The humble Petition of the COMMONS of KENT, Agreed upon at their General Assizes. Presented to His MAJESTY August the first, 1642. With certain Instructions from the County of Kent, to Mr Augustine Skinner, whereby the Desires of the said County may be presented by him, to the Honourable House of COMMONS. With His MAJESTY'S Answer to the aforesaid Petition. At the Court at YORK, August 4. 1642. Printed by his Majesty's special command, At CAMBRIDGE, By ROGER DANIEL, Printer to the famous University. 1642. HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE royal blazon or coat of arms ¶ To the Kings most Excellent Majesty: The Humble Petition of the Commons of KENT, agreed upon at their General Assizes. Most gracious Sovereign; WE do, with all thankfulness, acknowledge Your great Grace and favour towards us, and the whole Kingdom; In passing many good Laws for the benefit of Your Subjects; In promising to ease us of all our grievances; And graciously inviting Us by Your Letter directed to the Judge of Our Assize, full of Love and Care for Your People's good, to petition for redress of them, promising a gracious Answer: And we should with all humility have presented them to Your Majesty at this time, did not the present great distractions and apprehension of a Civil War (which we earnestly pray to God to divert) put us beyond all thought of other grievances. For prevention whereof, we have with all Loyalty of Heart to Your Sacred Majesty, with all Love and Faithfulness to our Country, presented our humble advice in certain Instructions, to one of our Knights of the Shire now here present with a Committee from the House of Commons, to be presented by him to that Honourable House: The Copy whereof we make bold to annex unto this Petition. Most humbly desiring Your Excellent Majesty, That if it shall please the Houses of Parliament to satisfy Your Majesty's just desires in these particulars, That then Your Majesty would be graciously pleased, to lay down Your extraordinary Guards, and cheerfully meet Your Parliament, in such a place where Your Sacred Majesty and each Member of both Houses, may be free from tumultuary Assemblies; And as in all Duty bound, we shall daily Pray for Your Majesty's long Life, and prosperous Reign over us. Instructions from the County of Kent, to Master Augustine Skinner, whereby the desires of the said County may be presented by him to the Honourable House of COMMONS. WHereas a Committee from the House of Commons is now sent down to the Assizes, upon a credible Information (as they say) that something should be done to the Disturbance of the Peace of this County. We, the Commons of Kent, require you Master Augustine Skinner (as our Servant) to certify to that Honourable House, That you found the County in full Peace, and that there is no ground for any such Information, and that you desire, in our Names, to know the particulars of that Information, (of which it seems you are ignorant, and the Informer) that this County may have full reparations in Honour against so scandalous an aspersion cast upon them; and that the Informer, of what quality soever, may receive condign punishment. And that the House of Commons may understand our desires, not only to preserve the Peace of this County, which (with God's blessing, and the help of the good known Laws of this Kingdom) we are confident we shall maintain, but also of the whole Kingdom, being now in so great a distraction, that every Man stands at a gaze, to see what the event is likely to be, and well weighing what a great fire a small spark may kindle; abhorring and detesting the thought of a Civil War: We farther require you to offer our humble advice, as Faithful and Loyal Subjects to His Majesty, and good Patriots and Lovers of our Country, for settling the Distractions of these times. One principal means to effect it, we conceive will be to give His Majesty full satisfaction in His Just Desires, in these four Particulars. 1. In presently leaving the Town of Hull in the same State it was before Sir John Hothams' entrance into it; And delivering His Majesty His own Magazine. 2. In laying aside the Militia, until a good Law may be framed, wherein care may be taken as well for the Liberty of the Subjects, as the Defence of the Kingdom. 3. That the Parliament be adjourned to an indifferent place, where His Sacred Majesty, all the Lords and Members of Your House of Commons may meet and treat with Honour, Freedom, and Safety. 4. That His Majesty's Navy may be immediately restored to him. Our Reasons are these. 1 For withdrawing your Garrison out of the Town of Hull, we are persuaded your fears and Jealousies of foreign forces, of French, or Danes, or of the Papists at home (an inconsiderable Party, especially being disarmed) are long since vanished, the Magazine or a great part of it being removed to London, we conceive Master Major of Hull may safely keep the Town as before. 2. For laying aside the Militia, we are free from Jealousies of Foreign Forces, so that you may have time enough to frame a lasting Law, which notwithstanding, for fear of Inconvenience to the Subjects Liberty, you may, if you so think fit, make the Law a Probationer. Besides, His Majesty, if occasion should be, is vested with sufficient power to raise forces for the Defence of the Kingdom, for which only we are confident His Majesty will employ them. And we should hold ourselves worse than Infidels, if, after so many Protestations to maintain the True Religion by Law established, the Subjects in the Liberty of their Persons and Propriety of their Goods, and the Privileges of Parliament, and that He will Govern us by the known Laws of the Land, we should not with full assurance, believe in Him and confide in Him. 3. For adjourning the Parliament to another place, His Majesty hath expressed the Reasons, That He was driven away by tumultuary Assemblies, and that he cannot return thither with Honour and Safety: And divers of the Lords are absent, who promise to return back to the House, when they may sit with the Liberty, and that condition that the Peerage of England formerly have done, secured from all menaces, or demanding any Account of their particular Votes; which we conceive to be against the Freedom of Parliament, which by our Protestation we must maintain, and from tumultuary Assemblies: These having been