A SPEECH DELIVERED AT A CONFERENCE with the LORDS. January, XXV. MDCXLI.  
By occasion of the PETITIONS from the City of LONDON, and the Counties of Middlesex, Essex, and Hertford.  
By JOHN PYM, Esquire.  
Published by Order of the HOUSE of COMMONS.  
WHERETO Are annexed two ORDERS of the said HOUSE.  
THE ONE, Containing the Thanks of the HOUSE, given to those of HERTFORDSHIRE.  
THE OTHER, For punishing of those who printed a false Copy of that PETITION, and other libellous Pamphlets.  
Printed at LONDON by R. Oulton. and G. Dexter, for John Rothwell, and are to be sold at the Sign of the Sun in Paul's Churchyard. 1641.   

JANVARY 25. 1641.  
At a Conference betwixt both Houses, concerning divers Petitions presented to the House of Commons; Mr. PYM appointed to manage that CONFERENCE.  
My LORDS,  
I Am commanded by the Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses assembled for the Commons in Parliament, to present to your Lordship's divers Petitions, which they have received from several parts concerning the State of the Kingdom: whereunto they are chief moved by that constant Affection, which they have always expressed, of maintaining a firm union and good correspondence with your Lordships; wherein they have ever found much advantage, and contentment; but never held it more important & necessary, then at this time, wherein the Wisdom and Resolution of Parliament, have as many great Dangers and Difficulties to pass through, as ever heretofore.  
We are united in the public trust, which is derived from the Commonwealth in the common Duty and Obligation whereby God doth bind us to the discharge of that trust: and the Commons desire to impart to your Lordships whatsoever Information or Intelligence, whatsoever Encouragement or Assistance they have received from those several Countries, which they represent, that so likewise we may be united in the same Intentions and Endeavours of improving all to the service of his Majesty, and the common good of the Kingdom.  
The Petitions which I am directed to communicate to your Lordships, are four: from London, Midlesex, Essex and Hertfordshire. We have received many more, but it would take up too much time, and be too great a trouble to peruse all; and, in these four, you may perceive the Effect and Sense of all: First, I am to desire your Lordships to hear them read, and then I shall pursue my Instructions in propounding some Observations out of them.   

TO THE HONOURABLE THE KNIGHTS, CITIZENS and BURGESSES, of the House of COMMONS assembled in PARLIAMENT.  

The humble Petition and Answer of the Major, Aldermen, and the rest of the Common Council of the City of LONDON.  
Shows,  
THat the Committee of this Honourable House upon Saturday the 22. of this instant january, sent a message to the Petitioners for the loan of one hundred thousand pounds, or of so much thereof as could conveniently be forth with raised, for levying of forces to suppress the Rebels in Ireland, To which Message something was then answered, and a further answer in writing promised.  
In performance whereof they humbly present the answer following, together with the Reasons thereof, desiring that the same (being the best that for the present they are able to give) may favourably be accepted.  
And they shall ever pray, etc.   

