His Majesties ANSWER TO THE PETITION OF The LORDS and COMMONS in PARLIAMENT Assembled.

Presented to His Majestie at YORK, June 17. 1642.

TOGETHER, With a Catalogue of the Names of the Lords that subscribed to Levie Horse to assist His Majestie, in defence of his Royall person, the two Houses of Parliament, and the Protestant Religion.

LONDON, Printed by B. A. for Robert Wood. 1642.

To the Kings most Excellent Majestie.
The humble Petition of the Lords and Commons in PARLIAMENT Assembled.

YO [...] most [...] faithfull Subjects, the Lords and Commons assem [...] great number of the Gentry, Free-holders, [...]sembled there by Your Majesties Command the [...] are unto Us, That having taken a resolution to addresse themselves [...]tie in the humble way of a Petition, for the redresse of those Grievances which they now lie under, they were violently interrupted and affronted therein by the Earle of Linsey, the Lord Savill, and others, and notwithstanding all the means they could use to present their just desires to Your Majestie, yet they could not prevail with Your Majeste to accept of their Petition; The Copie whereof they have sent to us, with an humble Desire, That we would take such course therein as may tend to the Preservation of their Liber­ties, and the Peace of the Kingdome; And that we would addresse our selves to Your Majestie in their behalf that by our means their desires may finde better acceptation with Your Majestie; Whereupon, having seriously weighed, and considered the particu­lars of those their Complaints and Desires, as they are laid down in their Petition, and finding that the Grievances they complain of are the increase of the miseries formerly sustained by that County, (which hath well-nigh for three yeers last past been the Tragicall stage for Armies and War) by reason of Your Majesties distance in Residence, and difference in Counsels from Your great Councell the Parliament, begetting great distempers and distractions thorowout the Kingdom, and especially in that County; The drawing to those Parts great numbers of discontented Persons that may too justly be feared do affect the publike ruine for their own private ad­vantage; The drawing together of many Companies of the Trained Bands and others both of Horse and Foot of that County, and retaining multitudes of Commanders and Cavaliers from other parts; The daily resort of Recusants to Your Majesties Court at York. The great preparations of Arms and other warlike provisions, to the great terrour and amazement of Your Majesties peaceable Subjects, and causing a great decay of Trade and Commerce amongst them. All and every of which Parti­culars are against the Law, which Your Majestie hath made so many and so frequent professions to uphold and maintain. And the Lords and Commons finding on the o­ther side their humble desires to be, That your Majestie would hearken to Your Parliament, and declining all other Counsels wharsoever, unite Your confidence to Your Parliament, and that your Majestie would not divide Your Subjects joint du­tie to Your Majestie, the Parliament and Kingdom, not destroy the Essence of Your great Councell and highest Court, by subjecting the Determinations and Counsels thereof to the Counsels and Opinions of any private persons whatsoever; That Your Majestie having passed an Act, That this Parliament shall not be dissolved, but by Act of Parliament, Your Majesty would not do any thing tending thereunto, by commanding away the Lords and great Officers, whose attendance is necessary ther­unto; That Your Majestie having expressed Your confidence in the affections of that County, You would please to dismisse Your extraordinary Guards, and the Cavaliers [Page] and others of that quality, who seem to have little interest or affection to the pub­like good, their language and behaviour speaking nothing but Division and War, and their advantage consisting in that which is most destructive to others. And last­ly, that in such Consultations and Propositions as Your Majestie maketh to that Countie, such may not be thrust upon them as men of that Countie, that neither by their fortune or residence are any part of it.

