Colonel fitzwaters HIS PETITION To the Honourable House of COMMONS assembled in PARLIAMENT: Desireth Auxiliary Forces for the assistance of our poor Brethren in IRELAND. Who being there Resident, was both a Partaker, and an eyewitness of their Miseries.  
Whereunto is added the lamentable estate they are like to fall into, without some sudden supply of men for their defence against the rebels.  
IN DOMINO CONFIDO   printer's or publisher's device 
LONDON Printed. 1642.   

Colonel fitzwaters HIS PETITION TO THE Honourable House of COMMONS assembled in PARLIAMENT.  
Right Honourable,  
THere are two manifest instigations which importune the sequel of my words. First, the equity of your proceedings hitherto, giving me boldness and courage. Secondly the ground and principal motives instigating me to this my proposition and request. For I behold in all your intendments a singularity of proceedings grounded upon discretion and goodness, your consultations being steered and balanced as well by charity and compassionate lenity towards the reflecting sorrows of others miseries, as extremity of Justice towards delinquents. And my wishes are and shall be for the continuance of this wisdom, which redounds to the glory of God and unexpressible joy of the Subject. But not to digress too far from the matter I intended to speak of, hoping that your this day's resolution concerning my intended motion will prove as happy as I conceive: the proposition which now moves me to speak is seasonable and necessary. The order of your noble favour and gracious aspect to such as have been formerly petitioners unto you, together with the importunity of the subject, hath given me so much confidence in your Honours as to solicit an extension of the last and late mentioned petition for the poor protestants in Ireland who are persecuted, massacred, and miserably distressed by the rebels there, whose malice extends not only to the taking of any one particular town or county, nor content to dispossess the poor inhabitant protestants taken by them, but pursuing them with unheard of Severity, to the imbruing their murderous, and most wicked hands in their blood, endeavouring by all means to embesill his majesty's regal authority by using their chiefest cruelty to his majesty's most true and loyal Subjects. My desire and humble petition to your honours therefore is, that there may be some speedy and sudden course taken for the expediting and dispatching of some more auxiliary forces towards the assistance of our aforesaid brethren. Your honours cannot upon sage and mature consideration but conceive the conveniency, necessity and pitiful extremity they are, and will daily be more and more plunged into without it. As for my part, I that have formerly engaged myself for my King and countries good, am now ready, nay more willing than ever, to adventure both life, estate, liberty, and whatsoever else I may term mine, for the good of the kingdom and advancing of his majesty's honour against any foreign or civil enemy, under the pleasing shade of whose Crown we have ever gathered the fruits of Justice, and upon whose happiness the welfare of the whole commonwealth principally depends, our hopes principally consisting in his royal pleasure, and you who are his grand counsel to determine of things for the benefit of the commonwealth and advancing of his honours. This of Ireland's derogating and rebelling against his majesty, persecuting his Subjects, it must needs be a point of great indignity and dishonour to our realm of England, who may well be taxed with cowardice, in that we are so tardy, slow and disrespectful of our poor distressed brethren; so patient and favourable, as not to assist and revenge their wrongs ere they had come to so high a head; and so forgetful, as to endanger the loss of His majesty's Prerogative, and our own credit by their unrepelled insurrection, who now exalt themselves through their strength, and give glory to their arm of flesh, but I hope that I am really and verily persuaded that their joy will be soon extinct, and their sacrilegious pleasures will prove but momentany, and of no continuance. It is in your pleasures to crown my expectation with a joyful Reply to this my indigent though indulgent Petition. It is you that only can, and I hope will stand their friend in this their sorrowful and deplorable extremity. Yea, upon you are their eyes fixed, their hearts grounded, and on your mature and sage consideration their principal, yea only hopes depend, who (both I and they) with such Forces as your Honours shall be pleased to grant as Auxiliaries, shall be ready to venture life and limb for regaining of our lost honour, and the maintenance of true Religion and virtue.  
FINIS.