THE HUMBLE PETITION OF THE Lord Major, Aldermen, and Commons of the City of LONDON, IN Common-Councell ASSEMBLED, Presented to the Right Honourable THE LORDS and COMMONS in Parliament Assembled: WITH The Answer of the Lords to the said PETITION.

Printed by RICHARD COTES, Printer to the Honorable City of London, August 8. 1648.

TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE THE Lords and Commons In Parliament Assembled.
The humble Petition of the Lord Major, Aldermen, and Commons of the City of London in Com­mon-Councell assembled.

SHEWETH,

THat your Petitioners being deeply sensible of the sad, miserable, and deplorable condition of the King, Parliament and Kingdom, by the long continuance of a bloody and unnaturall Warr, (whereof they had great hopes to be freed) after the Common enemy was subdued; the Army of our Brethren of [Page 2] Scotland withdrawn; and the Kings Majesty placed at Holdenby, by consent of both King­doms, (in order to a happy composure of all differences both in Church and State;) But contrary to expectation, your Petitioners, to the great grief and sorrow of their soules doe finde the Government of the Church to be still unsetled; Blasphemy, Heresie, Schism, and prophaneness increased; The relief of bleeding Ireland obstructed; The Warr (to their great astonishment) again renewed; The people of England thereby miserably impove­rished and oppressed; The blood of our fellow Subjects (spilt like water upon the ground;) Our Brethren of Scotland (now entred this Kingdom) in a hostile manner; His Highness the Prince of Wales commanding at Sea a con­siderable part of the Navie, and other Ships under His power, having already made stay of many English Ships, with Merchandizes and Provisions to a very great value. By reason whereof, Navigation will be destroyed, Sea­men desert us, Merchants inforced to leave off trading, Clothing and other manufactures of [Page 3]this Kingdom fall to the ground, Wooll which is the staple Commodity of the Land remain unsold, the Mint stand still, Customes and other profits by Merchandizing will be very much abated, if not utterly destroyed; Corn, Salt, Cole, Fish, Butter, Cheese, and all other provisions brought by Sea to this City and Kingdom stopped; The innumerable number of the poorer sort depending onely upon manufactures, wanting work and bread, (as is greatly feared) will in a very short time become tumultuous in all parts of the Kingdom; And many inforced to remove themselves and fami­lies into Forraign parts, and there settle the manufactures of this Kingdome never to be regained: And which will unavoidably (in a very short time) totally ruine the people of this Kingdom.

Your Petitioners humbly conceive no visible way can prevent the apparent ruine of these Kingdomes, but the speedy freeing of His Majesty from that restraint wherein He now remaines; and by a Personall Treaty, restoring to the King His just Rights; to the Parliament [Page 4]their undoubted priviledges; to the People their Native Freedomes and benefit of the Lawes, being (the Birth-right of every Subject) and by the due attendance of the Members of Parliament in discharge of their trust to the Kingdome; and in observing the self-denying Ordinance.

The Premisses considered, your Peti­tioners doe humbly pray, That the Kings Majesty may bee speedily freed from that re­straint wherein hee now remaines, and humbly invited unto a Personall Treaty, for the setling of a safe and well-grounded Peace; And that therein the Union betweene the two King­domes may bee preserved; That in the interim all acts of hostility both by Sea and Land may by command from King and Parliament cease; and Trade free without interruption; That the Government of the Church may bee speedily setled according to the Covenant; distressed Ireland releived; the People of the Land (by disbanding all Armies) may bee eased of their intollerable burthens; The Liberty of the [Page 5]Subject restored; the Lawes of the Land esta­blished; the Members of this Honorable House enjoyned to attend the service of the King­dome; that the Self-denying Ordinance may be effectually observed. And that this Hono­rable House would be pleased, speedily to take into their serious consideration the sad con­dition of such Merchants, whose ships and goods are under the power of that Fleet, which is now with His Highnesse the Prince of Wales, and suddainly to finde some expedient for their releasment.

And your Petitioners shall daily pray, &c.

Die Martis, 8 Augusti, 1648.

THe Lords have commanded me to let you know, That they doe thankfully accept your often renewed expressions of your ardent zeal and care that all possible meanes should be used for the procuring a safe and wel-grounded Peace; wherein they doe so farr sympathize with your desires, that they do assure you, you may with all confidence expect their constant and industrious employment of their utmost endeavours for the obtaining of so great a bles­sing, whereunto they hope Almighty God will give a happy success. And for the particulars contained in your Petitions, they will take them into speedy consideration, that you may reap all satisfaction and contentment thereby, so farr forth as lies in their powers, as they are bound in their duty they owe to the Common wealth, and as they are obliged to the renow­ned Citie of London for their incessant demon­strations of their affection and service to the Parliament ever since the beginning of these unhappy distractions.

Io. Brown, Cler. Parliamentorum.
FINIS.

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