To the Right Honorable, The Lords and Commons in Parliament aſſembled:The humble Petition of the Lord Major, Aldermen, and Commons of the City of London in Common Councel aſſembled;
THat your Petitioners being deeply ſenſible of the ſad, miſerable and deplorable condition of the King, Parliament and Kingdom, by the long continuance of a bloody and unnatural War (whereof they had great hopes to be freed) after the common Enemy was ſubdued, the Army of our Brethren of Scotland withdrawn, and the Kings Majeſty placed at Holdenby, by conſent of both Kingdoms (in order to a happy compoſure of all differences both in Church and State) But contrary to expectation, your Petitioners, to the great grief and ſorrow of their Souls, do finde the Government of the Church to be ſtill unſetled, Blaſphemy, Hereſie, Schiſm and Prophaneneſs increaſed, The relief of bleeding Ireland obſtructed, The War (to their great aſtoniſhment) again4 renewed, The People of England thereby miſerably impoveriſhed and oppreſſed, The blood of our fellow Subjects (ſpilt like water upon the ground) Our Brethren of Scotland (now entred this Kingdom) in a Hoſtile maner, His Highneſs the Prince of Wales commanding at Sea a conſiderable part of the Navy, and other ſhips under His power, having already made ſtay of many Engliſh Ships, with Merchandizes and Proviſions to a very great value; by reaſon whereof, Navigation will be deſtroyed Seamen deſert us, Merchants inforced to leave off reading, clothing and other manufactures of this Kingdom fall to the ground, Wool, which is the ſtaple commodity of the Land remain unſold, The Mint ſtand ſtill, Cuſtoms and other Profits by Merchandizing will be very much abated, if not utterly deſtroyed; Corn, Salt, Cole, Fiſh, Butter, Cheeſe, and all other proviſions brought by Sea to this City and Kingdom ſtopped, The innumerable number of the poorer ſort depending onely upon manufactures, wanting work and bread (as is greatly feared) will in a very ſhort time become tumultuous in all parts of5 the Kingdom, And many inforced to remove themſelves and families into foraign parts, and there ſetle the manufactures of this Kingdom never to be regained; all which will unavoidably (in a very ſhort time) totally ruine the people of this Kingdom.
Your Petitioners humbly conceive, no viſible way can prevent the apparent ruine of theſe Kingdoms, but the ſpeedy freeing of His Majeſty from that reſtraint wherein He now remaines, and by a Perſonal Treaty, reſtoring to the King His juſt Rights, to the Parliament their undoubted Priviledges, to the People their Native Freedoms and Benefit of the Laws (being the Birthright of every Subject) and by the due attendance of the Members of Parliament, in diſcharge of their truſt to the Kingdom, and in obſerving the ſelf denying Ordinance.
The••remiſes conſidered, your Petitioners do humbly pray, That the Kings Majeſty may be ſpeedily freed from that reſtraint wherein he now remains, and humbly invited unto a Perſonal Treaty, for the ſetling of a ſafe and well grounded Peace; And that6 therein the Union between the two Kingdoms may be preſerved; That in the interim, all acts of hoſtility both by Sea and Land may by command of King and Parliament ceaſe, And Trade free without interruption, That the Government of the Church may be ſpeedily ſetled according to the Covenant, Diſtreſſed Ireland relieved, The People of the Land (by disbanding all Armies) may be eaſed of their intollerable burthens, The Liberty of the Subject reſtored, The Laws of the Land eſtabliſhed, The Members of this Honorable Houſe enjoyned to attend the ſervice of the Kingdom, That the ſelf-denying Ordinance may be effectually obſerved: And that this Honorable Houſe would be pleaſed, ſpeedily to take into their ſerious conſideration the ſad condition of ſuch Merchants, whoſe ſhips and goods are under that Fleet, which is now with His Highneſs the Prince of Wales, and ſuddenly to finde ſome expedient for their releaſment.
And your Petitioners ſhall daily pray, &c.
9 Auguſti, 1648.
THe Houſe of Commons have conſidered of the Petition of the Lord Major, Aldermen and Commons of the City of London in Common-Councel aſſembled, preſented to them Auguſt 8. And upon ſerious Debate had thereupon, thay have thought fit to acquaint the Common-Councel,
That they have paſſed an Ordinance for the ſetling of Preſbyterian Government; and therein (upon review of all their former Ordinances) they have perfected and compiled the ſame in one entire body.
And for the obtaining a ſafe and well-grounded Peace, They have reſolved upon a Treaty with the King in the Iſle of Wight, upon the Propoſitions formerly agreed upon and preſented to the King at Hampton-Court, and for taking away of Wards and Liveries; and alſo upon ſuch other Propoſitions as ſhall be propounded either by His Majeſty or both Houſes of Parliament: And that the King make choyce of what place He pleaſeth in that Iſland, to be there with Freedom, Honor and Safety, to Treat perſonally with the Commiſsioners of Parliament; And the Committee which they have ſent to preſent this offer, are now with His Majeſty.
Concerning the ſeizing of the Ships and Goods of the Merchants of the City of London, and the decay and obſtruction of the Trade of the Kingdom by the Revolted Ships that lie in the Downs, The Houſe is deeply ſenſible thereof, and have done what lies in them for reducing thoſe Ships to their due obedience to the Parliament, by offering them Indempnity for their Offence, and payment of the Mariners Arrears upon their ſubmiſsion; and by ſending the Earl of Warwick, Lord Admiral, with power to command the reſt of the Navy to reduce thoſe Ships by force, if they refuſe the pardon offered them; which might have proved an effectual means before this time, to have prevented the loſs already ſuffered, and to have ſecured the Trade of the Kingdom, had not the going out of the Fleet been retarded by the backwardneſs and treachery of divers8 who have ſecretly complyed with the late defection of the Navy. And that the Houſe may manifeſt their earneſt Deſires to entertain any further means for the more ſpeedy and certain effecting of this work, of ſo neceſſary importance to the Honor and Welfare of this Nation, They have appointed a Committee to Treat with the Merchants (that are moſt concerned therein) to receive their Advice, and to know what ayds they will contribute to the clearing of the Seas; and their readineſs therein, as it will return abundantly to their own advantage, ſo it will be embraced (as a moſt acceptable Service to the whole Kingdom) by this Houſe.
As to the Scotiſh Army which have in Hoſtile maner invaded this Kingdom, are poſſeſſed of Barwick and Carliſle, contrary to the Treaties betwixt the Kingdoms, and do joyn themſelves with the Popiſh and Malignant party in the North, The Houſe of Commons have Declared them Enemies to this Kingdom; and that all thoſe Engliſh or Iriſh as voluntarily adhere to them, are Traytors and Rebels, and to be proceeded with accordingly. And they reſolve (by Gods aſſiſtance) to adhere to and proſecute this their Reſolution; and upon the juſt and neceſſary grounds thereof, They do expect the hearty concurrence and aſsiſtance of this City of London, as of the reſt of the Kingdom, Notwithſtanding all the ſecret Plots and Endeavors of the Scots Emiſſaries, or the Agents of the Popiſh and Malignant party of this Kingdom to the contrary.