A DECLARATION
Presented To the Right Honourable the Lords and Commons in the High Court of Parliament, of
England, assembled.
Of the humble representations of the Grand Inquest of the County of
Yorke.
WHO doe with all humblenesse Remonstrate, and present unto your Honours, an humble acknowledgement, and hearty thankfulnesse for your uncessant and unwearied labours, for our and this Kingdomes safety, unpresidented by any former [Page 2]time, and not to be parallelled, as we beleeve, by any future age; and particularly that you have, to our inestimable comforts, extirpated Prelacy, and Pope [...]y, and eased us of a thirty Courts. The Court of Wards, and of free Quarter. And that you have made good progresse in settling the Kingdome in a way towards peace.
And yet it is our earnest and humble desires, as the most desirable of all earthly blessings that you will proceed to the full and finall finishing thereof, And to the settling Government in relation to Magistracy both over Church and State, for the effecting whereof, And of all other your honourable and Christian indeavours for publique good, our uttermost abilities, lives, and fortunes shall be always ready to doe you service.
And inasmuch as the honour of God, the establishment of true Religion, and the propagation of the Gospell, is and ought to be the first and highest of our desires and indeavours.
We therefore humbly supplicate your honours, that you will be pleased in your grave [Page 3]wisdomes, to provide, that as much as possibly may be, insufficient, scandalous and seditious Ministers may be removed from the places where they are, and pious and able Ministers settled in every parish, and competent maintenance appointed for them, and that two, three, or foure Ministers may bee appointed in each Riding in the mean time, to preach throughout each Riding, where able Ministers are not, with sufficient allowance to them also, for the raising whereof, we humbly present our best conceptions to your Honours wisdome, that all augmentations which have been granted, or shall be granted, by authority of Parliament, out of impropriate Rectories belonging to Delinquents, for Ministers maintenance may be continued, with allowance in their Compositions.
And that the Lands belonging to the Dean and Chapter, may be improved to their best values, and appointed also for their maintenance: all which we humbly refer to your honours grave consideration.
And albeit our sufferings and losses since [Page 4]the beginning of the late troubles, are beyond our skill now exactly to measure, and immunerate, yet we acknowledge with all thankfulnesse, that next under God, the very subsistance and injoyment we now have, were, and are preserved unto us, by the care and vigilency of your Honours. And we doubt not but in fitting time your honours will provide some way towards our further reparation.
And wee doe further humbly represent, that in respect of the many rumors spread abroad among us, of some intended forraign invasion, which have begot in us many fears and doubts, least any sudden surprize should fall upon us, we do most humbly desire, that if it may stand with your Honours pleasure, to which we shall unanimously submit, and in whom under God, we repose our safeties, that besides the present modell of the Army, some speedy and effectuall course may be directed for putting this County into a posture of defence, and for setling the Militia among us, in such hands as the well-affected of this County shall make choyce of, with his Excellencie [Page 5]the Lord Fairfax his approbation. And that though wee can expect nothing from our Brethren of Scotland, but Brotherly concurrence in order to publique Peace and safety, they being joyned with us in the Nationall Covenant, yet for that many Delinquents, Papists, and others, ill and dis-affected persons, have lately withdrawn themselves, from hence into that Kingdome, and doe there now remaine, and gives forth, as we are given to understand, that many twenty thousands in England are ready to joyn with any visible, though never so small a force, for raising new troubles in this Kingdome, therefore we doe with all humility, and submission to your Honors, desire, that those English Incendiaries, for we cannot [Page 6]stile them with any other name, may be called home, and others intending to go for the same end, may be restrained, and all of them dealt withall as to your Honors wisdom shal be thought meet: And inasmuch as this great County is now destitute of Knights of the Shire, and long hath wanted one. VVe doe humbly represent to your Honours our desires for supply herein, that the Affaires in Parliament relating to this County, may be specially intended by the Representatives thereof.