THE HUMBLE PETITION OF The MAJOR, ALDERMEN, and COMMONS of the City of LONDON: AND His Majesty's Gracious ANSWER The fourth of January 1642.  
Charles R.  
OUr express pleasure is, That this Petition of the Major, Aldermen, and Commons of Our City of London, with Our gracious Answer thereunto, be read in all Churches and Chapels by all Parsons, Vicars or Curates, within Our Cities of London and Westminster, and the Suburbs thereof.  
LONDON: Printed by ROBERT BARKER, Printer to the Kings most Excellent Majesty: And by the Assigns of JOHN BILL. 1642.   

To The KING'S most Excellent Majesty, The humble PETITION of the MAjOR, aldermans, and COMMONS of the City of LONDON;  
Shows  
THat the Petitioners, Your Majesty's most humble and Loyal Subjects, being much pierced with the long and great divisions between Your Majesty and both Your Houses of Parliament, and with the sad and bloody effects thereof, both here and in Ireland, are yet more deeply wounded by the misapprehension which Your Majesty seemeth to entertain, of the Love and Loyalty of this Your City, as if there were some cause of Fear, or suspicion of Danger to Your Royal Person, if Your Majesty should return hither; And that this is made the unhappy Bar to that blessed Reconciliation with Your great and most faithful Council, for preventing that desolation and destruction, which is now most apparently imminent to Your Majesty and all Your Kingdoms.  
For satisfaction therefore of Your Majesty, and clearing of the Petitioners Innocence, they most humbly declare, (as formerly they have done) that they are no way conscious of any disloyalty, but abhor all thoughts thereof: And that they are resolved to make good their late solemn Protestation and Sacred Vow made to Almighty God, and with the last drop of their dearest bloods to defend and maintain The true Reformed Protestant Religion; and according to the duty of their Allegiance, Your Majesty's Royal Person, Honour and Estate, (what ever is maliciously and most falsely suggested to Your Majesty to the contrary) as well as The Power and Privileges of Parliament, and The lawful Rights and Liberties of the Subject: And do hereby engage themselves, their Estates, and all they have, to their uttermost power, to defend and preserve Your Majesty and both Houses of Parliament from all Tumults, Affronts and Violence, with as much Loyalty, Love and Duty, as ever Citizens expressed towards Your Majesty or any of Your Royal progenitors in their greatest Glory.  
THe Petitioners therefore upon their bended knees do most humbly beseech Your Majesty to return to Your Parliament (accompanied with Your Royal, not Your Martial Attendance) to the end that Religion, Laws, and Liberties may be settled and secured, and whatsoever is amiss in Church and Commonwealth, reform by their Advice, according to the fundamental Constitutions of this Kingdom; And that such a Peace may thereby be obtained, as shall be for the Glory of God, the Honour and Happiness of Your Majesty and Posterity, and the Safety and Welfare of all Your Loyal Subjects, who (the Petitioners are fully assured, whatsoever is given out to the contrary) do Unanimously desire the Peace herein expressed.  
And the Petitioners shall ever Pray, etc. MICHAEL.   

 blazon or coat of arms of the British royal family 
DIEV ET MON DROIT  
C. R.  
HONI SOIT QVI MAY Y PENSE  His MAJESTY hath graciously considered this Petition, and returns this Answer:  
THat His Majesty doth not entertain any misapprehension of the Love and Loyalty of His City of London; As he hath always expressed a singular Regard and Esteem of the Affections of that City, and is still desirous to make it his chief place of Residence, and to continue and renew many Marks of His Favour to it; So He believes much the better and greater part of that His City is full of Love, Duty and Loyalty to His Majesty: And that the Tumults which heretofore forced His Majesty for His safety to leave that place, though they were contrived and encouraged by some principal Members thereof (who are since well known, though they are above the reach of justice) consisted more of desperate Persons of the Suburbs, and the neighbouring towns (who were misled too by the cunning and malice of their seducers) then of the Inhabitants of that City. He looks on His good Subjects there as Persons groaning under the same Burden which doth oppress His Majesty, and awed by the same persons who begat those Tumults, and the same Army which gave Battle to his Majesty: And therefore as no good Subject can more desire from his soul a Composure of the general Distractions, so no good Citizen can more desire the Establishment of the particular peace and Prosperity of that Place by His Majesty's Access thither, than His Majesty Himself doth.  
