HIS MAJESTY'S ANSWER TO THE PETITION OF The LORDS and COMMONS in Parliament assembled: Presented to His Majesty at YORK, June 17. 1642.  
LONDON: Printed by ROBERT BARKER, Printer to the Kings most Excellent Majesty: And by the Assigns of JOHN BILL. 1642.   

To the Kings most Excellent Majesty The humble Petition of the Lords and Commons in Parliament assembled.  
YOur Majesty's most humble and faithful Subjects, the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament, have lately received a Petition from a great number of the Gentry, Freeholders and other inhabitants of the County of York, assembled there by Your Majesties Command the third of June, wherein they declare unto us, That having taken a resolution to address themselves unto Your Majesty in the humble way of a Petition, for the redress of those Grievances which they now lie under, they were violently interrupted and affronted therein by the Earl of Lyndsey, the Lord Savill and others, and notwithstanding all the means they could use to present their just desires to Your Majesty, yet they could not prevail with Your Majesty to accept of their Petition; The Copy whereof they have sent to us, with an humble Desire, That we would take such course therein as may tend to the Preservation of their Liberties, and the Peace of the Kingdom; And that we would address ourselves to Your Majesty in their behalf, that by our means their desires may find better acceptation with Your Majesty; Whereupon, having seriously weighed, and considered the particulars of those their Complaints and Desires, as they are laid down in their Petition; And finding that the Grievances they complain of are the increase of the Miseries formerly sustained by that County (which hath well-nigh for three veers last passed been the Tragical Stage of Armies and War) 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 especially in that County; The drawing to those Parts great numbers of discontented Persons, that may too justly be feared do affect the public Ruin for their private advantage; The drawing together of many Companies of the Trained Bands, and others both Horse and Foot of that County, and retaining multitudes of Commanders and Cavaliers from other parts; The daily resort of Recusants to Your Majesty's Court at York; The great preparations of Arms and other warlike Provisions, to the great terror and amazement of Your Majesty's peaceable Subjects, and causing a great decay of Trade and Commerce amongst them. All and every of which particulars are against the Law, which Your Majesty hath made so many and so frequent Professions to uphold and maintain. And the Lords and Commons finding on the other side their humble desires to be, That Your Majesty would hearken to Your Parliament, and declining all other Counsels whatsoever, unite your Confidence to Your Parliament, and that Your Majesty would not divide Your Subjects joint duty to Your Majesty, the Parliament and Kingdom, nor destroy the Essence of Your great Council and highest Court, by subjecting the Determinations and Counsels thereof to the Counsels and Opinions of any private persons whatsoever; That Your Majesty having passed an Act, That this Parliament shall not be dissolved, but by Act of Parliament, Your Majesty would not do any thing tending thereunto, by commanding away the Lords and great Officers, whose attendance is necessary thereunto; That Your Majesty having expressed Your confidence in the affections of that County, You would please to dismiss Your extraordinary Guards, and the Cavaliers and others of that quality, who seem to have little Interest or Affection 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 in such Consultations and Propositions as Your Majesty maketh to that County, such may not be thrust upon them as men of that County, that neither by their fortune or residence are any part of it.  
All which their humble and most just desires being according to Law, which Your Majesty hath so often declared should be the Measure and Rule of Your Government and Actions; And we Your Majesty's most faithful Subjects the Lords and Commons fully concurring with the Gentlemen and others of the County of York in their Assurance that those desires of theirs will abundantly redound to the glory of God, the honour and safety of Your Majesty, the good of Your Posterity, and the Peace and Prosperity of this Kingdom; we humbly beseech Your Majesty graciously to hearken unto them, and to grant them; and that you would join with Your Parliament in a speedy and effectual course for the Preservation of their Liberties, and the Peace of the Kingdom, which duty, as we are now called upon by that County to discharge, so do we stand engaged to God and man for the performance thereof by the trust reposed in us, and by our solemn Vow and Protestation; And Your Majesty, together with us, stands engaged by the like Obligation of trust, and of an Oath, besides the many and earnest Professions and Protestations, which Your Majesty hath made to this Purpose to Your whole Kingdom in general, and to that County in particular; the Peace and quiet of the Kingdom (as is well observed by these Gentlemen and Freeholders' of Yorkshire in their Petition) being the only visible means under God, wherein consists the Preservation of the Protestant Religion, the Redemption of our brethren in Ireland, and the happiness and prosperity of Your Majesty, and of all Your Dominions.   

His MAJESTY'S Answer to the Petition of the Lords and Commons in Parliament assembled, presented to His MAJESTY at York, the 17 of June. 1642.  
