I Am commanded by the Knights, Citizens and Burgesses assembled for the Commons in Parliament, to present to your Lordships divers Petitions, which they have received from severall parts concerning the State of the [...]ingdom: whereunto they are chiefly moved by that Constant affe­ction, which they have always exprest, of maintaining a firme Ʋnion and good Correspondence with your Lordships; wherin they have ever found much advantage, and contentment; but never held it more important and necessary, than at this time, wherein the Wisdome and Resolution of Parliament, have as many great Dangers and Difficul­ties to passe through, as ever heretofore.

We are Ʋnited in the publique trust, which is derived from the Com­mon-wealth in the common Duty and Obligation whereby God doth bind us to the discharge of that trust: and the Commons desire to impart to your Lordships whatsoever Information or Intelligence, whatsoever In­couragement or Assistance they have received from those severall Countries, which they represent, that so likewise we may be Ʋnited in the same In­tentions and Endeavours of improving all to the service of his Majesty, and the common good of the Kingdome.

The Petitions which I am directed to communicate to your Lordships, are foure: from London, Midlesex, Essex and Hertforashire▪ We have re­ceived many more, but it would take up too much time, and be too great a trouble to peruse all; and, in those foure, you may perceive the Effect and Sense of all. First, I am to desire your Lordships to heare them read, and then I shall persue my Instructions in propounding some Observati­ons out of them.

IN these foure Petitions you may heare the voyce or rather the cry of all England, and you cannot wonder if the ur­gency, the extremity of the condition wherein we are, do produce some earnestnes and vehemency of expression more than ordinary; the agony, terror, and perplexity in which the Kingdom labours, is universall, all parts are af­fected with it; and therefore in these you may observe the groanes and miserable complaints of all.

Divers reasons may be given why those diseases which are Epidemi­call are more dangerous than others. The Cause of such diseases is univer­sall and supernall, not from an evill constitution, or evill diet, or any o­ther accident: and such causes work with more vigour and efficacy, than those which are particular and inferior. 2. In such diseases there is a com­municative quality, whereby the malignity of them is multiplied and en­forced. 3. They have a converting, transforming power that turns other diseases and evill affections of mens bodies into their own nature.

The common and epidemical disease wherein this Commonwealth lies now gasping, hath a superior and universall cause from the evill Counsels and designes of those, who under his Majesty beare the greatest sway in Government. 2. It hath a contagious and infectious quality, whereby it is diffused and dispersed through all parts of the Kingdom. 3. It is apt to take in the discontents, evill affections and designes of particular persons to increase and fortifie it selfe.

I shall take occasion from severall branches of those Petitions which your Lordships have heard, to observe.

• 1 The variety of Dangers to which this Kingdom is now subject.
• 2 The manifold distempers which is the cause of those dangers.
• 3 The multiplicity of those evill Influences which are the Causes of that distemper.

The first danger is from enemies abroad; this may seem a causeles and impertinent observation at this time, seeing we are in peace with all Na­tions about us: But (my Lords) you may be pleased to consider that the safety of the Kingdom ought not to depend upon the will and dispositi­on of our Neighbours, but upon our own strength and provision; betwixt States there are often sudden changes, from peace to war, according to occasion & advantage. All the States of Christendom are at now arm'd, and we have no reason to beleeve but that those of greatest power have [Page 3] an evill Eye upon us in respect of our Religion: And if their private dif­ferences should be cōposed, how dangerously, how speedily might those great Armies and other preparations now ready, be applied to some En­terprise and Attempt against us? and if there were no other Cause, this were sufficient to make us stand upon our Guard; but there are divers more especially symptomes of dangers of this kind.

We may perceive by severall Advertisements from abroad, that they did foresee our dangers many Months before they broke out; they could foretell the time and Manner of them, which is a cleare evidence, they held Intelligence with those which were the Contrivers and workers of the present troubles.

We have many dangerous Traytors and Fugitives now in other parts who can discover the weaknes and distemper of the Kingdom; who hold Intelligence with the ill-affected party here, and by all cunning and subt­le practises endeavor to incite and provoke other Princes against us.

Some of the Ministers of our neighbour Princes may bee justly suspe­cted to have had a more immediate hand and operation in the Insurre­ction and Rebellion of Ireland, many of the Commanders and most of the Souldiers levied for the service of Spaine, are now joyned with the Rebels there: and those Irish Friars, which were imployed by the Spa­nish Ambassadour for the making of those levies, are knowne to have been chief Incendiaries to this Rebellion, and are still very active in the prosecution and incouragement of it.

The Rebels have a reay and speedy supply from some of our Neigh­bours. Two Convoyes of Munition and Armes we are certainly infor­med of: one, from Dunkirke, the other, from Nantes in Brita [...]y: and cer­tainly those that are so forward to enable others to hurt us, will not for­bear to hurt us themselve, assoon as they shall have means and opportu­nity to do it.

