FOUR PETITIONS To His EXCELLENCY Sir Thomas Fairfax: VIZ. 

I. From the Inhabitants of the County of Essex, presented to his Excellency at the late Rendezvouz at Triplo-heath.  
II. From the Inhabitants of the Counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, presented to his Excellency at St. Alban, 12 June present.  
III. From the Inhabitants of the County of Buckingham, presented to his Excellency at S. Alban, 15 June present.  
iv From the Inhabitants of the County of Hertford, presented to his Excellency at S. Alban, 16 June present.    
ALSO A SPEECH made to his Excellency at the delivery of the Petition for Buckingham, by the Presenter.  
Published at the earnest desire of the Petitioners, and for the general satisfaction of the Kingdom.  
LONDON: Printed for Laurence Chapman, JUNE 18. 1647.   

To the Right Honourable, Excellent, Worthy and Pious, Sir Thomas Fairfax, General over those Forces raised in behalf of the countries' Rights and Liberties: The Petition of the well-affected in the County of Essex,  
Humbly showeth,  
THat your Petitioners being not a little sensible of those growing evils which are like to overspread this Kingdom, unless the mercy of God prevent (which, after so much exhausting our Estates, loss of Lives, engagements of our Persons to regain this poor Nation to an enjoyment of its Rights and Liberties) and yet like to flow upon us, either by those which have been our open Enemies, or else a party of pretended friends; insomuch that your poor Petitioners, and all the well-affected in the country have just cause to fear, That after we have, by the blessing of the Almighty upon this Army, been rescued from many oppressions which lay heavy upon us, we are now like to be vassalaged and enslaved in the Norman Laws, and Prerogative clutches of an ambitious party in the Nation.  
And likewise taking into our consideration, That there is no Remora to stop the proceed of violent men against us, but this present Army under your Honourable conduct, whose constant fidelity and faithful Resolutions, together with the blessings from above, have hitherto abashed the Enemies of our Peace and Safety, and gained the favour of all those who are the true friends to a free Nation.  
These things, Right Honourable, sinking deep into our spirits, we thought it meet and convenient to represent our thoughts unto you; and so much the rather, in regard the Petitions of the freeborn Nation have been rejected by those which we have entrusted for the receiving of them, yea Ordered to be burnt by the hands of the common Hangman, insomuch that we have now no whither else to appeal but unto your Excellency, from whom, under God, we expect some redress of our miseries.  
Our humble Desires to your Excellency therefore are, 

First, That before you disband the Army, you would be pleased to consider the sad condition which is like to befall the freeborn people of England, and likewise our present vassalage we groan under.  
Secondly, That you would be pleased to mediate to the Parliament in our behalves, and to use all such means which you in your Honourable wisdom shall think convenient, to settle Affairs in a fair and peaceable way; so that all that Renown which Providence hath hitherto crowned your Endeavours withal, may not now at last be blasted with the Intentions and crafty Machination of yours and the Kingdoms Enemies.  
Thirdly, That your Excellency would be pleased, in no case to admit of Disbanding, till such time as you see these and the Kingdoms just and legal Requests embraced: If thus, Right Honourable, God shall draw forth your heart to act for us, we shall for ever engage ourselves your Servants in the Vindication of your just proceed, and ever pray for your Honourable safety.    
This Petition was presented to his Excellency at the Rendezvous of the Army at Triplo-Heathnear Royston, with the Subscrition of above a thousand of the Inhabitants.   

To his Excellency Sir Thomas Fairfax Knight, Captain General of the Parliaments Forces;  
The humble Petition of the peaceable and well-affected Inhabitants of the Counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, together with the City and County of Norwich, earnestly endeavouring after the prosperity of the Parliament, and the Peace of the Kingdom;  
Shows,  
THat whereas your Excellency hath been appointed Commander in chief over these free Commons of England, that have been invited by the Parliament to stand up in defence of themselves and fellow-Subjects in time of imminent danger, against all Arbitrary Government, Tyranny and Oppression; and that the Parliament hath by diver Declarations, Remonstrances and Protestations, engaged themselves both to God and the Kingdom, to endeavour to the utmost of their power to maintain the ancient Government of this Kingdom, and to preserve the Rights and Liberties of the Subjects, and today hold on the first opportunity of procuring a safe and well grounded Peace; notwithstanding all which, there is now an appearance of a most abhorred Design to ruin the native Liberties and Privileges of the Subjects, whereby discontents are fomented in the hearts of the people, and the Kingdom like to be divided into factions, to the immenent danger of imbroiling us yet again in blood: And from the policy of the Complotters of this Design, we humbly conceive, have already proceeded those sad obstructions of our free addresses to the Parliament, in representing our grievances, and making humble offers to their Wisdom of just remedies, which have imposed this necessity upon us, humbly to implore  
Your Excellency's assistance to mediate with the Parliament, in the behalf of us, and all the free Commons of England, for the speedy and Peaceable establishment of those our native Liberties, which have now cost the Kingdom such vast expense of blood and treasure, that all obstructions that lay in the way to hinder the addresses of the free subjects of England to the Parliament, in representing their grievances, fears, doubts and jealousies, as also offers of Remedy might be so speedily removed, as that a firm Peace & Union might be yet again enjoyed in our distracted Kingdom, according to the intentions of the Parliament frequently declared, engagements of the Army, & the ardent expectations of all the welaffected in the kingdom.  
And your Petitioners shall ever pray, etc.  
This Petition was presented to his Excellency at St. Alban the twelfth of June present, with the subscription of above Fourteen hundred of the Inhabitants.   

