THE HUMBLE PETITION OF THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE Lord Mayor, ALDERMEN, AND Commons of the City of London, IN Common-Council Assembled, ON THE Thirteenth of January, 1680. To the King's most Excellent Majesty, for the Sitting of this present Parliament Prorogu'd to the Twentieth Instant.
TOGETHER With the RESOLUTIONS, ORDERS, and DEBATES of the said COURT.
LONDON, Printed by Samuel Roycroft, Printer to the Honourable City of London. 1680.
IT is Agreed and Ordered by this Court, That the Petition now Agreed on to be Presented to His Majesty, and such Orders and Proceedings of this Court had this Day, as the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor shall think fit, shall after the said Petition Presented, be printed by such Person as his Lordship shall Appoint.
Pursuant to which Order, and to prevent false Copies, I do appoint Samuel Roycroft, Printer to this Honourable City, to print this Petition, with all the Orders and Debates thereupon; and that no other Person presume to print the same.
Commune Concil' tent' in Camera Guildhall Civitatis London Die Jovis decimo tertio die Januarij Anno Domini 1680. Annoque Regni Domini nostri Carol' Secundi nunc Regis Angl' &c. Tricesimo secundo, coram Patient' Ward Mil', Major' Civitatis London, Thoma Aleyn Mil' & Barr', Johanne Frederick Mil', Johanne Lawrence Mil', Georgio Waterman Mil', Josepho Sheldon Mil', Jacobo Edwards Mil', & Roberto Clayton Mil', Aldermannis, Georgio Treby Ar' Recordatore dicte Civit', Johanne Moore Mil', Willielmo Pritchard Mil', Henrico Tulse Mil', Jacobo Smith Mil', Roberto Jeffery Mil', Johanne Shorter Mil', Thoma Gould Mil', Willielmo Rawsterne Mil', Thoma Beckford Mil', Johanne Chapman Mil', Simone Lewis Mil', Thoma Pilkington Ar' Ald'ris, & Henrico Cornish Ar' Ald'ro ac unum Vicecom' dicte Civitatis necnon Major' parte Comminarior' dicte Civitatis in Communi Concil' tune & ibidem Assemblat'.
THIS Day the Members that serve for this City in Parliament, having communicated unto this Court a Vote or Resolution of the Honourable House of Commons, whereby that House was pleased to give Thanks unto this City for their manifest Loyalty to the King, their Care, Charge, and Vigilance for the Preservation of his Majesties Person, and [Page 2]of the Protestant Religion. This Court is greatly sensible of the Honour thereby given to this City, And do declare, That it is the fixt and uniform Resolution of this City to persevere in what they have done, and to contribute their utmost Assistance for the Defence of the Protestant Religion, His Majesties Person, and the Government Established.
It was now unanimously Agreed and Ordered by this Court, That the Thanks of this Court be given to the Members that serve for this City in Parliament, for their good Service done this City, and their Faithfulness in discharging their Duties in that Honourable and great Assembly.
Upon a Petition now Presented by divers Citizens and Inhabitants of this City, representing their Fears from the Designs of the Papists and their Adherents, and praying this Court to acquaint his Majesty therewith, And to desire, That the Parliament may sit from the Day to which it stands Prorogued, until they have sufficiently provided against Popery and Arbitrary Power. This Court, after some Debate and Consideration had thereupon, did return the Petitioners Thanks for their Care and good Intention herein; And did thereupon nominate and appoint Sir John Lawrence, Sir Robert Clayton, Knights and Aldermen, Mr. Recorder, Sir Thomas Player Kt. Mr. John Du Bois, John Ellis Esq and Mr. Michael Godfrey Commoners, to withdraw, and immediately to prepare a Petition to his Majesty upon the Subject matter of the said Petition; who accordingly withdrawing, after some time returned again to this Court, and then presented the Draught of such a Petition [Page 3]to his Majesty. The Tenor whereof followeth, Viz.
To the Kings most Excellent Majesty, &c.
After reading whereof, It is Agreed and Ordered by this Court (Nemine Contradicente) That the said Petition shall be Presented to his Majesty this Evening, or as soon as conveniently may be. And the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor is desired to present the same, accompanied with Sir John Lawrence, Sir Joseph Sheldon, Sir James Edwards, Knights and Aldermen, Mr. Recorder, Deputy Hawes, Deputy Daniel, John Nichols, John Ellis, Esquires, Mr. Godfrey, and Capt. Griffith Commoners, who are now nominated and appointed to attend upon his Lordship at the Presenting thereof.
Ward Mayor.