Another danger is from the Papists and ill-affected Party at home. The Papists here, are acted by the same principles, with those in Ireland; many of the most active of them have lately been there; which argues an inter­course and communication of councels. They have still store of Arms and Munition at their disposing, notwithstanding all our endeavours to dis­arm them, they have a free resort to the City and to the Court, they want no oportunities to consult together; they have the same or greater incou­ragements from above, and from about them, than ever, in respect of the example and successe of the Rebels in Ireland, and the great consusions & divisions, which by their cunning and subtile practises, are raised and fo­mented amongst our selves at home.

3 A third Danger is of Tumults and Insurrections of the meaner sort [Page 4] of people: by reason of their ill vent of Cloth and other Manufactures, whereby great multitudes are set on work, who live for the most upon their dayly gettings, and will in a very short time be brought to great extremity, if not imployed: Nothing is more sharp and pressing than necessity and want; what they cannot buy they will take, and from them the like necessity will quickly bee derived to the Farmours and Husbandmen; and so, grow higher, and involve all in an equality of mi­sery and distresse, if it be not prevented. And at this time such Tumults will be dangerous, because the Kingdom is full of disbanded Souldiers, and Officers, which will be ready to head and to animate the Multitude to commit violence with more strength and advantage: and if they once grow into a Body, it will be much more difficult to reduce them into order again, because necessity and want, which are the causes of this disturbance, will still increase as the effects do increase.

A fourth Danger is from the Rebels in Ireland, not only in respect of that Kingdom, but in respect of this, They have seized upon the Body of that Kingdom already, they abound in men of very able bodies, they in­crease in Armes and Munition, they have great hopes of supplies from abroad, of incouragement here, and are sure of good intertainment from the Popish party, so that they begin to speak already of the transporting themselves hither, and making this Kingdom the seat of the war.

The Distemper which hath produced these dangers is various and ex­ceeding violent. Whensoever nature is hindred in her proper operations and faculties, distempers will necessarily follow.

The obstructions which have brought us into this distemper, a [...]e very many, so that wee cannot wonder at the strength and malignity of it. Some of the chiefest of these obstructions, I shall endeavour to remember.

1. The obstruction of Reformation in matters of Religion: no Grie­vances are sharper than those that presse upon the tender consciences of men; and there was never Church or State afflicted with more Grie­vances of this kind, then we have been. And though they are by the wis­dome of this Parliament partly eased and diminished, yet many still re­maine: and as long as the Bishops and the corrupt part of the Cleargy continue in their Power, there will be little hope of Freedome either from the sense of those which continue, or the feare of those which are removed. And of this obstruction, (my Lords) I must clear the Commons, we are in no part guilty of it: some good Bils have past us, and others are in preparation, which might have been past before this, if we had not found such ill successe in the other. Whatsoever mischiefe this obstruction shall produce, we are free from it: we may have our part of the Misery, we can have no part in the guilt or dishonor.

[Page 5] 2. An obstruction in Trade, it is the Trade that brings food and nou­rishment to the Kingdome. It is that which preserves and increaseth the stock of the whole, and distributes a convenient Portion of maintenance to every part of it: therefore such an obstruction as this must needs be dangerous; the Freedome of Trades being so necessary, the benefit so im­portant, as that it gives life, strength, and beauty to the whole Body of the Common-wealth : but I must protest the House of Commons hath gi­ven no cause to this obstruction; we have eas'd Trade of many Burdens, and heavy Taxes which are taken off; we have freed it from many hard restraints by Pattents and Monopolies; we have been willing to part with our own Priviledges, to give it Incouragement; we have sought to put the Merchants into Security and confidence in respect of the Tower of London, that so they might be invited to bring in their Bullion to the Mint, as heretofore they have done :) and we are no way guilty of the Troubles, the feares, and publike dangers which make men withdraw their Stocks, and to keep their mony by them, to be ready for such sudden exigences, as in these great distractions we have toomuch cause to expect.

3. The obstruction in the reliefe of Ireland. It must needs be accompted a great shame and dishonour to this Kingdom, that our Neighbors have shewed themselves more forward to supply the Rebells, then we have been to relieve our distressed brethren and fellow-Subjects. But I must declare that we are altogether innocent of any neglect herein. As soone as the first newes of the Rebellion came over, we undertooke the War, not by way of Supply and Ayde, as in former Rebellions the Subjects have used to do, but we undertook the whole charge of it, and we suffe­red not 24 houres to passe, before we agreed to a great Leavy of Mony and Men, to be imployed against the Rebels, even in a larger proportion, then the Lord Iustices and Counsell there did desire: and from time to time we have done all for the furtherance thereof, though in the midst of ma­ny distractions and diversions, but the want of Commissions for leavy­ing Men, for isluing Armes, and divers other impediments, have been the Causes of that obstructions; and I wish we had not only found impedi­ments to our selves, but also incouragements to them. Many of the chiefe Commanders, now in the Head of the Rebells, after we had with your Lorps. concurrence stopt the Ports against all Irish Papists, have been suf­fered to passe by his Majesties immediate Warrant, much to the discou­ragement of the Lord Iustices and the Counsel there; and, this procured, as we beleeve, by some evill Instruments, too neere his Regall Person, without his Majesties knowledge and intention.

