THE DESIRE and ADVICE OF THE LORDS and COMMONS IN PARLIAMENT TO His MAjESTY, THAT The next Assize and Generall Goale-delivery may not be Holden, &c.

VVITH HIS MAIESTIES Gratious Answer thereunto February 21. 1642.

Printed by His MAjESTIES Command AT OXFORD, February 24.

By LEONARD LICHFIELD, Printer to the Vniversity. 1642.

TO THE KINGS MOST EXCELLENT MAIESTIE.

THE Lords and Commons in Par­liament humbly shew, That your Iustices and other liege people, who are or shall bee summoned, or have other cause to attend as the next Assize, and generall Gaole-delivery appointed to be shortly kept in the severall Counties of England and Wales, cannot resort thither without great perill [Page 2] of their lives, and Dammage to their Estates, by reason of the present miserable Distractions, and being of Armed Forces in all parts of Your Realme, In regard whereof, the Lords and Commons doe humbly advise and desire Your Majesty to com­mand, That the said Assises and Generall Goale-delivery be not holden as is appointed, But that the same may be deferred untill it shall please God to re­store Peace unto Your People.

HIS MAIESTIES GRACIOVS ANSWER to the fore-going Desire and Advice.

HIS Majesty hath weigh­ed the Advice and De­sire of the Lords & Cō­mons, sent in a Letter to the Lord of Falkland, from the Earle of Manchester, concer­ning the putting [...]ff the Generall As­sizes, and Gaole-delivery throughout the KINGDOME. To which His Majestie returnes this Answer; [Page 4] That the present bloody Distraction of the Kingdome (which his Majesty hath used all possible meanes to pre­vent, and will still to remove) doth afflict his Majesty under no Consi­deration more, then of the great inter­ruption and stoppe it makes in the Course and Proceedings of Iustice, and the Execution of the Lawes whereby his good Subjects are robbed of the Peace and Security they were borne to; And therefore as much as in Him lyes, Hee will advance that onely meanes of their happinesse, at least they shall see that their sufferings that way proceed not from His Majestie. And since they may now expect, by the Lawes, Statutes and Customes of the Kingdome, the Assizes and Gene­rall Gaole-delivery in every Countie, His Majestie thinkes not fit to com­mand [Page 5] the contrary, but will take severe and precise Order, that none of His good Subjects shall receive the least prejudice, as they repaire thither, by a­ny of his Majesties Forces; Which Rule hee shall be glad to see observed by others; And then He hopes by the due execution of the Lawes, even these publique Calamities may have some abatement, and the Kingdome re­cover its former Peace and prosperity.

FINIS.

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