To the Honourable the House of Commons, the humble Petition of colonel Edward King of the County of Lincoln Esquire.  
Showeth,  
THat Your Petitioner in this just War hath by all means endeavoured to approve himself faithful, having taken up arms, and hazarded his life in the Parliaments lowest condition, for the peace and happiness of this kingdom in Obedience to their Orders, enduring with much patience imprisonment, necessities, distresses, and dishonour; choosing with constancy rather to suffer the spoiling of his goods, and sequestering his estate by the Enemy, then to assist them, or take arms against his Religion, or Country: being well assured that according to the Declaration of both kingdoms of the 30 of January 1643. The Honourable Houses of Parliament in their wisdoms and Justice would not see him neglected, much less ruined by those that are in authority under them: Notwithstanding which though Your Petitioners losses have been great, his estate become of little value to him, his Wife and Children been forced to fly from their habitation at such time as the Earl of Newcastle's Army was prevalent in that County, yet Sir Hamond Whichcott Knight, Thomas Lister Esquire, John Archer and others of the Committee of that County, have of late put in Execution obsolete Ordinances of Parliament, long since expired for the taxing and collecting of money upon Your Petitioner and his tenants for taxes due when the County lay under the power of the Enemy, and was plundered and wasted by them, and have by colour thereof issued out Warrants to treble the sums taxed upon him and them, to sequester their estates and imprison their persons, and not regarding your Ordinances, of their extort power by virtue of the Ordinance of the third of April 1645. for assessing and taxing the sum of 2800. l. a month upon the County for the maintenance of Horse, Foot, and Dragoons supposed to be raised by the Inhabitants of the same for their necessary Defence, have taxed and levied divers great sums of money upon Your Petitioner, and his tenants, contrary to the true meaning and intent thereof, refusing out of their corrupt and unfaithful ends, to approve of such Officers as were nominated by the County at a free and full Election, misusing, altering, and subverting Your Ordinances, and exposing the County to be taxed, plundered, and wasted, by the enemy, which might have been defended had they dealt faithfully and approved of the Officers nominated as was Ordained. At this present Robert Dawson Your Petitioners tenant is in prison by colour of the said Ordinance, though long since expired and out of date: Your Petitioner likewise showeth that he being by Commission under the hand and Seal of the right Honourable the Earl of Manchester by virtue of the Ordinance of the eleventh of October 1643. authorized to put in execution all Ordinances for the raising of money within the County of Lincoln, did cause divers wools and other goods of Malignants to be seized apprised and sold and the money paid unto the Treasurer according to his lordship's appointment, since which time one Nehemiah Rawson Gentleman and_____ Gainesborough to trouble and vex Your Petitioner, and all those that were employed by him in the said service, have brought several actions at the Common Law against him, and them, pretending a property in the States goods, though Your Petitioner and those employed by him did not any thing but in Execution or performance of the Ordinance for sequestrations, for which they pray to be protected, and saved harmless, by the Power and Authority of both Houses, as in the said Ordinance is expressed; Your Petitioner likewise showeth, That divers false, malicious, and untrue complaints, have been preferred against him, before the Honourable Committee of both kingdoms, by William Berry Gent. one of the Committee of Lincolnshire, by the subornation of Thomas Lister, John Archer, and some others of the said Committee, and prosecuted with much violence, and countenanced very unjustly, with an intention and determination to ruin and undo him, against whose injustice, and malice Your Petitioner by the mercy of God defended himself, but being put to great and excessive charges, obtained neither damages nor costs against them, whereupon they or some of them taking encouragement have prosecuted your Petitioner this two years with unjust complaints before several Committees to his great damages, contrary to the Laws and Statutes of this kingdom: Your Petitioner likewise showeth, That being nominated High sheriff of the County of Lincoln in the year of our Lord God 1643. after he had received his Patent, and took his Oath, he served you with cheerfulness, and for the better performance of the said Office, raised, and armed a Troop of Horse by Commission from the Right Honourable the Earl of Manchester and maintained the same with the assistance of his Friends and countrymen: and when he received Orders from the Earl of Manchester for their pay expecting encouragement from the Committee of Lincoln for undergoing so great a trust and employment according to Your Ordinance of the twenty ninth of January 1643. Your Petitioner was not only denied by them, the pay due unto him and his troop, but received many discouragements from some of the Committee, and as yet hath not received any allowance for his extraordinary Charges expended in the execution of his said office; Your Petitioner likewise showeth that the Parliament is a debtor unto him in the sum of 2625. l. as at the foot of his account delivered upon Oath to the Grand Committee of accounts may appear. 624. l. 3. s: 6. d. of which money was assigned upon the 27. of January 1644. according to Ordinance of Parliament by the Earl of Manchester, the Commissary general and two of the standing Committee at Cambridge, and ought long since to have been paid unto him, and for which Your Petitioner had an Order from the Earl of Manchester for the payment of the same: Notwithstanding all which Sir Thomas Trollope, Thomas Lister and others of the Committee of Sequestrations have sent for your Petitioner and his Father, and demanded from them the sum of 250. l. as a debt due by them to Mr Edward Standish of Newarke whose estate is sequestered; Your Petitioner likewise saith, That by undue practices, false suggestions and untrue surmises, they have shamefully slandered him, and divers other Gentlemen well affected to the Parliament, and to suppress them procured their names to be left out of all Committees, nominating Malignants and men of mean quality to serve in their places, to the oppression and undoing of a great number of the well affected, which is contrary to your Ordinances: Your Petitioner likewise saith, That contrary to the Order of this honourable House, and the commands of the Right honourable the Earl of Manchester, he hath been by the manifold crafts of Thomas Lister and others of the Committee discouraged and outed from all his Commands, to his great discredit and wrong, to the prejudice of your affairs, and to the great decay and impoverishing of the Inhabitants of Lincolnshere, by which undue practices your Petitioner hath been caused to spend above 500 l. in his just defence, and is without all remedy by the laws and Statutes of this Realm not having any whither to fly for relief but to your Justice. And lastly your Petitioner showeth that upon the 28. of October last there being an Election to be made at Grimsby in the County of Lincoln for a burgess to serve in Parliament, Your Petitioner declaring himself to stand for that place, was by the procurement of Sir Christopher Wray served with a Warrant upon the 17. of the said month to appear before the Northern Committee at Westminster within eight days after to answer words contained in a Paper supposed to be spoken by him, which he performed, and none being present to make proof of the Charge against him, was for the present dismissed and thereupon made his return into the County with a Resolution to stand for the place, and coming to Grimsby upon the 27. of the said month, he was informed by the Mayor and Burgesses That upon the 21. day Sir Christopher came to the Town, and by threats forced the mayor to proceed to Election upon the day following, where being present, by undue practices and threats, he gained and procured voices for Mr William Wray his son, being then and yet an Infant and beyond the Seas, and caused an Indenture to be signed and sealed by the Mayor for him, against whom and others your Petitioner complained before the Committee of Elections and privileges, in the beginning of November following, and hath according to Order ever since the 11. of February attended with his council and Witnesses, to his great Charge, the discontent and discouragement of his Witnesses, and as yet cannot obtain an hearing.  
Now in what a sad and slavish condition your Petitioner is in, having wasted and consumed all his substance in your service, being thus oppressed by his fellow Subjects as before is mentioned, He refers to the Justice, wisdom, Piety, and Consideration of your Honourable House; Humbly praying he may be relieved in the premises, and receive such moneys as are due unto him, to supply his necessities, according to the faith wherewith Your Honourable House stands engaged unto him, by Your Covenant, Ordinances, and Declarations,  
And Your Petitioner, &c.