TWO PETITIONS OF THE COUNTY OF YOURKE.  
The one presented to the Kings most Excellent Majesty, at York the third of June, 1642.  
The other to the Lord and Commons in Parliament Assembled.  
With the Additionals thereunto annexed  

Die Lunae June 6. 1642.  
Ordered by the Lords assembled in Parliament, that these two Petitions, together with the additions, be forthwith Printed and Published.  
JOHN BROWNE, Cler, Parliamentor.   
reprinted at EDINBURGH, 1642.   

TO THE KING'S MOST Excellent Majesty, The humble Petition of the Gentry, Ministers, Freeholders', and other Inhabitants of the County of YORK.  
SHOWETHS,  
THat this particular County (most affectionate to your Majesty's service) hath well nigh for three years' last passed been the stage whereon the tragical miseries (which necessarily accompany and associate War and Armies) have been represented & acted, whereby the general wealth and plenty of this County is exhausted and brought very low; which weight of miseries are sensibly become much more heavy by reason of your Majesty's distance in residence, and difference in Counsels from your great Council the Parliament, begetting great distempers and distractions throughout the Kingdom, and have specially amongst us produced factions & divisions; drawing to these parts great numbers of discontented persons, that may too justly be feared to affect the public ruin for their private advantage. All which evils are daily fomented & grown more formidable by your Majesty's drawing together (as we conceive, not according to Law) many Companies of the Trained Band, and others both horse and foot of this County, & retaining multitudes of Commanders and Cavaliers from other parts, and by the daily resort of the Recusants and persons disaffected in Religion to your Majesty's Court at York; and by the great preparations of Armies and other warlike provisions, which begets in us fears of wars, to the great terror & amazement of us your Majesty's peaceable Subjects, and the great decay of all commerce and industrious courses for the wealth and prosperity of the Country, specially of clothing, which is the main subsistence of this County, & is since your Majesty's residence with us, & the following distractions thereupon suddenly obstructed, insomuch that many thousand families who are of, & have their livelihood by the trade of clothing, are at the point of utter undoing, which inevitably with prove to be of dangerous consequence, and will be the inlet to our approaching and unavoidable ruin, unless your Majesty please graciously to give redress, by removing the causes which produce these miserable effects: it being too true, that very many in these, and other parts of the Kingdom, do wholly withdraw themselves from their former commerce and dealing, and others, both Merchants, and Chapmen, do now generally refuse to make payment for goods long since sold and delivered, alleging, that others refuse to pay them for any commodity formerly sold; till the fears and distractions of the Land be settled, which if not suddenly prevented, will forthwith overturn all such ways of advantage and comfort, as have formerly made this Kingdom (and this County in particular) prosperous and happy.  
We do therefore in all humility and duty, in the sense of our present deplorable condition: beseech your Majesty to pardon us, if we importune your Majesty more than others, since we have endured, and are in hazard more than any: and that from these apprehensions we may offer to your Majesty our earnest Petitions, for redress, & prevention of these evils, daily threatening danger to your Majesty, and destruction to us, which we conceive is impossible any other way to be effected, then by your Majesty's entertaining a right understanding betwixt yourself & Parliament, & affording your gracious ear and consent to such Counsels and propositions, as shall be tendered by them to your Majesty, for the honour & greatness of your Majesty and posterity, and the good of this Church and Kingdom: and by your Majesty's declining all other Counsels whatsoever, and uniting your confidence to your Parliament: & that your Majesty would in no way think fit to put us upon that rock of dividing the duty we own to your Majesty, your Parliament, and the whole Kingdom, (to which we are so deeply engaged by our protestation, which your Majesty (to our knowledge) never dissented from, not declared against and that whilst your Majesty expects our performance in one part thereof, we may not (being equally engaged) impeach at all or in the least degree, go less than our duty in the other, which (we stand resolved of) by no means either of fear or favour to be drawn to do. And that your Majesty would take into consideration, that your Parliament being the supreme judicatory of your Kingdom, the very essence thereof must of very necessity be destroyed, if their Counsels and determinations be subjected to alteration, or reversal by the Counsels, or opinions of any private persons, how learned or judicious soever; and seeing your Majesty hath most graciously passed an Act that this Parliament shall not be dissolved, nor adjourned, without consent of your Majesty, and both Houses: We do humbly beseech your Majesty, to take into your gracious and provident thoughts that nothing may be done tending thereunto: and that the Lords and great Officers now called hither by your Majesty's command, may speedily return to the high Court of Parliament, whereby it may be evident to the world, that your Majesty intends not to decline the Law so enacted; and that since your Majesty hath graciously declared your confidence in the affections of this County, your Majesty would not think it fit an extraordinary Guard should be raised thereout, and the Cavaliers, and others of that quality still continued about your Majesty (as men most useful, and as if kept for some design) they not having (for aught we know) either interest in, or affections to the public good, their language and behaviour, speaking nothing but division, and war, and their advantage, consisting in that which is most destructive to others.  
And lastly, that since your Majesty hath called in this County to attend your Majesty this day; your Petitioners do most humbly supplicate that none either Cavaliers, or others (who in truth have not present fortunes in this County) may be admitted into any meeting this day, concerning the public business thereof; or hereafter into any present vote or consultation when any further meeting may be, to prepare and consider of some fit answer to what your Majesty shall propound, we humbly conceiving it neither just nor equal (but a thing to be protested against) that any whosoever should be thrust upon us, as men of this County, that are not either by their fortune or residence any part of us.  
And now your Petitioners do most hearty pray, that the God of heaven, in whose hands are the hearts of Kings, would this day incline your Majesty's heart, seriously to consider these present and imminent miseries that this your Kingdom lies under, in the peace whereof (visibly under God) consists the preservation of the Protestant Religion the redemption of our Brethren in Ireland, and the establishing of that Kingdom to your Majesty and posterity, from those desperate and unparaleld Rebels, that so your Majesty might graciously grant these your Petitioners humble desires which (whatsoever will be said to the contrary) your Petitioners are well assured, would abundantly redound to the glory of God, the honour and safety of your Majesty, the good of your Posterity, and the only probable means under God, with peace and plenty, to make this your Kingdom happy, besides the happy acquisition of your people's hearts, the greatest treasure of Princes, all which will gloriously represent your Majesty's lively portraiture, of him who is the fountain of Wisdom and piety, to whom we shall ever pray for your Majesty's long and prosperous Reign.   

