THat this particular County (most affectionate to your Maje­sties service) hath welnigh for three yeares last past beene the stage whereon the tragicall mi­series (which necessarily ac­company and associate Warre and Armies) have been represented and acted, whereby the generall wealth and plenty of this [Page 2] County is exhausted and brought very low; which weight of miseries are sensibly become much more heavy, by reason of your Majesties distance in re­sidence, and difference in Councels from your great Councell the Parliament, begetting great di­stempers and distractions throughout the King­dome, and have especially amongst us produced factions and divisions; drawing to these parts great nūbers of discontented persons, that may too justly be feared, doe affect the publike ruine for their pri­vate advantage. All which evils are daily fomented & grown more formidable by your Majesties drawing together (as we conceive, not according to law) many Companies of the Trained Band and others, both horse and foot, of this County, and retaining multitudes of Commanders and Cavaleetes from other parts, and by the daily resort of the Recu­sants and persons disaffected in Religion to your Majesties Court at Yorke; and by the great prepa­rations of Armes and other warlike provisions, which begets in us feares of wars, to the great ter­ror and amazement of us your Majesties peaceable subjects, and the great decay of all commerce and industrious courses for the wealth and prosperity of the Country, specially of clothing, which is the maine subsistance of this County, and is since your Maiesties residence with us, and the following distractions thereupon suddenly obstructed, insomuch that many thousand fa­milies who are of, and have their livelihood by the Trade of Cloathing, are at the point of utter [Page 3] undoing; which inevitably will prove to be of dangerous consequence, and will be the inlet to our approaching and unavoydable ruine, unlesse your Maiestie 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 wholy withdraw themselves from their former commerce and dealing, and others, both Merchants, and Chapmen; doe now generally refuse to make pay­ments for goods long since sould and delivered, alledging, that others refuse to pay them for any commoditie formerly sould; till the feares and di­stractions of the La [...] [...] settled, which if not sud­denly prevented, will forthwith overturne all such wayes of advantage and comfort, as have formerly made this Kingdome (and this County in particu­lar) prosperous and happy.

We doe therefore in all humility and duty in the sence of our present deplorable condition: be­seech your Majesty to pardon us, if we importune your Majesty 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, and pre­vention of these evills, daily threatning danger to your Majesty, and destruction to us, which we con­ceive is impossible any other way to be effected, then by your Majesties entertaining a right understan­ding betwixt your self & Parliament; and affording your gracious eare and consent to such Councells [Page 4] and propositions, as shall be tendred by them to your Majesty, for the honour and greatnesse of your Majesty and Posterity, and the good of this Church and Kingdome; and by your Majesties declining all other Counsells whatsoever, and uniting your con­fidence to your Parliament: And that your Majesty would in no way thinke fit to put us upon that rocke of dividing the duty we owe to your Maje­sty, your Parliament, and the whole Kingdome, (to which we are so deeply ingaged by our Protestati­on, which your Majesty (to our knowledge) never dissented from, not declared against) and that whilst your Majesty expects our p [...]rmance in one part thereof, we may not (being equally engaged) im­peach at all or in the least degree, goe lesse then our duty in the other, which (we stand resolved of) by no meanes either of feare or favour to be drawne to doe. And that your Majesty would take into consi­deration, that your Parliament being the supreame Iudicatorie of your Kingdome, the very essence thereof must of very necessity be destroyed, if their Counsells and determinatious be subjected to alte­ration, or reversall by the Counsells, or opinions of any private persons, how learned or judicious soe­ver; & seeingyour Majesty hath most graciously pas­sed an Act that this Parliament shall not be dissol­ved, nor adjourned, without consent of your Maje­sty, and both Houses: Wee doe humbly beseech your Majesty, to take into your gracious and pro­vident thoughts that nothing may be done tending thereunto: and that the Lords and great Officers now [Page 5] 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 Majesty intends not to decline the Law so inacted; and that since your Majesty hath graciously declared your confidence in the affections of this Countie, your Majesty would not thinke it fit an extraordi­nary Guard should be raised thereout, and the Cavaliers, and others of that quality still conti­nued about your Majesty (is men most usefull, and as if kept for some designe) they not having (for ought we know) either intrest in, or affections to the publike good; their language and behaviour speaking nothing but division, and war, and their advantage consisting in that which is most destru­ctive to others.

And lastly, that since your Majesty hath called in this County to attend your Majesty this day; your Petitioners doe most humbly supplicate that none either Cavalieers, 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 answer to what your Majesty shall propound, wee humbly conceiving it neither iust nor equall (but a thing to be protested against) that any whosoever should be thrust upon us, as men of this County, that are not either by their fortune or residence a­ny part of us.

[Page 6] 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 Maiesty and posterity, from those desperate and unparaleld Re­bels, that so your Maiesty might graciously grant these your Petitioners humble desires which (what­soever will be said to the contrary) your Petitio­ners are well assured, would abundantly redound to the Glory of God, the honour and safety of your Maiesty, the good of your posterity, and the one­ly probable meanes under God, with peace and plenty, to make this your Kingdome happy, be­sides the happy acquisition of your Peoples hearts, the greatest treasure of Princes, all which will glo­riously represent your Maiesties liuely portraiture, of him who is the fountaine of Wisedome and pi­ety, to whom we shall ever pray for your Maiesties long and prosperous Reigne.

WE being resolved humbly to petition His Majesty for the redresse of those grievances which wee now lye under, did desire to have met in the Castle­yard at Yorke, wee conceiving it the fittest place to consider of such publike affaires as concer­ned the County, which we were not onely denyed of, but charge was given to the Officer there, that wee should [Page 8] not have admittance; and when we assembled upon the place appoynted by his Majesty, and did acquaint the County there met with the forme of a Petition, the sence whereof they formerly approved of, and then upon the reading thereof, generally consented to, and desired the same should be presented to his Majesty, we were vio­ently interrupted by the Earle of Linsey, who with a great Troop attending him, in an imperious way, snatched out of a Gentlemans hand of good quality, a Coppy of the fore-named Petition, which at the desire of the Country he was reading to them, and some of his Lordships com­pany laid hold of his Bridle and Cloake, hailing him in great fury; and sayd you are a company of trayterous Rogues and Villaines, and often lifted up his Cane, as if he would have struck 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 afore sayd, the day above: First, his Lordship told him it was a Pamphlet, which he denyed, thereupon the Lord Savile demanded it of him, which he refusing to deliver, his Lordship layd hands upon his Sword, and almost pluckt him from his Horse; upon which, the said Knight searing some mischiefe would bee done him, de­livered the same: And then the said Lord Savile told him, he laboured to sow feeds of Sedition, and if he would fight, there should be fighting enough, and many of the said Lord Savile's company held up their Canes at him, and one of them sayd; hold your prating, it were good to Cane you: Which provocations, had not the people beene peaceably enclyned, might have produced blondy effects. Notwithstanding all which, and divers other insufferable Iniuries, so confident were we of his [Page 8] Maiesties former professions, never to refuse any Petiti­on presented by his people to him in an humble way, that we desisted not to wait our best opportunity, to present the said Petition to his Maiesty: (A Coppy whereof we here humbly present unto your grave consi­derations, which his Maiesty notwithstanding pleased not to accept of.

We therefore humbly desire these Honourable Hou­ses well to weigh 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 Maiesty on our behalfe, that through your wisedomes our Desires may finde better acceptation with his Maiesty.

And we shall heartily pray, &c.