A LETTER OF THE APPRENTICES OF THE CITY of bristol, TO THE Apprentices of the Honourable CITY OF LONDON.  
Together with their DECLARATION FOR A FREE PARLIAMENT.  
LONDON, Printed for I. Pridmore, 1660.   

A LETTER OF THE APPRENTICES.  
Worthy Sirs,  
IT was our resolve to have presented the right Worshipful our Mayor, about the 20th. ult. with a Petition; But we were prevented by his Order to hinder our meeting: Now, albeit it became abortive, as to its delivery( as aforesaid) yet, we have thought it requisite to sand you this enclosed Copy thereof, whereby to satisfy both you and the World, that we were not ignorant of our reduction to the State of usage, nay, to a lower, had the Sword prevailed( then unsheathed in the Hand of the soldier.) Neither is our condition of being reprieved from Slavery, any way to be expected by this late revolution, our hopes languishing as to the Nations redemption from out of its most strange vassalage not to be paralleled in any Age to this day, unless God-Almighty shall stir up you, and the Hearts, of the whole People of the Land, to reserve our distressed Church, our Lives, Liberties, and Estates, out of the paw of this pretenced-Parliament, consisting not of above forty, or forty and four Members, two whereof are in execution, and thereby a Scandal to the name of Parliaments; besides, several of them Contrivers of their late Interruption. Seing so, our numble request is, that you would in this Juncture of time, now the Cause both of God and our Church, our Lives, Birthrights, Freedom from Slavery, Franchises,( as the Freeborn of this Commonwealth) future Estates, and Fortunes; together, with whatsoever else is dear and precious unto both yourselves, and us too, lies at Stake. We say, That you would quit yourselves like Freeborn-English-Gallants, and play the Man by an undaunted courage, on the behalf of your and our God, Religion, and Country, to endeavour what in you lies, either the read-mittance of all the Secluded-Members, without any Restriction or Limitation( Their Seclusion and denial of that their Privilege( if it be Legal in the other there to Sit) being contrary to Law, and an un-Parliamentary practise, never heard of before) Or else, That the present pretenced-Parliament may dissolve; So as there may be a Free Legal Election of Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses, to be made in March next, according to the Tryennial Act, whereby( towards the procuring and quickening of Trade) peace may be made with the Crown of Spain, and the People may not be enforced to pay those illegal Taxes( now imposed on the Nation( to wit) of Contribution, Excise, Tonnage and Poundage, or subjected to freequarter,( or have their Lives Subject to illegal trials, or Imprisonment of their Persons for unknown causes, without Legal trial by the verdict of their Country, together with Extortions, seizures, of their Goods, and Estates, contrary to Law) unless by their full and free consent( not of forty only) but of all their Representatives in a full and Free Parliament; And we shall endeavour the like here, by our importunate Petitions to our said Mayor, to declare to the intent aforesaid, and to stand thereunto, though not in point of Judgement, as to the interest of a single person; unless( as aforesaid) by the Peoples consents in a full and Free Parliament, as perhaps will be falsely suggested; Yet in point of Right, as to the reprival of the said Peoples Birthrights, and Ancestral-right from that Vassalage, both we and they mightily sigh and groan under at this day. Thus, praying to the only wise God for his blessing, on these your desired, hoped, and well-wished endeavours, and ours too, do subscribe ourselves,  
Bristol the 9th. of February 1659. SIR, Your humbly devoted Servants and Fellow-Apprentices, and ever obliged Servants and Friends.   

THE DECLARATION.  
