HIS majesties LETTER. TO THE LORD MAIOR and ALDERMEN OF The city of LONDON, WITH The humble Petition of the Knights, Ministers, Gentry Free-holders, and other inhabitants of the county of LEICESTER, To the KING.  
Also the Resolution of the whole county of Essex, Presented to the LORDS and COMMONS assembled In PARLIAMENT:  

Whereunto is annexed the answer from the Parliament, and commanded by the LORDS to be forthwith Printed and Published.  
John brown. clear. Parliament.   
LONDON: Printed for Tho. Hewer and W. Moulton, 1642.   

CHARLES R.  
To Our Trusty and well-beloved, the Lord mayor, Aldermen, and Sheriffes of Our city of LONDON.  
TRusty and well-beloved. We greet you well. Whereas We have received several Informations of great sums of Money endeavoured to be borrowed of Our City of London, by some direction proceeding from both Our Houses of Parliament, and likewise that great labour is used to persuade Our Subjects to raise Horse, and to furnish money, upon pretence of providing a Guard for our Parliament; These are to let you know, that( notwithstanding any scandalous Votes which have presumed to declare our Intention of levying war against Our Parliament, and to lay other aspersions on us, so fully disavowed by us in the presence of Almigty God, by Our several Answers and Declarations) all Our desires and purposes are for the public Peace, and that We have not the least thought of raising or using Force, except We are compelled to it for the defence of Our Person and in Protection of the Law; And therefore We expect, that you suffer, not yourselves to be mis-led by such vain and improbable suggestions, and do declare, That if you shall lend any sums of Money towards the relief of Ireland( to which We have contributed all the assistance could be desired of Us, which way soever Money given and raised to that purpose is disposed) or towards the payment of Our Scots Subjects. we shall take it as an acceptable Service at your hands; but if upon general Pretences contrived by a few Factious Persons against the Peace of the kingdom, you shall give or lend any Money, or provide or raise any Horses or arms towards the raising such a Guard. We shall look upon it as the raising Force against Us, and to be done in malice and contempt of Us and Our Authority. And We do therefore straitly charge & command you to publish this our Letter to the several Masters & Wardens of the several Companies, that they may be assured that such Money as they shall lend out of their good affection to the Kingdom may be onely employed for Ireland or Scotland, and not towards such Guards▪ which( in truth) are intended by the Contrivers of that design( though We believe many honest men seduced by them do not yet see their end) to be employed against Us: And if you and they shall herein fall punctually and severally to observe Our Command, We shall not onely proceed against the several Companies for deceiving the Trust reposed in them; but against the particular persons, as Contemners and Opposers of Our Authority, and of the Law of the Land, in the most exemplary way the known Law of the Land shall prescribe to Us; And shall be compelled to question the Charter of your City, which We are willing yet to believe( notwithstanding the barbarous and insolent demeanour of the meaner and base sort) in a good degree to continue loyal to Us. And of your obedience to these Our commands We do expect and require a full Account, and of the names of such persons who shall oppose the same. Hereof fail you not as you will answer the contrary at you peril.  
Given at Our Court at York the 14. day of June, in t●e 18. year of Our Reign, 1642.   

To the Kings most excellent majesty. The humble Petition of the Knights, Ministers, G●ntry, Free-holders, and many thousands of the Inhabitants of the County of Leicester, who assembled on Horse-sairlays▪ ready to accompany the Petition, if they should bee required.  
The humble Petition of the Knights, Ministers, &c.  
MOst humbly sheweth with one unanimous consent, that your Petitioners and obedient Servants of Liecestershire; situated in the midst of you kingdom of England, and in the midst of our great fears and apparent dangers, by your taking up arms and levying Forces( as it is thought) against your Honourable, royal, and Illustrious Parliament: thereby to cout, to ruin and disappoint their manifest good and godly purposes: and the more fully to effect this design, never heard of( except in the reign of the Eleventh of Richard the Second) you have( as wee rightly conceive) by the ill advice of your pernicious council mortgaged, pawned or sold the glory of the Land, the Jewels and Treasures of the CROWN, which ought as highly to be prized as the MILITIA, or any Magazine whatsoever: the one chiefly serves to secure what is Yours in Possession; the other( being so easily partend with) abateth the lustre of your kingdom.  
Therefore may it please your majesty to harken to the worthy and well-deserving Men of your kingdom, your hopeful and our happy Parliament: and become more near in person, and join in affection with your trusty and grave and solid council and great Court of Judicature, for surely that high Assembly with Gods Blessing and your assenting unto them can soon procure your and our safety, and annihilate all distractions and distempers.  
And that you would freely consent or put our County( because we are in such eminent danger, Southward and Northward, having neither Castles or any other places of strength by Sea or Land, or approved friends besides the Parliament) in a posture of defence, and that you would recall your Warrants prohibiting our Trained bands to muster, the rather because we desire to follow the good example of our neighbour Country Men of lincolnshire and others, and to join yourself with your Parliament.  
Otherwise when they shall declare and nominate the particular disturbers of Yours and Our peace, the procurers of your and our fears, jealousies and amazements out of their known experience, we shall take upon the boldness to remove from your Majesty such prosecutors as are enemies to the State, and hinderers to the tranquillity of the same.  
Therefore we your dutiful faithful Subjects and servants humbly sue, that your Majesty would accord with your Parliament, and comply with them to restrain the violent malice of the blood-thirsty Rebels in Ireland. To settle a Godly, Learned and Industrious Ministry. To disarm the Papists seeing they rejoice in this discord, and insolently speak words full of Arrogancy. To separate from you that subverting council who dare not stand to the goodness of their Cause nor can endure the Test. To cashier those Cavaliers and other unnecessary undependants. Fully and clearly to acquit the Lord Kimbolton, and other the worthy Members of the least suspicion of Treason against your majesty or State, one of them being chiefly entrusted for the good and welfare of our Country. To believe in the faithfulness and Loyalty of your Parliament, who regulates the oppressions of your kingdom. And other the premises.  
And we with our lives, and Estates, and Fortunes shall be obedient, and loyal unto your Majesty. And pray, &c. june the 18.   

