THE HUMBLE PETITION OF THE Lord Major, Aldermen, and Commons of the City of LONDON, IN Common-council ASSEMBLED, Presented to the Right Honourable THE LORDS and COMMONS in Parliament Assembled: WITH The Answer of the Lords to the said PETITION.  
Printed by RICHARD COTES, Printer to the Honourable City of London, August 8. 1648.   


TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE Lords and Commons In Parliament Assembled.  
The humble Petition of the Lord Major, Aldermen, and Commons of the City of London in Common-council assembled.  
SHOWETHS,  
THat your Petitioners being deeply sensible of the sad, miserable, and deplorable condition of the King, Parliament and Kingdom, by the long continuance of a bloody and unnatural War, (whereof they had great hopes to be freed) after the Common enemy was subdued; the Army of our Brethren of Scotland withdrawn; and the King's Majesty placed at Holdenby, by consent of both Kingdoms, (in order to a happy composure of all differences both in Church and State;) But contrary to expectation, your Petitioners, to the great grief and sorrow of their souls do find the Government of the Church to be still unsettled; Blasphemy, Heresy, Schism, and profaneness increased; The relief of bleeding Ireland obstructed; The War (to their great astonishment) again renewed; The people of England thereby miserably impoverished and oppressed; The blood of our fellow Subjects (spilt like water upon the ground;) Our Brethren of Scotland (now entered this Kingdom) in a hostile manner; His Highness the Prince of Wales commanding at Sea a considerable part of the Navy, and other Ships under His power, having already made stay of many English Ships, with Merchandizes and Provisions to a very great value. By reason whereof, Navigation will be destroyed, Seamen desert us, Merchants enforced to leave off trading, Clothing and other manufactures of this Kingdom fall to the ground, Wool which is the staple Commodity of the Land remain unsold, the Mint stand still, Customs and other profits by Merchandizing will be very much abated, if not utterly destroyed; Corn, Salt, Cole, Fish, Butter, Cheese, and all other provisions brought by Sea to this City and Kingdom stopped; The innumerable number of the poorer sort depending only upon manufactures, wanting work and bread, (as is greatly feared) will in a very short time become tumultuous in all parts of the Kingdom; And many enforced to remove themselves and families into Foreign parts, and there settle the manufactures of this Kingdom never to be regained: And which will unavoidably (in a very short time) totally ruin the people of this Kingdom.  
Your Petitioners humbly conceive no visible way can prevent the apparent ruin of these Kingdoms, but the speedy freeing of His Majesty from that restraint wherein He now remains; and by a Personal Treaty, restoring to the King His just Rights; to the Parliament their undoubted privileges; to the People their Native Freedoms and benefit of the Laws, being (the Birthright of every Subject) and by the due attendance of the Members of Parliament in discharge of their trust to the Kingdom; and in observing the selfdenying Ordinance.  
The Premises considered, your Petitioners do humbly pray, That the King's Majesty may be speedily freed from that restraint wherein he now remains, and humbly invited unto a Personal Treaty, for the settling of a safe and well-grounded Peace; And that therein the Union between the two Kingdoms may be preserved; That in the interim all acts of hostility both by Sea and Land may by command from King and Parliament cease; and Trade free without interruption; That the Government of the Church may be speedily settled according to the Covenant; distressed Ireland relieved; the People of the Land (by disbanding all Armies) may be eased of their intolerable burdens; The Liberty of the Subject restored; the Laws of the Land established; the Members of this Honourable House enjoined to attend the service of the Kingdom; that the Selfdenying Ordinance may be effectually observed. And that this Honourable House would be pleased, speedily to take into their serious consideration the sad condition of such Merchants, whose ships and goods are under the power of that Fleet, which is now with His Highness the Prince of Wales, and suddenly to find some expedient for their releasement.  
And your Petitioners shall daily pray, etc.   

Die Martis, 8 Augusti, 1648.  
THe Lords have commanded me to let you know, That they do thankfully accept your often renewed expressions of your ardent zeal and care that all possible means should be used for the procuring a safe and wel-grounded Peace; wherein they do so far sympathise with your desires, that they do assure you, you may with all confidence expect their constant and industrious employment of their utmost endeavours for the obtaining of so great a blessing, whereunto they hope Almighty God will give a happy success. And for the particulars contained in your Petitions, they will take them into speedy consideration, that you may reap all satisfaction and contentment thereby, so far forth as lies in their powers, as they are bound in their duty they own to the Common wealth, and as they are obliged to the renowned City of London for their incessant demonstrations of their affection and service to the Parliament ever since the beginning of these unhappy distractions.  
Io. Brown, Cler. Parliamentorum.   
FINIS.