THE humble PETITION OF THE well-affected young MEN IN The City of London and Liberties thereof, To the Right Honourable the Lords and Commons in the High Court of PARLIAMENT now Assembled.  
In most humble manner showeth,  
THat your former gracious acceptation of Petitions, from person of as mean quality as ourselves, together with your late kind embracement of that PETITION from our Masters and others of eminent quality (for which we present our humble thanks) hath incited us (though in regard of our present condition not so much considerable) to address ourselves also in all humility to this Honourable assembly (whom we conceive the only means under God for our redress) beseeching you to endeavour to these ruinating distractions, and though the present calamities doth not so immediately reflect on your Petitioners, yet we considering the loss of so many of our fellow's lives, and the daily hazard the rest are exposed to, and foreseeing the face of our own ruin, in our Master's present condition, as also prizing our Parents and friends lives and livelihoods, as dear as our own: hold ourselves engaged by the laws of conscience and nature, to be no less solicitous for the bleeding miseries of our Church and State, in regard (though servants) we are Subjects, and humbly conceive ourselves to be considered herein.  
We come therefore (in the still voice) to embowel our grievances and zealous desires before you, not presuming to dictate to your graver judgements, but humbly desiring you to pardon our boldness in petitioning; and the errors of our Petition, if any be. We unanimously beseech you to consider these present distractions, the continual increasing violation of our Religion by Papists and Sectaries, the breach of our known laws, the invasion of the Subjects liberties, and general decay of Trade, reflecting also with serious thoughts upon those inevitable dangers, that hover over our heads, ushered in by a civil, unnatural, and bloody war, whose effects are the impartial destruction of christians, the effusion of much innocent blood, the impoverishing and dispeopling the kingdom, and exposing the body of the State, to the merciless tyranny of Famine, sickness, and Invasion, the producers of an universal confusion.  
All which (better known to your apprehensions) we humbly desire you to ponder, and leave no just way unattempted, which may conduce to the settlement of these differences, that the undiscerning sword be not umpire to decide controversies of so near concernment, neither give audience to the incendiaries of this war, whose only aim (We fear) is to prey upon the lives and livings of his majesty's good and loyal subjects, that so the gospel of peace may not be maintained by war, but that these cemented joints of the Church may hold firmer the bond of unity, to the glory of God, the good of his Majesty, the preservation of the Parliament, the only happiness of the kingdom, and enablement for a supply of the necessities of our distressed brethren in IRELAND: and your petitioners shall daily pray, as in all duty bound, for a blessing upon your consultations; to which we subscribe our hands and hearts, each ready to sacrifice his life for accomplishment hereof.  
Subscribed with, at the least 20000 hands.