TO THE Commons of England, Assembled in PARLIAMENT.  
The Humble Petition of the well-affected, in and about the City of London, Westminster, and parts adjacent; Presenters, and Approvers of the late Petition of the 11. of September, etc.  
SHOWETH,  
THAT As the wisdom and Goodness of God is the best example to all Authorities in the World; so those in Authority can in nothing more resemble God, then in their readiness to hear and receive the complaints and Petitions of any that apply themselves unto them: And who in cases of dissatisfaction willingly condescend to a reasoning out of all doubts and differences, for so his goodness daigned to commune wi●h his servant Abraham, and even to a sinful and gainsaying People he saith, come let us Reason together.  
And surely if ever there were need of such a goodness now is the time, when not only complaints and distractions abound in all places, but multitudes of cordial friends to the Parliament are exceedingly grieved and sadned in their spirits, as not seeing the Commonwealth in a condition of freedom, or exemption from grievances and burdens (in any measure) answerable to the many promises of the Parliament, to the affections of those that have assisted them, or to the endeavours, engagements, intentions and desires of the Army.  
Every one believing, That in a very short time after the expulsion of the greater number of the Members of this honourable House (as betrayers of their trust) A new Representative should immediately have been ordered, according to that Moddell of an Agreement of the People, tendered by the Counsel of the Army, or in some other way: And that because that honourable Council in their Declaration of December last Declared, That they should not look on the remaining part as a formal standing Power to be continued; but in order unto, and until the inttoducing of a more full and formal Power in a just Representative to be speedily endeavoured, by an Agreement of the People.  
And we were the more confident hereof, because they had formerly declared also, That where the Supreme Authority was fixed in the same Persons during their own pleasure, it rendered that Government no better than a Tyranny, and the People subject thereunto, no better than Vassals: That by frequent Elections men come to taste of subjection as well as Rule (and are thereby obliged for their own sakes to be tender of the good of the People) so that considering those expressions and those extraordinary things done (declaredly) for a speedy new Elected Parliament; how it should come not only to be wholly deferred; but to be matter of blame for us or any of our friends earnestly to desire what is so evidently just and necessary in itself, and so essential to the Liberties of the Nation perplexeth us above measure; and we entreat some satisfaction therein.  
And truly when you had voted the People under God to be the original of all just Power, and the chosen Representatives of the People, the Supreme Authority, we conceived that you did it to convey those Righteous principles (which we and our friends long laboured for) to the next full and formal Representative, and not that you intended to have exercised the Supreme Law making Power.  
Much less, that such ensnaring Laws should ever have issued from a house of Commons so often and so exceedingly purged (intentionally by the Army) for the freedom of the Commonwealth, as is your Act against Treason, wherein, contrary to the course of former Parliaments and to Magna Charta, so many things are made Treason, that it is almost impossible for any to discourse with any affection for performance of Promises and Engagements, or for the Liberties of the Nation, but he is in danger of his life, if Judges and Juries should take it for good Law, which God forbidden.  
Also your Act for continuance and receipt of Excise (which every one hoped upon the prevailing of the Army weuld have had a final end) to Trade more oppressive than all the Patents, Projects, and Shipmoney put together.  
Also your act for continuance & strict receipt of Customs was exceeding cross to expectation, that and the other for Excise being esteemed most destructive to all kind of Commerce, Shipping, and Navigation, and are so chargeable in the receipt, as that if what is disbursed to Officers and Collectors were raised in an ordinary way of Subsidies it would go very fare towards the public charge, which it was hoped you would have seriously laid to heart, and have prepared a way to have cased the Nation of both, and to have raised all public moneys by way of Subsidies.  
It was hoped also, That you would have done something towards easing the People of the long complained burden of Tithes, rather than to have enforced the same upon triple damages.  
It was also expected upon the prevailing of the Army and the reducement of this honourable House, That the Printing Presses should have been fully opened and set at free Liberty, for the clear Information of the People, the stopping of them having been complained of as a great oppression in the Bishop's times, and in the time of the late unpurged Parliament, rather than such an Act against all unlicensed Printing, Writing or Publishing, as for strictness and severity was never before seen in England, and is extremely dissatisfactory to most People.  
And truly when you had Declared so highly and resolvedly for the maintenance of the Law of the Land, as to the defence of every man's Liberty and Property according to that excellent Law of the Petition of Right, you may soon conceive what heart breaking and torment of Spirit was occasioned by your seizing in an hostile manner such constant cordial Promoters of those excellent Maxims forementioned, by the commitment of them in an extrajuditiall manner to an Arbitrary Prison, where they have been long time Prisoners, and most of that time close Prisoner's, their Chambers and Pockets searched more than once, to find matter against them (things altogether unparliamentary) yea, denied a legal Trial, no legal Crime being laid to their Charge, nor Accuser or Witness, over seen by them face to face, as Law requires; and this to the Ruin of themselves and Families as to temporal subsistence: We profess we are not able to express the grief and amazement that seized on us thereupon, and which is daily renewed upon us, in that, now after extreme provocations, you seem Resolved to take away the life of our dear friend Mr. Lilburne and others, not by any ordinary way of Trial at the usual Assizes, but by a special Commission of Oyer and Terminer, the judges being composed of such as whose interest he hath long opposed; a way much complained of in the corrupt times before this Parliament, and which we hoped we should have heard no more of in this Nation.  
