An Humble PETITION Of the Vniversity and City of Oxford; lately presented to His Majestie, for a speedy accommodation of Peace, between Himselfe and His High Court of Parliament.
Together with His Majesties gracious Answer to the said Petition.
Printed at Oxford by Leonard Lichfield, and now reprinted at London for Thomas Vincent.
THE Humble Petition of the Vniversity and City of Oxford, to His Majestie, for a speedy accommodation of Peace, with His High Court of Parliament.
MAy it please your most sacred Majesty, we your humble Petitioners, in all duty shew, that seeing the whole kingdome so many yeares under the raignes of your Royall predecessors, blessed with a constant and continuall peace, is now overwhelmed in a most lamentable civill Warre, which alwayes is destruc [...]ve to that Kingdome where it rages, the honour of God being thereby declined, the study of good literature, for so many ages famously extant in this ancient University, neglected, the safety of your Majesties person divers times hazarded, the Cōmon-wealth lamentably impoveris [...]ed by the cessation o [...] Trade within our owne Kingdome, and commerce with forraigne Nations. Finally, by that want, the noble Cities of this Land, as London it selfe, and this our City of Oxford, reduced to great distresses, and neere approaching with the rest of the Kingdome to inevitable ruine, unlesse some speedy redresse be put in practice; which we your humble Petitioners [Page 4] [...] from the care [...] of your sacred Majestic whom we in all [...]umility best [...]e fi [...] to take into your Royall and serious consideration the aforementioned miseries surrounding the Kingdome, to [...] with a gracious eye upon the grievous distempers, which (like Hydra's heads, increase even by cutting off) both in the Church and Common-wealth, to survay the strange and horrid effects produced in civill Warres, where, not onely Christians destroy Christians, and Countreymen their fellow countrymen, but brothers sight against brothers, and fathers against their dearly beloved children, the sword running still through the bowels of your Majesties Subjects, whom as you are the father of the Countrey, your Majesty must needs tender with a paternall love, to behold strictly the increasing famines, devastations, depopulations, and sicknesses, which as fast as cloudes pursue cloudes, trace the steps of an intestine warre, making hideous way by their mercilesse effects, to the ruine and desolation of Kingdomes. To ponder the afflictions and miserable estate of many thousand good Protestant subjects in your Kingdome of Ireland, exposed to all the barbarisme and cruely of the pertinacious, and bloody-minded Irish Rebels who imboldened by the still emergent distractions here, like uncontrolled torrents, run on without any considerable resistance there in their audatious and unchristian villames. And lastly, we in all humility request your sacred Majesty to weigh the long and much lamented separation betwixt your royall self and your High Court of Parliament, the supreame Councell of this Kingdome, which in all ages hath beene the glory and security of your famous and redoubted ancestors: and all these considerations reduced into one contract, we doubt not but they will be with the helpe of the Almighty, most efficacious inducements to invite and incline your gracious minde to a sudden and so much desired peace and union betwixt your Majesty and your high Court of Parliament.
For the speedy accomplishing whereof, we most humbly [Page 5]beseech, that without any more attention to the lewd and unchristian counsells of those ill-affected Malignants, who for their owne seditious and sinister ends, doe all that in them lies to augment and continue the present distempers; or without further misconceits or jealousies of the integrity and well-meaning of the honourable your high Court of Parliament, that your sacred Majesty would graciously please to thinke on some speedy course for the setling all differences betweene your Majesty and your high Court of Parliament, which way in your wisedome shall be accounted most fit and commodious for the bringing peace once more into our dwellings; that the increase of honour, wealth, prosperity and plenty may be redoubled in all your Majesties dominions; that trade and commerce both at home amongst our selves, and abroad with our confederate neighbournations, may be renewed and augmented: that all schisme and distraction may be taken away in the Church and Gods holy worship (as it ought to be) performed: that the Schooles of good learning in this Kingdome, especially this famous University, may againe flourish and bring forth painfull Labourers, and pious Instructors into the Lords Vineyard: that our Brethren in Ireland may be relieved from their calamities, and that kingdome setled in its pristine obedience to your Majesty. And finally, that your sacred person being by this peace secured from the dangers' attendant on war, you may be beloved and feared both at home and abroad, and outshine the glory of your Imperiall Progenitors. And we, as in all duty bound, shall ever pray for your Majesties prosperity and eternall felicity.
His MAJESTIES gracious Answer to the Petition of the Vniversitie and Citie of OXFORD.
