TVVO PETITIONS FROM The Agents to ten Regiments of Horse and foot, and of the Life-Guard, under the Conduct of his Excellencie Sir Thomas Fairfax; To the supreame Authority of this Nation, the Commons assembled in Parliament: in behalfe of themselves and all other the Free-born People of England.

Presented in their names by the Lord Grey [an honest Member of the [House of Commons] together with an Agreement of the people grounded upon the principles of Common Right and Freedome, for the Parliaments concurrence thereunto.

Also the Votes of the House upon the said Papers thereunto annexed.

Printed in the Yeere, 1647.

To the supreame Authority of this Nation, the Commons in Parliament assembled.
The just and earnest Petition of those whose Names are subscribed, in behalfe of themselves, and all the Free-born People of Eng­land.

SHEWETH,

THat the Rights we claime in the Agreement (hereunto annexed) are our own, both by birth and purchase. That we see no other meanes (under Heaven) to pre­serve those Rights unto our selves, and our deare Fellow-Commoners, then by so agreeing, and declaring.

That this Agreement shall (by Gods assistance) be maintained with the same resolution of spirit, and hazard of our lives, where­with our freedomes were (as we thought) recovered, rather then we will suffer our selves by any force or fraud to be deprived of them or any part of them.

That it is equally grievous to us, whether wee be inslaved by King or Lords, but to be in continuall Conferences and Addresses, offered up by those we Trust, into the hands of such, as have manife­sted their tyrannicall Purposes towards us, and towards you for our sakes, is a danger we can hold no longer.

We do therefore most earnestly beseech you, to joyne with your tryed friends, and naturall Country-men in this AGREEMENT (every way tending to your Weale and Ours) and not with the King nor witt any others, by adventuring againe the price of our bloud upon the unsafe and groundlesse Termes of Accommodation with perfidious Enemies.

[Page] That your extreamly-long-forbearing to settle the Peoples peace and liberties upon your own Authority (which indeed is theirs) without any just cause as hinder you, (your Capitall enemy being at your mercy, and a considerable Army at your commaund) is matter of great jealousie, and hath necessitated as to betake our selves to this extroardinary way of remedy.

  • Generals Regiment.
    • Edward Sexby
    • Thomas VVatson
    • Andrew Ley
  • Lieut. Gen. Reg.
    • Robert Everard
    • Edmond Bear
    • John Wa [...]ter
  • Col Whaley Reg.
    • Thomas Burr
    • William Russell
    • Richard Seale
  • Col Whaley Reg.
    • William Pryor
    • John Nicholson
  • Col. Hewsons R.
    • Joseph Allen
  • Com. Gen. Reg.
    • George Hassall
    • William Pickering
  • col. Hortons Reg.
    • Tobias Box
  • Col Okeleyes Reg. of Dragoones.
    • Humphey Davis
    • William Brown
  • col: Lamberts R.
    • John Thomas
  • col: Sir Hardres Wailers Reg.
    • George Clarke
  • col: Backsters R.
    • Arthur Yongu [...]
Die Martis 9 Novemb. 1647

Resolved, &c.
THat the Matters contained in these Papers, are destructive to the Being of Parliaments, and to the Fundamentall Government of the Kingdome.

Hen. Elsing Cler. Parl. D. Com.

Resolved &c.
THat a Letter be sent to the Generall, and these Papers enclosed, together with the Vote of this House upon them, that he be desired to examine proceedings of this Businesse in the Army, and re­turn an accompt hereof to this House.

Mr. REYNOLDS and Mr. PRIDEAUX are ap­pointed to prepare a Letter to this purpose.

The Agreement of the People, &c.

HAving by our late labours and hazards made it appeare to the world at how high a rate we value our just freedom, & God ha­ving so far owned our cause, as to deliver the Enemies thereof into our hands: We do now head our selves bound in mutuall duty to each other, to take the best care we can for the future, to avoid both the danger of returning into a slavish condition, and the chargeable remedy of another war: for as it cannot be imagined that so many of our Country-men would have opposed us in this quarrel, if they had understood their own good, so may we safely promise to our selves, that when our Common Rights and liberties shall be cleared, their endeavours will be disappointed, that seeke to make themselves our Masters since therefore our former oppressions, and scarce yet ended troubles have been occasioned, either by want of frequent Nationall meetings in Councell, or by rendring those meetings ineffectuall: We are fully agreed and resolved, to provide that hereafter our Repre­sentatives be neither left to an uncertainty for the time, nor made uselesse to the ends for which they are intended: In order whereunto we declare,

1. That the people of England being at this day very unequally di­stributed by Counties, Cities, and Burroughes for the election of their Deputies in Parliament, ought to be more indifferently proportio­ned, according to the number of the Inhabitants: the circumstances whereof, for number, place, and manner, are to be set down before the end of this present Parliament. 2. That to prevent the many in­conveniences apparently arising, from the long continuance of the same persons in authority, this present Parliament be dissolved upon the last day of September, which shall be in the yeare of our Lord, 1648.

