To the Supreme Authority of England, the Commons Aſſembled in Parliament. The Humble Addreſſe of Thomas Deveniſh.

THat after the ſetting of this Parliament; troubles a­riſing in this Nation in moſt places; and he living at that time in the County of Dorſet, near the houſe of a great Recuſant, was in great danger of his life, by that family, and thoſe ill affected, who frequently reſorted to the ſaid houſe (they knowing him well to be faithfull to the Parliament) which being by a great providence diſcovered to your ſuppliant, he was neceſſitated for the preſervation of his life, to fly to London for refuge, and having lived there but a ſhort time, ſome of this Honourable Houſe, who knew your ſuppliant and his condition, proffered him Wincheſter houſe to keepe the Parliaments Priſoners in, as an imployment that might be and was thought beneficiall, and thereupon got an Ordinance of Par­liament dated 14. Novem. 1642. to that purpoſe; which when one M. Nicholas Young heard of, he appeared and laid claim to the ſaid houſe, as having in law an unqueſtionable title for his life, to the profits and benefits of the ſaid houſe, by Patent from the Bi­ſhop, confirmed by the Dean and Chapter of Wincheſter, whereup­on the Committee for priſoners, ſent for the ſaid Young, to pro­duce his title, and upon their peruſall of his Evidence they jud­ged his title good in Law, and thought it reaſonable, if he would conſent that the Houſe ſhould be imployed as a Priſon for the Par­liaments uſe: That the ſaid M. Young ſhould have 52 l. per annum for the uſe thereof, beſides his ſallary and all other benefits of al­lowance of diet, Liveries &c. mentioned in his letters Patent, he ſhould keep to himſelf; which Agreement being made with the ſaid M. Young, the ſaid Committee prevailed with the Parliament to paſſe another Ordinance dated 3. Decem. 1642. to that pur­poſe; ſo that your Suppliant, who was to have had the houſe free­ly by the former Ordinance, was now to pay out of his own purſe 52 l. per annum for the ſame, to keep the Parliaments priſoners in2 notwithſtanding he never had a penny ſallary for all his pains and expences, but was to expect to have it by way of fees from ſuch priſoners as ſhould be ſent to the ſaid houſe, which proved little worth; for this Honourable Houſe then ſent few of any ability to that place, but diſpoſed moſt commonly of ſuch priſoners to Sir John Lenthall and M. Warcop &c and did fill up Wincheſter houſe with poor Soldiers, in all near a thouſand, which made the houſe al­together unprofitable, noyſome, and brought the plague into it, in which miſerable condition, your ſuppliants wife, & divers other of his family were ſwept away by death, and his friends ſtood afar off from him, & durſt not come nigh him, to comfort or help him: But beſides all this there was yet more that added abundantly to his miſery and ſorrow, which was that this Honourable Houſe having appointed ſo many hundreds of the N•zeby poor priſoners, to his cu­ſtody, voted them allowance for their maintenance, ſo that the pro­portion did not exceed ſix pence per diem for a man; & the Commit­tee for priſoners, by vertue of that Order, appointing him to allow them threepence a day a man; faithfully promiſing weekly to pay him, that which ſo hee ſhould lay out for them, accordingly your ſuppliant did honeſtly and conſtantly allow them the ſaid allowance, expecting his money weekly according to faith and promiſe, neither of which hath been kept with him; he being at this day out of purſe three hundred and odde pounds for ſuch poor Soldiers, as had threepence per diem, beſides poor Officers which had alſo allowance, beſides all which, he further provided them ſtraw, and meat, &c. for the ſick, and buried their dead at his own charge. Moreover he hath laid out a 100 l. in repairing the houſe, which reparations are appointed by the forementioned Ordinance to be allowed out of the Biſhops Rents, but yet there was never penny paid; all which things laid together rendred your ſuppliants con­dition moſt miſerable and ſad, and the rather becauſe that which was pretended by the Parliament for his good, was apparently turned to his miſchief and hurt, and not knowing how to help himſelf; his frequent and daily addreſſes to the Committee for priſoners, proving altogether fruitleſſe, and a meer expence of time and money, at laſt he was neceſſitated to treat with the ſaid M. Young for the buying his Patent, and all