A True RELATION Of Some Remarkeable Passages Concerning Nottingham-Shire PETITION, and His Majesties ANSWER.
Also the ill usage of the Linconshire Gentlmen at York, who delivered their Petition.
Written from an Esquire of Nottinghamshire (being one of the Gentlemen who presented their Petition at York) and sent to his brother, dwelling in London.
Report this from me to be a true Copey of our Answer there,
Whereunto is added His Majesties Message, sent to the Parliament, Aprill 8. 1642. Concerning His resolution to go into Ireland.
LONDON, Printed for R. H. in Queens-head Alley.
To the Kings most excellent Majesty.
A Petition presented to the Kings Majesty at
York, the 1 of
Aprill, by the Inhabitants of the County of
Nottingham, and the County of the Town of
Nottingham, subscribed by 4540 hands of Knights, Esquiers, Gentlemen, Freeholders, and the Major, Aldermen, and other Inhabitants of the Town of
Nottingham.
THat whereas after many straight Yoakes, and heavy burthens in the late long intermission, or interruptions of Parliamentary Iustice, by the predominance of evill councels imposed on us, and with much patience borne by us (though to the extreame pressure of our persons, consciences and estates) we were in the mid'st of many troubles, dangers and extremities, to which this Kingdome was thereby reduced; at last by Your Majesties grace, in calling this Parliament, relieved and eased, and by so happy a constitution of a Parliament, as this in many blessed effects hath appeared, together with the late mutuall correspondence of both Houses, we were revived with fresh and pregnant hopes, that all our former evils, with the cause of them, should by this Parliament (with Your Majesties gracious Assent) be henceforth removed, and greater good wrought and established to us, than we or our fore-fathers have seen: Yet now by Your Majesties late withdrawing both Your person & former grace to such a distance from Your Parliament, we feell our hopes fainting, and almost extinct; new fears raised of the old, and greater evils toward [Page 2] us; and foresee all ordinary remedy like to be removed, or the timely application thereof to extreme danger, retarded▪ Especially, by the advantage which the malignant persons within us, and our enemies abroad (both in Ireland, and elsewhere) may make of such Your distance from Your Parliament, and distrust of it, to the promovall and accomplishment of their mischievous designes (by Your Parliament faithfully represented) and the overwhelming of this Kingdome in the sad effects of intestine discord.
We Your poore Subjects therefore, from deep and bleeding sense of miseries of all sorts, thus growing on Your Selfe, on Yours, on us, on all, do humbly presume to beg, That Your Majesty (weighing the the premisses in your Princely Thoughts) would be pleased to vindicate Your Kingdomes from approaching ruine, Your selfe to security, and restore us to our now languishing hopes.
1 By rejection of evill counsels and Counsellors, as have somented Iealousies or differences between Your Majesty and Parliament, and therein, or other ways, obscure Your Native lustre from Your people, making You appeare lesse amiable than (we beleeve) You are: and next, without which, we can expect no good.
2 By a timely return to some place neer Your Parliament, where they may have such a ready recourse as the exigencies of the times require, and Your Royall Ancestors have ever vouchsafed their Parliaments; and also to Your good opinion of them, and trust in them, as the best supporters of Your Wealth, Honor, and Soveraignty.
And if Your Majesty shall be pleased to renew and continue this Your wonted gracious regard to, and concurrence, with the best advice of Your Parliament, for manage and settlement of Your Kingdoms affairs (which their fidelity may deserve, and Your frequent promises have made Your people expect) the effects will undoubtedly prove the glory of God, Your Majesties truest honor, the terror of Your enemies, safety of Your Kingdoms, and joy of Your good Subjects, especially of us, who shall so clearly, according to to our Protestation, with our Lives and Fortunes maintain and defend Your Ma-Majesties Royall Person, Honor, and Crown; With the Power and Priviledges of Parliament, The Rights & Liberties of Your Subjects, And the Power and Purity of Protestant Religion.
And we shall ever pray, &c.
His Majesty hath given me expresse command to give you this His Answer to your Petition.
THat this Petition (as some others of this nature) is grounded upon misinformation; and being grieved and highly offended, to see how his good people, have been and are abused by false rumors and intelligences (which have procured causelessefears and apprehensions) refers the Petitioners to the two answers He hath given to His Parliament; viz. to the Declaration presented to Him at Newmarket; And to the Petition presented to Him the 26 of this month at Yorke, wherein you will clearely perceive, That His Majesty is not gone, but driven a way from His Parliament; and therefore His Majesty hath reason to thinke, that now understanding the love He beares to and confidence he hath of His Peoples fidelity: As likewise His constant resolution for the maintaining off, and governing by the Laws of the Land▪ you may find reason to Petition the Parliament to comply with his majesties just desires and gratious offers; This being the only way safely and speedily, to cure the present distractions of this Kingdome and (with Gods blessing) to put a happy end to the Irish rebellion; for the effecting whereof (as His Majesty hath often said) He will neither spare paines nor decline any hazard of His person or fortune.
The Letter.
