To the honourable the knights, citizens and burgesses, in the Commons House of Parliament now assembled. The humble petition of 15000. poore labouring men

TO THE HONOURABDE THE
, KNIGHTS. CITIZENS AND BURGESSES
IN THE COMMONS HOVSE OF PARLIAMENT
now assembled.
jT' ' . ' , i v ^ '/ _ ' - , ; _ ' ' " - ;
The humble Petition of 15000. poore labouring menf known the name of Porter s> and the h'WeJl ^Members of the Citie
0/ L O N D o N.
Humblie fhervetb, > :
ir poorPetitioners,though they be the loweft and meaneftMembers of this Cicy5yet they do with all humble and heat ty
acknowledgment confeflej that the unceflant and unexpreflabie care and paines you have taken for the good of both Church
and State, in the middeft of fo many Plots, Confpiracies and perxlls, deferveth to be recorded to your eternall Fame, and of
your poore Petitioners moft humbly and gratefully accepted of 3 although thofe happy efFefts, you have by your unwearied
endeavours laboured for, and your Petitioners long expe&ed, be not yet produced^ the caufe of which is, that adverfe malig¬
nant-blood fucking-rebellious Popifti party in the generall : For particular parties, many of them hath been often mentio~
ned in this Honourable Hpufe heretofore: therfore we will omit to make any furthermention of them^only your Petitioners
doth humbly crave leave to name fome of thofe many particular evills, which we have too much caufe to feare, and are in 2
great meafurefenfible of: as Firft, that great height of power the Adverfe party is grown unto, in that they are fo impudent
and Infolenc,as to counfell to5and devifea way to accufe the Innocent^and when that would not hit3then they counfelled that
power Prerogative fhould trample upon all the Priviledges of Parliament, and the Liberty of the Sub jeft, which if Gods providence and your pru¬
dence had not timely prevented this defigne, the whole Kingdome ere this time,had been involved in blood. Secondly, the dayly growth of the For-]
ces,Infolencies and outrages of thofe falvage,and more theobarbarous,Rebellsia Ireland) exercifed upon our poore Brethren by Nation and Religi**
on,whofe miferable and diftrefted eftate we truly fympathize, and doe much condole 5 and if the good hand of the Allpiighty, by your prudence and
puiftance, doe not fpeedily bridle the adverfarie, they will totally extirpate and extinguilh the name of the Englifh, with the Proteftant Religion ia
that Nation. And your Petitioners doe humbly conceive, that the hand of the adverfe party is too much feen amongftushere, by contriving and
procuring obftru^ions and delayes in their reliefe and fupplyes. Thirdly, the univerfa’ldeadnes of Tradiugjkhath beenalanguHhinglong, and
ftrooke in divers branches of it, but now the very body of it is firookefivelefle and dead: and-the reafohs hereof (as your Petitioners doth humbly
conceive)are divers, not only the things before named;but the many feares, jea^oufiesanddiftra&ions welye under: for being the adverfe party feeth
that theirfecret plots, C^onfpiracies, andhellifh devices, hath hitherto become abortive, it is to be feared they will break out into open Hoftilicie, as
they have done inand moreover, laying of our felvesopen tofprreigne Invafion, by delaying of the fortification of the Cinque Ports,which is
(as your PetMohers doe humbly conceive) coo great an advantage a.nd encouragement to the Papiffs amongft us to make Infurre&ipn, and doth too
muchanimateaforreigne pewer to Invade us, Thefeiandmany morejwhich is above and beyond our line and fpheare of conceiving, are the caufesof
this univerfall deadnefle qf Trading: now thisdeadnefleof Trade is the lole caufe your poore Petitioners doth want imployment in fuch a meafure,
that theic lives are made very uncomfortable: for befides the fingle namber mentioned before, which is the leaft that doe live in thaeway^ there is a
treble number which hath their fubfiftence of the labour of your poore Petitioners, that is, their Wives and Children; and being your Petitioners
can have no better imployment, they are expofed to many hardfhips for that little, your Petitioners was pofTeffed of before thefe times, (Ince thefe
times of Trading grew fo dead, they have been conftrained to fell part, and paund other part, for to buy food for their Families, and now they have
fcarce fo much left as will fatkfie their Landlords for Rent, and fo your Petitioners are very nigh turning into the Streets.
Therfore,the moft humble requeft of your poore Petitioners is, that this extreame necefficy of theirs may be taken into ferious confideration, and
that this Honourable Houfe would fall upon the fpeedieft courfe that your wifdomes feeth be/f, forabateingand quelling of the pride, outrage,
andinfolencieot the adverfe party hereac home^ and that reliefe and fupply may be fent t&our Brethren in Ireland, if it may be before it be too
lace. And your Petitioners doe further humbly pray,thac this Land may be fecured,by fortifying the Cinque Ports, and putting the people into
a pofture of Defence, that all, or as many of ourfeares as can, may be removed 5 that the way and life of Trading may againe be fet up and openedj
that fo your Petitioners wants may in fome meafure be fupplyed. They further humbly pray that Juftice may be done upon Offenders, accord¬
ing as the atrocitic of their crimes have deferved: for if thefe things be any longer fufpe«ded, they will for#e your Petitioners to extremicies,noc
fit to be named, and to make good that faying, Tbatneceffity hath no Law: It istrue, that we have nothing to lofebut our liveSjand thofe we will
willinglyexpofctotheutmoftperill, in the defence of the Kings Majefties Royal! perfon, Crown and Dignities , and this Honourable Honfe of
Parliament,with the Priviledges thereof, with all the reft, contained in our Proteftation, to which your Petitioners will adhere to the lofle of
their lives: And they doe moft humbly defire a favourable conftruftion and acceptance of thefe few immature and undigefted expreffions,and fo
much as isunfavouriein them to impute it to a defeft in their underftanding, and not to any peraicioufnefie in the will* And your Petitioners
doe with all humbleneffe and fubmilfion defire a fpeedy Aafwcr 2
a^nd they mil never ceafe to prajt &c. ’ ^ j
ZA true relation oj the tumner bow it was delivered.
'He Petitioners coming to the Houle,wera called, and fix of them having accdffe»one of them was to fpeake, and that was the man that delivered the Petition; and thus he
jl delivered hitnfelfe: May we humbly crave leave of this Honourable Houle to deliver a Petition; the Anfwerewas, to bring it in, and then the Petitioners were ordered
to withdraw: and after fotne timeTpenc, the Petitioners were called in agamt,and Mr.Speaker was defired in the name of the Houfe to give the Petitioners many thanks for
the'love.carejand obedience they manifefted: andtheir exprefiaons were kindly accepted of.* and the Petitioners were wilhed to continue in their obedience, and for their re-
que(t» part of it was provided for, and the other part the Houle did take fpeciaii care of, and we (hould have full fatisfa&ion. To which the Speaker for the Petitioners rc«
plyed, that they gave the Honourable Houfe many humble and great thanks for their gracious acceptance, and withal! did humbly defire the Honourable Houfe would take
fiptiee® that the prefling nseeffities arc luch we lyc under,as cannot admit of delayer.
London, Printed by R. Onlton and 9* Dexter Jot Job* if 41*