The Answer.  
THe Petitioners are duly and deeply sensible of the great miseries of their Brethren in Ireland, and of the eminent danger, not only of the total loss of that Kingdom, but of the ruin of this also, if that of Ireland should (which God forbidden) be lost. And as they have hitherto showed themselves ready, even beyond their abilities to serve the King and Parliament; so shall they ever continue to the utmost of their power, with all cheerfulness and duty. But at the present they are compelled to repeat their former Answer; That they have no power to raise any Sums by way of Tax for any foreign use; and do further answer that they have no means to do it, otherwise then by the immediate personal Consent of every particular Lender, which they cannot hope to obtain in regard of these obstructions following: Which the Petitioners humbly present, together with this their further Answer, as the Reasons thereof.  
1. That immediately before the Parliament and since divers great Sums for the service of the King and Kingdom have been already lent by the Citizens of London, besides 50000. l. for the supply of Ireland, in particular; a great part whereof some of the Lender's were compelled to borrow, and cannot to this day repay.  
2. That such part of those monies as are already due to the Citizens from the Parliament, and should have been repaid out of the Pole-moneyes and Subsidies, is not yet done, because there is not any considerable sum come in from the Country as was expected to satisfy the same.  
3. That the said 50000 l. lent for Ireland was hastened and speedily paid within near about 2000 l upon this ground then urged by the Parliament; that if it were forth with lent, it might be of more use to preserve that Kingdom than the loan of 200000 l. could be, if deferred but six Weeks; yet no considerable Forces are sent thither to this day. And we find that men will not be willing to lend any thing till they be assured that a good strength be sent thither with full Commission to relieve London Derry and other parts of that Kingdom.  
4. The general withholding of very great Sums of money from the Petitioners, and many others, which moneys have been long due, not only from Chapmen and other debtors in England; but from very many in Ireland (who own many hundred Thousands of Pounds to the Citizens of London) doth render divers persons of good, Estates and credit hardly able to go on with Trade; or to pay their debts and maintain their Charge.  
5. The Brotherly offer of Scotland to send 10000 men into Jreland, not yet so accepted as to produce any relief to that bleeding Kingdom, while yet our Brethren are daily massacred there, discourageth most men from lending any Money, were they never so able.  
6. The not passing the Bill for pressing of soldiers here, whereby such forces as are requisite might be timely sent from hence into Ireland, puts many men into fears, that there may be some design rather to lose that Kingdom, and to consume this in the losing of Ireland, than to preserve either the one or the other; for that it cannot be conceived, that the Rebels (being grown so powerful) will be suppressed by volunteires.  
7. The slow issuing of Commissions to those who being in Ireland, or going thither, are willing to enter the field against the Rebels, disables them from doing any effectual execution upon the enemy, unless in their own defence; and so all the moneys that have been, or may be sent thither, are exhausted to maintain our forces to do little or nothing worthy of them, rather than employed to chastise the Rebels, and to reduce them to obedience, by means whereof the number and power of the Rebels are greatly increased, divers castles and towns are by them taken, much Protestant blood is daily spilt, many thousand families destroyed, the malignant part of Papists and their adherents here are encouraged, and those Rebels so much inboldened, that they boast, they will extirpate the British Nation there, and then make England the seat of war.  
8. The not disarming of Papists here in England, after many discoveries of their treacheries, and bloody designs upon the Parliament and Kingdom, the great decays of Fortifications, Blockhouses & other Sea-forts, the not managing of them, nor furnishing them with Ordinance and Ammunition, the not placing all of them in such hands in whom the Parliament may confide, and the not settling this Kingdom in a posture of defence, in times of so many fears and jealousies of foreign invasions and intestine conspiracies, the not removing the present Lieutenant of the Tower, and putting such a person into that place, as may be well approved by the Parliament, notwithstanding the earnest petitions exhibited to this honourable House for that purpose, which hath produced a forbearance to bring Bullion into the Tower in this time of scarcity of moneys; all which cannot but overthrow trading more & more, and make moneys yet more scarce in the City and Kingdom.  
9 The King's Ships which ought to be a wall of defence to this Kingdom, and a convey to the Merchants (for which Tonnage and Poundage was granted) are not fitted and employed, as the present condition of this Kingdom and Ireland requires, but some of them for the conveying away of Delinquents, who durst not abide the test of the Parliament, to the great encouragement of the rest of the malignant party here, who when their designs and themselves be detected, know how to escape the hand of justice through the abuse of a Royal conduct.  
10. The not questioning those many thousands of unknown persons, who are sheltered in Cove●garden, and thereabouts, which do not employ themselves in any lawful calling, and it's very probable, lie in a readiness to adventure upon some desperate attempt, to the endangering of the welfare, peace and safety of the King's Majesty, Parliament and City.  
11. The misunderstanding between the King and Parliament, the not vindicating the privileges of Parliament, the not suppressing of Protections, the not punishing of Delinquents, and the not executing of all Priests and jesuites, legally condemned, while others contrary to privilege of Parliament have been illegally (as the Petitioners conceive) charged with Treason, to the deterring of worthy Members from discharging their duties, and to the destroying of the very being of Parliaments, do exceedingly fill the minds of men well affected to the public, with many fears and discouragements throughout the Kingdom, and so disable them from that cheerful assistance which they would be glad to afford.  
12. By means of the Premises there is such decay of trading, and such scarcity of money (neither of which can be cured, till the former Evils be removed) as it is likely in very short time, to cast innumerable multitudes of poor Artificers into such a depth of poverty and extremity, as may enforce them upon some dangerous and desperate attempts, not fit to be expressed, much less to be justified: which they leave to the wisdom of this House speedily to consider and prevent.  
These are the Evils under which the Petitioners do exceedingly labour and languish which they humbly conceive to have sprung from the employing of ill affected persons in places of Trust and Honour in the State, and near to the sacred person of his Majesty; and that these Evils are still continued by means of the Votes of Bishops and Popish Lords in the House of Peers.  
And now, that the Petitioners have faithfully represented the true Reasons which dooreally enforce them to return this answer, most of which have been formerly offered to this Honourable House in sundry Petitions; and that they have done all that in them lies (even beyond all precedent) to serve the King, Parliament and Kingdom; They humbly crave leave to protest before God and the high Court of Parliament that if any further misery, 
●●e Copy 〈◊〉 Midlesex ●●tition ●●s never ●…nted, and ●…rfore not ●…erted.  befall their dear brethren in Ireland, or if any mischief shall break in upon this Kingdom, to the endangering or disturbing thereof, it ought not to be jephtha to the Petitioners, but only to such as shall endeavour to hinder the effectual and speedy cure of the evils before recited, that so much disable and discourage the Petitioners from doing that which by this honourable House is desired of them.