IT is a double griefe to our ſoules, that we ſhould be contrained to beg for our lives at Your (our fellow Subjects) hands, who are bound by the Law of God and nature, and by the Oathes & Proteſtations that you have taken, to preſerve them; and that we ſhould be forced to intreat you to ſpare our eſtates (which you have nothing to doe withall) Liberties and blood, whoſe honour and ſtrength depends ſo much on theſe our enjoyments: But extremity prevaileth, and drives us to You (the grand Court of England) and caſteth us here proſtrate at your feet; and let not your Greatneſſe be offended, if we ſpeake more plainely then uſually becommeth us, for neceſſity hath no Law: It is for our lives and more, and therefore blame us not to ſpeake, our Friends, our Wives, our Children, our wants, our dangers, our Country, our blood, doe all pierce our eares and hearts with their daily and dolefull cries: O that our requeſts could finde as quicke acceſſe to yours!

Surely, it is impoſſible that you (being ſo many) ſhould All be ignorant of the dolefull condition His Majeſties two Kingdomes are in: Doe ye not know that our houſes are plundered, and the fruit of our long labour taken from us? That men who have heretofore relieved hundreds of the poore, have not left them a Bed to lye on, food to ſuſtaine them, or a houſe (except it be a Gaole) to put their heads in? And the poore they were wont to relieve, are become Souldiers, and rob us (even at noone day) by Your authority? Know you not how many thouſand diſtreſſed ſoules cry to God day and night in their anguiſh and miſery, while they ſee you (who have undertaken to relieve them) having no compaſſion on them? Oh, where are now thoſe Heroick and renowned Spirits that have formerly ſate in your Seat? They were wont to beat downe Hereſie and Schiſme, to relieve the oppreſſed, to ſettle Peace, to ſuppreſſe Vice, and to endeavour a generall Reformation both in Church and State; but now you foſter Hereticks and Schiſmaticks in your boſome, You ſend Knaves to oppreſſe us and rob us of all we have, and then impriſon our bodies, where many thouſand able and Religious men are ready to ſtarve for want of ſuſtenance. You breake the Peace and beget Rebellion and Confuſion in all places. You countenance Vice and Sinne (how ever you would make the gul'd people believe that you are mighty religious, whileſt you zealouſly pull downe Croſſ • s, and Phariſaically debarre men from workes of charity, yea, neceſſity upon the Lords day, which is to ſtraine at Gnats and ſwallow Camells: You have brought in a generall Deformation over the whole Kingdome. They were wont to take order for the reliefe of poore oppreſſed Priſoners at home, and Galley-ſlaves abroad, but now the loathſome Priſons of London, Lambeth, Cambridge, Norwi • h, Ipſwich, Yarmouth, Colchester and other places, are filled with their miſerable, ſtarved, diſeaſed bodies, who (ſome of them) would thinke themſelves halfe free-men, were they Turkiſh Gally-ſlaves, ſuch is their cruell uſage.

Know you not how our Lands lye untilled, whileſt your Souldiers take away our Horſes, and tolerate our ſervants to runne from us? And what can follow this but extreame Famine? Know you not how much precious blood is ſpilt, and the dead bodies of the Kings Subjects, yea, many of his Nobles ſcattered as dung upon the face of the earth? Have not many of your eyes ſeene it, and your eares heard the groanes of the wounded gaſping for life? Is all this nothing in your eyes? To whom ſhould we goe but unto You, who have taken upon you to relieve us in our diſtreſſes? You have diſabled His Majeſty from relieving of Himſelfe; You have bewitched (or by force kept back) his Subjects every where from comming to His helpe; we have tryed all other knowne meanes, and profeſſe in the ſight of God, we know none but you, that can deliver us without more blood and deſolation; and the World knowes you may doe it if you will, and doe it eaſily, and doe it with increaſe of your Honour, of your Loyalty, of your Honeſty, of your and the whole Kingdomes ſafety and happineſſe. What if it were to part with ſome thing of your owne wills, and quietly to yeeld up the bodyes of ſome few Delinquents and knowne Traytors to His Majeſty, and enemies to the Peace, to ſave all the reſt of the Kingdome?