HIs Majesty having carefully weighed the matter of this Petition presented to Him at York on Friday the seventeenth of June, by the Lord Howard, Sir Hugh Cholmely, Sir Philip Stapleton, Though He might refer the Petitioners to His two last Declarations, wherein most of the Particulars in this Petition are fully answered, or might refuse to give any Answer at all, rill He had received satisfaction in those high Indignities He hath so often complained of, and demanded justice for; Yet that all the World may see how desirous His Majesty is to leave no Act which seems to carry the Reputation of both his houses of Parliament, and in the least degree to reflect upon His Majesty's justice and Honour, unanswered; Is graciously pleased to return this Answer:  
That if the Petition mentioned to be Presented to both Houses of Parliament had been annexed to this now delivered to Him, His Majesty might have discerned the number and the quality of the Petitioners, which His Majesty hath great reason to believe was not in truth so considerable as is pretended: For His Majesty assures you▪ That He hath never refused any Petition so attested as that would be thought to be; But His Majesty well remembers, that on the third of june, when there was upon His Majesty's Summons, the greatest, and the most cheerful concourse of people that ever was beheld of one County, appearing before Him at York, a Gentleman (one Sir Thomas Fayrfax) offered in that great Confluence a Petition to His Majesty, which His Majesty seeing to be avowed by no man but himself, and the general and universal Acclamations of the people seeming to disclaim it, did not receive, conceiving it not to be of so public a nature, as to be fit to be presented or received in that place: And His Majesty is most confident, (and in that must appeal to those were then present) that what ever the substance of that Petition was, it was not consented to by any considerable number of Gentry, or Freeholders of this County; but solicited by a few, mean, inconsiderable persons, and disliked, and visibly discountenanced by the great Body of the known Gentry, Clergy, and Inhabitants of this whole County: And if the matter of that Petition was such as is suggested in this, His Majesty hath great reason to believe it was framed and contrived (as many others of such nature have been) in London, not in Yorkshire; For sure no Gentleman of quality and understanding of this County, would talk of His great Preparations of Arms, and other warlike Provisions, to the great Terror and Amazement of His peaceable Subjects, when they are witnesses of the violent taking His Arms from Him, and stopping all ways for bringing more to Him: And if there were no greater Terror and Amazement of His Majesty's peaceable Subjects in other places by such Preparations and Provisions, there would be no more cause to complain of a great decay of Trade and Commerce there, then is in this place▪ But His M 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath so great an assurance of the Fidelity and general Affections of His good Subjects of this County, (which He hopes will prove exemplar over His whole Kingdom) that He hath great cause to believe, That they do rather complain of His Majesty's Confidence, and of His Slowness; That whilst there is such endeavour abroad to raise Horse, and to provide Arms against His Majesty, and that endeavour put in execution, His Majesty trusts so much to the justice of His Cause, and the Affections of His people, and neglects to provide strength to assist that justice, and to protect those Affections.  
For any Affronts offered by the Earl of Lindsey, or the Lord Savill to those who intended to petition His Majesty; His Majesty wishes that both His Houses of Parliament would have examined that Information, and the credit of the Informers, with that gravity and deliberation, as in Cases which concern the Innoceuce and Honour of Persons of such quality hath been accustomed, before they had Proscribed two Peers of the Realm, and exposed them (as much as in them lay) to the rage and fury of the people, under the Character of being Enemies to the Commonwealth, A brand newly found out (and of no Legal signification) to incense the people by, and with which the simplicity of former times was not acquainted; And than His Majesty hath some reason to believe, they would have found themselves as much abused in the report concerning those Lords, as He is sure they are in those which tell them of the Resort of great numbers and discontented Persons to Him, and of the other particulars mentioned to be in that Petition; Whereas they who observe what resort is here to His Majesty, well know it to be of the prime Gentlemen of all the Counties in England, whom nothing but the love of Religion, the care of the Laws, and Liberties of the Kingdom, besides their Affection to His Person, could engage into great journeys, Trouble and expense, Men of as precious Reputation, and as exemplary Lives, as this Nation hath any, whose assistance His Majesty knows He must not expect, if He should have the least Design against Honour and justice; And such witnesses His Majesty desires to have of all His Actions.  
