A PETITION Of the Citie of WESTMINSTER, And the Parishes OF Saint Clement Danes, AND Saint Martins in the Fields: AS It was carried from them by Sir Edward Warder, Doctor Castle, Doctor Fuller, and Doctor Duckson, and by them presented to his Sacred Majestie at Oxford.
WITH His Majesties gracious Answer concerning the said PETITION.
London, Printed for Thomas Hudson, Ian. 18. 1643.
To the Kings most Excellent Majestie.
The humble Petition of the City of West-minster, the Parishes of S. Clement Danes, and S. Martins in the Fields,
WEE the Inhabitants of your ancient Citie of Westminster, sometimes the Regall Seat of your Ancestours of famous memorie, together with our neighbours, the Inhabitants of the populous Parishes of St. Martins in the Fields, and St. Clements Danes, much afflicted and greatly impoverished by these intestine wars; but more especially by the reason of your Majesties so long absence from your royall Palace at White-Hall, where wee were usually blest with the beames of your Majesties countenance, thought our selves engaged in dutie to your Majestie, and in charitie to our selves and families, to present with all humilitie and lowlinesse of mind, our grievances, and with them our loyall desires to your Sacred Goodnesse, which wee know, and are assured is so full of tender pitie to us your obedient Subjects, [Page 4] that your Majestie will lend a gracious eare to our complaints,. We are (may it please your Sacred Majestie) oppressed with all the calamities that can be, greeved principally for your Majesties so long sepa [...]ation from the Honourable your High Court of Parliament, the chiefe and most faithfull Councell appurtenant to our English Nation: We are above measure afflicted at the afflictions of our brethren, and have a fellow-feeling of their sufferings, who in the Countries round about us, groan under the heavie burden of a civill war, their houses plundered, their goods taken away, and their lives in daily danger. Nay, divers of our Countrey-men, Friends, and Allies (to our no small griefe and anguish of minde) having lost their lives in the fatall contentions, which have been frequent in these unnaturall wars. And though we in our persons have not yet felt any of these miseries, yet can we not be so foolishly secure, as to imagine we are proofe against all these thunder-bolts which hang over us. And moreover we do daily run behind hand, and are much impoverished in our estates, to the utter undoing almost of our families, by reason that through the danger and calamitie of the times all traffique and commerce, both at home and abroad, is as it were expiring, and at the last gaspe, no man having any valuable vent for his commodities, to the utter ruine and decay of many honest and able housholders, who are enforced (without any in-come from their present estates) to maintaine themselves out of the whole stock; which still decreasing without any augmentation or supply, must at last (and in a very short space) be consumed and brought to nought. One of the principall occasions of this our detriment and losse, being the long and lamented absence of Your royall person, and your Court, from this City; we of your City of Westminster, and the adjoining Parishes of Saint M [...]rtins and Saint Clements, having our greatest entercourse of trade with your royall Court, by reason of our vicinitie to the same, and with the Families of such of the Nobility and Gentry as inhabited the Strand, and the [Page 5] adjacent places: who having most of their dependence on your Majesty, and Your regall Court, have by reason of Your long absence from hence absented themselves. Divers others also, by reason of these domestick tumults, being removed from their wonted habitations, into the Countrey.
Besides, it may please Your Majestie to take into Your Gracious consideration the destructive effects of a Civill war, and Your Highnesse long dis-junction and discontinuance from Your loyall and well affected Your honourable high Court of Parliament, assembled for the service and advancement of Your Majesties affaires, which they have ever endevoured and promoted; and for the good of your people in generall, the peace and securitie of all Your Majesties dominions, which have alwaies been the period and aime of this Your Parliaments intentions, as by their honourable and just proceedings are and have been daily manifested.
