THe dayly growing evills and almost desperate diseases which have overspread the whole body of this Kingdome, both in Church and State, doe paine us so sore as members thereof, and fills us with such fears as that we can no longer refraine from making the same known to your Honors. But she­wing that after we had lien under a great burthen in our Religion by a multitude of frivolous, ridi­culous and unwarranted Ceremonies, pressed with the vehemencie of suspencion, excommunicati­on, and deprivation of many godly and painfull Ministers, vexing and grievously oppressing of great multitudes of others of his Majesties good subjects, so that they were enforced to fly the Kingdom, & in our civill rights by a multitude of Monopolies, by the impositions of illegall taxations, by illegall imprisonment, by oppressions and cruelties, in censures of Courts of Justice, as if Government had beene set free from restraint of Lawes, and as if that malignant party who were the authors thereof (as we verily beleeve they did) intended the undermining and utter subversion both of our Religion and Liberty all at once: We hoped upon the assembly of this Parliament, thereby as the onely meanes under God to have enjoyed a perfect reformation in both, but finding the same as hitherto not per­fected by reason the causes of these our evills (as we conceive) are not removed, which put us in feare of falling into a re­lapse more dangerous then in the first disease. The Causers and Authors of all which evills are by the Remonstrance of the House of Commons declared, to be the Jesuited Papists the Bishops, and corrupt part of the Clergy, bad Coun­sellors and Courtiers, and their late practices doe give us good cause to beleeve the same, as namely that hellish dam­nable Rebellion, salvage and bloudy cruelty of the Papists in Ireland, the late Protestation of the Prelates in England, which did strike at the very essence and being of Parliaments, and many other plots and designes which have beene lately discovered and attempted upon the Parliament, no lesse dangerous then the former, the endeavours of some ill af­fected ones to set division betweene the King and his people, and to render them odious to his Majesty, who are his loyall and faithfull Subjects. And that which now dampeth our spirits, makes sad our hearts, takes away the life of our trading, breeds scarcenesse of money, brings on such poverty as we can scarce keep the poore from mutiny, and fil­leth us with feares, such as hasten on apace even to desperation, and make many people to mutter, and speake it out, that they account those persons enemies to the State, who are oppugners of those good things which tend to the generall good and safety of the Land, is, the not proceeding to bring to condigne punishment the troublers of this our Israel, the not disarming of Papists, and the execution of the Lawes against them, and the Jesuits, of whose perfidious treachery this Kingdome hath had experience enough, and cannot be strong untill they be made weake; the delayes of sending aid to the Protestants in Ireland, whilst the Rebells increase their strength and ammunition from forraine Na­tions, so that they beginne to thinke for transporting themselves hither, and make this Kingdome the seat of their war, for which neglect we may justly feare the curse of Merous to befall us, the not putting of the Kingdome into a posture of defence, placing the Castles, Forts, and Magazines of this Kingdome into such hands as the King and Parliament may confide in, in these times of eminent dangers, when such distractions are in the land, the Papists and malignant par­ty so exasperated, the Rebells in Ireland so strengthened, such preparations for warres in forraine Nations, who emu­late our Religion, and that incitation which they have by the counsell of such delinquents, who have fled from the Ju­stice of this Kingdome, and intelligence of our distempers from them who yet remaine amongst us, the stopping of many good Lawes tending to the security of the Kingdome conceived by the House of Commons, not yet brought forth, but stifled in the birth, and made abortive, notwithstanding the uncessant and unwearied labours and endea­vours of the renowned House of Commons, who represent the persons of Vs, and the rest of the Commons of this Kingdome, who are truly sensible of our evills, as seeing with our eyes, hearing with our eares, and acting with our hands, the maintenance of whose warrantable actions and proceedings, in which the honour of the King, and the safety of the kingdome consisteth, with our lives, estates and fortunes, wee account our selves bound by the Protesta­tion by us lately taken, and shall be ever ready thereunto.

We humbly desire your Honours will be pleased to joyne with the House of Commons in the speedy redresse of these present evills both in Church & State, and in using effectuall means for prevention of those which be eminent, that a strong Navy, the walls of the Kingdome be provided, where our adversaries may be disheartned, and we better strengthened for defence, that the Votes of Popish Lords (who as we conceive hitherto) have beene great obstacles, may be removed, meanes may be used to his Majesty that he will be pleased to returne, that so his Royall Presence so often as need be, give life to your endeavours, that the Locusts, the Vermin and Caterpillers of Egypt, who have endeavored to devoure our Religion, consume our Peace, and de­stroy the good things of this Land, may with one blast of King and Parliament bee overthrown and drowned in the red Sea of Iustice, and that Religion may bee established in the purity both of Doctrine and Discipline, so shall the Kings Throne bee established in peace, and the Land shall be at rest.

And your Petitioners shall ever pray for your Lordships, &c.