THE PETITION OF THE nobility, gentry, Burrows, Ministers, and Commons OF The Kingdom of SCOTLAND, TO The Lords of His MAjESTIES most Honourable privy council.  
LONDON: Printed by ROBERT BARKER, Printer to the Kings most Excellent majesty: And by the assigns of JOHN BILL.  
1642.   

The PETITION of the nobility, gentry, Burrows, Ministers, and Commons,  
To the right Honourable the Lords of His majesties most Honourable privy council  
Humbly sheweth,  
THat whereas the Kings most Sacred majesty His royal Zeal and constant Resolution of maintaining the true Religion, and preserving the Laws and Liberties of these His Kingdoms is so undoubted, that to call it in question after so many reiterated Professions and Asseverations emitted in His Majesties Declarations and Answers, with deep Attestations of the dreadful Searcher of the hearts, as witness of the sincerity of His royal heart, could not be conserved in any but an unchristian distrustfulness; And in us His Majesties Subjects of this His ancient and Native Kingdom, the height of disloyalty and ingratitude, if we should harbour any scruple or thought to the contrary, having so many real and recent evidences of His Majesties royal goodness, Justice, and Wisdom, in settling and establishing the true Religion, and the Laws and Liberties of this His Kingdom, to the full satisfaction of all His good Subjects: And nevertheless, perceiving by His Majesties Declarations and other Printed Papers, that foul and malicious aspersions are cast upon His majesty, tending to brand His Sacred Person, and to deprave His royal Government: And understanding by His Majesties late LETTER sent unto your Lordships, that His majesty, out of His singular goodness and desire to enjoy the hearts of His People of this His Native Kingdom, free of all jealousies and Prejudices, hath been pleased to clear His royal Intentions and Actions from those Calumnious Imputations; And therefore justly challengeth from us that humble respect due to His Sacred majesty, by so many ties and Titles, and so much professed and promised by us with solemn Oaths in our national Covenant and Oath at His Majesties Coronation; We conceive ourselves bound in duty to God almighty, by whose great Name we have sworn to defend and maintain the Person, greatness, and Authority of our dread sovereign as Gods Vicegerent, to the uttermost of our power, with our means and lives, in every cause which may concern His Honour, as may appear by that which by Warrant of the Act of general Assembly we have all sworn and signed, and to our King and country, and to that we owe to our Honour and Reputation, To represent to your Lordships the humble desires we have to express and make known to His majesty and all the world, that we are fully satisfied and persuaded of His Majesties royal Zeal and resolution, and that malice and detraction can not prevail to make the least impression in Our loyal hearts of jealousy or distrust.  
And therefore we have taken the boldness humbly to petition your Lordships for ourselves, and in name and behalf of all others who will adhere to this our Petition, that as His majesty has graciously condescended in His Letter to your Lordships, and printed by your Warrant, for satisfaction of His good subjects, to express His royal goodness and desire that all grounds of jealousy or mistaking may be kept and removed out of the hearts of His good Subjects of this Kingdom:  
So it may please your Lordships to think upon some course, that His majesty reciprocally may be cleared and assured of our constant affection and resolution to keep our solemn and national Oath, and that we are not so unthankful to God or to His Vicegerent, nor so little tender of our own honour and credit, as to forget so soon that duty incumbent to us by so many obligations, and so often promised by us in our foresaid solemn Oaths, which are published to the view of all the world, and we are confident that in so doing we cannot be misconstrued, as if we intended any thing to the prejudice of that Brotherly and blessed Conjunction of the two Nations, happily united by Allegiance & loyal subjection to one sovereign and Head, and solemnly confirmed by His Majesties own consent, by Acts of Parliament of both Kingdoms, or to foment jealousies and mistakings at home amongst ourselves, seeing our desire neither of itself doth tend, nor by us is intended( as we attest God the searcher of all hearts) for any other end but for the performance of that humble duty to our Dread and Native King, to which we conceive ourselves strictly bound by all the ties of Nature, Christianity, and Gratitude, and therefore we doubt not but all His Majesties good Subjects will join with us in this our humble and just desire; and that your Lordships in the deepness of your Wisdoms will contribute hereto: And your Lordships Answer most humbly we crave.  
FINIS.