In Consideration of all these premises, and for the honour of God, the maintenance and setling of Gods true Religion, now at many distractions in this Kingdome, for the quieting and appeasing of all these lamentable distractions: and finally, for the happinesse of all your Majesties liege people, we your loyall and faithfull Subjects, found our selves ingaged in conscience, and doe most humbly beseech your Majesty to take into your Princely consideration these our vances, and tender them with the eye of your excellent compassion and pity. And since they have all derived themselves from one head, namely, your Majesties absence from your high Court of Parliament, wee in all humility desire that your Majesty out of your inbred clemency to all your Subjects, deserting all Malignant Counsells to the contrary, would graciously vouchsafe to hearken to the advices of your High Court of Parliament, and in your royall wisdome take some speedy course for an Accommodation of peace between your sacred Majesty and the honourable the High Court of Parliament; and so the God of heaven, the fountaine of peace, blesse your Majesty, as wee your humble Suppliants in all duty bound shall ever pray, to our lives end.
His MAjESTIES gracious Answer to the Petition aforesaid.
WEe have received your loyall Petition, and doe much rejoyce to finde your wishes so concurrent with the desires of your brethren of Our City of London, and the most considerable Cities and parts of Our Kingdome, in requesting Our Royall care and furtherance for the setling of a sudden constant peace betwixt Our selfe and Our high Court of Parliament, We having as tender a resentment of the long and deplorable breach between Us and them, as either you or any other of Our faithfull and obedient Subjects can possibly have: for the losses and damages which Our Subjects in generall have sustained, and your selves in particular have undergone by reason of these tumults and civill dissentions, Wee have had as great a consideration and sense of griefe for all your sufferings, as you had beene allyed to Us, as neere as Our owne children. Wee know very well, that in such times, when nothing but dissentions and the rumour of war is heard in Our borders, that all things which have beene produced and nourished by the continuance of a long and happy peace, must needs run the hazard of immediate ruine, and heartily wish that heaven had beene pleased not to have laid in Our time this [Page 7] heavie scourge upon this Our Kingdom; but it was Our sins that hath pulled this rod of his vengeance upon this Our land, which We hope his mercy will suddenly, and in his good time avert from Us.
For Our owne parts, as Wee are by God and succession placed in the Throne of this Kingdome, Wee have ever beene carefull to preserve and defend Our Subjects from all miseries or affliction that might fall on them, either to the prejudice of their Estates or persons, and so shall as long as God shall spare Us life ever continue, maintaining the Right and Progerty of the Subject equally with Our owne prerogative and dignity; and ever seeking the advancement of Gods true Religion and Worship throughout all Our Dominions.
For these dissentions betwixt Our Selfe and Parliament, certainly Wee dare affirme they have not beene more afflicted at Our long absence from them, then We Our selfe have, that We are inforced to absent Our selfe from Our Palace at White-hall, which We have alwayes esteemed as Our best loved and capitall residence. But mis-interpretations betwixt Us, and mis-conceits of both our meanings have occasioned this difference, which We shall as much as is in Our power, hereafter strive to suppresse and t [...]ke away; and then We doubt not, when they shall rightly understand Us and We them, but these dissentions will suddenly vanish, and leave no remembrance behinde them: For Our selfe, Wee doe protest to you, that could Wee with the safety of Our affaires fulfill that part of your Petition wherein you intreat Our return to Our Palace & Parliament, We should [Page 8] performe it without any regret, as willingly as Wee belive you desire it heartily, but as yet Wee are impossibilited from putting those resolutions in act, through the urgency and importance of Our present businesse, but that will not last so long, but We shall be ablein a short time in that also to accomplish your desires. But whereas you Petition Us in Our royall care to take such speedy order for Our accomodation of peace between Our self & Our high Court of Parliament, in that believe Us, Our endevour shall be no whit wanting, We shall with as much zeale and willingnesse strive to perfect an atonement of all differences betwixt Us, as Wee shall desire of heaven to blesse Us with any earthly happinesse; amongst all which We account the peace of Our Kingdome, and prosperity of Our people the chiefe; and since that can no way be effected, but by a quick reconciliation between Us and Our high Court of Parliament, none We hope is so uncharitable to believe that We shall not further the compleating such a reconciliation with all the power We have: which Wee promise you We will do, being furnished with that good opinion of Our Parliaments loyalty and affection to Us their Soveraigne, that they will meet Our royall intentions halfe way for the compassing of peace, and be as ready to imbrace Our just Propositions as We shall to listen to and grant theirs. And this you may confidently credit, is Our royall Resolution, which no malignant or sinister counsell shall ever alter Us from.