TO THE HONOURABLE HOUSE OF Commons assembled in Parliament.  
The humble petition of the Master, Wardens, Assistants, and Company of Brewers in London, and within four mile's compass of the same City.  
IN all humble manner, Showing, that whereas of late years his Majesty's Purveyor hath used to come and take from your petitioners (being freemen of the City of London) Beer and Ale for his Highness' use, which anciently of freemen within the said City hath not been taken. In respect whereof, and for that many of your petitioners were and still are very poor and needy, and could not live and maintain their great charge if they had not ready money for their Ale and beer so taken, or at least true payment for the same in short time after. The petitioners to prevent their own impoverishment and undoing, were forced to deny the Purveyor the taking of their Ale and Beer as aforesaid, whereupon warrants were granted forth to commit such of your petitioners to prison as refused so to do, until they should be contented to yield to such take, or else to pay four pence for every quarter of Malt your petitioners should brew.  
Your petitioners many of them being in prison a long time, to their great loss and charges, and being desirous of their liberty that they might employ themselves in their profession for the maintenance of them, their wives, children, and great families, were then compelled to procure their enlargement by yielding to the payment of the said four pence for every quarter of Malt they should brew, which payments your petitioners have been ever since forced to perform.  
Now so it is, if it may please this Honourable Assembly, that the said four pence imposed on your petitioners, as aforesaid, being a new taxation, is more grievous and burdensome unto them, then if they paid ten Subsidies a year, For that besides the charge thereof, The undertaker or farmer of those groats hath formerly vexed and sued your petitioners in the Court of Request, And the now undertakers or farmers do continually threaten to sue and exhibit Bills and Interrogatories in the Court aforesaid, to examine your petitioners and their servants upon their oaths, unless your petitioners will condescend to what composition they please, not contented with any reasonable gain, notwithstanding they are brethren of one Company, to the great terror, grievance, and further impoverishing of your petitioners, and the general hurt and inconvenience of the said City, and those within four mile's compass thereof.  
Neither doth this new taxation upon every quarter of Malt imposed on your petitioners free them or any kind of way ease them from Subsidies, Taxes, Fifteen, or any such like payments, nor gains your petitioners any benefit extraordinary more than any other Subjects have who pay no such thing.  
The premises considered, May it please this High Court of Parliament for relieving of so great a number from this heavy burden of four pence upon every quarter of Malt, and for preventing of the like inconvenience that may ensue, to grant them your favour herein, And so they leave it to your Grave considerations.  
And they and their posterity shall be over bound to pray for your Honour's long health and prosperity.