Dread Senators, We beſeech you conſider, what hath His Sacred Majeſty done that deſerves this from you? Is it becauſe He hath relieved you from oppreſſing Courts (a Grace beyond preſident) and biting Taxations? Is it becauſe He hath condeſcended to the calling of a Trienniall Parliament (a thing never heard of in former ages) and granted His Royall Aſſent to the continuance of this as long as you pleaſe? Ought wee not all of us for theſe ſingular, and unheard of Acts of Grace, to lay downe our lives at His feet? Is it becauſe He hath ever yeelded to the puniſhment of thoſe that are called Delinquents (though it may be his beſt friends) and ſuppoſed enemies to the Kingdome? If you were a Court of Iuſtice, as you are the Higheſt Court, you would doe the like to thoſe among you, that have deſerved it But can thoſe be friends to you and worth the defending, that are enemies to the King and Kingdome? And for His Forts and Navy which you have taken from him, were they not moſt of them bought with His owne money? And yet were they not alwayes imployed for the Kingdomes good? And are not you the Kingdome Repreſentative (yet not ſo as if there were but two — Wiſe men in a County and all the reſt Fooles?) And will you wrong that Truſt that we have repoſed in you? 'Tis true, His Majeſty cannot poſſibly manage all in His own Perſon but by His Miniſters, and thoſe choſen by Councell, and it hath been alwayes judged that none have beene more able, impartiall, and faithfull to adviſe Him then His Parliament: but what? ſhall we call you a Parliament, when your Head and moſt of your beſt Members have deſerted you? He offered not to ſtirre from you till abſolute neceſſity conſtrained Him, till He ſaw Ireland in Rebellion, the Rebels threatning England, the ſame Spirits as malignant and active at home,White-Hall. even at His owne houſe, where His owne life (wee tremble to thinke of it) was in preſent apparent jeopardy, and your conſent (ſince His conſtrained departure from you) to all His moſt gracious Meſſages denyed. We cannot but ſee the ſame Counſels among you ſetting you on againſt His Majeſty now, which have cauſed His ſo long diſcontinuance from you, (that they in the meane time might work their own ends) that cauſed the Ship-mony and other illegall (though not ſo known to His Majeſty) Taxations, which cauſed the late innovations in Church and State, which cauſed the warre with Scotland, which broke up the laſt Parliament, and have cauſed ſo many invective Declarations againſt His Majeſty in the very language of the preſent times. We cannot poſſibly conceive what His Majeſty can doe now to remedy any of theſe miſeries: We patiently abide your long ſitting in vaine; the offenders among you Legally proceeded againſt, are defended from His Majeſty, yea, thoſe that your ſelves (if you durſt (for feare of one another) ſpeak your mindes) doe know to be ſuch: that is denied His Majeſty which is yeelded to every Subject in every loweſt Court of Iuſtice, viz: to have a faire triall. We perſwade our ſelves (by thoſe many promiſes, and deep Proteſtations His Majeſty hath made, that He deſireth nothing more (if it might be done with His ſafety) then to be preſent with you, and concurre with you, and if your mindes had not beene ſo haughty, and your thoughts ſo ſoaring as we finde they are, there would not have beene ſo long a diſtance. Neither is there any viſible means left, but either give up our States, Liberties, Lives and Religion to the dispoſe of your too long tried ſecret Counſels and Cloſe Commitees, and make your meere Will the onely Law (as you have done ever ſince the King left you) and ſo prove diſloyall to our Soveraigne, betray our Country and the Truſt committed to you (which God forbid) of elſe defend our ſelves (as you doe) by the Sword.

And for us the Kings Leige people what have we done that we are made a common ſpoile? Would you have us perfidiouſly to betray His Majeſty into your Lauds? Would you have us prove diſloyall unto Him, who hath alwayes beene ſo faith full unto us? to endanger Him, whom God hath appointed to ſave us? Should we be ſuch unnaturall members as to offer violence to our Head? Then ſhould we be the diſgrace of the Engliſh Nation, the reproach of poſterity, the very ſhame of nature, and ſhould preſently expect ſome ſtrange judgment of God according to the ſtrangneſſe of our offence.