his intereſt and title in the ſaid houſe, that he might no longer ſit at ſo great a Rent as 52 l. per annum to doe the Parliament ſervice, and no profit at all ariſing to himſelf: whereupon the ſaid M. Young and your ſuppli­ant3 did agree (the writings and conveyances being drawn up by your Sollicitor General M. John Cook, who then did affirm, and ſtill doth declare, that your ſuppliants purchaſe of the premiſſes of the hands of the ſaid M. Young, is as valid and good in law for his life to the whole houſe, as can be in law made unto a man) ſo that the entire intereſt right and title of Maſter Young to the ſaid houſe, and all the benefits, and profits, and arrears of profits of the ſaid patent being legally your ſuppliants, hee may well, and he hopes conſcionably reckon the 52 l. rent per annum, with the oth•r arrears of profits of the ſaid patent at 100 pound per annum, which for ſix years amounts to 600 pound; of all which he your ſuppliant, never from you, or any for you received a pen­ny, and he is clear out of purſe for relieving the poor ſouldiers; and repairing the houſe above 400 pound (beſides his buying and le­gally purchaſing the patent) which with the fore-mentioned 600 pound, makes above 1000 l. and hath no rationall nor viſible way in his apprehenſion left him to get his money, which is his due and right, but onely his legall and juſt intereſt hee hath in the ſaid Bi­ſhops houſe by vertue of his patent. But now ſo it is at laſt, as if there were a determinate reſolution utterly to undoe your ſuppli­ant, and all that belongs to him, for his faithfulneſſe to you, it is ſtrongly endeavoured by the Truſtees of Biſhops Lands violently to put him out of poſſeſſion of his legall right of the ſame houſe, not making him any allowance in the world for the great ſummes of money due to him, nor ſhewing him any probable way how to obtain his juſt right and due, but have made complaint againſt him to the Committee of Parliament for removing of obſtructions in the ſale of Biſhops Lands, who have ſent for him ſeverall times, and dealt worſe with him, then wicked Abab was willing to have dealt with poor Naboth for his vineyard; who was willing to give him a better vineyard then it, for it, or as much money as it was worth, 1 King. 21.2. but they command him to deliver up to the Truſtees his legall poſſeſſion and title, without the proffer of any valuable conſideration at all, uſing him with much reproach, and ſcorn, and threatning language; and though the laſt week, as at other times he waited upon them, and could have no audience, there being not a Committee, and being but newly gone out of Town into Eſſex, the ſaid Committee upon the 14. of March laſt ſent the ſervants of the Serjant at Arms, attending your houſe thither to apprehend him, as a priſoner, and keep him in ſafe cu­ſtody4 to his exceeding reproach, loſſe and charge, though at that time he was buſily imploied in the Parliaments ſervice, about Til­bury block-houſe by Collonel Temple, a Member of your Houſe, for which ſervice he receiveth no ſalary from you or other profit.

Now your ſuppliant humbly beſeecheth you to judge impartial­ly how ſadly he is dealt withall, who hath faithfully adhered to you from the beginning and ſent out his three ſons in your ſervice, one of which was ſlain therein, and a ſon in law of his loſt his life in your ſervice alſo, and left behinde him your ſuppliants poor daughter, a widdow with four ſmall children without relief, pit­ty, or help from you; and now he himſelf, who hath laid out his all for you, muſt be thus therefore deſtroied in his helples old-age, as alſo the reſt of his children by a forcible taking from him and them their juſt right, which ſhould purchaſe them bread, to keep them alive in theſe ſtarving times; he not in the leaſt deſiring to keep and preſerve his poſſeſſion in his houſe for that ſingle life he hath in it any longer, then till you will audite his Accompts, and pay him what you juſtly owe him, and give him a valuable conſi­deration for his legally purchaſed intereſt in it, or elſe ſet him ſome reaſonable price upon your future right in the premiſſes, that ſo he may endeavour to procure ſome friend of his to pay you ready mo­ney for it, allowing him in the price thereof, what is juſtly his due and right. In the mean time he humbly beſeecheth you, that he may have his liberty granted him, that thereby he may be the better enabled to do you further ſervice.