GRAND-JURORS OF THE City of Bristol, THEIR ADDRESS To the General Sessions of the Peace, There Assembled: WHEREIN Are showed their Reasons for the putting the Laws in due Execution against the fanatics and Papists.  
And likewise showing The Fears and Jealousies that they are daily in, if the same be neglected.  
Humbly offered to Consideration.  
Printed with Allowance, 1675.   

Civit. Bristol. Epiphany Sessions, 1674.  
To the Right Worshipful, the Mayor and Aldermen, His Majesty's Justices of the Peace of and for this City and County, in this their General-Session s of the Peace now assembled.  
WE the Grand-Jurors for the body of this City, being moved with a due sense of our Duties towards Almighty God, our zeal for the Church, and the Honour and Interest of the true Reformed Religion (as being Christians) Our Loyalty and Allegiance towards our Sovereign Lord the King, and the peace and prosperity of His Majesty's Kingdoms (as being His Subjects) and especially of this City, whereof we are some of his Natives, all Citizens, Burgesses, and Inhabitants, And considering the sacred and solemn Obligation, not only of the Oath by us taken when we entered upon this Service, together with the charge and directions given us by this Court, but also of our Oaths of Burgesses, Do humbly crave leave, as hath been usual, to present and recommend to this Court, and to every of your Worships in particular, our sad apprehensions of the present State of this City, so far as His Majesty's Peace, relating to the Government, therein, both Ecclesiastical and Civil, is concerned. Hoping your Lordships will not think it improper for us, or besides our present Duty, to give you an account of the true reasons and occasions of those great Divisions, Disturbances, Tumults, Routs, Riots, and Breaches of the King's Peace which have been lately amongst us; and have raised just cause of fears in all His Majesty's Loyal and Interessed Subjects within this City, That if these disorders be not prevented, and the Offenders therein punished by your Worship's speedy care and activity in putting the Laws in Execution, they will end in the final ruin and desolation of this City, and probably in a new Rebellion, (which God forbidden) For we see by experience, that the impunity of Offenders, and connivance at their evil practices, serves only to encourage them in the disobedience of good and wholesome Laws.  
The Persons of so many of the Offenders, and the matter of their several Crimes and Offences (as we have had knowledge thereof) are set forth in the particular Indictments and Presentments against them hereto annexed, which if informal, or defective, for want of being in Latin, by reason of false Latin or otherwise; we humbly desire such defect or want of Form, may be supplied by order of this Court.  
The greatest number of our Indictments, and Pesentments, are against Schismatical, Seditious, and Disloyal Seducers and Sectaries, who are the very Pests and Firebrands of our City, and the principal (if not only) disturbers and breakers of the Peace therein. The heads of these Seducers are divers Strangers, who, pretending themselves to be Ministers of Jesus Christ (but in truth were never in Holy Orders, as we believe) are lately come to settle in this City, and have made it their business to impose Doctrines of Disobedience on the weak understandings of the ignorant and credulous Multitude, to Form the People into several Parties and Factions, to Seduce them from their due Allegiance to His Majesty, and to withdraw them from the Churches, and the public Worship and Service of God by Law Established (which these Impostors call Antichristian) unto unlawful Assemblies and Conventicles, set up by themselves (which they call Churches) and to unite them into several Confederacies, to separate from the Church, and forsake their lawful Pastors and Ministers (who are by them called Dogs) and to subtract from them their due maintenance, and apply it to these Seducers (who, at their Conventicles, style these kind of practices, Holy Combinatious) And at these unlawful Assemblies and Conventicles, these Seducers have taken on themselves, of ●heir own Authority, to Pray and Preach as they list, most commonly on Lords-Days, at times of Divine Service, and at other times, whereby they have so increased the number of Disloyal, Antimonarchical & Seditious Sectaries amongst us; and have so tampered with too many others of the ignorant & ill-principled Multitude, & those of the younger sort, and have by their Doctrine & Evil Examples, so inveighled them into Disobedience, and contempt of the Laws and Constitutions of this Kingdom, both Ecclesiastical and Civil, and the Government and Magistrates of this City, that unless your Worships shall effectually exert your Authority for the restraining and reforming of these, and other such like their licentious proproceeding, it may justly be feared, by the sad experience of the late troublesome times, that (if it lie in these men's power) not only the Peace and Safety of this City, but also a total subversion of the present Establishments, both in Church and State, will inevitably ensue: Which is the more evident, by their shutting the Doors of a Conventicle in the Castle, against several Justices of the Peace, who went thither in Person, with the Lord Bishop, to disperse it, and denying them entrance, till they had called Constables to break the Doors. By their raising Tumults and Riots in the principal parts of the City on every light occasion. By their pursuing with Staves, and assaulting by throwing Stones at divers of those, who are bound in Duty, or are commanded to go to their Conventicles, in order to their Suppression, or the Conviction of such as they find there, with such great numbers, that many sober and loyal People are in great Terror and Dread of sudden insurrections. To so great a height of Insolency are these Seducers and Sectaries now grown, as not only to frequent Conventicles, but also to challenge of the Magistrates Toleration and Allowance for Congregating them without control, when, where, and as often as they please, whereunto they draw great numbers of People, designing thereby, to increase and strengthen their party, and to appear the more formidable. Insomuch, that within this City, to be reputed Loyal, gins now to be accounted matter of scandal and reproach; and schism, sedition, and faction, hath the boldness to outface Authority.  