To his Excellency Sir Tho: Fairfax Knight, Captain General of the Forces failed for the defence of the Kingdom;  
The humble Petition of the Inhabitants of the County of Buckingham.  
May it please your Excellency,  
WE bless God for you as the instrument whom he hath raised up, and made eminent, in putting an end to the sad and dreadful War, wherein this Kingdom was involved not many Months since: Our eyes are still upon you, and our prayers for you, that God would crown your labours with an happy period of our miseries, ending in the enjoyment of our due and native liberties, which are the things we have chosen our fellow subjects serving in Parliament to obtain for us.  
They are the things for which we have adventured our lives and estates freely, being the first County that appeared for them.  
They are the things we have so often Petitioned for, and could not have so much as expected a delay of answer to these our just desires.  
But to our grief we speak it, we have been rejected, and are become hopeless of satisfaction, by some men who have not only prevailed in discountenancing our just Petitions (the proper way of the subjects address) but have almost made it a fault for the subjects to Petition, ever for things that are due to them, both by common birthright and the law of the Kingdom, and which frequently have been confirmed unto us by several Ordinances and Declarations of Parliament. We are not ignorant that even some men amongst them, whom in due time we shall not stick to name, are such as by their subtle slights, have endeavoured to render your Army odious to the Parliament and Kingdom; which rather than they shall not obtain, they will not stick to inflame the Kingdom in a second unnecessary and unjust War: That being the only obstacle to their wicked designs, and the only help under God, left us of having a firm Peace settled in this Kingdom.  
These things being come to this pass, we take upon us the boldness to beseech your Excellency, you being a Person whom your Justice, Courage, Fidelity, and Zeal for the Common good have made eminent, and given so great an interest in the hearts and affections of all men, who have any sense of their Common good, and just liberties; That you will be pleased to mediate on our behalf, to the Honourable Court of Parliament, for the obtaining of our so dear and near concernments, without the enjoyment whereof even our lives will be uncomfortable to us.  
And although this our address may seem strange or hazardous unto you, yet we doubt not but the justice of our desires will preserve you. As for our own parts, we are resolved in the mediation thereof to assist you, to the uttermost of our powers, etc.  
This Petition of the County of Buckingham, was presented to his Excellency at St. Alban, the fifteenth of June present, by about One hundred of the Petitioners, with the subscription of about One thousand of the Inhabitants of that County thereunto; at the delivery whereof, the Presenter expressed himself to his Excellency as followeth:   

May it please your Excellency,  
APprehending a necessity for the sudden furtherance of all lawful means which may conduce to the removing our Countries and the Kingdoms grievances, this our present address unto your Excellency is not so general as otherwise it might have been; yet we are confident we may fully discharge our countries' real and high esteem of your unwearyed and faithful endeavours for the kingdoms peace. And if your Excel: shall further please to improve your utmost interest in the Honourable Court of Parliament, for the crowning of your former atchivements with the future freedom of our Nation, we and our Posterities shall acknowledge you: And if any disaffected to the Common good, shall endeavour by means hereof to render your person or Army odious to the Parliament or Kingdom, we cannot but look upon that as an injury of common concernment, and them as enemies to the public Peace. And none shall be more ready to bring such to the legal and just deserved censures, than we who have in this Petition which we humbly present unto you, subscribed by ourselves, yours and the Kingdoms faithful servants.   

