A PETITION AND PROTESTATION of the County of KENT: Presented the 30th of August, 1642. to the Honourable Houses of PARLIAMENT By Sir JOHN SIDLEY Knight, with many thousands of hands thereunto.  
Wherein they disclaim that late, bold, and unexampled P●●●●●…nt to His Majesty, contrived by a few malevolent, 〈◊〉 and lose persons, and their real affections KING and PARLIAMENT.  
Together with Sir John Sidleys' Speech upon the presenting of the said Petition.  
Also, the Answer of the House of Commons to the said Petition delivered by their SPEAKER.  

ORdered by the Commons in Parliament, That these Petitions be forthwith Printed and published:  
H. Elsing, Cler. Parl. D. Com.  
London, Printed by LUKE NORTON and JOHN FIELD for E. Husband and J. Frank, and are to be sold at their shops in the Middle-Temple, and next door to the Kings-head in Fleetstreet. September 1. 1642.    

Die Martis 30 Augusti, 1642. THe House being informed that divers well-affected Gentlemen of Kent were at the door to present to this House an humble Petition, they were called in; And Sir John Sidley in the name of the rest, spoke to this effect following;  
Mr. SPEAKER,  
1. I Am entrusted by the well-affected Gentry, and Commons of Kent, to present their humble desires, and faithful Resolutions, in a Petition to this Honourable House.  
2. This Petition comes guided hither with as many hearts as hands; It is like a coat without seam; it hath no subtle disguised Preamble to it; it is all of a piece, speaking plain language, yet full of loyalty, and obedience to His Majesty and the Parliament.  
3. This Petition is more considerable than any that hath been presented from this County, coming not only from that part of the Gentry who are exceedingly well-affected to the true Religion, and their Country, but embraced with such a unanimous consent of the entire body of the Commonalty, as that each man contested for the first subscription to it.  
4. The Commons of Kent are very deeply sensible of the many injuries done them by several Petitions, especially by that late unexampled bold one to His Majesty, falsely assuming to it the Votes of the whole County; whereas indeed, it was contrived by a few malevolent and ambitious spirits only, and wholly disclaimed of the Commons, and was subscribed by divers lose and dissolute persons. This was growing to a dangerous Imposthume (having gathered the most of its corruption about the Town of Maydstone) had not the Parliament timely observed it, and applied that seasonable remedy, sending down the late Troops of Horse to launch the sore, thereby preventing all further or future ulceration: For which vigilant care of theirs thus to preserve the whole body, the Commons have desired me to return their most humble and grateful acknowledgement to this Honourable House.   

To the Honourable, the Knights, Citizens and Burgesses now assembled in the high Court of Parliament:  
The humble Petition and Protestation of the Knights, Gentlemen, and Commons of the County of Kent;  
SHOWETHS,  
THat the fear of misapprehensions and misunderstandings of our duties and respects to this House, is that which emboldens us humbly to present our affections and protestations.  
And first, with all possible thanks for your great care and Resolution in the well discharge of your public trust, which (with so much opposition to you, never read or heard of in former times) you have hitherto undertaken and encountered, with the hazard of some of your Lives and Fortunes.  
And we do all most confidently believe, and much joy in the thought of it (notwithstanding the misrepresentation of your Actions by some illaffected to public good for private ends) that all your Actions and endeavours have aimed at the maintenance of the Protestant Religion, the preservation of the King's Person, the Rights and Privileges of Parliament, and the Liberties of the Subject, according to the late Protestation commended to us.  
And that there may not appear of any fayler in our duties and respects to you, We the Knights, Gentlemen, and Commons of the County aforesaid, Do humbly present this Protestation; That to our utmost powers and endeavours, and with the hazard of all that is near and dear unto us in our lives and estates, we shall and will maintain, preserve, and defend, the Rights and Privileges of Parliament, and the full authority thereof, the King's Person, the Protestant Religion, and the Liberties of the Subject.  
And we humbly desire that all illaffected persons opposite hereunto, by the power and justice of this House, may receive such a degree of punishment, as those that are professed enemies to the true Religion, the peace and prosperity of this Kingdom.  
And we humbly pray God (whom we infinitely praise and thank for his blessings hitherto, your endeavours manifested in the happy settlement of peace betwixt us and our Neighbour Nation, and in the preservation of some of your Members from apparent dangers) that those mists of misunderstandings fomented by persons illaffected to our public peace & religion, and now interposing betwixt His Majesty's grace and goodness to you, and your duties to Him (hindering those sweet influences, which otherwise in a great measure by all probability would have a free passage betwixt His Majesty (and you) by your great wisdoms may be so dispelled and taken away, that a clear and right understanding might be had of your Actions and Intentions to His Majesty and this Kingdom: And this (God working in his Majesty's heart an inclination thereunto) we are confident will speedily render a great proportion of happiness to His Majesty, yourselves and the rest of this Kingdom.  
Which shall be the prayers of, etc.   

