TWO PETITIONS of the Counties of BUCKINGHAM and HERTFORD, Presented to his Excellency S. THOMAS FAIRFAX at S. ALBAN.  
CAMBRIDGE: Printed by Roger Daniel, Printer to the University. 1647.   

TO His Excellency Sir Thomas Fairfax Knight, General of the Forces raised for the defence of the Kingdom, etc. The humble Petition of the Inhabitants of the County of Buckingham-shire.  
May it please your Excellency,  
WE bless God for you, as the Instrument whom he hath raised up, and made eminent in putting an end to the sad and dreadful war, wherein this Kingdom was involved not many months since; our eyes are still upon you, and our prayers for you, that God would crown your labours with an happy period of our miseries, ending in the enjoyment of our due and native liberties, which are the things we have chosen our fellow Subjects serving in Parliament to obtain for us. They are the things for which we have adventured our lives and estates freely, being the first county that appeared for them. They are the things we have so often petitioned for, and could not have so much as expected a delay of answer to these our just desires.  
But to our grief we speak it, we have been rejected, and are become hopeless of satisfaction, by some men who have not only prevailed in discountenancing our just petitions (the proper way of the subjects addresses) but have almost made it a fault for the Subjects to petition even for things that are due to them both by common birthright and the law of the Kingdom, and which frequently have been confirmed unto us by several ordinances and Declarations of Parliament; we are not ignorant that even some men amongst them, whom in due time we shall not stick to name, are such as by their subtle thoughts have endeavoured to render your Army odious to the Parliament and Kingdom, which rather than they shall not obtain, they will not stick to inflame the Kingdom in a second unnecessary and unjust war. That being the only help under God left us, of having a firm peace settled in this Kingdom.  
These things being come to this pass, we take upon us the boldness to beseech your excellency, being a person whom your justice, courage, fidelity and zeal for the common good, have made eminent, and given so great an interest in the hearts and affections of all men who have any sense of their common good and just liberties, That you will be pleased to mediate in our behalf to the honourable Court of Parliament, for the obtaining of our so dear and near concernment: without the enjoyment whereof even our lives will be uncomfortable to us.  
And although this our address may seem strange or hazardous unto you, yet we doubt not but the justice of our desires will preserve you. As for our own parts, we are resolved in the mediation hereof, to assist you to the uttermost of our power, etc.  
FINIS.   

To the Right Noble His Excellency Sir Thomas Fairfax, Captain General of the Forces raised for the preservation of the Kingdom: THE HUMBLE PETITION Of divers Knights, Gentlemen, Freeholders, and other Inhabitants of the County of HERTFORD.  
May it please your Excellency,  
WE do with much thankfulness acknowledge the great care and pains that have been undergone by those our faithful and well betrusted Worthies of Parliament, who even in the saddest of times, when deserted by many of their own Members, have not spared the hazard of their lives, estates, and fortunes, for the preservation of the just Liberties, Immunities, and Franchises of the freeborn Subjects of this Kingdom, being desperately and strongly invaded, by a powerful and malignant party: And have also made many solemn protestations and declarations of their aims, intents and purposes, whereby we have been greatly encouraged to yield all cheerful and due assistance in so necessary a work; yet now, to our great grief observing, by reason (as we conceive) of the machinations and contrivances of some desperately affected to the weal, and quiet of the public in general, and to the honour of your ever honoured Army in particular, many obstructions daily to intervene and f●ll in, whereby both they and we, notwithstanding the still real intentions of our forenamed worthies, are as yet clea●ly debarred the fruition of these our often promised, much wished for, prayed for, fought f●●, rights and privileges, whereof we had ●●ll hope long since to have been partakers:  
Wherefore we your said Petitioners do most humbly entreat and beseech your Excellency, whom God hath eminently and highly honoured, & we well know to have a tender & compassionate care over the distresses of this miserable afflicted Kingdom, to use your utmost endeavours withal expedition, before the disbanding of the Army now under your Excellency's command, that those Firebrands and Incendiaries, who have endeavoured new divisions in the Kingdom or by their slanderous tongues to fix undeserved reproaches upon the Army, may be brought to condign punishment, and that we your Petitioners, with the rest of our faithful brethren in the Kingdom may have a certain relief in our grievances hereunto annexed.  And as in duty bound, we shall not fail to yield our best assistance with our persons, purses, and prayers. 
I. That divers Counties and Corporations in this Kingdom viz. Devonshire, Cornwall, Wales, formerly in open hostility & for the present wholly disaffected to the proceed of Parliament, have notwithstanding retained equally with the most cordial to the State, their privileges of electing members, a thing very destructive to the safety of the Commonwealth, which is the chief end of Parliaments, and one main cause of many present grievances; Wherefore we desire that such Elections may be revoked, and the place declared uncapable of any such privilege, during the sessions of this Parliament, or until such time as it shall appear that their former enmity and rancour against the Parliament be laid aside.  
II. That whereas the honourable houses have raised up the expectations of the well affected, by promising the improvement of their time and care to apply remedies against their pressing evils, as appears more fully in their declaration, the 17. of April, 1646. yet the said Commons have to their great grief been frustrated of their hopes, and instead of being relieved, have to their great grief been vexed, imprisoned, and otherwise molested.  
III. Our Petitions to the Parliament are not as in former times either received or answered, whereby no redress can be had to our pressing grievances, as in particular those against tithes, that for the enlargement of our fellow Commoners, long, and, as we humbly conceive, unduly detained in prison.  
iv The putting in of Malignants, Neuters, and persons who have not shown any affection or done any service for the Parliament during these troubles that have lain upon the Kingdom, into places of honour trust and profit, as governor's of Towns, Castles, Forts, Justices of peace, Commissioners of Excise, Committees of Accounts, etc. whereby the most cordial friends of the Parliament are slighted, disregarded, and upon very slender causes indicted, committed, imprisoned.  
V That the body of the Kingdom consisting much of Copyholders, who for the most part have been very cordial and faithful to the Parliament, may not now be left finable at the will of the lord, in regard the generality of them have been very malignant, and much dis-affected to a Parliamentary or through reformation; and from whom they cannot but expect very severe dealing.  
VI That all men who have received any State-monies, as well Parliament men as others, may be called to an account for such moneys. And that Committees (not as now for the most part Neuters or Malignants but) of approved fidelity may be elected for that purpose.  
VII. That one Cordwell a man of a most notorious lewd life & conversation, & withal a most desperate Malignant, did procure a Warrant for the apprehending three Soldiers under the command of Col. Albom Cox, brought them before one King of S. Albans a Justice of Peace, where their said Colonel did appear with them, and made it very clear and apparent to the said Justice that what they did was by command from their Captain, and no more than what was expressly contained within their Ordinance, which the said Justice did acknowledge, and was fully satisfied in their Ordinances, authorising them thereunto, yet notwithstanding the said King would have committed them to Hertford Goal, had not their said Colonel and Captain become bound for their appearing at the next Sessions. And the said Cordwell did prefer a bill of Indictment against them, and had it not been for two or three honest men that served of the Grand Jury, the said bill had been found to the great peril of the lives of the said Soldiers, there being but little favour or mercy to be had for Parliament Soldiers by the Justices of our County.  
FINIS.