I Was this last weeke at Yorke, with twenty Gentlemen more, and divers others, to deliver a Petition to his Majesty, which was done on Thursday last being the last of March: and Lincolneshire delivered one on Munday before; Yorkeshire delivers one about Tuesday next; and Darbyshire about Wednesday, or Thursday next, all which are much tending to one effect, that is, humbly to entreate [Page 4] his Majesty to abide neare, and hearken to His Parliament, and to remove evill Councellors from about him, with some other things. I have Copies of them all, but they are too long for me to coppy out at this time, ours I am confident John Drewrey shewed you the last weeke, if not Master Fankingham can shew it you, and you may shew him this Answer given to us, under the Secretaries hand with His Majesties direction, and it is the very same Lincolne-shire Gentlemen received from His Majesty, to their Petition. Yorke-shire is said, will appeare 14 thousand in person to avow theirs, the Sherriffe is a chiefe man in it: Darby is said to be 300▪ at least, the Sherriffe, Baronets, Knights, Esquires, Gentlemen and others. Lincolneshire, Sir Richard Earle, delivered it with some twenty Gentlemen of quality, who were scoffed at by the Courties and Citizens, and called Round-heads, they lay in Yorke on Sunday being Corronation day, where was bonefiers made, and much disorder; and about midnight that night, about threescore persons with clubs and bils assalted the house where they lay, and swore they would have the blouds of them, the Gentlemen being up, and the Rogues got into the house they were forced to put out their lights, and betake themselves to their Swords, which done the unknowne Rascals departed, giving threatning speeches, that they would cut the throats of them that came next; yet I praise God we had reasonable faire quarter with them; the City of Yorke we perceive offers these abuses to Petitioners on purpose to deterre them for comming to the King, because they would have reside with them; those that are well affected (which are but few in comparison of the multitude) do joyne with us willingly and freely, both in judgement and matter; the Court is very thin as yet, but encreaseth dayly; the latter Declaration mentioned in our Answer, is not yet in print; the Kings first Answer was (He refers us to the Kentish Petition) but we prssing for a further and more satisfactory Answer, had as you may here see, with hopes still of a better. The Kentish Petition was ordered to be Printed, but speeding so badly at London, it is stopped as yet; much more I could tell you, but my occasions will not permit me, therefore with our best affections to you all, I commit you to the Lords protection and rest,
Report this from me to be a true Coppy of our Answer there.
His Majesties Message, sent to the Parliament the eighth of Aprill. 1642.
Concerning His Resolution to go into
Ireland for suppressing the Rebels there.
HIs Majesty being grieved at the very soule, for the Calamities of His good Subjects of Ireland, and being most tenderly sensible of the false and scandalous Reports dispersed amongst the People, concerning the Rebellion there, which not only wounds His Majesty in Honour, but likewise greatly Retards the reducing of that unhappy Kingdom, and multiplies the Distractions at home, by weakning the mutuall confidence betwixt Him and His People: Out of His pious Zeale to the Honour of Almighty God, in establishing the true Protestant Profession in that Kingdom, and His Princely care for the good of all his Dominions, hath firmly resolved with all convenient speed to go into Ireland, to chastise those wicked and detestable Rebells (odious to God and all good men) thereby so to settle the Peace of that Kingdom, and the security of this, that the very name of Feares and Ielousies may be no more heard of amongst Vs.
As His Majesty doubts not, but that his Parliament will cheerfully give all possible assistance to this good Worke; so he requires them and all his loving Subjects to beleeve, that he shall upon those considerations as earnestly pursue this Designe (not declining any hazard of His person, in performing that Duty which he oweth to the defence of Gods true Religion, and His distressrd Subjects) as for these, and only these ends He undertakes it: to the sincerity of which profession He cals God to witnesse, with this further assurance, that His Majesty will never consent (upon whatsoever pretence) to a toleration of the Popish profession there, or the abolition of the Laws now in force against popish Reculants in that Kingdome,
His Majesty hath further thought fit, to advertise his Parliament, that towards this Work He intends to raise forthwith by his Commissions, in the Counties neer Westchester, a Guard for His own person (when he shal come into Ireland) consisting of two thousand foot, and two hundred Horse, which shall be Armed at Westchester from [Page 6] His Magazine at Hull: At which time all the Officers and Souldiers shall take the Oathes of Supremacy, and Allegiance: The charge of raising and paying whereof His Majesty desires His Parliament to adde to their former Vndertakings for that War, which His Majesty will not only well accept; But if their pay be found too great a burthen to His good Subjects, His Majesty will be willing (by the advice of His Parliament) to sell, or pawn any of His Parks, Lands, or Houses towards the supplies of the Service of Ireland: With the Addition of these Levies to the former of English and Scots agreed upon in Parliament, He hopes so to appeare in this Action, that (by the assistance of Almighty God) in a short time that Kingdom may be wholly reduced and restored to peace, and some measure of happinesse whereby He may cheerfully return, to be welcomed home with the Affections and blessings of all His good English people.
Toward this good work, as His Majesty hath lately made dispatches into Scotland, to quicken the Levies there for Ʋlster; So He heartily wishes that his Parliament here would give all possible expedition to those which they have resolved for Munster and Conaught: and hopes the encouragement which the adventurers (of whose interest his Majesty will be alwaies very carefull) will hereby receive (as likewise by the lately signing of a Commission for the Affaires of Ireland, to such persons as were recommended to him by both houses of Parliament) will raise full sums of money for the doing thereof▪
His Majesty hath been likewise pleased (out of His earnest desire to remove all occasions, which do unhappily multiply mis-undeestandings between Him & His Parliament) to prepare a Bill to be offered to them by His Attourny, concerning the Militia, whereby He hopes the Peace and safety of this Kingdom may be fully secured, to the generall satisfaction of all men, without violation of His Majesties just Rights, or prejudice to the Liberty of the Subject. If this shall be thankfully received; He is glad of it. If refused; He cals God, and all the world to judge, on whose part the default is. One thing His Majesty requires, (if this Bill be approved of) That if any Corporation shall make their lawfull [...]ights appear, they may be reserved to them.
Before His Majesty shall part from England, He will take all due care to entrust such persons with such Authority in His absence, as He shall find to be requisite for the peace and safety of this Kingdom, and the happy Progresse of this Parliament.