4 The obstruction in prosecution of Delinquents: many we have al­ready brought up to your Lordships: divers others we have been dis­couraged [Page 6] to transmit; such difficult proceedings have we met withall; such teerors and discountenance have beene cast upon our selves and our witnesses; and those who have shewed themselves their friends Patrons, have found it the most ready way to preferment; yea his Majesties own hand hath been obtained, his Majesties Ships imployed for the transpor­ting of divers of those who have fled from the justice of the Parliament.

5 A generall obstruction and interruption of the proceedings of Par­liement, by those manifold designs of violence (which through Gods mer­cy we have escaped;) by the great and frequent breaches of Priviledge; by the subtile endeavours to raise parties in our House, and jealousies be­twixt the two Houses.

6 The obstruction in providing for the defence of the Kingdom, that we might be inabled to resist a forrain Enemy, to suppresse all Civill in­surrections: and what a pressing necessity there is of this, the exceeding great decayes in the Navy, in the Forts, in the power of ordering the Militia of the Kingdome, and meanes of furnishing them Munition, are sufficient evidences, known to none better than to your Lordships, and what endeavour we have used to remove them (but hitherto without that successe and concurrence which we expected:) and where the stop hath been, and upon what good grounds we may claime our own inno­cency and faithfulnes in this, we desire no other Witnesses but yourselves.

Lastly, I come to the evil influences which have caused this distemper, and I shal con [...]ent my selfe to mention some few of those which are most Apparant and Important.

1 In the first place, I shall remember the evill Counsels about the King, whereof we have often complained. Diseases of the Braine are most dahgerous, because from thence Sense and Motion are derived to the whole Body. The malignity of evill Counsels will quickly be infused in­to all parts of the State. None can doubt but we have exceedingly labou­red under most dangerous and mischievous Counsels. This evill influence hath been the cause of the preparation of War with Scotland, of the pro­curing a Rebellion in Irelrnd, of corrupting Religion, suppressig the Li­berty of this Kingdome, and of many fearefull and horrid attempts, to the subverting the very being of Parliament, which was the only hopeful means of opposing and preventing all the rest : And this doth appeare to be a most predominant evill of the Time; whereat we need not wonder, when we consider how Councellours have been preferred and prepared. And I appeale to your Lordships own Consciences, whether the giving, and the countenancing of evill Councell, hath not been almost the only way to favour and advancement.

2 The discouragement of good Councell: divers honest and appro­ved [Page 7] Councellours have been put from their places: others so discounte­nanced as the way of favour hath been shut against them, and that of danger and destruction only open to them.

3 The great Power that an interessed and factious party hath in the Parliament, by the continuance of the Votes of the Bishops and Popish Lords in your Lordships House; and the taking in of others both out of the House of Commons, and otherwise, to encrease their strength.

4 The someting and cherishing of a malignant party throughout the whole Kingdome.

5 The manifold jealousies betwixt the King, his Parliament, and good Subjects, whereby his protection and favour hath in a great mea­sure been witheld from them: their inclination and resolution to serve and assist him, hath been very much hindered and interrupted: We have often suffered under the mis-interpretation of good actions, and false in­portation of evill, which we never intended. So that we may justly purge our selves from all guilt of being Authors of this jealousie and mis-understanding: We have been, and are still ready to serve his Ma­jesty with our lives and fortunes, with much cheerfulnesse and earnest­nesse of affection, as ever any Subjects were; and we doubt not but our proceedings will so manifest this, that we shall be as cleare in the ap­prehension of the world, as we are in the testimony of our own Con­sciences.

I am now come to a Conclusion, and I have nothing to propound to Your Lordships by way of Request or desire from the House of Com­mons: I doubt not but yout judgements wil tell you, what is to be don; your Consciences, your Honours, your interests will call upon you for the doing of it; the Commons will be glad to have your helpe and con­currence in saving of the Kingdome; but if they should faile of it, it should not discourage them in doing their duty. And whether the King­dome be lost or saved (as through Gods blessing I hope it will be) they shal besorry that the story of this present Parliament should tel Posterity, that in so great a danger and extremity, the House of Commons should be inforced to save the Kingdome alone, and that the House of Peeres should have no part in the honor of the preservation of it, you having so great an interest in the good successe of those endeavours, in respect of your great Estates, and high degrees of Nobility.