All which their humble and most just desires being according to Law, which your Majestie hath so often declared should be the measure and Rule of your Govern­ment and Actions; And we your Majesties most faithfull Subjects the Lords and Commons fully concurring with the Gentlemen and others of the County of York, in their Assurance that those desires of theirs will abundantly redound to the glory of God, the honour and safety of your Majestie, the good of your Posteritie, and the peace and prosperitie of this Kingdom; we humbly bescech your Majestie graciously to hearken unto them, and to grant them; and that you would joyn with your Par­liament in a speedy and effectuall course for the preservation of their liberties, and the peace of the Kingdom, which duty as we are now called upon by that Countie to discharge, so do we stand engaged to God and man for the petformance thereof by the trust reposed in us, and by our solemn Vow and Protestation; And your Ma­jestie, together with us, stands engaged by the like Obligation of trust, and of Oath, besides the many and earnest professions and protestations, which your Majestie hath made to this purpose to your whole Kingdom in generall, and to that Countie in particular; the peace and quiet of the Kingdom (as is well observed by the Gen­tlemen and Free-holders of Yorkshire in their Petition) being the onely visible means under God, wherein consists the preservation of the Protestant Religion, the Redemption of our Brethren in Ireland, and the happinesse and prosperitie of your Majestie and all your Dominions.

His MAJESTIES Answer to the Petition of the Lords and and Commons in Parliament assembled, presented to His MAJESTIE at York the 17. of Iune. 1642.

HIs Majesty having carefully weighed the matter of this Petition presented to him at York on Friday the 17. of June, by the Lord Howard, Sir Hugh Cholm­ley, Sir Philip Stapleton; Though He might refer the Petitioners to His two last De­clarations, wherein most of the particulars in this Petition are fully answered, or might refuse to give any Answer at all, till He had received satisfaction in those high Indignities He hath so often complained of, and demanded Justice for, Yet that all the world may see how desirous His Majestie is to leave no Act which seems to carry the Reputation of both His Houses of Parliament, and in the least degree to reflect upon His Majesties Justice and Honour, unanswered; Is graciously pleased to return this Answer:

[Page] [...] mentioned to be presented to both Houses of Parlia­ment had bill annexed is this now delivered to him, His Majesty might have discerned the [...] and quality of the Petitioners, which His Majesty hath great reason to beléeve, was not in truth so considerable as is pretended: For his Majesty assures you, That He hath never refused any Petition so attested as that would be thought to be; But His Majesty well remembers, that on the third of June, wh [...]n there was upon his Majesties summons the greatest, and most chéerefull concourse of people that over was beheld of one County, appea­ring before Him at York, a Gentleman (one Sir Thomas Fayrfax.) offered in that great Confluence a Petition to His Majesty, which His Majesty séeing to be avowed by no man but himselfe, and the generall and universall Acclamati­ons of the people séeming to disclaime it, did not receive; conceiving it not to be of so Publike a nature, as to be fit to be presented or received in that place: And H [...]s Majesty is most confident, (and in that must appeale to those were then present) that what ever the substance of that Petition was, it was not consen­ted to b [...] any considerable number of Gentry, or Fréeholders of this County; by a few, meane, inconsiderable persons, and disliked, and visibly discountenan­ced by the great Body of the knowne Gentry, Clergy, and Inhabitants of this whole County: And if the matter of that Petition was such as is suggested in this, His Majesty hath great reason to beléeve it was framed and contrived (as many others of such nature have béene) in London, not in Yorkshire: For sure no Gentleman of quality and understanding of this County would talke of His great preparations of Armes, and other Warlike Provisions, to the great ter­rour and amazement of His peaceable Subjects, when they are witnesses of the violent taking His Arms from Him, and stopping all wayes for bringing more to Him: And if there were no greater terror and amazement of His Majesties peaceable Subjects in other places by such Preparations and provisions, there would be no more cause to complaine of a great decay of Trade and Commerce there, then is in this place: But his Majesty hath so great an assurance of the Fidelity and generall affections of his good Subjects of this County, which He hopes will prove exemplar over His whole Kingdome) that He hath great cause to beleeve; That they doe rather complaine of his Majesties Confidence, and of his slownesse, that whilst there is such endeavour abroad to raise Horse, and to provide Armes against his Majesty, and that endeavour put in execution, His Majesty trusts so much to the Justice of his cause, and the affections of his peo­ple, and neglects to provide strength to assist that Justice, and to protect those Affections.