It's true we are forced (and it is high time too) to look about us, and (if we can) to ſave our throats from the violence of ſome deſperate perſons among you, but we beſeech you call not this a bearing Armes againſt the Parliament, it is againſt our wils (God knowes) as it is againſt His Majeſties. But if any of your party be ſo reſpective of His Majeſties Royall authority eſtabliſhed by Law, ſo truely tender of His Perſon and Honour, ſo heartily deſirous of a happy Reformation as we, then let not God proſper our proceedings, but cauſe us to fall before you, and give us up into your hands: We are fallen upon by the cruell, and becauſe we will not give the Nineteenth (according to His Majeſties Preſage) with the Twentieth part of our eſtates, and breake our Oath of Allegiance, and goe contrary to our Proteſtation, and turne Rebels to His Majeſty, and ſo damne our ſoules, we are counted Traitors to the State and Enemies to the Common-wealth. We beſeech you conſider in the preſence of God (if you have not forgot that there is a God) if any one of the Lords ſhould run upon any of you of the Commons with his drawn ſword, whether would you ſuffer death without reſiſtance, or take the ſword pro tempore out of his hand, and yet neither be averſe to his honour and perſon (if you can poſſibly think any of them more Honourable then your ſelves) or his propriety in his weapon? And may not the King much more ſeck to defend Himſelfe againſt you His Subjects that have taken up Arms againſt Him? Doth not nature teach us the preſervation of our ſelves? will not the eye wink without deliberation, and the ſmalleſt worme turne backe if you tread upon it? Yet the argument is ſtronger, for He is not a meere man, one of your fellows; but a King, the Lords Anointed againſt whom there is no riſing up, Pro. 30.31. Be He never ſo ill conditioned (as we are ſure you cannot ſay ours is) it is damnation to reſiſt Him being offended by him, Rom. 13.2. But againſt theſe Precepts ſome are wont to bring examples of Rebellion, and ſo argue a facto ad jus, and ſay in effect, that it is lawfull for the Subject to riſe up againſt their Soveraigne becauſe they find ſome have ſo done: Pray marke it; We are peremptorily commanded in holy Scripture not to Touch the Lords Anointed, or to reſiſt Him being offended by Him, we find that ſome Rebels have tranſgreſſed theſe commands, and have unnaturally riſen up againſt their Soveraigne, therefore we will doe ſo too; which concluſion I leave to your underſtandings to judge how fair it is, for you are — wiſe. But you war not you'l ſay againſt His Majeſty, you Honour and love His Perſon and labour to make Him Great, your only aim is againſt His wicked Counſellors and curſed Cavaliers: Truly (let them be what they will be) but if you ſhould come to one of us, and proteſt ſo much, that you love us deerly and wiſh us well, and in the meane time Plunder our houſe, drive away our wife, keepe our children from us, impriſon our ſervants, and undoe all that take our part; Wee thinke ſo well of our ſelves as to thinke that there are very few of us (except ſome fooles that will let you cut their throats if you pleaſe) that durſt beleeve you.

But if all this were nothing, what an unmatched Act of Grace was it in His Matie to call a Parliament firſt, & then to aſſent to the continuance of it during your pleaſure? (yet not ſo as if He then reſigned all his Power into your hands, giving you leave to do what you will, for He is ſtill your Head: & hath his negative voice, and can affirm or deny whatſoever is voted by you) and will you be ſo unnaturally, ſo unmannerly ungratefull, (et ſi ingratum dixeris omnia dices) as to reſtraine His Power, who hath given unto you yours? He hath given you one end of the ſtaffe into your hand, & will you now pluck the other out of His? He hath made you Men, will you make no body now of Him? You could doe nothing without Him before, and will you doe all things without him now?

But it's confeſt on all ſides, that the Major part hath the authority of the whole; & if ſo, pray tell us, hath not the Head (the King) the Souldiers (the Nobles, moſt of them) the Heart (the Learned and Religious Clergy) the Armes and Hands (the valiant and well skill'd Souldiers) have not moſt of theſe deſerted you? And wee are ſure if this be not the Major part, it is the Melior, and that's better. And for the Common inferior parts, we would fain know how many are agents in your Cauſe; are not all things done by ten or twelve Sticklers, whileſt all the reſt (more for feare of the rod, then for love to the Cauſe (God knowes) ſit with their finger in their mouthes, and ſay and doe juſt nothing?

