient <HI>Phi|lo&s;ophers,</HI> and private Practices of modern <HI>Virtuo&s;o</HI>'s, which might be mu&s;ter'd up in our favour; but we &s;hall &s;pare our <HI>Impudence</HI> in tho&s;e particulars, having u&s;e enough for that Vertue on other occa|&s;ions, and chu&s;e rather to <HI>confe&s;s</HI> than ju&s;tifie our Faults, as conceiving 'twill be far more acceptable to make an ingenuous <HI>acknowledgment</HI> of our Impru|dencies, and mark out the Rocks on which we have
<PB N="4" REF="5"> ca&s;t away our &s;elves, that others, taking warning, may avoid the like di&s;mal <HI>Shipwracks.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, we do <HI>declare</HI> (and that you know has been of late a very <HI>modi&s;h</HI> and frequent word a|mong&s;t us) That the original cau&s;e of our ruine, or motives which prompted us in general to the&s;e lewd Cour&s;es, were <HI>Pride</HI> and <HI>Idlene&s;s.</HI> Nature had been &s;o kinde to mo&s;t of us, to afford us good Faces; or where &s;he had plaid the Niggard or the Bungler, we endeavour'd to &s;upply her defects with Art, and the Auxiliary help of the Dre&s;&s;ing-box. The wanton humour of the age &s;oon expo&s;ed us to flattering Temptations, and 'twas &s;o taking a vanity to our Sex and years to be Brave and Gay, to appear in &s;plendid Clothes and a fa&s;hionable Dre&s;s, that we were ea&s;ily betray'd to part with the natural Jewels of Mode&s;ty and Vertue, for a &s;light Bracelet, a pret|ty Ring, or a tawdry Necklace, and &s;ully our minds to finifie our bodies; as if we had no other u&s;e for our Souls, but to be Bawds to our Carca&s;&s;es.</P>
<P>The fond Indulgence of our too-late-repenting Parents, contributed not a little to our de&s;truction, be&s;towing upon us a Breeding and Maintainance far above <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ur birth or their abilities. The time we &s;hould have &s;pent in learning Good-hou&s;wifry, was trifled away at the Dancing &s;chool, in French, Mu|&s;ick, New wanton Songs, Plays, Balls, infecting Ro|mances, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> the &s;ight either of a Prayer-book or a pair of Sizzars was enough to put us into a Sound; or if at be&s;t our hands, a little exerci&s;ed in <HI>Trawly|lawly, Net,</HI> or <HI>Point-work,</HI> could but furni&s;h our Tails with an Inviting Garni&s;h, we thought it both a &s;uf|ficient Accompli&s;hment and Imployment.</P>
<PB N="5" REF="5">
<P>When we could get no further &s;upplies from home for the&s;e Extravagancies, the Gallant abroad was ready to furni&s;h us; and who could re&s;i&s;t at once a double Inclination within, and the pa&s;&s;ionate Im|portunities of a civil Gentleman without? Brisk and Airy (which our dull Grandmothers would have call'd Wanton and Impudent) is long &s;ince become the Character of a Well bred-woman; and to be a Mi&s;s, was both a plea&s;ant and thriving Undertaking. But the unhappy By-blow, or the Great Di&s;ea&s;e, the maintaining Friend di&s;inherited, or undone, or weary of the &s;ame Face, or bewitch'd with Age, or reform'd by dear bought Experience, leaves the helple&s;s Gentlewoman to her &s;hifts; and what then is to be done, but <HI>Have at all?</HI> Fine &s;he mu&s;t be, work &s;he will not; Friends di&s;own her, Reputation is gone, and the &s;inking Ve&s;&s;el has nothing left to <HI>buoy</HI> her up, but the extreame&s;t Impudence.</P>
<P>Then to the Entertaining or <HI>Procuring</HI> Matrons we repair, under who&s;e protection, in a wor&s;e Ser|vitude than the mo&s;t wretched Gally-&s;laves, we lie at the common Receipt of Cu&s;tome; which in the&s;e hard times (not for want of Inclination but Money) finding very dead, nece&s;&s;ity prompts us to &s;eek out; and taking the opportunity of the Night (the fitte&s;t &s;ea&s;on for Deeds of Darkne&s;s) abroad we walk a <HI>Cully catching.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Fleet&s;treet, Holborn,</HI> and <HI>Cheapfide</HI> it &s;elf, can wit|ne&s;s with how many indu&s;trious and weary &s;teps we have trac'd along even till Ten at night: How &s;ome|times we <HI>&s;pread</HI> all our Sails, and pre&s;ently <HI>lay by;</HI> now &s;topp'd our Cour&s;e, and then hearkened for e|very
<PB N="6" REF="6"> <HI>inviting Hem;</HI> jo&s;tled, or &s;tar'd each Pa&s;&s;enger in the face, call'd to them by &s;trange Names, and the friendly &s;alutation <HI>How d'ye Cozen;</HI> and &s;ometimes fell down flat before 'um to attract their Civility; practicing all the my&s;teries of Enticing, Deluding, Solliciting, Fa&s;cinating, and Intoxicating, with &s;o much Dexterity, Addre&s;s, and Diligence, as if the Devil, grown weary of Temptation, had made us his onely Deputies; and all this often without &s;o much as meeting one &s;ingle Prize.</P>