To the Right Honourable, the Commons House of Parliament: The humble Petition of the Knights, Gentlemen, and Commons, of the County of Kent.  
WE your humble and faithful Petitioners inhabiting the County of Kent, being deeply sensible of the many miseries which these calamitous times (notwithstanding your great care and vigilance to prevent the same) are likely to produce, wherein His gracious Majesty, seduced by the malevolent Council of an illaffected party of Malignants and Cavaliers, the Protestant Religion, His Royal Person and Honour, the Privilege of Parliament, & the Subjects Liberty are threatened with too too apparent hazard and ruin, towards the support of which, your Petitioners according to the duty of loyal subjects and good Christians, are not only willing to contribute their best wishes & Votes, but even the utmost of their endeavours, both with their lives & fortunes, for the redeeming of His Majesty from such hands, and our Religion & Liberty from such peril and danger; But may it please this honourable House to consider, that the Petitioners apprehend themselves in a condition and posture nothing suitable to this their Resolution, being deprived and left naked by the taking our Arms from us in the late expedition for Scotland; We therefore beseech your provident care to empower us with such a proportion of Ammunition and Arms to be magazined in these parts, whereby we may be enabled to manifest our affections and obedience to the Command of King and Parliament, both for the pursuance of the aforesaid intentions, and opposition of all illegal infringements of our Laws and Liberties, such as the Commission of Array, wherewith we are at this time threatened, and what other of the like nature and condition soever, shall be hereafter obtruded upon us.  
And your Petitioners shall be bound, etc.   

The Answer of the House of Commons, to the Petitions of the Knights, Gentlemen, and Commons of the County of Kent, presented the 30 of August, 1642. delivered by their Speaker.  
GENTLEMEN,  
I Am commanded by the House to let you know, That it is no small satisfaction and contentment to this House, to find the affections & resolutions of your County, expressed to them so seasonably and so worthy of yourselves, as they now receive them in these Petitions; especially observing the many subtle practices that have been set on foot under the name of that County, to work in this House a contrary opinion of you; from which you have now so well and fully vindicated yourselves and them.  
Nor can we but observe, that at this time, when contrary to the Fundamental Constitution of this Government, both Houses of Parliament, and the whole Kingdom in them represented, are by the seducement of wicked Council, proclaimed Traitors, (a thing until this time unheard of) you do with so much zeal and resolution, offer yourselves, your lives and fortunes, to support your Religion and Liberty, your Country, King and Parliament, all now in imminent danger of utter ruin. For which, the House hath commanded me to return you their most hearty thanks. And touching those Malignant and illaffected persons, whereof you have in your Petition given a general character, and in particular presented a List of some of them; This House doth assure you, That they will, according to your desires, proceed against them with all expedition and severity.  
And concerning your desires for a supply of Ammunition and Arms for the defence of your County, such hath been the care of both Houses in that particular, and for the general security and peace hereof, That they have already granted full power and Instructions to a Committee, and the Deputy Lieutenants appointed by them for your County, to take a course therein, which they doubt not will give you ample satisfaction.  
FINIS.