IT is humbly offered by us whose names are here under-written, be­ing Mariners and Seamen, That there may be forthwith a Petition drawn in the behalf of Seamen and Mari­ners, and presented to the Honourable Hou­ses of Parliament: wherein our humble de­sires may be represented for a personal Trea­tie with His Majesty, as the onely remedy for the present distempers of this distressed [Page 4] Kingdom, and the reducing of the Shipping revolted from their trust. And that it is hum­bly conceived by us, that we are obliged and bound, according to the Protestation and so­lemn League and Covenant formerly taken by every of us, to maintain and defend with our lives, powers and estates the true reform­ed Protestant Religion, his Majesties Royall Person, Honour and Estate, and also the pow­er and Priviledges of Parliament. And we do further declare, That if it shall appear that a­ny of those revolted Ships shall indeavour to impede or hinder the Kings personal Treaty with his two Houses of Parliament, that we will unanimously indeavour with our lives and fortunes to bring them to condign pu­nishment, according to our Covenant and Protestation formerly taken as aforesaid.

THat they having a deep sense of the manifold miseries this Kingdom is like to suffer by reason of the many Armies now on foot, and the revolting of the Fleet, which might be prevented as we humbly conceive, in case the Honourable Houses of Parliament would be pleased to admit of a speedy per­sonal Treaty to be had between his Majestie and them, which is the sum of all the preten­ces of all those at this time in arms against the Parliament, as also of the Fleet: We there­fore [Page 6] the Petitioners being not of the least concernment, nor the least concerned, do earnestly desire that you will be pleased forth with to joyn with us in presenting the Petition herewith delivered to the Honoura­ble Houses of Parliament; and that you will likewise be pleased to appoint some one of you to speak unto our Petition at the time of the delivery thereof, whereby the Houses may be informed how many poore in and a­bout London subsist onely by the sea-trade, who, if once necessitated by want, will know no government.

That it cannot be imagined that the Sea­men of England, who are as it were in a Fra­ternity will be drawn to fight one against a­nother, since both pretend and desire one and the self same thing: The desire of a Perso­nall Treaty by the revolted ships, being no other then is earnestly desired by the gene­rality of all the Seamen.

The inlarging of all which we leave to your greater wisdoms and experience.

THat your Petitioners have to this time faithfully assisted (according to their Oaths and severall undertakings) in the de­fence of this Kingdom, and for the preserva­tion of His Majestie and both Houses of Par­liament, in their just Rights and Priviledges, wherein they have cheerfully adventured their lives, and spent much of their estates: And your Petitioners cannot but acquaint [Page 8] this Honourable Assembly, that they had of late more then hopes, that since His Maje­sties evill Councell were removed from him, and no face of an enemy appearing to ob­struct, That by the setling of his Majesty in his just Rights, this miserable distressed King­dom might have enjoyed a happy and lasting Peace: But to the great terrour and unspeak­able grief of your Petitioners, they find them­selves in a far worse condition then ever, un­less by the great wisdom of this grave Assem­bly it be timely prevented; for (when we consider the manifold dangers now upon us, and the long time like to be spent before a Personall Treaty is like to be had) we may justly fear the utter ruine of this once flou­rishing Kingdom, especially considering the many Armies already on foot in the severall parts thereof, besides the late falling off of the Ships, which we cannot look upon but as a business of the greatest danger which hath yet hapned: for besides that its a laying flat of our strong Wals, whereby we are exposed to all forraign Invasions, the loss of Trade will be of such consequence, that we shall not need [Page 9] to fear a second ruine, nor can your Petition­ers conceive any way how those Ships may be reduced, when their pretence is that the Peace of this Kingdom may be settled by a Personal Treaty with his Majesty, which your Petitioners are bold to offer to this honorable Assembly, is the sense of all or the greatest part of the Seamen of England.

THat whereas they have received a Pe­tition from the Younger Brothers of their Corporation, as also from many well-affected Seamen, Masters of Ships and others, therein expressing their desires to pre­sent their humble Petition unto this Hono­rable House, we do in all humble manner shew our great apprehension of the many distempers both by Sea and Land, occasioned [Page 11] by the fomenting of a discontented party, who dayly take up Arms against the Parlia­ment and Kingdom, which, if not timely prevented by the mercies of God, and wisdom of Parliament, is like to engage the King­dom again in a most bloody War, both by sea and Land, to the endangering of the long ex­pected Peace of the three Kingdoms, the losse of Navigation, the obstructing of Trade, and the utter ruine of many thousands of Fami­lies, relating as well to Marine as Land affairs, whose whole subsistance depends upon trade, to and from this Kingdom.