<P>True it is, if we chanc'd to happen &s;ometimes on a young Fop, or an old Leacher, a wilde Gallant or a Grave one, we got perhaps a pretty Treat, and now and then a <HI>George</HI> or two; or if &s;oundly drunkifi'd, made bold to &s;earch their Fobs, and dive into their Pockets for an unnece&s;&s;ary <HI>Watch,</HI> or a few <HI>&s;traggling Guinies:</HI> but alas, as great <HI>Rents,</HI> Pari&s;h-<HI>Duties,</HI> and Family-<HI>Expences</HI> are enough without quick Re|turns to undo the greate&s;t Dealers; &s;o the <HI>Bawds &s;nips,</HI> the Surgeons <HI>Salary,</HI> the Apothecaries <HI>Bill,</HI> the <HI>Tallymans</HI> weekly Contribution, and con&s;tant bribes to <HI>Friends</HI> in office for Connivance, &s;o deeply Excis'd our Gains, that (like <HI>Virginia</HI>-Traders) the Returns of the <HI>Cargo</HI> would &s;carce p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">y <HI>Fraight</HI> and <HI>Cu|&s;toms;</HI> be&s;ides, the hazards we underwent of being <HI>di&s;rob'd</HI> by Prentices upon every Uproar in the &s;treets, <HI>pawn</HI>'d at Taverns, <HI>Sconces</HI> built at home by <HI>Bullies</HI> and <HI>Hectors,</HI> and that uncon&s;cionable Cheat of <HI>bra&s;s Half-crowns</HI> impos'd upon us by more &s;eri|ous <HI>Camlet-cloak Cu&s;tomers</HI> after the mo&s;t punctual bargain in the world, rendered our Occupation &s;o incon&s;iderable, that one on's in forty was able to
<PB N="7" REF="6"> purcha&s;e <HI>Paint and clean Linnen.</HI> But <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">bove all to take the Trade of <HI>Trepanning</HI> out of our hands and turn it upon our &s;elves, to wheadle us gravely into a Tavern, and in&s;tead of the Reckoning produce the <HI>&s;hort Staff,</HI> and hurry us away to the <HI>Hemp office:</HI> Verily, and by our truly, Gentlemen, it was a mo&s;t <HI>unexpected</HI> (not to &s;ay rigorous and unrea&s;onable) u&s;age. <HI>&V;nfortunate Sex</HI> of ours! who&s;e Lot it is, if <HI>young</HI> and <HI>hand&s;ome,</HI> to be puni&s;hed as <HI>Whores;</HI> if <HI>old</HI> and <HI>ugly,</HI> to be Carted for <HI>Bawds,</HI> or burn'd for <HI>Witches;</HI> if hone&s;t, to <HI>&s;tarve;</HI> if free &amp; complai&s;ant, to be rail'd on, <HI>P<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">x'd, Trepau'd,</HI> and <HI>Bridewell'd;</HI> and all this by an <HI>ungrateful</HI> Generation, whom we en|deavour'd, through &s;o many dangers, to <HI>oblige.</HI></P>
<P>But Complaints are vain, and we intend not to di&s;|pute the Ju&s;tice of the&s;e Proceedings; onely thought fit to warn ignorant <HI>well wi&s;hers</HI> to our faculty, of the Hazards abroad; and advi&s;e them, if they mu&s;t needs be <HI>kinde,</HI> to di&s;pence their Favours in private, rather than make Bawdy hou&s;es of the <HI>Streets</HI> and <HI>Alleys.</HI> The truth is, after this late Animadver&s;ion, we finde our &s;elves &s;omewhat inclinable to turn hone&s;t: <HI>Cautiou&s;ly</HI> at lea&s;t, if not <HI>Cha&s;tly,</HI> is a good Motto; for proffer'd Ware you know always goes to a bad Market, and Experience &s;hews (let people talk what they will of Marriage <HI>Bands</HI> and Matrimonial <HI>Shac|kles</HI>) that our Sex enjoys <HI>Plea&s;ure</HI> and <HI>Liberty</HI> &s;el|dome &s;o much, never &s;o &s;ecurely, as when under <HI>Covert-baron.</HI></P>
<P>At lea&s;t (dear Si&s;ters) let us adverti&s;e you to &s;tand upon your Guard, traffique not with <HI>Strangers</HI> with|out good &s;ecurity: The <HI>City</HI> is a dangerous Port to
<PB N="8" REF="7"> lade forbidden Wares in; rather ply on the Skirts of the Town, where 'tis more ea&s;ie to <HI>Smuckle</HI> a Cully: &s;ince an <HI>Embargo</HI> is laid on publick Trade, <HI>enhance</HI> your favours to particular Gallants, to make good the Damage. Though <HI>Night-walking</HI> be forbid|den, the <HI>day</HI>'s our own; but have a care of the <HI>Painted Staff,</HI> and <HI>Mar&s;hals men.</HI> Leave off the <HI>White Colours,</HI> 'tis too notorious and dangerous; rather put on <HI>black Handkerchiefs</HI> and <HI>green Aprons,</HI> and then you pa&s;s among&s;t Friends without &s;u&s;piti|on. Expo&s;e not your &s;elves to every <HI>Sixpenny</HI>-Cu|&s;tomer; tamper not with <HI>Prentices,</HI> unle&s;s they have the <HI>Ca&s;h</HI> under their Tuition. Know the Preroga|tives of your Profe&s;&s;ion; and leave off that <HI>&s;canda|lous</HI> trick of begging Pots of Ale of Porters and <HI>Foot-boys.</HI> In a word, render not your &s;elves Cheap and Contemptible by an open Pro&s;titution, but force the <HI>Fops</HI> to keep a Lent till <HI>Chri&s;tmas,</HI> and 'tis an hundred to one, if you do not finde &s;ome of your Per&s;ecutors <HI>Solliciting</HI> in &s;ecret your Favours.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
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