For the declining all other Counsels and the Uniting His Confidence to His Parliament, His Majesty desires both His Houses of Parliament seriously and sadly to consider, that it is not the name of a great or little Council that makes the Results of that Council just or unjust; neither can the imputation upon His Majesty of not being advised by His Parliament (especially since all their Actions and all their Orders are exposed to the Public view) long misled His good Subjects, except in truth they see some particular sound advice necessary to the Peace and happiness of the Commonwealth disesteemed by His Majesty, and such an instance He is most assured, neither can nor shall be given, and that they will think it merit in His Majesty from the Commonwealth to reject such Counsel as would persuade Him to make Himself none of the three Estates, by giving up His negative voice to allow them a Power superior to that which the Law hath given Him, whensoever it pleaseth the major part present of both Houses to say, that He doth not discharge His trust as He ought, and to subject His, and His Subjects unquestionable Right and Propriety to their Votes, without and against Law, upon the mere pretence of necessity. And His Majesty must appeal to all the World, who it is that endeavours to divide the joint duty of His Subjects, His Majesty who requires nothing but what their own duty, guided by the infallible Rule of the Law, leads them to do, or they who by Orders and Votes (opposite and contradictory to Law, Cuffome, precedent and reason) so confound the affections and understandings of His good Subjects, that they know not how to behave themselves with honesty and safety, whilst their Conscience will not suffer them to submit to the one, nor their security to apply themselves to the other. It is not the bare saying that His Majesty's Actions are against the Law (with which He is reproached in this Petition, as if He departed from His often Protestations to that purpose) must conclude Him, there being no one such particular in that Petition alleged, of which His Majesty is in the least degree guilty, whether the same reverence and esteem be paid by you to the Law (except your own Votes be judge) needs no other Evidence, than those many, very many Orders published in Print, both concerning the Church and State, those long Imprisonments of several persons without hearing them upon general information, and the great and unlimited Fees to your Officers, worse than the Imprisonment, and the Arbitrary censure upon them when they are admitted to be heard; Let the Law be judge by whom it is violated.  
For that part of the Petition which seems to accuse His Majesty of a purpose to dissolve this Parliament contrary to the Act for the Continuance) by Commanding away the Lords and great Officers, whose attendance is necessary, which His Majesty, well knows to be a new Calumny, by which the Grand Contrivers of ruin for the State hope to seduce the minds of the People from their affection to, or into Jealousy of His Majesty, as if He meant this way to bring this Parliament (which may be the case of all Parliaments) to nothing; it is not possible for His Majesty more to express His affection to, and His Resolution for the Freedom, Liberty and Frequency of Parliaments, than He hath done; And who ever considers how visible it must be to His Majesty, that it is impossible for Him to subsist without the affections of His People, and that those affections cannot possibly be preserved or made use of but by Parliaments, cannot give the least credit, or have the least suspicion, that His Majesty would choose any other way to the happiness He desires for Himself and His Posterity, but by Parliaments. But for His calling the Lords hither, or any others absenting themselves, who have not been called, who ever considers the Cumults (which no Votes or Declaration can make to be no Tilmults) by which His Majesty was driven away, and many Members of either House in danger of their lives, the demanding the names of those Lords who would not consent to their Propositions by Message from the House of Commons delivered at the Bar by Master Hollis, with that most tumultuous Petition in the Name of many thousands (among many other of the same kind) directed to the House of Commions, and sent up by them to the House of Lords, taking notice of the prevalence of a malignant Faction, which made abortive all their good Motions; which tended to the Peace and Tranquillity of the Kingdom, desiring that those noble Morthies of the House of Peers who concurred with them in their happy Votes, might be earnestly desired to join with that honourable House, and to sit and Vote as one entire Body, professing that unless some speedy remedy were taken for the removeall of all such obstructions as hindered the happy progress of their great endeavours, their Petitioners should not rest in quietness, but should be enforced to lay hold on the next remedy which was at hand to remove the disturbers of their Peace, and (want and necessity breaking the bounds of modesty) not to leave any means unassayed for their relief, adding that the cry of the Poor and needy was, that such Persons who were the Obstacles of their Peace, and hinderers of the happy proceed of this Parliament might be forthwith publicly declared, whose removeall they conceived would put a Period to these distractions; upon which a great number of Lords departing, the Vote in order to the Ordinance concerning the Militia was immediately passed, though it had been twice before put to the Question, and rejected by the Votes of much the major part of that House. And whoever considers the strange Orders, Votes and Declarations which have since passed, to which whosoever wo●ld not consent, that is, with freedom and liberty of language and reason profess against, was in danger of Censure and Imprisonment, will not blame Our Care in sending for them, or theirs in coming, or absenting themselves from being involved in such Conclusions. Neither will it be any objection that they stayed there long after any Tumults were, and therefore that the Tumults drove them not away: If every day produced Orders and Resolutions as illegal as, and indeed but the effects of the Tumults, there was no cause to doubt the same power would be ready to prevent any Opposition to those Orders after they were made, which had made way and preparation for the Propositions of them, and so whosoever conceived himself in danger of future Tumults (against which there is not the least provision) was driven away by those which were passed; And His Majesty hath more reason to wonder at those who stay behind, after all His Legal Power is Voted from Him, and all the People told, That he might be with modesty and duty enough deposed, than any man hath at those who have been willing to withdraw themselves from the place where such desperate and dangerous Positions are avowed; which His Majesty doth not mention with the least thought of lessening the Power or Validity of any Act to which He hath given His Assent this Parliament; All and every of which He shall as inviolably observe, as He looks to have His own Rights preserved, but to show by what means so many strange Orders have of late been made, And to show how earnestly His Majesty desires to be present at, and to receive Advice from both Houses of Parliament (against whom it shall never be in the power of a Malignant Party to incense his Majesty) His Majesty again offers His consent, that both Houses may be Adjourned to another Place, which may be thought convenient, where His Majesty will be present, and doubts not but the Members of either House will make a full Appearance; And even the Intermission which must attend such an Adjournment may not be the least means of recovering that temper which is necessary for such Debates.  
