At age 19, Speght published "A Mouzell for Melastomus" (London, 1617) (the title means "a muzzle for black mouth"), a prose refutation of Joseph Swetnam's misogynistic "The Araignment of Lewde, Idle, Froward, and Unconstant Women" (London, 1615). "Speght is one of the first Western women to recognize, in print, that jokes against women are usually more than just harmless banter. Speght interprets Swetnam's book as a serious attack against women. The first letter addresses fellow women, and the second is directed to Swetnam himself. In both letters she quotes from such classical figures as Aristotle and Tacitus, and she draws from various Greek and Roman myths." By employing these devices, Speght establishes ethos with her audience and her credibility as author and speaker.