TWO PETITIONS OF THE COVNTIE OF YOURKE.
The one presented to the Kings most Excellent Majestie, at Yorke the third of June, 1642.
The other to the Lord and Commons in Parliament Assembled.
With the Additionals thereunto annexed
Ordered by the Lords assembled in Parliament, that these two Petitions, together with the additions, bee forth-with Printed and Published.
Re-printed at EDINBURGH, 1642.
TO THE KINGS MOST Excellent Majestie, The humble Petition of the Gentrie, Ministers, Free-holders, and other Inhabitants of the Countie of YORKE.
THat this particular Countie (most affectionate to your Majesties service) hath wel nigh for three years last past been the stage whereon the tragicall miseries (which necessarily accompanie and associate War and Armies) have been represented & acted, whereby the generall wealth and plentie of this Countie is exhausted and brought verie low; which weight of miseries are sensibly become much more heavie by reason of your Majesties distance in residence, and difference in Councels from your great Councel the Parliament, begetting great distempers and distractions throughout the Kingdome, and have specially amongst us produced factions & divisions; drawing to these parts great numbers of discontented persons, that may too justly be feared to affect the publike ruine for their privat advantage. All which evils are daily fomented & grown more formidable by your Majesties drawing together (as we conceive, not according to Law) manie Companies of the Trained Band, and others both horse and foot of this County, & retaining multitudes of Commanders and Cavaleers from other parts, and by the daily resort of the [Page 4] Recusants and persons disaffected in Religion to your Majesties Court at Yorke; and by the great preparations of Armies and other warlike provisions, which begets in us feares of wars, to the great terror & amazement of us your Majesties peaceable Subjects, and the great decay of all commerce and industrious courses for the wealth and prosperitie of the Country, specially of clothing, which is the maine subsistance of this County, & is since your Majesties residence with us, & the following distractions therupon suddenly obstructed, insomuch that many thousand families who are of, & have their livelihood by the trade of clothing, are at the point of utter undoing, which inevitably with prove to be of dangerous consequence, and will bee the inlet to our approaching and unavoidable ruine, unlesse your Majestie please graciously to give redresse, by removing the causes which produce these miserable effects: it being too true, that very many in these, and other parts of the Kingdome, doe wholly withdraw themselves from their former commerce and dealing, and others, both Marchants, and Chap-men, doe now generally refuse to make payment for goods long since sold and delivered, alledging, that others refuse to pay them for any commodity formerly sold; til the feares and distractions of the Land be settled, which if not suddenly prevented, will forth-with overturne all such wayes of advantage and comfort, as have formerly made this Kingdome (and this Countie in particular) prosperous and happie.
Wee doe therefore in all humility and dutie, in the sence of our present deplorable condition: beseech your Majestie to pardon us, if we importune your Majestie more then others, since we have endured, and are in hazard more then any: and that from these apprehensions we may offer to your Majesty our earnest Petitions, for redresse, & prevention of these evils, daily threatning danger to your Majesty, and destruction to us, which wee conceive is impossible any other way to be effected, then by your Majesties entertaining a right understanding betwixt your self & Parliament, & affording your gracious ear and consent to such Councels and propositions, as shal be tendred by them to your Majestie, for the honour & greatnesse of your Majestie [Page 5] and posterity, and the good of this Church and Kingdome: and by your Majesties declining all other Councels whatsoever, and uniting your confidence to your Parliament: & that your Majesty would in no way think fit to put us upon that rocke of dividing the duty we owe to your Majestie, your Parliament, and the whole Kingdome, (to which we are so deeply ingaged by our protestation, which your Majesty (to our knowledge) never dissented fr̄o, not declared against and that whilst your Majestie expects our performance in one part thereof, we may not (being equally engaged) impeach at all or in the least degree, goe lesse then our dutie in the other, which (wee stand resolved of) by no meanes either of feare or favour to be drawne to doe. And that your Majestie would take into consideration, that your Parliament being the supreame Judicatorie of your Kingdome, the very essence thereof must of very necessitie bee destroyed, if their Counsels and determinations be subjected to alteration, or reversall by the Counsels, or opinions of any private persons, how learned or judicious soever; and seeing your Majesty hath most graciously passed an Act that this Parliament shall not be dissolved, nor adjourned, without consent of your Majestie, and both Houses: We do humbly beseech your Majestie, to take into your gracious and provident thoughts that nothing may bee done tending thereunto: and that the Lords and great Officers now called hither by your Majesties command, may speedily returne to the high Court of Parliament, whereby it may be evident to the world, that your Majestie intends not to decline the Law so inacted; and that since your Majestie hath graciously declared your confidence in the affections of this Countie, your Majestie would not thinke it fit an extraordinarie Guard should be raised thereout, and the Cavaleers, and others of that qualitie still continued about your Majestie (as men most useful, and as if kept for some designe) they not having (for ought we know) either entrest in, or affections to the publike good, their language and behaviour, speaking nothing but division, and warre, and their advantage, consisting in that which is most destructive to others.
