To the Right Honourable The Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses, assembled IN PARLIAMENT, The humble Petition of the Workmen-Printers, Freemen of the City of London,  
Showeth,  
THat in the time of the late general Liberty of Printing English Bibles, and Testaments at London, and until the 6. of March 1655. last past, there were above sixty Workmen-Printers employed in constant work at several Printing-houses; whereby the Books were vended at very moderate rates, to the great accommodation and benefit of the commonwealth, and encouragement, and comfortable support of your Petitioners; but by means of an undue, and unlawful entrance of the late translated Copy of the Bible, then made in the Register of the Company of Stationers, and other unjust proceedings used by Henry Hills and John Field Printers, in reference to their monopolising ever since of the sole printing of Bibles and Testaments, and suppressing all other Master-Printers in that good work; (Whereby they themselves employ not above ten or twelve persons in their service, and enhance the prices of their Books to excessive dear rates,) The commonwealth is abused by an unreasonable necessity, and your Petitioners are for the generality of them much prejudiced and abridged in their hopes of livelihood and fortunes, and many of them reduced to extreme want and poverty, to the great grief of themselves and their relations.  
May it therefore most graciously please your Honours to hear and redress your Petitioners Grievances with all convenience, being of such universal influence upon, and concernment to the good of the commonwealth.  
And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, shall ever pray, &c. Signed by 

George Hawkins.  
John Sporier.  
Thomas Webster.  
John Richardson.  
John Dever.  
Bryan Lambert.  
James Gray.  
Henry Barrow.  
Roger Vaughan.  
Thomas Milbourne senior.     

For themselves, and in the names of 150. Workmen-Printers in London.