I, but there are a world of Papiſts and other Malignants in His Majeſties Army, and 'twere a wonder if they ſhould ſight for the Proteſtant Religion: It were indeed, but no wonder at all that they ſhould ſeek to defend themſelves being perſecuted, this nature teacheth Papiſts as well as Proteſtants; as for the Proteſtant Religion, we never yet heard it called into queſtion, His Majeſty hath with ſo many Promiſes, Proteſtations and Execrations upon Himſelfe & Children vowed the preſervation of It, that we doe not ſo much as feare any alteration of It. But whileſt you fear the bringing in of Popery, blame us not we beſeech you, to fear likewiſe (whileſt we ſee no contradiction appeare to Prins, Burtons, with innumerable other anonomicall, Seditious, Trayterous, and Blaſpheamous Pamphlets, ſold openly and read and ſung under your very Noſes) the introduction of Atheiſme, Rebellion, and all kind of Prophaneneſſe.

Nobles and Gentlemen, many of both your Houſes did ſit a long time with you after the King had left you, but after they deſcried your wayes & diſcovered your Plots (your plots are then diſcovered as well as others) and took notice of your Cloſe proceedings, How you delude the People with vain hopes; How you hire men with large rewards to come poſting in (when you mean to goe a begging for another ſumme) all beſmear'd with dirt and mire from ſuch and ſuch places,I pray Sa •… with ſuch newes as will pleaſe the people, when as they have never ſtirred foot out of Town, when they deſcerned how you tranſported the Wealth of the Land whileſt your Souldiers ſtarve; How you aime altogether at your own ends, not caring for the Diſtraction and Deſtruction of the Kingdom; How whileſt (to pleaſe the people) you pretend to beat down Popery, you ſet up Prophaneſſe and open a door to Libertiniſme and Licentiouſneſſe; How Looſe and Luxurious, how Blaſpheamous & Atheiſticall many of your ſelves are, they then thought it high time to look about them, and to come out of Babell, least they ſhould be conſumed with you in all your ſinnes: Oh, that the Lord would make it your Caſe, and glorify His mercy on you and us, in making known to you the things concerning our Peace, and not His juſtice in hardning you to deſtruction! That it may be never read in our Chronicle by the Generations to come, that England had a 〈…〉 that ſought the deſolation of the King and Kingdom. But although you will not ſuffer His Majeſty to be your King, yet know there is a King and a Iudge above yo •• before whom you muſt very ſhortly ſtand, & give an account of that truſt which we have repoſed in you. We deſire you in the preſence of God, to thinke and thinke ſeriouſly, and think again and again, how ſad it will be to have all this blood cha • ged upon your ſoules. Can you think of this with comfort when you are dying 〈◊〉 thoſe few ſtickling Counſellors which have put you on, then bring you as ſafely o • Your Greatneſſe may deſpiſe what we ſay, and caſt a way our Petition, & i • p • iſon us who had a hand in it (if you can catch us) & count us your Enemies becauſe we are the Kings friends, and tell you the truth, & ſpeak as dying men in the ſorrow of our ſoules; but you cannot ſo put by Divine Iuſtice nor quiet conſcience at the laſt. As true as the Lord liveth before whom you ſtand, you will one day know that Blaſphemers, Whoremaſters, Schiſmaticks and Traitors are not Gods friends, nor doe they fight His cauſe, but plain dealers, who do aſſure you the way you take tends to the utter ruine & deſolation of your ſelves & Kingdom. And can your Hearts 〈…〉 can your Hands be ſtrong in the day the Lord will reckon with you for this 〈◊〉 . People, whoſe charge you have taken out of His Majeſties Hands? Oh, ſuppoſ • that you heard the blood of this People, already ſpilt, crying in your eares, and ſaw the many thouſands yet living a life worſe then death, lying in their ſorrowes at your feet crying for Pitty, Help, Oh Help, or we looſe our Liberties, Lawes, 〈◊〉 and Religion, Help that your ſelves, who have in this time horded up men 〈◊〉 Eſtates, come not to want and Beggery; help as ever you would have God help you in the day of Death and Iudgement, when your ſelves ſhall cry for help and pitty; help that Redemption come not ſome other way, that we be not all deſtroy • d by ſome Forraign Nation. The Lord God of our hopes, who hath for our ſinne • moſt juſtly afflicted us in You, give you all diſcerning eyes, holy and tender hea •• , to yeeld to the Petition of His Majeſties diſtreſſed Subjects, to concurre with His Majeſty, and the reſt of your Aſſembly, that God and man may forget your Miſtakings▪ that His Majeſty may be once again a Bleſſed Prince. yea the bleſſedeſt 〈◊〉 raigned in our Land, the Terrour of all His reall Enemies, the joy of His 〈◊〉 , and the Glory of Poſterity: Such ſhall be the Daily and hearty Prayer of,