Sentence:  But O, passenger, if thou art desirous to know the cause of these fatal discomposures, of this inextricable war, truly I must deal plainly: I cannot resolve thee herein to any full satisfaction. Grievances there were, I must confess, and some incongruities in my civil government, (wherein, some say, the crozier, some say, the <WSD>distaff</WSD> was too busy,) but I little thought, God knows, that those grievances required a redress this way. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A woman, or women considered as a group.