But His Majesty desires His good Subjects of London seriously to consider what Confidence His Majesty can have of security there, whilst the Laws of the Land are so notoriously despised and trampled under foot, and the wholesome Government of that City (heretofore so famous over all the world) is now submitted to the Arbitrary Power of a few desperate Persons of no Reputation, but for malice and disloyalty to Him; Whilst Arms are taken up not only without, but against His Consent and Express Command, and Collections publicly made, and Contributions avowed for the maintenance of the Army which hath given Him Battle, and therein used all possible means, Treason and Malice could suggest to them to have taken His life from Him, and to have destroyed His Royal Issue, whilst such of His Majesty's Subjects, who out of Duty and Affection to His Majesty, and compassion of their bleeding Country, have laboured for Peace, are reviled, injured, and murdered, even by the Magistrates of that City, or by their directions: Lastly, what hope His Majesty can have of Safety there, whilst Alderman Pennington, their pretended Lord Major, (the principal author of those Calamities which so nearly threaten the ruin of that famous City) Venus, Foulke, and Mainwaring, (all persons notoriously guilty of Schism and High Treason) commit such Outrages in oppressing, robbing, and imprisoning, according to their discretion, all such His Majesty's loving Subjects, whom they are pleased to suspect but for wishing well to His Majesty: And His Majesty would know whether the Petitioners believe that the reviling and suppressing the Book of Common Prayer (established in this Church ever since the Reformation) the discountenancing and imprisoning Godly, learned and painful Preachers, and the cherishing and countenancing of Brownists, Anabaptists, and all manner of Sectaries, be the way to defend and maintain the true Reformed Protestant Religion? That to comply with, and assist Persons who have Actually attempted to kill His Majesty, And to allow and favour Libels, Pasquil's, and Seditious Sermons against his Majesty, be to defend his Royal Person and Honour according to the duty of their Allegiance? Whether to imprison men's Persons, and to Plunder their houses because they will not Rebel against His Majesty, nor assist those that do? Whether to destroy their Property by taking away the twentieth part of their Estates from them, and by the same Arbitrary Power to refer to four standers by of their own Faction to judge what that twentieth part is, be to defend the lawful Rights and Liberties of the Subject? And if they think these Actions to be instances of either, whether they do not know the Persons before named to be guilty of them all? Or whether they think it possible that Almighty God can bless that City and preserve it from destruction, whilst persons of such known guilt and wickedness are defended and justified amongst them against the power of that Law, by which they can only subsist?  
His Majesty is so far from suffering Himself to be incensed against the whole City, by the Actions of these ill men, though they have hitherto been so prevalent, as to make the Affections of the rest of little use to Him; And is so willing to be with them, and to protect them, that the Trade, Wealth, and Glory thereof (so decayed and eclipsed by these public Distractions) may again be the envy of all foreign Nations, That He doth once more graciously offer His free and general Pardon to all the Inhabitants of that His City of London, the Suburbs, and City of Westminster (except the Persons formerly excepted by His Majesty) if they shall yet return to their Duty, Loyalty, and Obedience. And if His good Subjects of that His City of London shall first solemnly declare, That they will defend The known Laws of the Land, and will submit to, and be governed by no other Rule; If they shall first manifest, by defending themselves, and maintaining their own Rights, Liberties, and Interests, and suppressing any Force and Violence unlawfully raised against those and His Majesty, their Power to defend and preserve Him from all Tumults. Affronts and Violence: Lastly, if they shall apprehend and commit to safe custody the Persons of those four men, who every themselves by the Spoil and Oppression of His loving Subjects, and the ruin of the City, that His Majesty may proceed against them by the course of Law, as guilty of high Treason, His Majesty will speedily return to them with His Royal, and without His Martial Attendance, and will use His utmost endeavour that they may hereafter enjoy all the blessings of Peace and Plenty, and will no longer expect Obedience from them, than He shall with all the Faculties of His Soul labour in the preserving and advancing The true reformed Protestant Religion; The Laws of the Land; The Liberty and Propriety of the Subject; and The just Privileges of Parliament.  
If, notwithstanding all this, the Art and Interest of these men can prevail so far, That they involve more men in their guilt, and draw that His City to sacrifice its present Happiness, and future Hopes to their Pride, Fury and Malice, His Majesty shall only give them this warning, That whosoever shall henceforward take up Arms without His consent, Contribute any Money or Plate, upon what pretence of Authority soever, for maintenance of the Army under the command of the Earl of Essex, or any other Army in Rebellion against Him; or shall pay Tonnage and Poundage, till the same shall be settled by Act of Parliament, every such person must expect the severest punishment the Law can inflict, and in the mean time. His Majesty shall seize upon any part of His estate within His power, for the Relief and Support of Him and His Army, raised and maintained for the Defence of His Person, the Laws, and this His Kingdom: And since he denies to His Majesty the duty and benefit of His subjection, by giving assistance to the Rebels, which by the known Laws of the Land is high Treason, His Majesty shall likewise deny him the benefit of his Protection, and shall not only signify to all His foreign Ministers, That such person shall receive no advantage by being His Subject, but shall by all other ways and means proceed against him as a public enemy to His Majesty and this Kingdom.  
But His Majesty hopes, and doubts not but His good Subjects of London will call to mind the Acts of their Predecessors, their Duty, Affection, Loyalty, and Merit towards their Princes, the Renown they have had with all Posterity for, and the Blessings of Heaven which always accompanied those Virtues, and will consider the perpetual scorn and Infamy which avoidable will follow them and their children, if infinitely the meaner part in quality, and much the lesser part in number shall be able to alter the Government so admirably established, Destroy the Trade so excellently settled, And to waste the Wealth so industriously gotten of that flourishing City: And then they will easily gather up the courage and resolution to join with His Majesty in defence of that Religion, Law, and Liberty which hitherto hath, and only can make themselves, His Majesty, and this Kingdom happy.  
For concurring with the Advice of His two Houses of Parliament, which with reference to the Commonwealth may be aswell at this distance, as by being at Whitehall, His Majesty doubts not but His good Subjects of London well know how far (beyond the example of any of His Predecessors) His Majesty hath concurred with their Advice in passing of such Laws, by which He willingly parted with many of His known Rights, for the benefit of His Subjects, which the Fundamental Constitutions of this Kingdom did not oblige Him to consent unto, and hath used all possible means to beget a right understanding between them, And will therefore apply themselves to those, who by making Just, Peaceable, and Honourable Propositions to His Majesty can only beget that Concurrence.  
FINIS.