THE PETITIONS OF NORTHAMPTON-SHIRE AND OXFORD-SHIRE. PRESENTED unto THE HIGH covert OF PARLIAMENT:  
 looped design  
 column with crowned English rose, crowned Scottish thistle, crowned fleur-de-lis, and crowned Irish harp  
 shield with three crowns and an open book 
AC: OX   
LONDON, Printed by R. Olton, and G. Dexter. for Benjamin Allen, and John Bull. MDCXLII.   

TO THE HONOURABLE, THE KNIGHTS, CITIZENS and burgesses of the HOUSE of COMMONS assembled in PARLIAMENT.  
The humble Petition of the Knights, Gentlemen, and Free-holders of the county of NORTHAMPTON.  
Sheweth,  
THat the Petitioners( desirous to declare their real approbations of your proceedings in Parliament ever since the beginning thereof) do in all thankful manner aclowledge the great pains and faithfulness you have manifested in the good laws enacted, justice done upon Delinquents, and many heavy pressures removed, in divers Rites and Liberties restored, great dangers prevented, desperate Plots defeated, and provision made for their future prosperity and security, in the satisfaction given to all his Majesties loyally affencted subjects, by publishing of your late Remonstrance of the state of the kingdom, so necessary to the removing of those aspersions which were by malignant spirits cast on your proceedings, and preventing those evils which might have followed thereupon.  
And whereas the Petitioners as well by your good beginnings as by your said Remonstrance have been encouraged to expect a perfect Reformation of Religion, and happy settling of the affairs of the Common-wealth; but now to their great grief do find your good endeavours therein much interrupted and almost frustrated by the malignant party, designs daily multiplied against the Religion, laws and liberties of this kingdom, dangers threatened from foreign Invasions and home Conspiracies, persons disaffected to the peace of the kingdom, tumultuously assembled to the great disquiet of his Majesties good Subjects, the privileges of Parliament lately broken in an unexampled manner, some Members of either House charged and pursued in a strange and unusual way, the Popish Rebels in Ireland increased in number and boldness to practise inhuman and outrageous cruelty against the Protestants there, many Bills and other good Propositions sent from your ▪ House passing no further; which the Petitioners look upon as the issues of bad councils, and the Voting of Popish Lords and Bishops in the House of peers.  
The Petitioners humbly pray the continuance of your endeavours towards the perfecting such Reformation in Church and Common-wealth as in your wisedoms shall be thought fit: That the designs of such as are popishly and seditiously affencted may be frustrate and his Majesties good Subjects secured from fear and danger. That you will bee a means to his majesty and the House of peers, that the Votes of popish Lords in that House may be taken away, evil Councellors removed, the Papists disarmed, and the persons of the principal of them secured, the late designs against his majesty the Parliament and kingdom preached to the bottom, that the Authors of them may bee discovered and receive condign punishment, whoever or how great soever they bee, the Tower of London, the Isle of Wight and other places of importance to the safety of the kingdoms put into such hands as may be confided in; the Militia of the Kingdom so disposed that it may bee in a posture of defence upon any emergent occasion; scandalous Ministers outed; the Protestants in Ireland speedily relieved, the Petitioners assured of the freedom of their persons, as well as of the propriety in their Estates, and those Liberties derived to their posterity which have been preserved to themselves by virtue of their Ancestors, and that in all the particulars mentioned you will use all such lawful ways and means as the present necessity and desperate condition wherein the kingdom is shall suggest unto you.  
And the Petitioners( according to their duty) do humbly offer their persons, estates and utmost power to the defence of the Kings majesty, the privileges and rights of Parliament, your persons and Orders which shall bee for the Honour of God, the peace and happiness of this kingdom, against whatsoever power shall be employed to the danger of your persons and disturbance of your proceedings.  
And to all shall add their daily Prayers to God for your safety and prosperity.   

