NEW QUESTIONS RESOLVED, Concerning the City of Londons Petition and Engagement for a personal Treaty.  
Question. WHether the Parliament ought to govern the Nation, and dispose of the Kings Person according to their own judgements, or according to the importunity of the Aldermen and Common-Councelmen of London, and number of Petitioners?  
Answer. The Parliament would be breakers of their trust, if they should be moved, either by their importunity or number, to admit a thing so evidently dangerous, and contrary to their own understandings and consciences, they being chosen and entrusted solely by the generality of the people, for redress of grievances, and to provide for safety, the common-council or City of London having no more to do in matters of national or general concernment, then any other City of the Nation, having their Burgesses in Parliament to represent and vote as they see cause.  
Quest. To what end then are Petitions, if it be no more then so, men were as good save the labour and trouble of framing and promoting Petitions, and only present their desires by the burgesses that serve for their respective places?  
Answ. doubtless, it is the most proper way, for all men to present their desires by their own Burgesses, and if they refuse, or do it not to content, then no doubt all men are free to petition; but they are to consider, that the true and just end of petitioning, is only for information of the equity of the thing or things desired, leaving the Parliament as free to judge, as if no Peti●ion had been presented.  
quest. But admit the Parliament do mistake the matter presented, and upon mistake proceed prejudicially, either in doing or fo●bearing, in reference to the thing or things desired, are not men free to re-advise and present further information?  
Answ. Yes, certainly they are, but so as not to be clamorous, violent or importunate, nor to insist upon the number of Petitioners, as the manner corruptly hath been, but upon the reason of the matter or matters petitioned, leaving the Parliament as at first freely to judge.  
Quest. If it b● so, why then are the Aldermen and Common-Councelmen in the City and others in the places adjacent, so importunate with all men young and old to subscribe their names to a Petition and engagement for a personal Treaty with the King?  
Answ. Tho best way to judge thereof, will be when the Petition is presented with the engagement subscribed, to take an account by the names, how many amongst them have contributed freely upon the propositions, and what their language & demeanou● since these troubles have been, towards such as have been forward for the Pa●l●ament; for by the men and their actions, is more certain to judge, then by their Petition which is but words; and if the greatest number of them appear to be malignants, it may certainly be concluded, that under the colour of a personal Treaty, they intend to make the King( for whom they have always been, and against the Parliament) absolute master over Parliament and people, and by that means, to be rev●nged upon the Roundheads, whom with the Parliament, they continually revile with the bitterest reproaches, and by this fear of a personal Treaty, to do that for the King by fraud, that he and they long sought for( in vain to eff ct by force.  
Quest. What may be the cause, that some who have been alw●ies for the Parliament, have nevertheless subscribed this engagement?  
A. Some of those are swayed there into through fear, observing how the promoters do threaten the refus●●s in many places, some with one kind of mischief and some with another, some upon vain hopes are merely deluded, and others through impatience at the decay of trade, continuance of excise, taxes and other discontents, are by the smooth speeches of the chief drivers on of this design( pretending peace but intending war) ●ransported into a belief, that only a personal treaty with the King in London, will put an end to all their troubles, and instead of further miseries would not only produce a safe and well-grounded peace; but a p●osperous trade and much happiness, when as these deceitful hypocrites, through their continual interruption of Parliament, their working ●he ships to revolt, and the counties to rise, have themselves caused the decay of trade, continuance of Excise, & daily necessi●a●e other taxes; And for a safe and well-grounded peace they equ●vocat therein, meaning it will be so to themselves really & only, but to the Parliament & all their adherents, with these seduced subscribers, their undoubted bondage and ruin.  
Q What may be the reason, that the Aldermen and Common-Councell-men are now also so importunite with the Parliament to have the Militia of Westminster, southwark, and the H●m●etts, put under the command of the Militia of London.  
Answ. That the men of those Committees, who are now Well affencted may be changed for such as themselves, and after that, all the Officers and Commanders for such as will do what they shall command, and that once being effected, then they will be in a good posture to compel a personal treaty from the P●rl●ament, or if they will nor grant it, or any thing else they desire, even to drive them from Westminster, or so many of them as will not serve their turns, as they did a twelve month ago.  
Q. Were it not therefore better for the Parliament to continue the jurisdiction of those Militias distinct as they are, and as of proper right b●longs unto them, then at once to discontent and wrong those places, in taking away their right, and subjecting them to London, which already is so great, unruly and pro●d, that they have in their lofty expectations presumed they shall( in time) ever-master the Pa●liaments and whole Nation: besides, is not the Militia of London, and those Militias and all others, in their best most proper, and useful condition when they are all alike 〈…〉 ●n readiness to serve the Parliament, as now being distinct, they are in a posture of obedience, without any strange Lords to forbid or hinder them; but being joined with London, they will be in a condition to dispute, and if London then notwithstanding should pretend, that yet they are not in a fit condition of defence, and should petition( or rather command, as such almost are all their Petitions already) for more additions, were it not very dangerous both to the freedom of Parliaments and People?  
