%ISOlat1; %ISOlat2; %ISOnum; %ISOpub; ]> The Ladies of London's / Petition. / OR / Their humble Address to the Parliament of old Women for / Husbands, signed by threescore thousand hands, and / never a Crackt Maidenhead nor Widow among them all. University of California - Santa Barbara The Early Modern Center English Broadside Ballad Archive (EBBA) Director Patricia Fumerton Associate Director Carl G Stahmer ?-? Early Modern Center, University of California Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 07/15/2014 34178

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Patricia Fumerton Early Modern Center - English Department University of California Santa Barbara, CA 93105 United States of America EMail: pfumer@english.ucsb.edu

YOU Matrons all, / with humble Submission Information in this section of the Source Description refers to the original ballad manuscript. 1: 60 The Ladies of London's / Petition. / OR / Their humble Address to the Parliament of old Women for / Husbands, signed by threescore thousand hands, and / never a Crackt Maidenhead nor Widow among them all. The Ladies of London's Petition. OR Their humble Address to the Parliament of old Women for Husbands, signed by threescore thousand hands, and never a Cracked Maidenhead nor Widow among them all. ?-?

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 Early Modern Center Ballad Project Keyword Taxonomy advice affliction/ health alcohol Americas animals/ nature Bible/ biblical figures buildings/ architecture catastrophe children class clothing/ appearance country/ nation crime death economics/ commerce entertainments family Featured folklore gender holidays/ seasons infidelity labor/ craft law London love maritime marriage military/ war monstrosity mythology/ Classical news nobility/ court politics/ government procreation punishment race/ ethnicity religious concepts religious figures religious groups royalty rural life servitude sex/ sexuality supernatural/ magic travel trickery/ deceit urban life vice violence virtue vulgar humor youth/ age Library of Congress Subject Heading Taxonomy 7/15/2014 Santa Barbara, California, United States of America country/ nation gender marriage Ballads, English 17th century Broadsides, England 17th century 7/15/2014 12:16:38 PM XBallad Chow, Jeremy Created XML Version of Ballad 7/15/2014 12:16:38 PM Transcription Supervisor Meyer, Shannon Transcription of ballad manuscript 7/15/2014 12:16:38 PM Double-Key Comparison and Merging Becker, Charlotte Transcription of ballad manuscript 7/15/2014 12:16:38 PM Transcriptionist Two McCants, Kristen Transcription of ballad manuscript 7/15/2014 12:16:38 PM Transcriptionist One Decker, Gabriel D. Transcription of ballad manuscript 2/4/2014 Checker Kristen McCants Edited Ballad Catalogue Record 12/4/2012 Bibliographer Olivia Miller Initial Ballad Catalogue Record Created 1/24/2014 Checker Jeremy Chow Edited Ballad Catalogue Record
<seg n="1" rend="left"><hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic">T</hi></hi><hi rend="italic">he Ladies of <hi rend="bold">London</hi>s</hi></seg> <seg n="2" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">Petition.</hi></seg> <seg n="3" rend="left"><hi rend="italic"><hi rend="bold">OR</hi></hi></seg> <seg n="4" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">Their humble Address to the Parliament of old Women for</hi></seg> <seg n="5" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">Husbands, signed by threescore thousand hands, and</hi></seg> <seg n="6" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">never a Crackt Maidenhead nor Widow among them all.</hi></seg> <lb/> <seg n="7" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">T<hi rend="bold">o the</hi> T<hi rend="bold">une of,</hi> Let Mary live long.</hi></seg>
YOU Matrons all, with humble Submission we bring our Petition: For Justice we call pray hear our Complaint t For the good Marriage state Is so run down of late by every one, That pretty young Ladies, That pretty Young Ladies, do long ly alone. A Marriage one fears, because he conjectures, the lowd Curtain Lectures, Will ring through his Ears, both morning and night, Yet in Taverns they'l roar, with a noise ten times more and bottles and wine, Still leaving young Lasses, Still leaving young Lasses, to sigh and repine. A second won't wed for fear that his Beauty, should stray from her Duty And graft on his head a large pair of Horns: Yet he will have in store Twenty Harlits and more: is this not a shame, To spend Youth and Yreasure, To spend Youth and Treasure with Girls of the Game. Another replyes he can't hear the bawling, the whinning and squailing And terrible cryes of Children when young, Why the fourth cryes a wife,
will destroy a Man's Life, and waste him away. These are their Excuses, These are their Excuses, for longer delaie: But yet let them know that Ladies of pleasure are wasters of treasure, They'l bring a Man low that follows the spor[t], Nay the Doctor may hap, For the curing the Clap, to pillage his Purse, Of more than would pay for Of more than would pay fos three Children at Nurse. Be pleased to debate our Case with discretion, its worse than oppression, To live at this rate, and spin out our dayes; Let an Act now be made. That a Fine shall be paid by Men that refuse, To marry when twonty, To marrie when twentie, there's none we'l excuse. Is it not a shame, that here amongst Christians no Turks nor Philistians, But Persons of Fame and Learning also, That should wedlock deny, Which would yeeld a Supplie the Land to defend From all that oppose us, From all that oppose us, or dare to contend.
FINIS.