To the Kings most excellent majesty. The humble Petition of the Knights, Ministers, Gentry, freeholders, and many thousands of the Inhabitants of the county of LEICESTER, who assembled on the Horse-fairlays ready to accompany this PETITION if, they should be required.  
The humble Petition of the Knights, Ministers, Gentry, and freeholders of Leicester.  
MOst humbly showeth with one unanimous consent, that your Petitioners and obedient Servants of Leicestershire; situated in the midst of your kingdom of England, and in the midst of our great fears and apparent dangers, by your taking up arms and levying Forces (as it is thought) against your Honourable, loyal, and Illustrious Parliament, thereby to rout, to ruin and disappoint their manifest, good and godly purposes, and the more fully to effect this design, never heard of (except in the reign of the Eleventh of Richard the Second) you have (as we rightly conceive) by the ill Advice of your pernicious council morg●ged, pawned or sold the glory of the Land, the jewels and Treasures of the crown, which ought as highly to be prized as the MILITIA, or any Magazine whatsoever: the one chiefly serves to secure what is Yours in Possession; the other (being so easily parted with, abateth the lustre of Your kingdom.  
Therefore may it please your majesty to harken to the Worthy and well-deserving Men of your kingdom, your hopeful and our happy Parliament: and become more near in Person, and join in affection with your trusty and grave and solid council and great Court of judicature, for surely that high Assembly with God's Blessing and your assenting unto them can soon procure your and our safety, and annihilate all distractions and distempers.  
And that you would freely consent or put our County (because we are in such eminent danger, Southward and Northward, having neither Castles or any other places of strength by Sea or Land, or approved friends besides the Parliament) in a posture of defence, and that you would recall your Warrants prohibiting our trained bands to muster, the rather because we desire to follow the good example of our neighbour Country Men of Lincolnshire and others, and to join yourself with your Parliament.  
Otherwise, when they shall declare and nominate the particular disturbers of Yours and Our peace, the procurers of your and our fears, jealousies and amazments out of their known experience, we shall take upon us the boldness to remove from your majesty such Prosecutors as are enemies to the State and hindeers to the tranquillity of the same.  
Therefore we your dutiful faithful subjects and servants humbly sue, that your majesty would accord with your Parliament, and comply with them to restrain the violent malice of the bloodthirsty Rebels in Ireland. To settle a Godly, Learned and Industrious Ministry. To disarm the Papists seeing they rejoice in this discord, and insolently speak words full of Arrogancy. To separate from you that subver●ing council who dare not stand to the goodness of their Cause nor can endure the Test. To cashier those Cavaliers and other unnecessary undependants. Fully and clearly to acquit the Lord Kimbolton, and other the worthy Members of the least suspicion of Treason against your majesty or State, one of them being chiefly entrusted for the good and welfarre of our County. To believe in the faithfulness and Loyalty of your Parliament, who regulates the oppressions of your Kingdom. And other the premises.  
And we with our lives, and Estates, and Fortunes shall be obedient and loyal unto your majesty. And pray, &c. June the 18.