And this His Majesty conceives to be so very necessary, that if the minds and inclinations of every Member of either House were equally composed, the Licence is so great, that the mean people about London and the Suburbs have taken, that both for the Liberty and Dignity of Parliament, that Convention for a time should be in another place. And sure how much soever the safety and security of this Kingdom depends on Parliaments, it will never be thought, that those Parliaments must of necessity be at Westminster.  
His Majesty's Confidence is no less than he hath expressed (and hath great cause to express) in the affections of this County, an instance of which affections all men know, His Guard (which is not extraordinary) to be, and wonders that such a legal Guard at His own charge, for His Person, (within twenty miles of a rebellion, and of an Army in pay against Him) should be objected by those, who for so many months, and in a place of known and confessed security, have without and against Law kept a Guard for themselves at the charge of the Commonwealth, and upon that stock of money which was given for the relief of the miserable and bleeding condition of Ireland, or the payment of the great debt due to Our Kingdom of Scotland.  
For the resort of Papists to the Court his Majesty's great care for the prevention thereof is notoriously known, that when He was informed two or three of his intended Guard were of that Religion, He gave especial direction, with expressions of His displeasure, that they should be immediately discharged, and provided that no Person should attend on him under that Relation, but such as took, the oaths of Allegiance and Supremary, that He commanded the Sheriff to proceed with all severity according to the Law against all Papists that should come within five miles of the Court, and if notwithstanding this, there be any Papists near the Court, (which his Majesty assures you he knows not, nor hath heard but by this Petition) He doth hereby Command them to departed, and declares to all Officers and Ministers of justice, that they shall proceed fleictly against them according to the Law, and as they will answer the contrary at their perils.  
For the language and behaviour of the Cavaliers (a word by what mistake soever it seems much in disfavour) there hath not been the least complaint here, and therefore it is probable the fault was not found in this County. Neither can His Majesty imagine what is meant by the mention of any men thrust upon them in such Con●ultations and Propositions as His Majesty makes to this County, who are neither by there Fortune or Residence any part of it, and therefore can make us Answer to it.  
To conclude, His Majestle assures you He hath never refused to receive any Petition, whether you have or no, yourselves best know, and will consider what Reputation it will be to you of justice or Ingenuity to receive all Petitions how senseless and scandalous soever of one kind, under pretence of understanding the good people's minds and affections, and not only refuse the Petition, but punish the Petitioners of another kind, under colour that it is a crime, that they are not satisfied with your sense, as if you were only trusted by the people of one opinion, to take all pains to publish and print Petitions which agree with your wishes, though they were never presented, and to use the same Industry and Authority to keep those that indeed were presented and avowed from being published (though by Our own Authority) because the Argument is not pleasant to you; To pretend Impartiality and Infallibility, and to express the greatest passion and affection in the Order of your Proceeding, and no less error and misunderstanding in your judgements and Resolutions. He doth remember well the obligation of His Trust, and of His Oath, and desires that you will do so too, and your own solemn Vow and Protestation, and then you will not only think it convenient, but necessary to give His Majesty a full Reparation for all the scandals laid upon Him, and all the scandalous Positions made against Him, and that it is less dishonour to retract errors, then by avowing to confess the malice of them, & will see this to be the surest way for the preservation of the Protestant Religion, the redemption of Our Brethren in Ireland, the happiness and prosperity of yourselves and of all Our Dominions, and of the Dignity and Freedom of Parliament.  
FINIS.