To the Right honourable the LORDS and COMMONS assembled in the high Court of PARLIAMENT. The humble Repromission and Resolution, of the Captaines and Souldiers the Trained Bands, and other Inhabitants of the County of ESSEX. With the Answer thereunto annexed, and commanded by the Lords to be forthwith Printed and published.  
Humbly sheweth;  
THAT we having with joy and admiration, observed the wise and gracious Passages and Proceeding of this Parliament: and the pious, tender, and affectionate care of your Honors, for the preservation of the Peace and Honour of his most excellent majesty, and these three thrice happily united Kingdoms; represented to the World in your several Ordinances, Declarations, Votes and Remonstrances, sufficient to stop the mouth( if it were possible) of envy and malignity itself) cannot but with grief and indignation wonder to hear, that there should yet be found, & that even about the Regal Throne, such unnatural & evil affencted spirits, and malignant Councellors, who, desirous to swim to the haven of their ambitious hopes, in the blood of their dearest Friends and Country-men, do continually instil into his Majesties royal breast, a sinister conceit, and mis-interpretation of your most Humble and loyal Affections, and noble Actions, and Vndertakings.  
Wherefore we understanding( not by mis-information of flying reports, out) by the late Votes and Declarations of both your Honourable Houses.  
That his majesty seduced by wicked council intends to make war against the Parliament: That so to do is a breach of the trust reposed in him by his People, contrary to his Oath: And that whosoever shall serve or assist him in such Warres, are Traytors by the fundamental Laws of this kingdom.  
And withal perceiving your most Christian & Heroical Resolutions to persist in your Honourable Endeavours▪ for the public safety, though you should( which God avert) perish in the work. Wee thought it our dutie● most humbly to represent to your Honours, the ●aithful affections and inviolable resolutions of our souls to Stand or Fall, Live or Die, together with you: According to our PROTESTATION.  
Thus with our hands upon our Swords, we stand ready at your command, to perform our Vows to God and oaths of fidelity to his majesty, In taking up Arms against those false Flatterers, and Traytors: who abuse his royal Favour, intending under the glorious Title of his Name and Standard, to fight against the Peace and Honour of their sovereign, against Religion, and the laws: and to make a prey and spoil, of three flourishing Kingdoms at once: And to spend our dearest blood in the defence of the lives, & liberties of our Countrymen; the laws which are the life of our liberty, and Peace; Religion more precious then both; and the King & Parliament: In whose lives lies bound up the life of all the rest. Whosoever is otherwise affencted, wee hold him not worthy the name of a soldier but a Proditor of his King and Country to all Posterity.  
Lastly, finding a multitude of well affencted People, whose hearts are good to join with us but want Arms we most humbly crave, That Restitution may be made of those arms, which were taken out of their County; either out of the store lately arrived from hull; or otherwise as to your most excellent wisdom shall seem best.  
And wee shall ever Pray.   

The Lords Answer to the Essex Petition.  
MY LORDS have taken your Petition into consideration, and receive much contentment in the good affections you have expressed, and do give you hearty and extraordinary thanks, thus seasonably and necessary, for the good of the King and kingdom, and of their Lordships encouragement in the performance of their duty; and the Lords do assure you, that God willing, they resolve to insist in their former declared Resolutions, for the upholding of the true Religion, the Kings authority in the highest Court, which by sundry late Declarations and practices to abuse the people, they find so much vilified and invaded, the privileges of Parliament, free Course of Justice, the laws and Peace of this Kingdom, notwithstanding any dangers and hazards that for that cause can befall them. That for the manifestation of their good affections, and their Lordships kind acceptations thereof, they have commanded your Petit●on and the Answer, to be for●●ith Printed and published.  
John, B●●wne Cleric. Parliament.  

This Resolution was presented to ●he Trained Bands, and Companies of Voluntiers, who appeared at Dunmow: Jun. 10. 1642. And was received with universal Approbation, by holding up of Hands, throwing up of hats, and Acclamations: professing, That they held them unworthy to live, that should dislike it. And it was within three dayes after, subscribed with ten Thousand Hands.   
FINIS.