For any affronts offered by the Earle of Lindsey, or the Lord Savill, to those who intended to petition his Majesty: His Majesty wishes that both his Hou­ses of Parliament would have examined that information, and the credit of the informers, with that gravity and deliberation, as in Cases which concerne the Innocence and honour of Persons of such quality hath béene accustomed, before they had proscribed two Péeres of the Realme, and exposed them (as much as in them lay) to the rage and fury of the people, under the Character of being Ene­mies to the Common-wealth, a Brand newly found out (and of no Legall signi­fication) to incense the people by, and with which the simplicity of formed [...]mes [...] And then his Majestie hath some reason to beléeve they [Page] would have found themselves as much abused in the report concerning those Lords, as he is sure they are in those which tell them of the resort of great num­hers and discontented persons to him, and of the other particulars mentioned to to be in that Petition: Whereas they who observe what resort is here to his Majesty, well know it to bee of the prime Gentlemen of all the Counties in England, whom nothing but the love of Religion, the care of the Lawes, and li­berties of the Kingdome, besides their affection to his person, could engage into great journeys, trouble and expence, men of as precious Reputation, and as ex­emplary lives, as this Nation hath any, whose assistance his Majesty knowes he must not expect, if he should have the least Designe against honour and Ju­stice: and such witnesses his majesty desires to have all his actions.

For the declining other Counsells and the Uniting his confidence to his Parliament, his majesty desires both his Houses of parliament seriously and sadly to consider, that it is not the name of a great or little Councel that makes the Results of that Counsell just or unjust: neither can the imputation upon his majesty of not being advised by his Parliament (especially sines all their actions and all their Orders are exposed to the publike view) long mislead his good Subjects, except in truth they sée some particular sound advice necessary to the peace and hapinesse of the Common-wealth dis-ostéemed by his Majesty, and such an influence he is most assured neither can nor shall be given, and that they will thinke it merit in his Majesty from the Common-wealth to rejoin such a Counsell as would perswade him to make himselfe none of tho three Estates by giving up his negative voyce to allow them a power superiour to that which the Law hath given him, whensoever it pleaseth the major part present of both Houses to say that he doth not discharge his trust as he ought, and to subject his and his Subjects unquestionable Right and Propriety to their Uotes, without and against Law, upon the méer pretence of necessity. And his Majesty must appeale to all the World, who it is that endeavours to divide the joynt duty of his Subjects, his Majesty who requires nothing but what their owne duty, gui­ded by the infallible Rule of the Law, leads them to doe, or they who by Or­ders and Uotes (opposite and contradictory to Law, Custome, president and reason) so confound the affections and understandings of his good Subjects, that they know not how to behave themselves with honesty and safety, whilest their Conscience will not suffer them to submit to the one, nor their security to apply themselves to the other. It is not the bare saying that his majesties actions are against the Law (with which he is reproached in this Petition, as if hée depar­ted from his often Protestations to that purpose) must conclude him, there be­ing no one such particular in that petition alleadged, of which his majesty is in the least degrée guilty: whether the same Reverence and estéeme be paid by you to the Law (except your owne Uotes be judge) néeds no other Evidence, then those many, very many Orders published in print, both concerning the Church and State, those long imprisonment of severall persons without hearing them upon generall information, and the great and unlimited Fees to your Office [...], worse then the Imprisonment, and the Arbitrary consure upon them when they are admitted to be heard: Let the Law be judge by whom it is violater.

