THat your Petitioners who have in all your dangers been found ready to ingage their lives and fortunes for your securities in the defence of Religion, and just Liberty, as by our Nationall Covenant by us solemnly taken we are obliged▪ We who have been by Gods acceptance made more then ordinarily Instrumentall in all the suppressing of the Common Enemy; We who have laboured to preserve our selves, not thereby so much seeking our private comforts, as that we might be continued a people able to do You service in all Your pious and faithfull undertakings; have now a great and unsupportable Army quartered upon us, which for the Reasons hereafter mentioned we desire may be removed, and otherwise disposed of. And in the first place we humbly offer to Your considerations, how unconvenient a thing it will be, for so great an Army to lay out their Quarters so neer a Parliament, where all things are wanting, and dear; as makes us fear there is some designe to have an awing influence upon the proceedings of Parliament, and those who are willing to submit to Your Government: And we the rather fear it, because the Army is now brought into these parts, when all the Kingdom takes notice that You are about the dis­banding of it, and setling the Government of the Church; both which, we humbly conceive, are most necessary to be dispatched. And we have reason to beleeve, that some in that Army will not be promoters of those good and necessary Works, being men of Erroneous Judge­ments, and opposite to the Government of the Parliament; who make it their businesse in all places where they come, to work upon the ignorantest people, perswading them into the like Errours, which tends much to the destruction of all good Government, either in Church or Common-wealth. In the next place, they humbly desire this Honorable Assembly, to remem­ber their first free will offerings upon the Propositions, with what chearfulnesse, and in what multitudes they put themselves forth to make up the first Army, which was raised for the de­fence of the Parliament. After that, raised two private Armies, at their own Charge, for the publique Service of the Kingdom; The one, under the Command of the Lord Gray of Wark; and the other under the Earl of Manchester; whom they payed severall yeers: and all that time did not onely defend themselves at home, but upon every Alarum went forth into other Counties with their Trained Bands, and other Auxiliary Forces. And now God hath blest us out of the hands of our Enemies, our hope is, we shall not be eaten up, enslaved, and destroyed by an Army raised for our defence. In the last place, we humbly offer to Your Considerati­ons, the sad and dying condition of Ireland, That this Army, or such part thereof as shall be thought necessary, might be imployed for the Recovery of that Kingdom, wherein the safetie of this, is so much concerned.

And Your Petitioners, as in duty bound, shall, &c.