IT is this Day Ordered by the Commons in Parliament Assembled, that M. Sam. Browne, a Member of the House of Commons, be desired to have a care of the Printing of a Booke Intituled, A Second Remonstrance, or Declaration of the Lords and Commons, and that none presume to Print it, but such as the said Mr. Sam. Browne shall appoint.
I appoint Iohn Wright to Print this Declaration.
THE HUMBLE PETITION OF THE MAJOR, Aldermen, and Commons of the Citty of London to His MAJESTY,
WITH HIS MAIESTIES Gratious answer thereunto.
Printed, by HIS MAJESTIES Command, AT OXFORD, Ianuary 5. By LEONARD LICHFIELD Printer to the Vniversity. 1642.
TO THE KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY, The humble Petition of the MAJOR, ALDERMEN, and COMMONS of the Citty of LONDON.
THat the Petitioners, Your Majestyes most humble and Loyall Subjects, being much pierced with the long and great divisions between Your Majesty, and both Your Houses of Parliament, and with the sad and bloody effects thereof, both here and in Ireland, are yet more deeply wounded by the mis-apprehension which Your Majesty seemeth to entertain of the Love and Loyalty of this Your Citty, as if there were some [Page 2]Cause of feare of suspition of danger to Your Royall Person, if Your Majesty should returne hither; and that this is made the unhappy Barre to that blessed Reconciliation with Your great and most faithfull Councell for preventing that desolation and destruction which is now most apparently imminent to Your Majesty and all Your Kingdomes.
For satisfaction therefore of Your Majesty, and clearing of the Petitioners Jnnocency, they most humbly declare, (as formerly they have done) That they are no way conscious of any Disloyalty, but abhorre all thoughts thereof; and that they are resolved to make good their late solemne Protestation and sacred vowe, made to Almighty God, and with the last drop of their dearest Bloods, to defend and maintain the true reformed Protestant Religion, and according to the duty of their Allegiance, Your Majesties Royall Person, Honour and Estate, (whatsoever is malitiously and most falsely suggested to Your Majesty to the Contrary) as well as the Power and Priviledges of Parliament, and the Lawfull Rights and Liberties of the Subject; and doe hereby ingage themselves, their Estates, and all they have to their uttermost Power, to defend and preserve Your Majesty and both Houses of Parliament from all Tumults, Affronts and Violence, with as much Loyalty, Love, and Duty as ever [Page 3]Cittizens expresses towards Your Majesty, or any of Your Royall Progenitors, in their greatest Glory.
The Petitioners therefore, upon their bended Knees doe most humbly beseech Your Majesty to returne to Your Parliament, (accompanied with Your Royall not Your Martiall attendance;) to the end, that Religion, Lawes and Liberties may be setled and secured, and whatsoever is amisse in Church and Common-wealth, reformed by their Advice, according to the fundamentall Constitutions of this Kingdom: and that such a Peace may thereby be obtained, as shall be for the glory of God, the Honour and Happinesse of Your Majesty and Posterity, and the safety and welfare of all Your Loyall Subjects, who (the Petitioners are fully assured, whatsoever is given out to the Contrary,) doe unanimously desire the Peace herein expressed.
His Majesty hath gratiously considered this PETITION, and returnes this ANSWER.
THat His Majesty doth not entertain any mis-apprehension of the Love and Loyalty of His Citty of London. As He hath alwaies expressed a singular regard and esteem of the Affections of that Citty, and is still desirous to make it His chief place of Residence, and to continue and renew many markes of His favour to it, so He believes much the better and greater part of that His Citty is full of Love, Duty and Loyalty to His Majesty; and that the Tumults, which heretofore forced His Majesty for His safety to leave that Place, though they were contrived and encouraged by some principall members thereof, (who are since well known, though they are above the Reach of Iustice) consisted more of desperate Persons of the Suburbs, and the neighbouring Townes, (who were misled too by the cunning and malice of their seducers,) then of the Inhabitants [Page 6]of that Citty. He lookes on His good Subjects there, as Persons groaning under the same Burthen which doth oppresse His Majesty, and awed by the same Persons who begat those Tumults, and the same Army which gave Battell to His Majesty. And therefore as no good Subject can more desire from His soule a Composure of the generall distractions, so no good Cittizen can more desire the establishment of the particular Peace and Prosperity of that place, by His Majesties Accesse thither, then His Majesty Himselfe doth.
