THat your former gracious acceptation of Petitions, from person of as meane quality as our selves, together with your late kind imbracement of that PETITION from our Masters and others of eminent quality (for which wee present our humble thanks) hath incited us (though in regard of our present condition not so much considerable) to addresse our selves also in all humility to this Honourable assembly (whom wee conceive the only meanes under God for our redresse) beseeching you to endeavour to these ruinating distractions, and though the present ca­lamities doth not so immediately reflect on your Petitioners, yet wee considering the losse of so many of our fellowes lives, and the dayly hazard the rest are exposed to, and foreseeing the face of our owne ruine, in our Masters present condition, as also prizing our Parents and friends lives and livelyhoods, as deare as our owne: hold our selves ingaged by the lawes of conscience and nature, to be no lesse solicitous for the bleeding miseries of our Church and State, in regard (though servants) wee are Subjects, and humbly conceive our selves to be considered herein.

Wee come therefore (in the still voyce) to imbowell our grievances and zealous desires before you, not presuming to dictate to your graver judgments, but humbly desiring you to pardon our boldnesse in petitioning; and the errors of our Petition, if any be. We unanimously beseech you to consider these present distractions, the continuall increasing violation of our Religion by Papists and Sectaries, the breach of our knowne Lawes, the invasion of the Subjects liberties, and generall decay of Trade, reflecting also with serious thoughts upon those inevitable dangers, that hover over our heads, ushe­red in by a civill, unnaturall, and bloody Warre, whose effects are the impartiall destruction of chri­stians, the effusion of much innocent bloud, the impoverishing and dispeopling the Kingdome, and exposing the body of the State, to the mercilesse tyrany of Famine, Sicknesse, and Invasion, the produ­cers of an universall confusion.

All which (better knowne to your apprehensions) wee humbly desire you to ponder, and leave no just way unattempted, which may conduce to the settlement of these differences, that the undiscerning sword be not umpire to discide controversies of so neere concernment, neither give audience to the incendiaries of this Warre, whose only ayme (wee feare) is to prey upon the lives and livings of his Majesties good and loyall subjects, that so the gospell of peace may not be maintained by Warre, but that these cemented joynts of the Church may hold firmer the bond of unity, to the glory of God, the good of his Majesty, the preservation of the Parliament, the only happinesse of the Kingdome, and inablement for a supply of the necessities of our distressed brethren in IRELAND: and your petitioners shall dayly pray, as in all duty bound, for a blessing upon your consultations; to which wee subscribe our hands and hearts, each ready to sacrifice his life for accomplishment hereof.

Subscribed with, at the least 20000. hands.