To the right Honourable, the Lords and Commons in the High Court of Parliament assembled.  
The humble Petition of the Gentry, Ministers, Freeholders', and other inhabitants of the County of York, assembled there at His Majesty's command, the third of june. 1642.  
We being resolved humbly to petition His Majesty for the redress of those grievances which we now lie under, did desire to have met in the Castle-yeard at York, we conceiving it the fittest place to consider of such public affairs as concerned the County, which we were not only denied of, but charge was given to the Officer there, that we should not have admittance, and when we assembled upon the place appointed by his Majesty, and did acquaint the County there met with the form of a Petition, the sense whereof the formerly approved of, and then upon the reading thereof, generally consented to, and desired the same should be presented to his Majesty, we were violently interrupted by the Earl of Linsey, who with a great Troup attending him, in an imperious way, snatched out of a Gentleman's hand of good quality, a Copy of the forenamed Petition which at the desire of the Country he was reading to them, and some of his Lordship's company laid hold of his Bridle and Cloak, hailing him in great fury, and said, You are a company of traitorous Rogues and Villains, and often lifted up his Cane, as if he would have struck him. And also a Knight of this County was affronted by the Lord Savile, upon his reading the draught of a Petition to himself, upon the place aforesaid, the day above: First, his Lordship told him it was a Pamphlet, which he denied, thereupon the Lord Savile demanded it of him, which he refused to deliver, his Lordship laid hands upon his Sword, and almost plucked him from his Horse, upon which the said Knight fearing some mischief would be done him, delivered the same: And then the said Lord Savile told him, he laboured to sow seeds of sedition, & if he would fight, there should be fight enough, and many of the said Lord Savil's company held uptheir Canes at him, & one of them said, Hold your prating, It were good to Cane you: Which provocations, had not the people been peaceably inclined, might have produced bloody effects. Notwithstanding all which, and divers others insufferable injuries, so confident were we of his Majesty's former professions, never to refuse any Petition presented by his people to him in an humble way, that we desisted not to wait our best opportunity, to present the said Petition to his Majesty: (a Copy whereof we here humbly present unto your grave considerations which his Majesty notwithstanding pleased not to accept of.  
We therefore humbly desires these Honourable Houses well to weight these particulars, and to take such course therein as may tend to the preservation of our Liberties, and the peace of the Kingdom. And that you would please to address yourselves to his Majesty on our behalf, that through your wisdoms our Desires may find better acceptation with his Majesty.  
And we shall hearty pray, etc.   

Monday the sixth of june. 1642. P. Merid.  
THe Lords and Commons observing not only the wisdom, but the affections of the County of York expressed in these Petitions, and likewise that they cannot be discouraged from their constant fidelity to the Laws and Government of this Kingdom, which have their Life and being from the Parliament, have thought it fit to declare their good acceptations of their affections, assuring them that they will interest themselves in this their Demands, which tends to the honour and safety of his Majesty, the peace of his Kingdom, and may prove an effectual means to keep us from the desperate mischiefs those Lords that opposed this Petition would have brought this Kingdom into.  
FINIS.