To the most honourable Assembly of the Commons house of Parliament.  
The humble Petition of the Feltmakers in and near London,  
Most humbly showing,  
THat his Majesty by his Proclamation dated 2. Decemb. An. 11. jacobi, did straightly prohibit all persons from thenceforth to unship, discharge, or lay on land in England or in Wales any Felts, Hats, or Caps, wrought or half wrought in any part beyond the seas, And did thereby command all his Customers and Officers of his Ports to forbear to take any entries of the same.  
That there are nevertheless great numbers of Felts and Hats made beyond the seas, which are daily brought by strangers into this Realm, and put to sale in this Kingdom, in contempt of his Majesty's said Proclamation and prohibition.  
The petitioners further show, that by reason of the permission of the importation into this Realm of the said manufacture of Felts and Hats ready wrought; and for that there is no prohibition against the buying of the same in this kingdom, infinite numbers of people are thereby employed and relieved beyond the seas, and chose many thousands of his Majesty's poor subjects which were accustomed to be employed and set on work by the Feltmakers of this Realm, in carding, basoning, felting, dressing, pouncing, blocking and dying, with certain other feats concerning Felt-making, are now utterly undone, and many of them (for want of employment) are fallen to idleness, begging, and betake themselves to other evil courses, to the great scandal of the government of this Commonwealth.  
And forasmuch (as the Petitioners conceive,) there is no Statute or Law of this Realm in force to prevent those great mischiefs and inconveniences, They do therefore most humbly pray, that (for the relief of so many thousands of his Majesty's subjects) there may be some severe law made in this present Session of Parliament as well for the prohibition of the importation into this Realm of Felts and Hats wrought and half wrought beyond the seas, as also for the punishment of such as shall buy the same in this kingdom.