A DECLARATION PRESENTED To the Right Honourable the Lords and Commons, in the high Court of Parliament of ENGLAND ASSEMBLED OF THE Humble Representations of the Grand Inquest of the County of YORK. Concerning The Kingdom of Scotland, and settling the Government of the Kingdom of ENGLAND. May 8. 1648. Imprimatur Gil. Mabbot. Printed at London by Robert Ibbitson in Smithfield, near the Queens-head Tavern. 1648. A DECLARATION Presented To the Right Honourable the Lords and Commons in the High Court of Parliament, of England, assembled. Of the humble representations of the Grand Inquest of the County of York. WHO do with all humbleness Remonstrate, and present unto your Honours, an humble acknowledgement, and hearty thankfulness for your uncessant and unwearied labours, for our and this Kingdom's safety, unpresidented by any former time, and not to be parallelled, as we believe, by any future age; and particularly that you have, to our inestimable comforts, extirpated Prelacy, and Pope●y, and eased us of a thirty Courts. The Court of Wards, and of free Quarter. And that you have made good progress in settling the Kingdom in a way towards peace. And yet it is our earnest and humble desires, as the most desirable of all earthly blessings that you will proceed to the full and final finishing thereof, And to the settling Government in relation to Magistracy both over Church and State, for the effecting whereof, And of all other your honourable and Christian endeavours for public good, our uttermost abilities, lives, and fortunes shall be always ready to do you service. And inasmuch as the honour of God, the establishment of true Religion, and the propagation of the Gospel, is and aught to be the first and highest of our desires and endeavours. We therefore humbly supplicate your honours, that you will be pleased in your grave wisdoms, to provide, that as much as possibly may be, insufficient, scandalous and seditious Ministers may be removed from the places where they are, and pious and able Ministers settled in every parish, and competent maintenance appointed for them, and that two, three, or four Ministers may be appointed in each Riding in the mean time, to preach throughout each Riding, where able Ministers are not, with sufficient allowance to them also, for the raising whereof, we humbly present our best conceptions to your Honour's wisdom, that all augmentations which have been granted, or shall be granted, by authority of Parliament, out of impropriate Rectories belonging to Delinquents, for Minister's maintenance may be continued, with allowance in their Compositions. And that the Lands belonging to the Dean and Chapter, may be improved to their best values, and appointed also for their maintenance: all which we humbly refer to your honours grave consideration. And albeit our sufferings and losses since the beginning of the late troubles, are beyond our skill now exactly to measure, and immunerate, yet we acknowledge with all thankfulness, that next under God, the very subsistence and enjoyment we now have, were, and are preserved unto us, by the care and vigilency of your Honours. And we doubt not but in fitting time your honours will provide some way towards our further reparation. And we do further humbly represent, that in respect of the many rumours spread abroad among us, of some intended foreign invasion, which have begot in us many fears and doubts, lest any sudden surprise should fall upon us, we do most humbly desire, that if it may stand with your Honour's pleasure, to which we shall unanimously submit, and in whom under God, we repose our safeties, that besides the present model of the Army, some speedy and effectual course may be directed for putting this County into a posture of defence, and for settling the Militia among us, in such hands as the well-affected of this County shall make choice of, with his Excellency the Lord Fairfax his approbation. And that though we can expect nothing from our Brethren of Scotland, but Brotherly concurrence in order to public Peace and safety, they being joined with us in the Nationall Covenant, yet for that many Delinquents, Papists, and others, ill and dis-affected persons, have lately withdrawn themselves, from hence into that Kingdom, and do there now remain, and gives forth, as we are given to understand, that many twenty thousands in England are ready to join with any visible, though never so small a force, for raising new troubles in this Kingdom, therefore we do with all humility, and submission to your Honours, desire, that those English Incendiaries, for we cannot style them with any other name, may be called home, and others intending to go for the same end, may be restrained, and all of them dealt withal as to your Honour's wisdom shall be thought meet: And inasmuch as this great County is now destitute of Knights of the Shire, and long hath wanted one. We do humbly represent to your Honours our desires for supply herein, that the Affairs in Parliament relating to this County, may be specially intended by the Representatives thereof. FINIS, May 8 1648 Imprimatur G M.