And lastly, that since your Majestie hath called in this County to [Page 6] attend your Majestie this day; your Petitioners doe most humbly supplicate that none either Cavaleers, or others (who in truth have not present fortunes in this County) may be admitted into any meeting this day, concerning the publike businesse thereof; or hereafter into any present vote or consultation when any further meeting may be, to prepare and consider of some fit answere to what your Majestie shall propound, we humbly conceiving it neither just nor equall (but a thing to be protested against) that any whosoever should bee thrust upon us, as men of this Countie, that are not either by their fortune or residence anie part of us.
And now your Petitioners doe most heartily pray, that the God of heaven, in whose hands are the hearts of Kings, would this day incline your Majesties heart, seriously to consider these present and imminent miseries that this your Kingdome lyes under, in the peace whereof (visibly under God) consists the preservation of the Protestant Religion the redemption of our Brethren in Ireland, and the establishing of that Kingdome to your Majestie and posteritie, from those desperate and unparaleld Rebels, that so your Majestie might graciously grant these your Petitioners humble desires which (whatsoever will bee said to the contrary) your Petitioners are well assured, would abundantly redound to the glorie of God, the honour and safetie of your Majestie, the good of your Posteritie, and the only probable meanes under God, with peace and plentie, to make this your Kingdome happie, besides the happie acquisition of your peoples hearts, the greatest treasure of Princes, all which will gloriously represent your Majesties lively portraiture, of him who is the fountaine of Wisedome and pietie, to whom wee shall ever pray for your Majesties long and prosperous Reigne.
To the right Honourable, the Lords and Commons in the High Court of Parliament assembled.
The humble Petition of the Gentrie, Ministers, Free-holders, and other inhabitants of the County of
Yorke, assembled there at His Majesties command, the third of Iune.
1642.
WEe beeing resolved humbly to petition His Majestie for the redresse of those grievances which we now lye under, did desire to have met in the Castle-yeard at Yorke, we conceiving it the fittest place to consider of such publike affaires as concerned the Countie, which we were not only denyed of, but charge was given to the Officer there, that wee should not have admittance, and when we assembled upon the place appointed by his Majestie, and did acquaint the County there met with the forme of a Petition, the sence whereof the formerly approved of, and then upon the reading thereof, generally consented to, and desired the same should be presented to his Majestie, we were violently interrupted by the Earle of Linsey, who with a great Troup attending him, in an imperious way, snatched out of a Gentle-mans hand of good qualitie, a Coppie of the forenamed Petition which at the desire of the Country hee was reading to them, and some of his Lordships companie laid hold of his Bridle and Cloake, hailing him in great furie, and said, You are a companie of traiterous Rogues and Villaines, and often lifted up his Cane, as if he would have strucke him. And also a Knight of this County was affronted by the Lord Savile, upon his reading the draught of a Petition to himselfe, upon the place aforesaid, the day above: First, his Lordship told him it was a Pamphlet, which he denied, thereupon the Lord Savile demanded it of him, which he refused to deliver, his Lordship laid hands upon his Sword, and almost pluckt him from his Horse, upon which the said Knight fearing some mischief would be done him, delivered the same: And then the said Lord Savile told him, he laboured to sow seeds of sedition, & if he would fight, there should be fighting enough, and many of the [Page 8] said Lord Savil's company held uptheir Canes at him, & one of them said, Hold your prating, It were good to Cane you: Which provocations, had not the people been peaceably enclined, might have produced bloudy effects. Notwithstanding all which, and divers others insufferable injuries, so confident were wee of his Majesties former professions, never to refuse any Petition presented by his people to him in an humble way, that we desisted not to waite our best opportunitie, to present the said Petition to his Majestie: (a Coppie whereof we here humbly present unto your grave considerations which his Majestie notwithstanding pleased not to accept of.
Wee therefore humbly desires these Honourable Houses well to weight these particulars, and to take such course therein as may tend to the preservation of our Liberties, and the peace of the Kingdome. And that you would please to addresse your selves to his Majestie on our behalfe, that through your wisedomes our Desires may finde better acceptation with his Majestie.
And we shall heartily pray, &c.
Monday the sixth of Iune. 1642. P. Merid.
THe Lords and Commons observing not only the wisedome, but the affections of the County of Yorke expressed in these Petitions, and likewise that they cannot be discouraged from their constant fidelitie to the Lawes and Goverment of this Kingdome, which have their Life and being from the Parliament, have thought it fit to declare their good acceptations of their affections, assuring them that they will interest themselves in this their Demands, which tends to the honour and safetie of his Majestie, the peace of his Kingdome, and may prove an effectuall meanes to keepe us from the desperate mischiefs those Lords that opposed this Petition would have brought this Kingdome into.