TO THE RIGHT honourable The House of PEERS, now assembled in PARLIAMENT.  
The humble Petition of the Knights, Gentlemen, Freeholders, and Subsidie-men, of the best rank and quality, in the County of OXON.  
Sheweth,  
THAT your Petitioners have for divers yeares, groaned under most heavy pressures and grievances, both in our Religion, civill rites and liberties, which were grown to such height, that they became unsupportable, and yet no hopes of redress appeared to the eye of man, till it pleased the Almighty God of his infinite goodness, to stir up the Kings Majesty to call this present Parliament, whereby our dying hopes we●e raised to very great and confident expectations of of a full and perfect Reformation; but they were soon abated to our exceeding great discouragement, by the lets and hindrances which are largely expressed in the late Remonstrance of the state of the kingdom, ●et forth by the Honourable House of Commons, ari 〈…〉 g from the endeavours of a Malignant party within this kingdom: and( as we humbly conceive) from the Popish Lords and Bishops, Voting in the House of peers: nevertheless we now cannot but entertain new hopes of comfort, and of the happy proceedings and success of this Parliament, beholding with unspeakable joy, your late concurrence with the Honourable House of Commons, especially in taking away the Votes of prelates, and settling this kingdom in a Posture of defence: which we do with all possible thankfulness aclowledge.  Humbly beseeching your Lordships, that you would keep up our hopes by proceeding in your happy concurrence with the House of Commons, to a perfect Reformation, and particularly, in vindicating the privileges of Parliament, discovering, punishing and removing evil Counsellors and Magistrates, taking away from the Popish Lords, their Votes in Parliament, utterly abollishing that kingdom destroying Sin of idolatry, together with Superstition and arminianism, so much professed and conntenanced in our University: passing the Bill against Plurallities, and joining in that order of the House of Commons, for the demolishing of Alters, and scandalous Pictures: And your Petitioners shall still have cause to look upon your Lordships with as high esteem as ever our fore-Fathers did upon your most Noble Progenitors, and also with our best endeavours, will maintain you in your happy concurrence with the said House of Commons, in your Persons, Honours, and Dignities. 
And your Petitioners shall ever pray, &c.   

To the Honourable the Knights, Citizens and Burgesses, of the House of Commons assembled in PARLIAMENT.  
The humble Petition of the Gentlemen, Freeholders, Subsidy-men and others of good Rank and quality, Inhabitants of the County of OXON.  
Sheweth,  
OUr most humble and thankful acknowlegment of your exceeding great care and pains already taken, during this Parliament, to the hazarding of your healths and lives, in the endeavouring a removal of the many grievances in Church and Common-wealth: As also the continued Care, and unwearied endeavours, for a perfect Reformation: The Remonstrance whereof, as we cannot consider without unspeakable joy( it putting life into our languishing souls) so we desire it may be remembered with high esteem by us and our Posterity for ever. And for that you under Almighty God, and his most excellent Majesty, are now called to the place of our chiefest hopes against all our evils: Your Petitioners humbly present our daily fears and distractions arising from the desperate Plots of the Malignant party of this kingdom, and from the certain reports of the most barbarous and bloody practices of the Rebells in Ireland; by whose prevailing and the small provision that is made for their suppressing and securing of this kingdom against the like attempts, the said Party is much emboldened, the Petitioners fears augmented, their common Commerce and Trading abated, and the public safety of the kingdom endangered.  
It is therefore the humble desire of your Petitioners, That some course may be taken as to suppress those Rebells in Ireland: so to put this kingdom in such a Post●●e of defence, as the present condition thereof requireth: And that it may please you in our behalfs, to be a means to the Kings most gracious Majesty, and to the House of Peers, to perfect their endeavours by their concurrence with you, in punishing of Delinquents, and removing all those pressures and grievances, in Church and Common-wealth, with the Causes, and Causers of the same. And your Petitioners shall uncessantly pray unto Almighty God for the prosperous and happy success, and withall, put forth our best end●avours to maintain and defend the Kings most excellent Majesty and high Court of Parliament in their good endeavours and undertakings for the comfortable and secure settling of Religion, and Liberties against all malignant opposers whatsoever.  
FINIS.