To the Honourable Assembly of the Commons House of Parliament, and to the Committie for grievances of the same House.  
The humble Petition of the whole company of the poor Water-Tankerd-bearers of the City of London, and the Suburbs thereof, they and their families being 4000 in number, living and relieved thereby. Robert Tardy Water-bearer in the name and behalf of the rest follows this Petition.  
AMong the great multitude of poor distressed people of this kingdom, with joyful hearts and lifted up hands to heaven, we your petitioners, have just cause to say. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, that moved the heart of his gracious Majesty, to call so Honourable an assembly in Parliament, which will not suffer Gehazi, to take Talents of Silver, nor change of raiments, but that every one, may sit under his own Olive-tree, and anoint himself with the fat thereof. We poor miserable people labouring hardly for a poor living, under great burdens, have the bread taken out of our children's mouths, and our one, both contrary to good laws established and all equity and good conscience.  
For, most honourable assembly, to make this their grievance plain, that they are matters of truth, and no suggestions or enforcements. There was in the Parliament, holden in the 35. year of King Henry the eighth, an Act made and provided, concerning the repairing, making, and amending, of the Conduits, in London, and that sweet wholesome running waters, and fresh springs, might be conveyed by Conduits, and fountains, to the said Conduits in London, and whereof the said City, had been before time well furnished, and abundantly served.  
In the said Act there was a careful proviso, that it should not be lawful, for the said Lord Mayor nor commonalty, nor to their successors, or ministers, to take away any water, or spring now brought, or hereafter to be brought, or conveyed, by Pipes or Trenches, to the mansion of any person or persons, nor for any person or persons, by any way, deceit, mean, or any other crafty conveyance, shall undermine, minish, withdraw, or abate any Spring, or springs, found or hereafter to be found, now brought or conveyed, stopped, abated, or otherwise altered, from his due course, and conveyance to the Conduits in London.  
That the said water brought to the said City, by virtue of the said Act, is the most wholesome, purest, and sweetest water, coming to the said City, is not to be doubted or disputable; and sufficient store thereof, at the spring heads. And yet notwithstanding the said former Act; most of the said water is taken, and kept from the said Conduits in London, by many private branches and Cocks, cut and taken out of the Pipes, which are laid to convey the same, to the said Conduits; and laid into private houses and dwellings, both without and within the City; whereby it is drawn out of the ways, and many times suffered to run at waste, to the general grievance of all good Citizens, and all others; repairing to the same, having their meat dressed with other waters, neither so pure nor wholesome, as the Conduit water is, as common experience teacheth; contrary to the true intent of the same statute.  
There are, as was confessed by the City's Plumber, one Mr Randoll, fifteen branches or Cocks, laid into private houses, and drawn from the Conduits, contrary to the proviso in the same Act: and three branches or Cocks, laid by himself without warrant, only for his own private gain; by what warrant the other were granted to particular persons, and taken from the common Conduits, we humbly desire that first the said Randoll, may be sent for and examined, and afterwards such other persons as we shall produce, besides many others, who may privately take in water out of our main pipes, and as yet unknown to the Petitioners.  
Secondly, the water granted unto Newgate, for use of that house only, is carried forth daily by five men to many places, which Tankerd-bearers keep no hours, but work continually, and so exhausted and draw away the water from the other Conduits.  
The Lady Swinnerton is allowed, but 2. gallons every hour, (an ill precedent, and against the proviso, of the said statute of 35. Henry. 8. but that branch is so great, as it yieldeth thirteen gallons and better every hour as it hath been tried, which many times runneth at waste, if this one branch or Cock, within this City doth or may draw away above a thousand gallons extraordinarily from the Conduits in a week, what wrong so many branches without the City, where less care is had, is to be taken into your Honourable consideration.  
Fourthly, the water that now serveth Alderman-bury Conduit, doth belong to the pipes of Cheapside, and was lately cut out of the same, and that water which should or would serve that Conduit of Alderman-bury, is wholly stopped or given to private houses by the way.  
Fiftly, Cornhill and Gracious-street men, complaining for want of water in their Conduits, there was three hours in a day abated by the Chamberlain of the City, at the request of the Plumber, from the Conduits 〈◊〉 Cheapside, thereby to furnish them with the more store, being ill served, by the same pipes, but yet Cornhill and Gracious-street Conduits have never a whit more water, nor the hours yet restored to the Conduits in Cheapside.  
Sixtly, one of the main and chiefest pipes runneth under part of Saint Martin's Lane, and the Coven garden, in which places there are lately erected many new buildings and dwellings of Brick; and it is supposed that digging deeper for the foundations, and finding the Pipes, they may take some private branches, out of their due course.  

Your Petitioners do humbly desire, for that there is great defect of water, in the said conduits: and that it is a general grievance, to the whole City; and that diverse complaints, have been made by your Petitioners for redress, but no relief can be procured, and are utterly remediless, but by this Honourable assembly, that we the Petitioners, may be permitted to prefer our Bill into this Honourable house: For remedy of this grievance, and as in duty we are bounden; so we will daily pray, that God may bless all your counsels, to the benefit of all succeeding ages.