the Occasions, as we believe, that of near five hundred in the House of Commons, there are but about one hundred and forty left to sit there, and the greater part of the Lords gone away. 4. For the Restitution of the Navy, our Reason is, That the Neighbour Nations do take notice, that His Majesty's Navy is detained from him, which if not suddenly restored, may turn to His Majesty's dishonour, whose honour, by our Protestation, we are bound to maintain. Another means, we conceive, to settle the States and Minds of the Subjects, is a free, general, and large pardon: which since His Majesty hath so graciously offered we desire and expect to receive, and if any Man do dislike it, he may be excepted, and the generality of the Subjects not hindered of their good, and His Majesty's Grace and Goodness. ¶ His Majesty's Answer to the humble Petition of the Commons of Kent, agreed upon at their general Assizes, and presented to His Majesty, August 1. At the Court at York, August 4. 1642. HIs Majesty hath with great satisfaction in the Loyalty and Affection of the Petitioners considered this Petition, with the Instructions annexed to their Knight of the Shire, & hath expressly commanded me to return this His Answer in these words: That the Petitioners are not more eased and satisfied with the good Laws His Majesty hath passed, than His Majesty Himself is pleased with that way of obliging His Subjects, neither hath He ever made the least Promise or profession of repairing or redressing the grievances of His People, which He hath not been, and always will be ready to perform. His Majesty cannot blame the Petitioners to be apprehensive of a civil War, since the present distractions (grounded upon no visible cause, to which His Majesty could, or can yet apply a remedy) threaten no less confusion. But his Majesty doubts not, that the Petitioners and all His good Subjects, do well understand, That His Majesty hath left no way unattempted, which in Honour or Wisdom could be consented to, to prevent that confusion. That after so many Injuries and Indignities offered to Him, so many combinations and conspiracies against Him, He departed so much from His own Majesty, and the Justice due to it, That he required no other reparation, then to have His Town, Goods, and Navy (taken and kept by violence from and against Him) to be restored to Him: The power of making Laws without Him, by the way of Ordinances (and that in particular, concerning the Militia) to be disavowed. And that a safe Place might be agreed on, where He might be present with His great Council, for the composing of all misunderstandings, and making the Kingdom happy. That before any Answer returned to His Majesty (whilst with all patience and hope His Majesty forbore any action or attempt of force, according to His promise) Sir John Hotham issued out of Hull in the Night, burned the Houses, and murdered the Persons of his fellow-subjects (though he knew His Majesty quietly expected an Answer to His reasonable and necessary demands) and hath since exercised most barbarous cruelty upon a Drummer then taken prisoner by him. That those Propositions made by His Majesty, and mentioned by the Petitioners in their Instructions, are dissented from, and His Majesty not suffered to enjoy what is as unquestionably His own, as any thing His Subjects can call most theirs, upon pretence there is some trust on foot to dispossess His Majesty of them: Whether any such trust be derived from the Petitioners, themselves best know. That a General is made to command His Subjects against Him, and Forces already marching with Cannon towards Him, under the conduct of the Lord Brook, whilst all Labour and Endeavour is used, to cut off all Succour and Supply from His Majesty, as from a Foreign Enemy. When the Petitioners and all other His Majesty's Subjects have weighed this, and considered that these strange unheard of proceed must be the effects of desperate Resolutions, and that all this calamity is brought upon this Nation, to wrest from his Majesty His just Rights, when no sober man can see the want of any thing which is in His Majesty's power to grant, and necessary for the peace and full happiness of the Kingdom. That when all encouragement is given, scandals raised, and provocations used to incense the People against His Majesty, and to publish Petitions and Declarations against the known Laws and established Government: The Petitioners, and all other His Majesty's good Subjects (who out of a true sense of the distraction and ruin the Commonwealth must speedily fall into through these distempers have prepared sober and moderate Petitions and Animadversions for the peace of the Kingdom) have been discountenanced, censured, and imprisoned in a Lawless Arbitrary way, when no offence hath been committed by them, of which the Law hath taken notice: That all their Rights, Interests, and Privileges, which they were born to, by the good known Laws, are taken from them, or subjected to an unintelligible Arbitrary power and resolution, which destroys their confidence and assurance even in Innocency itself; They will think it time to provide for their own security, by Assisting His Majesty for the Defence of His Person, preservation of the true Protestant Religion, and maintenance of the Law of the Land, and Liberty of the Subject; of the which, as the Petitioners care is very eminent, and deserves all protection, thanks, and estimation from His Majesty; So His Majesty will venture His Life and His Crown with them in that Quarrel. Lastly, lest any of the Petitioners may unjusty suffer for making or presenting this humble, dutiful, and modest Petition to His Majesty; His Majesty declares, That He will with His utmost power and assistance protect and defend them against any power whatsoever, which shall question them for so doing; And to that purpose advertiseth them, That they are not obliged to yield Obedience to any Pursuivants, Sergeants, or Messengers, who shall endeavour to molest them for doing their Duty, and discharging their Consciences therein. And that the whole County of Kent may know His Majesty's gracious acceptance of this expression of their Duty and affection unto Him: 'Tis His Majesty's pleasure, that this Answer, together with the Petition and Instructions, be read in all the Churches and Chapels of that County. Falkland. FINIS.