And we cannot but take notice, That some men, who were very active against His late Majesty (of glorious memory) in our late Civil Wars; and others, who own their Lives and Estates to His now Majesty's Clemency and Acts of Indemnity, are now the chief Countenancers and Supporters of these schismatical Preachers in their seditious practices; and are so far from being obliged to Subjection and Obedience to the Laws, by His Majesty's Grace and Goodness, that they are thereby encouraged to be the more Disobedient and Disloyal, and to seduce others to be so also. So that this City, which was formerly famous for true Religion and Loyalty, and for unity within itself, and natural love and amity, is now rend and torn with Schism and Faction: And unless there be effectual care taken by your Worships, for the exterminating hence these kind of Impostors and Seducers, and for suppressing of their Conventicles, by putting the Laws to that purpose in due Execution, Our City will shortly become a Sanctuary for Disloyal and Turbulent Spirits, and contemners and breakers of all Laws and civil Sanctions, Our Religion and Government will be prostituted to the Humours and Lusts of unreasonable men, to be obeyed or disobeyed at their Wills and Pleasures, and the Authority of our Magistrates trampled under the Feet of such as despise Dominion, and speak Evil of Dignities, which must needs introduce remediless disorder and confusion; and may at last, for aught we know, mould the Vulgar into a willingness to embrace Popery.  
But we are hearty glad to see the ready and active concurrence of your Worships, with the Right Reverend Father in God the Lord Bishop, in the preventing of those growing mischiefs, and humbly entreat both your Worships and his Lordship, to persist unanimously in so necessary a work. And we have reason to rejoice and bless God, for the great care and vigilance of so good and faithful a Shepherd, as his Lordship is, over this part of his Flock, and for his indefatigable care and endeavours to secure it from being invaded and devoured, hoping that all the hard censures he hath; or shall meet with; from any Seducers Sectaries, or Disloyal Persons, or their Favourers, will not at all discourage him in the prosecution of so honourable and worthy an undertaking.  
And we do hereby engage, in the name of ourselves, and all others the Loyal Citizens, Burgesses, and Inhabitants of this City, that we are, and shall be ready, to sacrifice our Lives and Fortunes with you in defence of His Majesty's Person, Crown, and Dignity, and the Established Laws.  
And Lastly, We thank your Worship's care for the preservation of the Liberties and Privileges of this City, in not admitting any to be freed, without their first taking the Oath of a Burgess, which care we humbly desire may be continued.  
And we do here humbly present to the Right Worshipful Sir John Knight, now present in Court, as being one of our Representatives in Parliament, as well as one of His Majesty's Justices of the Peace for this City and County, these our common grievances and complaints to be by him communicated to the Right Worshipful Sir Humphrey Hooke Knight, the other of our Representatives, and the Colonel of the Militia and Trained Bands for this City; and do make it our unanimous request unto them both, to endeavour the redressing the same, and to secure the Peace of this City, by all the ways and means they can, according to their best prudence and discretion, against the grow wing evils and dangers, arising from the practices of such as are Disloyal Obstinate, and Seditious, That so true Peace, Unity, and Charity, may be restored and reestablished amongst us. To which end, we all hearty pray,  
God Save the King. 

Richard Daw.  
John Napper.  
Richard Wellichapp.  
Richard Clifford.  
John Estwick.  
John Whiteing.  
William Bush.  
Samuel Rogers.  
John Minor.  
Richard Smith.  
Walter Gunter.  
John Warren.  
Thomas Davidge.  
Walter Steward.  
Thomas Greene.  
Ambrose Hancock.  
Edm. Arundel.  
Robert thorn.  
George Harts.    
FINIS.