IT is Agreed and Ordered by this Court, (Nemine Contradicente) That the Humble Petition to His Majesty from this Court, now read and agreed upon, shall be Presented to His Majesty this Evening, or as soon as conveniently may be. And the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor is desired to Present the same, accompanied with Sir John Lawrence, Sir Joseph Sheldon, and Sir James Edwards Knights and Aldermen, Mr. Recorder, Deputy Hawes, Deputy Daniel, John Nicholls, John Ellis, Esquires, Mr. Godfrey, and Capt. Griffith, Commoners, who are now nominated and appointed to attend upon his Lordship at the Presenting thereof.
TO THE KINGS MOST Excellent MAJESTY.
The Humble PETITION of the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Commons of the City of
LONDON, in Common Council Assembled.
THat Your Majesties great Council in Parliament, having in their late Session, in pursuance of Your Majesties Direction, entred upon a strict and impartial Inquiry into the horrid and execrable Popish Plot, [Page 6]which hath been for several years last past, and still is, carried on for destruction of Your Majesties Sacred Person and Government, and extirpation of the Protestant Religion, and the utter Ruine of Your Majesties Protestant Subjects; and having so far proceeded therein, as justly to attaint upon full Evidence one of the Five Lords impeached for the same, and were in further Prosecution of the remaining Four Lords, and other Conspirators therein.
And as well the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, as the Commons in Your said Parliament assembled having Declared, That they are fully satisfied, that there now is, and for divers years last past, hath been a horrid and Treasonable Plot and Conspiracy contrived and carried on by those of the Popish Religion in Ireland, for Massacring the English, and subverting the Protestant Religion, and the Ancient established Government of that Kingdom.
And Your said Commons having Impeached the Earl of Tyrone, in order to the bringing him to Justice for the [Page 7]same; And having under Examination other Conspirators in the said Irish Plot.
And Your said Commons having likewise impeached Sir William Scroggs, Chief Justice of Your Majesties Court of Kings Bench, for Treason and other great Crimes and Misdemeanors in endeavouring to subvert the Laws of this Kingdom by his Arbitrary and Illegal proceedings; And having voted Impeachments against several other Judges for the like Misdemeanors.
Your Petitioners considering the continual Hazards to which Your Sacred Life, and the Protestant Religion, and the Peace of this Kingdom are exposed, while the Hopes of a Popish Successor, gives Countenance and Encouragement to the Conspirators in their wicked Designs. And considering also the Disquiet and Dreadful Apprehensions of Your good Subjects, by reason of the Miseries and Mischiefs which threaten them on all parts; as well from Foreign Powers, as from the Conspiracies within Your several Kingdoms, against which [Page 8]no sufficient Remedy can be provided but by Your Majesty and Your Parliament, Were extreamly surprized at the late Prorogation, whereby the Prosecution of the Publick Justice of the Kingdom, and the making the Provisions necessary for the Preservation of Your Majesty, and Your Protestant Subjects, hath received an Interruption. And they are the more affected herewith, by reason of the Experience they have had of the great Progress, which the emboldned Conspirators have formerly made in their Designs, during the late frequent Recesses of Parliament; But that which supports them against Despair, is the Hopes they derive from Your Majesties Goodness, That Your Intention was, and does continue by this Prorogation, to make way for Your better Concurrence with the Counsels of Your Parliament.
And Your Petitioners humbly hope, That Your Majesty will not take Offence, that Your Subjects are thus Zealous, and even impatient of the least Delay of the long hoped for Security, whilst they see your precious Life invaded, the true Religion undermined, their Families and innocent Posterity likely to be subjected to Blood, Confusion, and Ruine; and all these Dangers encreased, by reason of the late Endeavours of Your Majesty, and Your Parliament, which have added Provocation to the Conspirators, but have had little or no Effect towards securing against them: And they trust Your Majesty will graciously accept this Discovery and Desire of their Loyal Hearts to preserve Your Majesty, and whatever else is dear to them, and to strengthen Your Majesty against all Popish and Pernicious Counsels, which any ill-affected Persons may presume to offer.
They do therefore most humbly Pray, That Your Majesty will be graciously pleased (as the only means to quiet the Minds, and extinguish the Fears of Your Protestant People, and prevent the eminent Dangers which threaten Your Majesties Kingdoms, and particularly this Your Great City, which hath already so deeply suffered for the same) to permit Your said Parliament to Sit, from the Day to which they are Prorogued, until by their Counsels and Endeavours those good Remedies shall be provided, and those just Ends attained, upon which the Safety of Your Majesties Person, the Preservation of the Protestant Religion, the Peace and Settlement of Your Kingdoms, and the Welfare of this [Page 11]Your Ancient City, do so absolutely depend. For the pursuing and obtaining of which good Effects, Your Petitioners unanimously do offer their Lives and Estates.
And shall ever pray, &c.