For that part of the Petition which séems to accuse his Majesty of a purpose to dissolve this Parliament (contrary to the Act for the continuance [...] [...] ing [Page] away the Lords and greāt officers, whose attendance is necessary, which his Majesty well knowe to be a new Calumny, by which the Grand Confrivers of ruine for the State hope to seduce the minds of the people from their affection to, or into jealousie of his Majesty, as if he meant this way to bring this Parliament (which may be the case of all Parliaments) to nothing; it is not possible for His Majesty more to exeresse his affection to, and his Resolution for the Fréedom, li­berty, and frequency of Parliaments, then he hath done; And whosoover considers how visible it must be to his Majesty, that it is impossible for him to subsist with­out the affections of his people, and that those affections cannot possibly be preser­ved or made use of but by Parliaments, cannot give the least credit, or have the least suspition, that his Majesty would chuse any other way to the happinesse he desires for himself and his posterity, but by Parliaments: But for his calling the Lords hither, or any others absenting themselves, who have not bin called, who ever considers the tumults, which no votes or Declaration can make to be no tu­mults, by which His Majesty was driven away, and many Members of either House in danger of their lives, the demanding the names of those Lords who would not consent to their Propositions by Message from the house of Commons delivered at the bar by M. Hollis, with that most tumultuous petition in the name of many thousands, among many other of the same kind, directed to the House of Commons, and sent up by them to the House of Lords, taking notice of the pre­valence of a malignant faction, which made abortive all their good motions, which tended to the peace and tranquility of the Kingdom, desiring that those noblewor­thies of the house of Peers; who concurred with them in their happy Uotes, might be earnestly desired to ioyn with that honourable house, and to sit and vote as one entire body, professing that some spéedy remedy were taken for the removal of all such obstructions as hindred the happy progresse of their great endeavours, their Petitioners should not rest in quietnesse, but should bee enforced to lay hold on the next remedy which was at hand to remove the disturbers of their Peace, and want and necessity breaking the bounds of modesty, not to leave any meanes unassayed for their relief adding that the [...] of the poor and needy was, That such persons who were the Obstacles of their peace, and hinderers of the happy Pro­céedings of Parliament might be forthwith publikely declared, whose removall they conceived would put a period to these distractions: upon which a great num­ber of Lords departing, the Uote in order to the Ordinance concerning the Mili­tia was immediatly past, though it had bin twice before put to the question, and re­jected by the Uotes of much the major part of that house. And whosoever consi­ders the strange Orders, Uotes, and Declarations, which have since passed, to which whosoever would not consent, that is, with Freedom and liberty of lan­guage, and reason professe against, was in danger of Censure and Imprisonment, will not blame our care in sending for them, or theirs in comming, or absenting themselves from being involved in such conclusions. Neither will it be any obje­ction, that they stayed there long after any fumults were, and therfore that the tu­mults drave them not away; If every day produced Orders and Resolutions as illegall as, and indéed but the effects of the tumults, there was no cause to doubt the same power would be ready to prevent any Opposition to those Orders after they were made▪ which had made way and preparation for the Propositions of them, and so whosoever conceived himself in danger of future Tumults, against [Page] which there is not the least provision, was driven away by those which were past And his Majesty hath more reason to wonder at those who stay behind, after all big Legall Power is [...]oted from him, and all the people told, That he might bée with modesty and duty enough deposed, then any man hath at those who have bin willing to withdraw themselves from the place where such desperate and dange­rous positions are avowed: which his Majesty doth not mention with the least thought of lessening the power or validity of an Act, to which he hath given his Assent this Parliament: All and every of which he shall as inviolably observe, as he looks to have his own Rights preserved, but to shew by what means so many strange Orders have of late bin made: And to shew how earnestly his Majesty desires to be present at, and to receive advice from both houses of parliament, a­gainst whom it shall be never in the power of a malignant party to incense His Majesty, his majesty again offers his consent, that both houses may be adjorned to [...] place, which may be thought convenient, where his majesty will bée [...] the members of either House will make a full appea­ [...]mission which must attend such an Adjournment may not be the [...] of recovering that temper, which is necessary for such De­ [...]

And this his Majesty conceives to be so very necessary, that if the minds and in­clinations of every member of either House were equally composed, the Licence is so great, that the mean people about London and the Suburbs have taken, that both for the Liberty and Dignity of Parliament that Convention for a time should be in another place. And [...]e how much soever the safety and security of this Kingdome depends on Parliaments, it will never be thought that those Parliaments must of Ne­cessity be at Westminster.

His Majesties confidence is no lesse then he hath expressed (and hath great cause to expresse) in the affections of this County, an instance of which affections all men know his guard (which is not extraordinary) to be, and wonders that such a legall Guard at his own charge for his person (within 20. miles of a Rebellion, and of an Army in pay against him should be objected by those, who for so many months, and in a place of known and confessed security, have without and against Law kept a Guard for themselves at the charge of the Common-wealth, and upon that stock of money which was given for the Relief of the miserable and bleeding condition of Ireland, or the payment of the great debt due to our Kingdom of Scotland.