3. That the People do of course chuse themselves a Parliament once in two yeares, viz. upon the first Thursday in every 2d. March, after the manner as shall be prescribed before the end of this Parliament, to begin to sit upon the first Thursday in Aprill following at Westmin­ster, or such other place as shall be appointed from time to time by the preceding Represen [...]atives; & to continue till the last day of Sep­tember, then n [...]xt ensuing, and no longer.

4. That the power of this, and all future Representatives of this Na­tion, is inferiour only to theirs who chuse them, and doth extend, without the consent or concurrence of any other person or persons; [...] and repealing of Lawes, to the erecting and [Page] abolishing of Offices and Courts, to the appointing, removing and calling to account Magistrates, and Officers, of all degrees; to the ma­king War and peace, to the treating with forreigne States: And ge­nerally, to whatsoever is not expresly, or implyedly reserved by the represented to themselves.

Which are as followeth;

  • 1. THat matters of Religion, and the wayes of Gods Wor­ship, are not at all intrusted by us to any humane power be­cause therein we cannot remit or exceed a tittle of what our Con­sciences dictate to be the mind of God, without wilfull sin: neverthe­lesse the publike way of instructing the Nation (so it be not compul­sive) is referred to their diseretion.
  • 2. That the matter of impresting and constraining any of us to serve in the wars, is against our freedome; and therefore we do not allow it in our Representatives; the rather, because money (the sinews of war) being alwayes at their disposall, they can never want numbers of men apt enough to engage in any just cause.
  • 3. That after the dissolution of this present Parliament, no person be at any time questioned for any thing said or done, in reference to the late publike differences, otherwise then in execution of the Judg­ments of the present Representatives, or House of Commons.
  • 4. That in all Lawes made, or to be made, every person may bee bound alike, and that no Tenure, Estate, Charter Degree, Birth, or place, do confer any exemption from the ordinary Course of Le­gall proccedings, whereunto others are subjected.
  • 5. That as the Lawes ought to be equall so they must be good & not evidently destructive to the safety and well-being of the Peo­ple.

THese things we declare to be our native Rights, and there­fore are agreed and resolved to maintaine them with our ut­most possibilities, against all opposition whatsoever being compelled thereunto not only by the examples of our Ancestors whose bloud was often spent in vain for the recovery of their Freedomes, suffe­ring themselves through fraudulent Accommodations, to be still de­luded of the fruit of their Victories, but also by our own wofull expe­rience, who having long expected, and dearly earned the establish­ment of these certain rules of Government, are yet made to de­pend for the settlement of our Peace and freedome, upon him that intended our bondage, and brought a cruell Warre upon us.

To the supreame Authority of this Nation, the Commons of England in Par­liament assembled.
The Petition of those whose Names are subscribed, in behalfe of them selves, and all the free-born people of England.

SHEWETH,

THat we are exceedingly amazed at your Vote upon our Petition, and Agreement, and cannot but compare the same to the proceedings of the House vpon our Petition prepared for his Excellencie, or upon the large and most just Petition. Which was voted to be burnt by the common Hang­man.

That your disclaiming of us herein, and your so speedy prosecution of an accommodation with the King (who sought our bondage and ruine so long as he was able) before the liberties of the people are cl [...]ered, and setled, or the Rights of the Army provided or secured, give us too much cause to feare, the same influences in the House, as lately voted the disbanding of the Army, usurped a Parliament Authority, voted a new Warre; and the Kings coming to London upon dangerous tearmes.

That we are so confident, of the equity of our Agreement, and justnesse of our Petition, and so tender of the just Authority of this Honourable House, that we are constrained again to intreat your second Review of both; and that you will be so mindfull of your owne and the Armies Declarations, as to suspend all thoughts of accommodation with the King, vntill those Foun­dations of common Freedome, wherein the good of all men is included, bee firmly setled, it bring impossible for us, or any free-born Englishmen, who rightly understand their Liberties, ever to forsake, or decline the same.

And wee dos further most earnestly desire all such worthy Members of this Honourable House, as doe yet remember their duty to their Native Country, not to let flip this opportunity of joyning with us in this Agree­ment for their redemption and ours, out of the hands of our proud, cruell, and treacherous Enemies, that we may live or dye together, in the vindication of our Native-Freedome.

Subscribed unto by the aforesaid Agents of the respective Regiments.

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