A New-yeares-Gift For His majesty, OR An humble Petition from his SVBIECTS.  
Being principally intended for His Majesties private Meditation, but the way of presenting being difficult, it is thought convenient to communicate it to the public view.  
weak means great things may cause with little cost,  
When greater means have been but labour lost.  
Printed in the year, 1644   

The Epistle to the Reader.  
Courteous Reader,  
THe ways of the providence of God are very strict towards most men: we have seen the ways and means that have been used to regain His Majesty, but all have failed hitherto, and who knows under what ston this treasure lieth; it is not amiss therefore to turn every ston that hath any probability of gain in it, and who can tell whether such a vanity as this may not effect that which the greatest means have been too weak to do: if it fail in its particular occasion for which it was intended, yet it may do thee good, to whom it is commended,  
By a well wisher of peace with truth.   

A Newyears-Gift for His MAjESTY: Or, the Poets Petition to the KI  

DRead sovereign, Britains Monarch, Charles the Great,  
Whom God hath set in the imperial seat  
Of three late famous, now distracted Lands,  
And hath delivered up into thy hands  
Their Crownes and sceptres, hear we Thee entreat  
The humble suit, which with affections great  
We, a small number of thy Subjects true,  
In humble sort present unto thy view;  
We have beholded with sad and grieved hearts  
How all thy Subjects from their several parts  
Have Su●ers been unto thy Grace of late,  
For ease and comfort to this dying State;  
Yet we among them all have never yet  
engaged our studies, nor employed our wit  
To seek unto your Highnesse for redress,  
Therefore we are emboldened to express  
Our hearts desires now unto your Grace,  
Whiles others fears do to their hopes give place,  
Yet hope we do that you will deign to hear  
That which doth now concern yourself so near;  
Our fi●st request which we are bold to make  
Unto your Highnesse is, that you would take  
Into your serious thoughts the sad estate  
That all your kingdoms are brought to of late:  
Consider with yourself the grief and woe  
That many thousands daily undergo;  
The groans of wounded, bleeding, dying men;  
The cries of widows, fatherless, and then  
The bitter wants that many do endure,  
Whose trades were wont their comfort to procure:  
The cruel havoc, and the desolation  
That now is made in all parts of this Nation:  
The sad effects that do on War attend,  
The streams of blood that English men do spend  
In kil●ing and destroying one another,  
Father against children, brother against brother:  
And having set before your Princely Eye  
The vision of your peoples misery,  
Then if to them you bear a Princely love,  
If any pity will your Spirit move;  
As in your breast compassion hath a place,  
think how to ease them of this woeful case:  
Your humble suitors will not undertake  
For to prescribe the way that you should take;  
We know the way and means to you is known,  
Would you be pleased such noble ways to own;  
We know you know that you might in one day  
Your kingdoms hopes revive, their fears destroy:  
You might by coming to your Parliament  
In friendly sort, in love, peace and content  
expel our woes, and stop that stream of blood  
Which now runs down even like a swelling ●●oud;  
You might by this neal our deep gasping wound,  
And make your mournful dying kingdoms sound ▪  
And what were this to do, were it, O King,  
yourself to thraldom, or disgrace to bring!  
Would it impair you credit or degree,  
Or make you less esteemed or loved to be ▪  
Would it your titles or your state destroy,  
Or would your dignities thereby decay?  
Would it your Honour or yourself defame,  
Or bring you unto poverty or shane?  
Would it debar your just Prerogative,  
Or you of any lawful power deprive?  
No, no, it would not, but if any thing  
Would make you loved and honoured as a King,  
This, this, would make you honoured and renowned,  
Your name unto all ages would be crowned  
With lasting famed and Honour, and this age  
To honour you, you deeply would engage:  
Now if your honour and your dignity,  
Your riches, credit, and prosperity,  
Be in your peoples welfare thus involved,  
That both if one cannot but be dissolved;  
What fear, yea what sadness then doth make  
Your Majesty this severe course to take  
Your peoples interest in you to destroy,  
And in them your own safety, peace and joy;  
You in your wisdom called a Parliament,  
The Nation choose them with a free consent;  
And to them gave their power: they sate, and you  
To them much grace and love( did seem) to show;  
You in your solemn weighty Declarations,  
Your Oaths and Vows, and con●tant Protestation●,  
Were always plea●'d their welfare to include,  
All thoughts of spleen( you see●●d) to exclude ▪  
And past an Act them not dissolved to be  
Till they themselves should thereunto agree;  
But now that you should in so short a space  
exclaim all those your former acts of Grace,  
And seek by all the force and power you may  
Them( and all those that love them) to destroy,  
A●d Rebels, Traytors, them esteem to be,  
This seems a riddle to all honesty;  
This makes your Subjects think they know not wh●●  
Your Honour hereby gaineth many a spot:  
We hope that you your Subjects poor will pity,  
And take compassion on your famous City;  
We hope such love you to yourself do bear  
As not your bowels from yourself to tear;  
We hope your Children and Posterity  
( Which objects are of future misery)  
Will so incline and move your Princely Heart  
That you will from your present counsels part,  
And wisely ere more guiltless blood be spent  
Come join yourself with your grave Parliament,  
That so just judgement may be done on those  
That are to You, and to your kingdoms, foe●.  
O that your Grace would ponder in your Heart  
What 'tis we crave, from what wee'd have you part!  
Suppose you should hereby procure the ha●e  
Of those that seek the ruin of the State,  
Or should in●ence that base malignant ●rew  
That seek the down fall of your Lands and you,  
Or reap hereby disgrace, reproach and shane,  
Or stain your credit, honour or your famed:  
What then, O King! should there be grounds to c●●se  
Your Majesty to violate the laws  
Of God, of Nature, and of reason right,  
And in defiance of them all to fight?  
What, is your Honour and your Reputation  
Of greater value then a famous Nation ▪  
Or do you deem your credit at that rate  
To be preferred before a Christian State?  
Or is your Will and Humour better then  
The lives and souls of many thousand men?  
What, shall such fugitives from Justice be  
More feared and loved in such a high degree,  
Above all your grave Counsellors of State  
Which all disloyalty detest and hate?  
O King, consider in what state you stand,  
Call to your mind the state of Ireland,  
And think on whom that just revenging hand  
Will vengeance take for that destroyed Land;  
look upon Scotland with a careful eye,  
And see how they your doings do defy,  
See how they covenanted have again ▪  
And will not cease War till they Peace obtain:  
look upon England, see with what content  
They joined have with Scotlands Covenant,  
And now they jointly with each other stand,  
Lest they become like dying Ireland:  
O that these arguments would you persuade  
Over all difficulties for to wade!  
And that you would not this our suit despise  
To join with your great council grave and wise,  
Which is the only means that you can take  
yourself and Yours happy for to make.  
return, return, O Englands King return!  
Thy Subjects hearts with loyal love do burn:  
We weep, we fast, we pray, we strive a●●aine  
To set our King upon His Throne again:  
And this our Christian labour nere shall cease  
Till Thou return, or we have perfect peace;  
Which that our God may sand, both night and ●●y   
They your Petitioners shall ever pray.  
FINIS.