To the honourable, the knights, citizens, and burgesses of the House of Commons assembled in the high court of Parliament The humble petition of the marriners and seafaring-men and other inhabitants of Stepny, and some other adjacent parts.

1643

Oxford Text Archive

TO The honourable, the Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses of the House of COMMONS Assembled In the High Court of PARLIAMENT. The humble PETITION Of the Marriners and Seafaring-men and other Inhabitants of STEPNY, and some other adjacent parts.

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TO The honourable, the Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses of the House of COMMONS Assembled In the High Court of PARLIAMENT.
The humble PETITION Of the Marriners and Seafaring-men and other Inhabitants of STEPNY, and some other adjacent parts.

Humbly shewing,

THat the Petitioners cannot but be sensible of the present great distractions of this Kingdome, the Religion of our Church so well approved by this representative body in former times, and established by Law in Parliament, being now in danger of being supplanted and ruined by the cunning and violence of Papists and Sectaries, the peace of our state so necessary to the enjoyment of all temporall blessings changed into an unnaturall civill Warre, which induceth a confluence of all miseries, the honour of our Nation impayred, the wealth and treasure exhausted, and our late flourishing Trade and Traffique upon the Sea (by which most of the Petitioners have their livelihood) so much decayed, that most of the Merchants Shipps ride at Anchor in the River, neither now imployed, nor (without sudden redresse of these mischiefes) likely to be imployed in merchandize againe, the EXCHANGE lesse frequented, many Shopps already shut up, the men for want of Commerce giving over their Trades, and the Petitioners constrained to remaine at home without any imployment, spending upon their small Stocks, and having no use of that Credit which they were wont to have, both with the abler Merchants at home, and with strangers abroad; So as without speedy Remedy (by your tender care and compassion) they are likely to be soone overtaken with extreame poverty, or inforced to follow the councell of necessity for their Subsistance.

And therefore they humbly pray (the premises considered) that this honourable Assembly will be pleased seriously to weigh their distressed condition, and to make, or accept, such Propositions as may, with the true Reformed Protestant Religion, His Majesties honour, and the Peoples safety, effectually and really conduce to a timely composure of the present distractions; And to settle againe the Peace of this Kingdome, without which no Right or Liberty can bee enjoyed, no Truth determined, no Law have any force or vigour, nor the declining and almost lost Trade of the Land ever be restored.

And the Petitioners shall pray &c.

LONDON, Printed in the yeare of our Lord, 1643.

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