But His Majesty desires His good Subjects of London seriously to consider, what confidence His Majesty can have of Security there, whilest the Lawes of the Land are so notoriously despised and trampled under foot, and the wholsome Government of that Citty (heretofore so famous over all the World) is now submitted to the Arbitrary Power of a few desperate persons of no Reputation, but for malice and disloyalty to Him; Whil'st Armes are taken up not only without, but against His consent and expresse command, and Collections publiquely made, and Contributions avowed for the maintenance of the Army which hath given Him Battell, and therein used all possible [Page 7]means Treason and Malice could suggest to them, to have taken His Life from Him, and to have destroyed His Royall Issue; Whilest such of His Majesties Subjects, who out of Duty and affection to His Majesty, and Compassion of their bleeding Country, have labour'd for Peace, are reviled, injured and murthered, even by the Magistrates of that Citty, or by their directions; Lastly, what hope His Majesty can have of safety there, whilest Alderman Pennington their pretended Lord Major, (the principall Author of those Calamities, which so neerly threaten the Ruine of that famous Citty,) Ven, Foulke, and Mainwaring (all Persons notoriously guilty of Schisme, and high Treason,) commit such outrages in oppressing, robbing and imprisoning, according to their Discretion, all such His Majesties loving Subjects, whom they are pleased to suspect but for wishing well to His Majesty. And His Majesty would know whether the Petitioners beleeve, that the reviling and suppressing the Booke of Common-Prayer, (establisht in this Church ever since the Reformation,) the discountenancing and imprisoning Godly, Learned, and painfull Preachers, and the cherishing and countenancing [Page 8]of Brownists, Anabaptists, and all manner of Sectaries, be the way to defend, and maintaine the true, reformed, Protestant Religion? That to comply with and assist persons, who have actually attempted to kill His Majesty, and to allow and favour Libells, Pasquills, and seditious Sermons against His Majesty, be to defend His Royall Person and Honour, according to the duty of their Allegiance? Whether to imprison mens Persons, and to Plunder their Houses, because they will not Rebell against His Majesty, nor assist those that doe? Whether to destroy their Property, by taking away the Twentieth part of their Estates from them, and by the same Arbitrary Power to referre to foure standers by of their own faction, to judge what that Twentieth part is, be to defend the lawfull Rights and Liberties of the Subject? And if they thinke these Actions to be instances of either; whether they doe not know the persons before named to be guilty of them all? Or whether they thinke it possible, that Almighty God can blesse that Citty, and preserve it from destruction, whil'st persons of such knowne Guilt and Wickednesse, are defended and justified amongst them, against the [Page 9]povver of that Law, by which they can only subsist?
His Majesty is so farre from suffering Himselfe to be incensed against the whole Citty, by the actions of these ill men, though they have hitherto been so prevalent as to make the Affections of the rest of little use to Him, and is so willing to be with them, and to protect them, that the Trade, Wealth, and Glory thereof (so decayed and Eclipsed by these publike Distractions) may again be the Envy of all forraign Nations, That He doth once more graciously offer His free and generall Pardon to all the Inhabitants of that His Citty of London, the Suburbs, and Citty of Westminster, (except the Persons formerly excepted by His Majesty,) if they shall yet returne to their Duty, Loyalty and Obedience. And if His good Subjects of that His Citty of London, shall first solemnely declare, That they will defend the knowne Lawes of the Land, and will submit to, and be govern'd by no other Rule; If they shall first manifest, by defending themselves, and maintaining their own Rights, Liberties and Interests, and suppressing any force and violence unlawfully raised against those, and His Majesty, their Power to defend and [Page 10]preserve Him from all Tumults, Affronts & Violence; Lastly, if they shall apprehend and commit to safe Custody the Persons of those foure men, who enrich themselves by the spoile and oppression of His loving Subjects, and the ruine of the Citty, that His Majesty may proceed against them by the course of Law, as guilty of high Treason, His Majesty will speedily returne to them with His Royall, and without His Martiall Attendance, and will use His utmost endeavour, that they may hereafter enjoy all the Blessings of Peace and Plenty, and will no longer expect Obedience from them, then he shall, with all the faculties of His Soule, labour in the preserving and advancing the true, reformed, Protestant Religion, the Lawes of the Land, the Liberty and Propriety of the Subject, and the just Priviledges of Parliament.
If notwithstanding all this, the Art and Interest of these men can prevaile so farre, that they involve more men in their guilt, and draw that His Citty to sacrifice it's present Happines and future Hopes to their Pride, Fury, and Malice, His Majesty shall onely give them this Warning, That whosoever shall henceforward, take up Armes [Page 11]without His Consent, contribute any Mony or Plate, upon what pretence of Authority soever, for maintenance of the Army under the Command of the Earle of Essex, or any other Army in Rebellion against Him, or shall pay Tunnage and Poundage, till the same shall be setled by Act of Parliament; Every such Person must expect the severest punishment the Law can inflict; and in the meane time His Majesty shall seize upon any part of his Estate within His Power, for the relief & support of Him and His Army, rais'd & maintain'd for the Defence of His Person, the Lawes, and this His Kingdome; And since he denyes to His Majesty the duty & benefit of his subjection, by giving assistance to Rebells, which by the knowne Lawes of the Land is high Treason, His Majesty shall likewise deny him the benefit of his Protection, and shall not only signifie to all His Forraigne Ministers, that such Person shall receive no advantage by being His Subject, but shall by all other wayes and meanes proceed against him as a publike Enemy to His Majesty, and this Kingdome.
But His Majesty hopes and doubts not, but His good Subjects of London will call to mind the [Page 12]Acts of their Predecessors, their Duty, Affection, Loyalty and merit towards their Princes, the Renowne they have had with all posterity for, and the Blessings of Heaven which alwayes accompanied those virtues, and will consider the perpetuall scorne and infamy, which unavoydably will follow them and their Children, if infinitely the meaner part in quality, and much the lesser part in number, shall be able to alter the Government so admirably established, destroy the Trade so excellently setled, and to waste the wealth so industriously gotten, of that flourishing Citty; And then they will easily gather up the Courage and Resolution to joyne with His Majesty in Defence of that Religion, Law and Liberty, which hitherto hath and only can make themselves, His Majesty, and His Kingdome happy.
For concurring with the Advice of His Two Houses of Parliament, which with Reference to the Common-wealth may be as well at this distance, as by being at White-hall, His Majesty doubts not but His good Subjects of London, well know how farre (beyond the example of any of His Predecessors) His Majesty hath concurred with their advice, in passing of such Lawes, by [Page 13]which He willingly parted with many of His knowne Rights, for the benefit of His Subjects, which the fundamentall Constitutions of this Kingdome did not oblige Him to consent unto, and hath used all possible meanes to beget a right understanding betweene them; And will therefore apply themselves to those, who, by making Just, Peaceable and honourable Propositions to His Majesty, can only beget that Concurrence.