WHereas by the good and most wholesome laws of this Nation, which are our 
(a) St. 34 Ed. 1. cap. 1.29 Hen. 3.29.25 Ed. 1.5, 6. 21 Ed. 3. Rot. Parl. n. 16.25 Ed. 3. cap. 8.36 Ed. 3. R●●. Pail. n. 10. 1 R. 3.2. the Petition of Right, 3 Car. the Votes and Acts against Ship- money and Knighthood, Tonnage and Poundage, and Star-chamber, 17, 18 Car.  birthrights, No Tax, Aid, Tallage, Contribution, Loan, Excise, Imposition, or assessment whatsoever, ought to be imposed, or levied on the Fr●●-men of this Land, but by their common-consent, in a free, and legal Parliament, consisting( not of forty, but of all their Representatives, by Act of Parliament. And whereas by the several Statutes against purveyors, the express Letter of the Petition of Right, 3 Caroli, ratified 17th. of the late Kings Reign; the Declaration of the House of Commons, dated 15 December, 1641, the Act of Parliament, 12 May, 1649, &c. Free-quarter is declared illegal, and not to be forced in any wise, on the Free-men of this Land: and all Mayors and Constables, are thereby strictly charged and commanded, to rescue, and defend the said people, from, and against the same: and from, and against all manner of extortions, seizures, and taking away their goods, by free quarter, &c. as aforesaid, upon pain to yield to the parties grieved, the full value of such 
( b) St. 2. Hen. 4. cap. 14.20 Hen. 6.8. 23 H 6.1, 2, 14. 2 & 3 Ph. & M. 6. 1 H. 4. N. 22.  goods, with double damages. And where●s the only 
( c) 39 Ed. 3. fo. 7.4. Hen. 4. fo. 10. Brook Parl. 26, 40. cook, 4 Instit. p. 1.25, 26. 1 Jacob. cap. 1.  Reason in Law and Equity, why Taxes, or Acts of Par●●ament oblige any County, City, burrow or person, is, because they are parties, and consenting thereunto, either in proper person, or by their Representatives in Parliament, legally chosen; it being a received Maxim in all laws, Quod tangit omnes, ab omnibus debet approbari. Upon which reason, it hath been oftentimes 
( d) 49 Edw. 3. fo. 18, 19. 21 Hen. 7.4. Brook Customs, fo. 6 v. 3.  adjudged, that By-Lawes oblige only those who are parties, and consent unto them, but not strangers, or such as consented not thereto: and therefore it is enacted, 2 Ed. 6. cap. 28. that fines with proclamation shall be in Chester. The like in Lancaster, 5 and 6 Ed. 6. cap. 26. for that the former statutes did not extend to them, having had no Knights or Burgesses appointed for the County Palatines, till the 27 H. 8. cap. 5, as in cap. 26. appeareth. Besides, the Statute of Justices, extended not to Wales, nor to the said County Palatine of Chester, for the reason aforesaid, and therefore an Act was made for Wales and Chester, 27 Hen. 8. cap. 5. by the same Parliament, that appointed them Knights and Burgesses, as by the Statute aforesaid clearly appeareth. Now if Acts of Parliament bound not Wales, and County Palatines, viz. Chester, and Lancaster, which had anciently no Knights and Burgesses in Parliament, for to represent them, because they neither personally, nor representatively were parties; and consentors thereto, much less then can, or ought any Levy or Tax be imposed on, or any Act, or Order of this Parliament, bind this City unto any obedience thereunto, these Citizens not having any one Representative, to consent to any such imposition, or Act, by the said Parliament made, since the death of the Burgesses of th●s City.  
Now, in as much as we are informed, that notwithstanding this City hath paid their Contribution, till the 25. June next, yet there is a new tax of contribution coming forth, of 100, or 120 thousand pounds a month, to the utter impoverishing of this Nation, it being more than, or double the former contribution, and to commence to from the 25 of December last; And to the end, this City may be compeled to submit thereunto, and pay the same, several Companies of Foot, and Troops of Horse, are on their march towards the said City, to collect the said intolerable Tax by force, and to quarter here on free quarter, as undoubtedly will be the consequent thereof, to the impoverishment of our Masters, and the inevitable ruin of this City, if Issacbar-like, they should condescend thereunto. We the Apprentices of this City, do therefore declare in the presence of Almighty God, that we have put ourselves in this posture, only, to protect this City( what in us lies) against the force, and free quarter, rapine, and violence of the soldier( having a while since been experienced of their Vassalage) and against the Parliament of the aforesaid Tax of Contribution, and all other Taxes, that shall be on our said Masters, and this said City imposed, till their Representatives shall Sir and Act in Parliament, to the accomplishment of this our Resolve, we shall adventure, and sacrifice our Lives( seing the magistrates have refused to answer our Petition to them made, to the end, and purpose, as aforesaid; Hoping that all others, the Inhabitants of this City and Burgesses thereof, will with heart and hand, both countenance and join with us, in this great work, which we have undertaken, not for any advantage or private ends of our own, but for their and the public Good; If not, the Vassalage, Slavery, and Improvement will be theirs, and the cause thereof theirs, and not ours, who this day do freely hazard our Lives for their, and the whole Cities Welfare, and Reprival from Taxes.  
FINIS.