To the Right honourable the HOUSE of LORDS, Assembled in the High Court of PARLIAMENT. The humble Petition of the Deputy Lieutenants, justices of the Peace, and Commons of the County of ESSEX, on the behalf of themselves, and the County.  
Humbly showeth:  
THat your Petitioners who have in all your dangers been found ready to engage their lives and fortunes for your securities in the defence of Religion, and just Liberty, as by our national Covenant by us solemnly taken we are obliged▪ We who have been by God's acceptance made more than ordinarily instrumental in all the suppressing of the Common Enemy; We who have laboured to preserve ourselves, not thereby so much seeking our private comforts, as that we might be continued a people able to do You service in all Your pious and faithful undertakings; have now a great and unsupportable Army quartered upon us, which for the Reasons hereafter mentioned we desire may be removed, and otherwise disposed of. And in the first place we humbly offer to Your considerations, how unconvenient a thing it will be, for so great an Army to lay out their Quarters so near a Parliament, where all things are wanting, and dear; as makes us fear there is some design to have an awing influence upon the proceedings of Parliament, and those who are willing to submit to Your Government: And we the rather fear it, because the Army is now brought into these parts, when all the Kingdom takes notice that You are about the disbanding of it, and settling the Government of the Church; both which, we humbly conceive, are most necessary to be dispatched. And we have reason to believe, that some in that Army will not be promoters of those good and necessary Works, being men of Erroneous Judgements, and opposite to the Government of the Parliament; who make it their business in all places where they come, to work upon the ignorantest people, persuading them into the like errors, which tends much to the destruction of all good Government, either in Church or commonwealth. In the next place, they humbly desire this honourable Assembly, to remember their first free will offerings upon the Propositions, with what cheerfulness, and in what multitudes they put themselves forth to make up the first Army, which was raised for the defence of the Parliament. After that, raised two private Armies, at their own Charge, for the public Service of the Kingdom; The one, under the Command of the Lord Gray of Wark; and the other under the Earl of Manchester; whom they paid several years: and all that time did not only defend themselves at home, but upon every Alarum went forth into other Counties with their Trained Bands, and other Auxiliary Forces. And now God hath blessed us out of the hands of our Enemies, our hope is, we shall not be eaten up, enslaved, and destroyed by an Army raised for our defence. In the last place, we humbly offer to Your Considerations, the sad and dying condition of Ireland, That this Army, or such part thereof as shall be thought necessary, might be employed for the Recovery of that Kingdom, wherein the safety of this, is so much concerned.  
And Your Petitioners, as in duty bound, shall, &c.