To the Right Honourable his Excellency Sir Thomas Fairfax Kt. Captain General of the Forces raised for the Preservation of the Kingdom;  
The humble Petition of divers Knights, Gentlemen, Freeholders, and other Inhabitants of the County of Hertford.  
May it please your Excellency,  
WE do with much thankfulness acknowledge the great care and pains that have been undergone by those our faithful and well-betrusted Worthies of Parliament, who even in the saddest of times, when deserted by many of their own Members, have not spared the hazard of their lives, estates and fortunes, for the preservation of the just Liberties, Immunities and Franchises of the Freeborn Subjects of this Kingdom, being desperately and strongly invaded by a powerful and Malignant Party; and have also made many solemn Protestations and Declarations of their aims, intentions and purposes, whereby we have been greatly encouraged to yield all cheerful and due assistance in so necessary a work; Yet now to our great grief observing, by reason (as we conceive) of the machinations and contrivances of some desperately affected to the weal and quiet of the Public in general, and to the Honour of your ever Honoured Army in particular, many obstructions daily do intervene and fall in, whereby both they and we, notwithstanding the still real intentions of our forenamed Worthies, there is yet clearly debarred the fruition of those our often promised, much wished for, prayed for, fought for Rights and Privileges, whereof we had well hoped long since to have been partakers.  
Wherefore we your said Petitioners do most humbly entreat and beseech your Excellency (whom God hath eminently and highly honoured, and we well know to have a tender and compassionate care over the distresses of this miserable afflicted Kingdom) To use your utmost endeavours, and withal expedition, before the Disbanding of the Army now under your Excellency's Command, those Firebrands and Incendiaries, who have endeavoured to raise new Divisions in the Kingdom, or by their slanderous tongues to fix undeserved Reproaches on the ARMY, may be brought to condign punishment; and that we your Petitioners, with the rest of your faithful Brethren in the Kingdom, may have a certain relief in our Grievances hereunto annexed.  
And, as in duty bound, we shall not fail to yield our best assistance with our Persons, Purses and Prayers, etc. 

1. That divers Counties and Corporations in this Kingdom, viz. Devon, Cornwall, Wales, etc. formerly in open Hostility, and for the present wholly disaffected to the proceeds of Parliament, have notwithstanding retained equally with the most cordial to the State, their Privileges of Electing Members, a thing very destructive to the Safety of the Commonwealth, which is the chief end of Parliaments, and one main cause of many present Grievances; Wherefore we desire, That such Elections may be revoked, and the places declared uncapable of any such Privilege, during the Sessions of this Parliament, or until such time as it shall appear, that their former enmity and rancour against the Parliament be laid aside.  
2. That whereas the Honourable Houses have raised up the expectations of the well-affected, by promising the improvement of their time and care, to apply Remedies against the oppressing Evils, as appears more fully in their Declaration of the 17. of April, 1646. yet the said Commons have to their great grief been frustrated of their hopes, and in stead of being relieved, have (to their great grief) been vexed, imprisoned, and other ways molested.  
3. Our Petitions to the Parliament are not, as in former times, either received or answered, whereby no redress can be had to our pressing Grievances, as in particular those against Tithes, That for the enlargement of our fellow-Commoners, long (and as we humbly conceive) unduly detained in Prison.  
4. The putting in of the Malignants, Neuters and persons (who have not shown any affection, or done any service for the Parliament, during these Troubles that have lain upon the Kingdom) into places of Honour, Trust and Profit, as Governors of Towns, Castles, Forts, Justices of Peace, Commissioners of Excize, Committees of Accounts, etc. whereby the most cordial Friends of the Parliament are slighted, disregarded, and upon very slender causes Indicted, Committed, Imprisoned.  
5. That the Body of the Kingdom consisting much of Copy-holders', who have for the most part been very cordial and faithful to the Parliament, may not now be left fineable at the will of the Lord, in regard the generality of them have been very Malignant, and much disaffected to Parliamentary or through Reformation, and from whom they cannot but expect very severe dealing.  
6. That all men who have received any State moneys, as well Parliament-men as others, may be called to an Account for such moneys; and that Committees (not as now for the most part Neuters and Mangnants) but of approved fidelity, may be Elected for that purpose.  
7. That one Cordwel, a man of a most notorious lewd life and conversation, and withal a most desperate Malignant, did procure a Warrant for the apprehending three Soldiers under the Command of Colonel Alban Cox, brought them before one King of St. Alban, a Justice of Peace, where their said Colonel did appear with them, and made it very clear and apparent 〈◊〉 the said Justice, That what they did was by command from the●● Captain, and no more than what was expressly contained without their Ordinances, which the said Justice did acknowledge, 〈◊〉 was fully satisfied in their Ordinances authorising them thereunto; yet notwithstanding the said King would have committed them to Hertford Goal, had not their said Colonel became bound for their appearing at the next Sessions; and the said Cordwel did prefer a Bill of Indictment against them, and had it not been for two or three honest men that served of the 〈◊〉 Jury, the said Bill had been found to the great peril of the live of the said Soldiers, there being but little favour or mercy to be had for poor Soldiers by the Justices of our County, etc.    
This Petition of the County of Hertford, was presented to 〈◊〉 Excellency at St. Alban, the 16 of June present, by above T … hundred Knights, Gentlemen and Freeholders of the County of Hertford, with the Subscription of above One thousand two hundred of the Inhabitants.   
FINIS.