For the resort of Papists to the Court, his Majesties great care for the prevention therof is notoriously known, that when he was informed 2. or 3. of his intended Guard were of that Religion he gave especiall direction, with expressions of His displeasure, that they should be immediatly discharged, and provided that no person should attend on him under that Relation, but such as took the Oaths of Allegeance, and Supremacie; that he commanded the Sheriffe to proceed with all severity accor­ding to the Law against all papists that should come within five miles of the Court, and if notwithstanding this, there be any papists neer the Court, (which his Majesty assures you he knows not, nor hath heard but by this Petition) He doth hereby com­mand them to depart, and declares to all Officers and Ministers of Justice, that they shall proceed strictly against them according to the Law, and as they will answer the contrary at their perils.

For the language and behaviour of the Cavaléers (a word by what mistake soever [Page] it seems much in disfavour) there hath not bin the least complaint here and therfore it is probable the fault was not found in this County. Neither can his Majesty ima­gine what is meant by the mention of any men thrust [...]pon them in such Consultati­ons and propositions as his Majesty makes to this County, who are neither by their Fortune or Re [...]dence any part of it, and therfore can make no answer to it.

To conclude, his Maiesty assures you he hath never cefused to receive any Pe­tition, whether you have or no, your selues best know, and will consider what Re­putation it will be to you of Justice or Ingenuity to receive all Petitions how senslesse and scandalous soever of one kind▪ under pretence of understanding the good peoples minds and affections, and not only refuse the Petition, but punish the Petitioners of another kind, under colour that it is not a crime that they are not satisfied with your sense, as if you were only trusted by the people of one opi­nion: To take all pains to publish and print Petitions which agrée with your wishes, though they were never presented, and to use the same industry and Au­thorlty to keep those that indéed were presented and avowed from being published (though by our own authority) because the Argument is not pleasant to you, To pretend impartiality and infallibility, and to expresse the greatest passion and af­fection in the Order of your procéeding, and no lesse error and mis-understanding in your Judgments and Resolutions, He doth remember well the Obligation of his Trust, and of his Oath▪ and desires that you will do so too, and your own so­lemn Now and protestation, and then you will not only think it convenient, but necessary to give his Majesty a full Reparation for all the scandals laid upon him, and all the scandalous positions made against him, and that it is lesse disho­nour to retract errors, then by avowing to confesse the malice of them, and will sée this to be the surest way for the preservation of the Protestant Religion, the Re­demption of our Brethren in Ireland, the happinesse and prosperity of your selves and of all our Dominions, and of the Dignity and Fréedome of Parliament.

A Catalogue of the Names of the Lords that subscribed to levie Horse, to assist His Majesty in the defence of, &c.
  • THe Prince 200
  • The Duke of York 120
  • Lord Keeper 40
  • Duke of Richmond. 100
  • L Marquesse Hartford 60
  • L. Great Chamberlaine 30
  • E. of Cumberland 50
  • E. of Huntington 20
  • E. of Bath 50
  • E. of Southampton 60
  • E. of Dorset 60
  • E. of Northampton 40
  • E. of Devonshire 60
  • E. of Dover 25
  • E. of Cambridge 60
  • E. of Bristol 60
  • E, of Westmerland 20
  • E. of Barkshire and L. An­dover. 30
  • E. of Monmouth 30
  • E. Rivers 30
  • E. of Carnarvan 20
  • E. of Newport 50
  • L. Mowbray 50
  • L. Willoughby 30
  • L. Gray of Ruthin 10
  • L. Lovelace 40
  • L. Paget 30
  • L. Faulconbridge to come.
  • L. Rich 30
  • L. Paulet 40
  • L. Newarks 30
  • L. Montague 30
  • L. Coventry 100
  • L. Savill 50
  • L. Mohun 20
  • L. Dunsmore 40
  • L. Seymor 20
  • L. Capell 100
  • L. Faulkland 20
  • Mr. Comptroller 20
  • M. Secret. Nicholas 20
  • L. Ch. Iustice Banks 20
  • The L. Thanet is not here, but one hath undertaken for 100. for him. Sum. totall, 1659▪

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