A DECLARATION Preſented To the Right Honourable the Lords and Commons in the High Court of Parliament, of England, aſſembled.Of the humble repreſentations of the Grand Inqueſt of the County of Yorke.
WHO doe with all humbleneſſe Remonſtrate, and preſent unto your Honours, an humble acknowledgement, and hearty thankfulneſſe for your unceſſant and unwearied labours, for our and this Kingdomes ſafety, unpreſidented by any former2 time, and not to be parallelled, as we beleeve, by any future age; and particularly that you have, to our ineſtimable comforts, extirpated Prelacy, and Pope•y, and eaſed us of a thirty Courts. The Court of Wards, and of free Quarter. And that you have made good progreſſe in ſettling the Kingdome in a way towards peace.
And yet it is our earneſt and humble deſires, as the moſt deſirable of all earthly bleſſings that you will proceed to the full and finall finiſhing thereof, And to the ſettling Government in relation to Magiſtracy both over Church and State, for the effecting whereof, And of all other your honourable and Chriſtian indeavours for publique good, our uttermoſt abilities, lives, and fortunes ſhall be always ready to doe you ſervice.
And inaſmuch as the honour of God, the eſtabliſhment of true Religion, and the propagation of the Goſpell, is and ought to be the firſt and higheſt of our deſires and indeavours.
We therefore humbly ſupplicate your honours, that you will be pleaſed in your grave3 wiſdomes, to provide, that as much as poſſibly may be, inſufficient, ſcandalous and ſeditious Miniſters may be removed from the places where they are, and pious and able Miniſters ſettled in every pariſh, and competent maintenance appointed for them, and that two, three, or foure Miniſters may bee appointed in each Riding in the mean time, to preach throughout each Riding, where able Miniſters are not, with ſufficient allowance to them alſo, for the raiſing whereof, we humbly preſent our beſt conceptions to your Honours wiſdome, that all augmentations which have been granted, or ſhall be granted, by authority of Parliament, out of impropriate Rectories belonging to Delinquents, for Miniſters maintenance may be continued, with allowance in their Compoſitions.
And that the Lands belonging to the Dean and Chapter, may be improved to their beſt values, and appointed alſo for their maintenance: all which we humbly refer to your honours grave conſideration.
And albeit our ſufferings and loſſes ſince4 the beginning of the late troubles, are beyond our skill now exactly to meaſure, and immunerate, yet we acknowledge with all thankfulneſſe, that next under God, the very ſubſiſtance and injoyment we now have, were, and are preſerved unto us, by the care and vigilency of your Honours. And we doubt not but in fitting time your honours will provide ſome way towards our further reparation.
And wee doe further humbly repreſent, that in reſpect of the many rumors ſpread abroad among us, of ſome intended forraign invaſion, which have begot in us many fears and doubts, leaſt any ſudden ſurprize ſhould fall upon us, we do moſt humbly deſire, that if it may ſtand with your Honours pleaſure, to which we ſhall unanimouſly ſubmit, and in whom under God, we repoſe our ſafeties, that beſides the preſent modell of the Army, ſome ſpeedy and effectuall courſe may be directed for putting this County into a poſture of defence, and for ſetling the Militia among us, in ſuch hands as the well-affected of this County ſhall make choyce of, with his Excellencie5 the Lord Fairfax his approbation. And that though wee can expect nothing from our Brethren of Scotland, but Brotherly concurrence in order to publique Peace and ſafety, they being joyned with us in the Nationall Covenant, yet for that many Delinquents, Papiſts, and others, ill and diſ-affected perſons, have lately withdrawn themſelves, from hence into that Kingdome, and doe there now remaine, and gives forth, as we are given to underſtand, that many twenty thouſands in England are ready to joyn with any viſible, though never ſo ſmall a force, for raiſing new troubles in this Kingdome, therefore we doe with all humility, and ſubmiſſion to your Honors, deſire, that thoſe Engliſh Incendiaries, for we cannot6 ſtile them with any other name, may be called home, and others intending to go for the ſame end, may be reſtrained, and all of them dealt withall as to your Honors wiſdom ſhal be thought meet: And inaſmuch as this great County is now deſtitute of Knights of the Shire, and long hath wanted one. VVe doe humbly repreſent to your Honours our deſires for ſupply herein, that the Affaires in Parliament relating to this County, may be ſpecially intended by the Repreſentatives thereof.