A. It is most certain, and therefore it is best for the Parliament( minding both their own freedom and safety, and the peace and freedom of the Nation, for which they were chosen) that those Militias are distinct and so to continue, nor is it easily discernible how the Parliament can justly grant the fundamental right or property of any one place in England, City, or Corporation to another; They may as justly dispose of private mens rights and properties to any greater then the owners, who shal petition for them, and be more able to detain them, then they are to defend or recover them: And no question, but the intention of this endeavouring to join the Militia's together at this time, is for as bad and dangerous ends, as can be imagined, which doth evidently appear, in that the well-affected of all those places, have not only petitioned the contrary, but are extremely grieved, that, the Parliament upon the petitioning of the ill affencted should not better consider, then so suddenly to order the cojunction: But it seems they begin to see so much danger therein, that they are necessitated to oppose it, and doubtless, will never grant such an unjust svit; for what misery can be greater amongst m●n, then the well-affected to be insl●ved to proud Malignants, and such as are ever plotting their ruin; yea, so evident is the danger, that thousands of peaceable and well-minded Citizens have( on a sudden) promoted and presented a Petition against such a conjunction: but if good men were as wise indeed as now they are busy, they would have seen some reason before they had changed their own Militia, now they see their own sloth and negligence, though they have not yet tasted of the frairs thereof as Colchester hath done, who indeed( to 〈◇〉 st mens grief) have great cause to curse the alteration, for that distressed Town might have been free from the cruel miseries which now it suffers, had the new Militia of London, been as well-affected as the old; yea, the whole Nation may justly lay all these new disturbances to the charge of this unjust alteration; for what is more evident, then that they have countenanced, if not fomented all the Risings in Wales, Kent, Essex, Sussex, Surrey, and all other places, as also the revolting of the Ships, and how the Parliament can quit itself, in showing such forward and favourable respects to these or such, when they present such unjust and dangerous Petitions is hard to judge, but it grieves the spirits of all honest men to see and consider it.  
Quest. What can the Parliament do when all sorts of people are so mad for a personal Treaty, that whoever comes with that kind of language in their moths, saying, that wha● they desire is in order to a personal Treaty, if the Parliament should deny it, they would be in very much danger; besides, these men in the front of those Petitions, profess that they are no wise obnoxious for Malignancy, but in good repute for their affection and assistance to the Parliament, such as Ald, Bi. and the like time-serving men.  
Answ. The cause why men are so mad for a personal Treaty, is because the Parliament do not better inform those mens judgments, and show them the injustice & danger thereof, and that they countenance those and such malignants, when they present such vile and corrupt petitions; for all petitioners should be satisfied with forcible reasons from a PARLIAMENT, or else farewell Parliaments to be any more mentioned,( as it was not long before these troubles proclaimed) and refer the whole Government of the Nation, to the Common council of LONDON. And as for Ald. Bi. whatever he may appear to those who look superficially on him, the man is known to have had always a malignant heart, though he hath parts to conceal it from common eyes; for no two men in England have held more correspondency one with another, then he and Sq. the Delinquent Minister of Shor. By. indeed hath somewhat of a scholar in him, but so much only as servs to puff him up, & put him forward to show himself in things of a malignant nature, & such as are like to introduce Episcopacy, with which way of Superstition, he is more then a little tainted: Before he was an Ald.( itis reported) he was exceeding charitable to the poor in Shor. the place of his habitation, but since( it appears) he hath abated his charity and love to all good works, which plainly manifests that he made that his charitable practise, the path to the height of his ambition; And now being in place, and fond believing he hath an opportunity and possibility, appears in things palpably malignant; For what can be more palpably evil and dangerous, then his indirect ende●vours( as one of the chief of Londons confederacy) for a personal Treaty being the very same with all the rising Counties and revolting ships: Besides, how unworthy and Ju●as like is it in him, to bend all the force of his endeavours thus to betray the long enjoyed liberty of the Hamblets, even the very place where he hath from a mean condition, gained a great estate; And to second his fond fl●u●ishing Inckhorn rhetoric, he may please to mind that old saying, No man is so base as the unthankful; And therefore, for any goodness, Religion, or tender affection in this Ald. or any other appearing in these wicked designs, it may in time prove to be as b●d( if not worse) then that of Tomkins and Challenor, against whom till evil a●peared, there was as little( if not less) objection.  
Q. If these men intentions are so evidently pernicious, what is best for the Parliament to do in this case?  
Answ. To show them their error, and( in rational and faire terms) to ma●ifest unto them that their evil intentions are apparent, and that therefore they( according to the trust reposed in them by the people for their safety, are not only bound in conscience, but resolved to use all means of prevention: and withall, to declare to the world, how dangerous and unreas●nable it is for them, who are the representative body of the Nation to treat with the King, who is but one officer thereof( as if one were of mo●e worth, then so many hundred thousands of people) Nay, to admit( as the engagers desire) a personal Treaty with him, that hath raised and maintained a most bloody and destructive war, murdering and destroying the most peaceable religious people in all the three Nations, and this to; he being their prisoner, and after they have published his heinous offences, and voted no further addresses to him: These and the like expressions from the Parliament, would certainly reclain those engagers to a better understanding and more right use of petitioning, and so prevent the horrid mischief intended by this so plausib●e a design.  
Quest. What if not with standing all this should be done, those busy men will not desist, but boldly proceed to engage more, and to stir up the people to importune and force the Parliament to yeld to their unreasonable wils, as they did with unparalleled violence the last year, though they undertook in the armies absence to defend the Parliament.  
Ans. If they should do so, it will certainly prove to their own vexation if not ruin, for however they may flatter themselves, there will never be wanting sufficient numbers in this Nation, to vindicate the just authority of Parliament, against all such desprat & violent ob●ruders of things so evidently destrvctive to the liberties of the Nation, and that will freely hazard their lives and estates, to bring all such deliquents to justice and deserved punishment.  
And therefore, let not these insolent & imperious men so much presume, nor well minded men be in the least discouraged; for God, as in the former, so in these latter troubles, hath appeared sufficiently to warn the one, and support the other, and yet stirreth up others daily, more and more for defence of so just a cause.   
FJNJS,