And although this is too too lamentable, yet would this were all; but if we understand the Petition of Right truly, the putting of Soldiers to death, or to other reproachful & painful punishments, by martial-law, in time of Peace, is not agreeable thereunto, and if we are deceived therein, the express words of that Law hath deceived us.  
But that such as have ventured their Lives for you, and thought nothing too dear to be spent in defence of a just Parliamentary-Authority, should yet be imprisoned [as some such there are] in remote Castles, and used more Barbarously than Mr. Burton, M. Prinne, and Dr. Bastwick in the Bishop's time, and how soon intended to be proceeded against, by special Commission of Oyer and Terminer [we cannot but fear:] This makes our very hearts to bleed, and our Bowels to earn within us; insomuch as if no Reason, Conscience, fear of God, or sense of Religion will put a speedy stop to these proceed, but our most dear Friends [because ever faithful to their Country] must thus be ruined and slaughtered, under pretence of Trials, we shall not desire to breathe longer i● this World, as seeing nothing but Misery and Slavery like to follow after them.  
What a sad thing, we beseech you is it, that it should be thus in this Nation, in the first year of England's Liberty [as you would have it esteemed] which in our apprehension exceeds in Misery & Thraldom, the worst of England's bondage.  
For besides what hath been mentioned, what is more frequent then to examine men against themselves, to imprison men by votes of Committees, to seize upon men's Persons by Pursuivants and Messengers, to swear men against themselves; Taxes and Impositions never so high, and Soldiers [not civil Officer] let to gather them, to the terror of the People; and upon the least denial, either violence or an Imprisonment ceriainly ensueth: Lawyers in effect are said to rule all, the Laws are trod underfoot by them, and wrested to what sense they please, & Lawsuits extended beyond all reason, in respect of time & charge, then [as is verily supposed] having mudded the clear intentions of this House, and perverted the just intentions of the Army, poor impotent Prisoners for debt and small offences abound, and starve in Prisons, through poverty and the cruelty of Lawyers and Gaolers: and the poor abroad even perish for want of employment, and through the excessive price of food, and few or none lay these things to heart: And if any do, and become passionately affected therewith, and but speak their minds freely thereof, or [as hath been usual and commendable] endeavour to get People together in meetings and propose Petitions for redress, the Puritans were never more reproached in the Bishop's times, nor the Independents & Anabaptists in the late defection of Parliament, than now all such are, with more odious Titles (or the same in a more odious form, as Atheists, Levellers, Libertines, Introducers of Monarchy, Anarchy and Confusion; which are poisoned Arrows shot principally at us and our friends, though most unjustly, none hating or abhorring either the Principles or the Practice more than we or our Relations.  
To our understandings this is truly our miserable condition, and the sad condition of the Commonwealth, and which is the more grievous (because in a time when upon promises made in the presence of God, and with appeals to his most righteous Judgements, we justly expected the clearest and largest freedoms, with even a total redress of all grievances, and which is no small addition to our sorrow, that we are wounded thus sorely, by the hands whence we expected our most perfect Cure.  
So that what to say or do, either to help ourselves or our friends that are both in misery and danger, and the Commonwealth that lieth in no small degree of thraldom, we are exceedingly to seek, and therefore as in fit condition for his help only, that is a present help in time of trouble, and who maketh man's extremity his opportunity, we most humbly and ardently beseech his divine goodness to vouchsafe you a true Christian like Spirit of Condescension, whereby you may be inclined to appoint some impartial persons to inform our understandings aright of many things here complained of, that if we be, we may appear to have been mistaken, pro fessing from our Consciences, that as yet we are confirmed in these our apprehensions of things, not only from our own reasons, but from the Declarations, Promises, and Egagements of Parliament; and we trust, this way of reasoning out of differences will appear more like unto the ways of God, then by force or threats to stop our mouths, or suppress our understandings.  
Also that he will both rectify and mollify your hearts, that you may instantly look back from whence you are fallen, To the just ends for which the Army reserved you together, & then not despairing but the hand that wounded may heal (it being God's way) we would beseech you to render up unto the People their long detained Right of new elections, and a new elected Parliament.  
To fulfil your promises concerning Magna Charta and the Petition of Right, to unbind every Burden and to break every Yoke; to give bread to the hungry, when you see the naked to cover him; & not to hid yourselves from those of your own flesh (your present humble Petitioners) though never so much scandalised and reproached: To deliver the captive and set the oppressed free: and if for a testimony of your Real intentions herein you shall release unto us ours and the Nations true Friends, though pointed unto death or continuance in bonds, we have shall be ever ready to preserve you; and we shall ever pray that the Lord our God may be your exceeding great reward.   

READER, This foregoing Petition was (Octob. 23. 1649.) offered unto the House, with most earnest & importunate solicitation to have it Received, but such a face of denial and opposition appeared amongst them, that neither the Sergeant at Arms, nor any Member would so much as touch it, telling the Petitioners that the House would not receive any Petition in Lieu. Col. Lilburnes behalf; Notwithstanding they have Declared, That it is the Right of the People of England To Pettion, and their Duty to receive Petitions, though against Law established.