I Have received your Petition with much joy and alacrity of mind, to understand that so signall a City as this is, one of the Eyes of Our Kingdome, should with so unanimous and generall consent, desire the re-establishment of peace in Our so much distracted and distempered Dominions: For which your request, We render you Our royall thankes, and doe intimate to you, that there is no earthly blessing We so much covet, as the fruits of peace in Our Kingdomes, which have groaned so long under the oppressions and alarums of civill warre, for hundreds of yeeres not heard of, untill these last of our raigne, in this fertill Kingdome. And to let you have a full sense of Our intentions concerning the Accommodation of Peace which you so earnestly desire betweene Our selfe and Our Parliament; you shall know, that Wee esteeme nothing more deare or relative to the royall Prerogative devol'vd upon Us from Our Ancestors, then the peace and tranquility of Our subjects; that blessed and happy peace which is the immediate bounty of the Almighty, the darling and delight of humanity, which by rendring the subject rich and wealthy, renders the Soveraigne powerfull and mighty; that peace which is the nurse of plenty and mother of prosperity, which is now unfortunately fled from Us, leaving war upon Our borders; which certainly shall no longer continue there then We can have meanes to expell it thence. [Page 7]We have a true and equall feeling of the sufferings of Our subjects, of the neglect of Gods true worship, the decay of good literature, the afflictions of Our Kingdome of Ireland, growne almost desolate by the rapine and tyranny of the bloudy minded Rebels: And if you dare give Us credit, your so humble and loyall Remonstrance of these grievances is not more prevalent to incite Us to an Accomodation of Peace, and conjunction with Our high Court of Parliament, then Our owne naturall inclination to the good of Our subjects, and reall commiseration of their daily afflictions and grievances.
We are not unacquainted that the power of Our Progenitors has been much augmented by the diligent care and vigilant assistance of the High Court of Parliament, and doe unfainedly wish that there never had been any difference betwixt Us and Our present supreame Councell of the Kingdome, Our High Court of Parliament; or at least, that it had not thus long continued, nor grown up to this fearful height, this fatall and prodigious Civill war: Which certainly, We have no way neglected with Our utmost endeavours to appease, nor shall hereafter (though We are not diffident of Our strength) cease to labour as much as We may with Our Honour and safety, to bring to a sudden period. Commerce and trafficke We well know are the nerves & sinewes that knit together the Body of Common-wealths, especially this of Ours, which has arriv'd to all it's wealth and fortune by exporting it's native commodities, and importing forraigne: And how carefull We have ever been to preserve it, the Kingdome can beare Us righteous witnesse, and how industrious Our studies shall be to settle and reconfirme it, Our after endeavours shall give an ample testimony for Us. We bleed in the wounds of Our subjects; we suffer in their losses, and are afflicted in their sufferings. Not a man thus slaine on any side but we esteeme as a son taken from Us. And that which as much as any thing else troubles Our thoughts, is the apparent detriment to this famous University, in the decrease [Page 8]of it's Students, out of which has flourished so many eminent Patriots and learned Champions of Gods Gospell: And to see this City, which has been so loyall to Us, and so ready to give Us entertainment, should be impoverished by that decrease; but God will provide better for you hereafter, and surely Our part shall never be wanting to gratifie you with the testimony of Our favour, for the loyalty and readinesse We have found in you to do Us service. And so to conclude, we hope, none amongst you, nor any of Our good subjects but will beleeve that, since these miseries and mischiefs which have overwhelmed Our Provinces fall equally on Us; (but that the head is fensible of any paint in the rest of the members) but that We will with Our best abilities labour to take away the cause off these distractions here▪ that We may be better inabled to suppresse the lamented and bloudy Rebellion in Ireland; and give speedy reliefe to our distressed subjects there, who, though further of [...] are as near as the Natives of this Kingdome to Our affections: For malignant Counsels which may deter or impeach the proceedings of a happy union betwixt Us and Our high Court of Parliament, We shall neither entertaine nor hearken to any such advises, but seriously and suddenly study out some fitting meane that may attone these civill differences. What it shall be we are not yet determined of, a case of so much consequence requiring mature deliberation; but whatsoever the conditions of the peace be, they shall be no way disadvantagious to the liberty of the subject or the fundamentall Lawes of this Kingdome. And so requiring your prayers to Almighty God for the prosperity of Our intentions doubt not but you shall see a sudden and faire accommodation of Peace between Us and Our High Court of Parliament.