To the Right Honourable the Lords of the Higher House of Parliament.  
The humble Petition of many thousands of the Inhabitants of Norwich.  
THe daily growing evils and almost desperate diseases which have overspread the whole body of this kingdom, both in Church and State, do pain us so sore as members thereof, and fills us with such fears as that we can no longer refrain from making the same known to your honours. But showing that after we had lain under a great burden in our Religion by a multitude of frivolous, ridiculous and unwarranted Ceremonies, pressed with the vehemency of suspension, excommunication, and deprivation of many godly and painful Ministers, vexing and grievously oppressing of great multitudes of others of his majesty's good subjects, so that they were enforced to fly the Kingdom, & in our civil rights by a multitude of Monopolies, by the impositions of illegal taxations, by illegal imprisonment, by oppressions and cruelties, in censures of Courts of Justice, as if Government had been set free from restraint of laws, and as if that malignant party who were the authors thereof (as we verily believe they did) intended the undermining and utter subversion both of our Religion and Liberty all at once: We hoped upon the assembly of this Parliament, thereby as the only means under God to have enjoyed a perfect reformation in both, but finding the same as hitherto not perfected by reason the causes of these our evils (as we conceive) are not removed, which put us in fear of falling into a relapse more dangerous than in the first disease. The Causers and Authors of all which evils are by the Remonstrance of the House of Commons declared, to be the Jesuited Papists the Bishops, and corrupt part of the Clergy, bad Counsellors and Courtiers, and their late practices do give us good cause to believe the same, as namely that hellish damnable Rebellion, savage and bloody cruelty of the Papists in Ireland, the late Protestation of the Prelates in England, which did strike at the very essence and being of Parliaments, and many other plots and designs which have been lately discovered and attempted upon the Parliament, no less dangerous than the former, the endeavours of some ill affected ones to set division between the King and his people, and to render them odious to his Majesty, who are his loyal and faithful Subjects. And that which now dampeth our spirits, makes sad our hearts, takes away the life of our trading, breeds scarceness of money, brings on such poverty as we can scarce keep the poor from mutiny, and filleth us with fears, such as hasten on apace even to desperation, and make many people to mutter, and speak it out, that they account those persons enemies to the State, who are oppugners of those good things which tend to the general good and safety of the Land, is, the not proceeding to bring to condign punishment the troublers of this our Israel, the not disarming of Papists, and the execution of the laws against them, and the Jesuits, of whose perfidious treachery this kingdom hath had experience enough, and cannot be strong until they be made weak; the delays of sending aid to the Protestants in Ireland, whilst the rebels increase their strength and ammunition from foreign Nations, so that they begin to think for transporting themselves hither, and make this kingdom the seat of their war, for which neglect we may justly fear the curse of Merous to befall us, the not putting of the kingdom into a posture of defence, placing the Castles, Forts, and Magazines of this kingdom into such hands as the King and Parliament may confide in, in these times of eminent dangers, when such distractions are in the land, the Papists and malignant party so exasperated, the rebels in Ireland so strengthened, such preparations for wars in foreign Nations, who emulate our Religion, and that incitation which they have by the counsel of such delinquents, who have fled from the Justice of this kingdom, and intelligence of our distempers from them who yet remain amongst us, the stopping of many good laws tending to the security of the kingdom conceived by the House of Commons, not yet brought forth, but stifled in the birth, and made abortive, notwithstanding the uncessant and unwearied labours and endeavours of the renowned House of Commons, who represent the persons of us, and the rest of the Commons of this kingdom, who are truly sensible of our evils, as seeing with our eyes, hearing with our ears, and acting with our hands, the maintenance of whose warrantable actions and proceedings, in which the honour of the King, and the safety of the kingdom consisteth, with our lives, estates and fortunes, we account ourselves bound by the Protestation by us lately taken, and shall be ever ready thereunto.  
We humbly desire your Honours will be pleased to join with the House of Commons in the speedy redress of these present evils both in Church & State, and in using effectual means for prevention of those which be eminent, that a strong Navy, the walls of the kingdom be provided, where our adversaries may be disheartened, and we better strengthened for defence, that the Votes of Popish Lords (who as we conceive hitherto) have been great obstacles, may be removed, means may be used to his Majesty that he will be pleased to return, that so his royal Presence so often as need be, give life to your endeavours, that the Locusts, the Vermin and caterpillars of Egypt, who have endeavoured to devour our Religion, consume our Peace, and destroy the good things of this Land, may with one blast of King and Parliament be overthrown and drowned in the red Sea of justice, and that Religion may be established in the purity both of Doctrine and Discipline, so shall the King's Throne be established in peace, and the Land shall be at rest.  
And your Petitioners shall ever pray for your Lordships, &c.   

London, Printed for George Tomlinson, and R. C. and are to be sold in the Old Bayly, July 16. 1642.