TWO PETITIONS FROM The Agents to ten Regiments of Horse and foot, and of the Lifeguard, under the Conduct of his Excellency Sir Thomas Fairfax; To the supreme Authority of this Nation, the Commons assembled in Parliament: in behalf of themselves and all other the Freeborn People of England.  
Presented in their names by the Lord Grey [an honest Member of the [House of Commons] together with an Agreement of the people grounded upon the principles of Common Right and Freedom, for the Parliaments concurrence thereunto.  
Also the Votes of the House upon the said Papers thereunto annexed.  
Printed in the Year, 1647.   

To the supreme Authority of this Nation, the Commons in Parliament assembled.  
The just and earnest Petition of those whose Names are subscribed, in behalf of themselves, and all the Freeborn People of England.  
SHOWETHS,  
THat the Rights we claim in the Agreement (hereunto annexed) are our own, both by birth and purchase. That we see no other means (under Heaven) to preserve those Rights unto ourselves, and our dear Fellow-Commoners, then by so agreeing, and declaring.  
That this Agreement shall (by God's assistance) be maintained with the same resolution of spirit, and hazard of our lives, wherewith our freedoms were (as we thought) recovered, rather than we will suffer ourselves by any force or fraud to be deprived of them or any part of them.  
That it is equally grievous to us, whether we be enslaved by King or Lords, but to be in continual Conferences and Addresses, offered up by those we Trust, into the hands of such, as have manifested their tyrannical Purposes towards us, and towards you for our sakes, is a danger we can hold no longer.  
We do therefore most earnestly beseech you, to join with your tried friends, and natural Countrymen in this AGREEMENT (every way tending to your Weal and Ours) and not with the King nor wit any others, by adventuring again the price of our blood upon the unsafe and groundless Terms of Accommodation with perfidious Enemies.  
That your extreamly-long-forbearing to settle the People's peace and liberties upon your own Authority (which indeed is theirs) without any just cause as hinder you, (your Capital enemy being at your mercy, and a considerable Army at your command) is matter of great jealousy, and hath necessitated as to betake ourselves to this extroardinary way of remedy.  




General's Regiment.  
Edward Sexby  
Thomas Watson  
Andrew Ley    


Lieut. Gen. Reg.  
Robert Everard  
Edmond Bear  
John Wa●ter    


Col Whaley Reg.  
Thomas Burr  
William Russell  
Richard Seal    


Col Whaley Reg.  
William Pryor  
John Nicholson    


Col. Hewsons' R.  
Joseph Allen    


Com. Gen. Reg.  
George Hassall  
William Pickering    


col. Hortons' Reg.  
Tobias Box    


Col Okeleyes' Reg. of Dragoones.  
Humphrey Davis  
William Brown    


col: lambert's R.  
John Thomas    


col: Sir Hardres Wailers Reg.  
George Clarke    


col: Backsters' R.  
Arthur Yongu●       

Die Martis 9 Novemb. 1647  

Resolved, etc. 
 THat the Matters contained in these Papers, are destructive to the Being of Parliaments, and to the Fundamental Government of the Kingdom.  
Hen. Elsing Cler. Parl. D. Com.   

Resolved etc. 
 THat a Letter be sent to the General, and these Papers enclosed, together with the Vote of this House upon them, that he be desired to examine proceed of this Business in the Army, and return an account hereof to this House.  
Mr. REYNOLDS and Mr. PRIDEAUX are appointed to prepare a Letter to this purpose.   

The Agreement of the People, etc.  
HAving by our late labours and hazards made it appear to the world at how high a rate we value our just freedom, & God having so far owned our cause, as to deliver the Enemies thereof into our hands: We do now head ourselves bound in mutual duty to each other, to take the best care we can for the future, to avoid both the danger of returning into a slavish condition, and the chargeable remedy of another war: for as it cannot be imagined that so many of our Countrymen would have opposed us in this quarrel, if they had understood their own good, so may we safely promise to ourselves, that when our Common Rights and liberties shall be cleared, their endeavours will be disappointed, that seek to make themselves our Masters since therefore our former oppressions, and scarce yet ended troubles have been occasioned, either by want of frequent Nationall meetings in Council, or by rendering those meetings ineffectual: We are fully agreed and resolved, to provide that hereafter our Representatives be neither left to an uncertainty for the time, nor made useless to the ends for which they are intended: In order whereunto we declare,  
1. That the people of England being at this day very unequally distributed by Counties, Cities, and Burrougheses for the election of their Deputies in Parliament, aught to be more indifferently proportioned, according to the number of the Inhabitants: the circumstances whereof, for number, place, and manner, are to be set down before the end of this present Parliament. 2. That to prevent the many inconveniences apparently arising, from the long continuance of the same persons in authority, this present Parliament be dissolved upon the last day of September, which shall be in the year of our Lord, 1648.  
3. That the People do of course choose themselves a Parliament once in two years, viz. upon the first Thursday in every 2d. March, after the manner as shall be prescribed before the end of this Parliament, to begin to sit upon the first Thursday in April following at Westminster, or such other place as shall be appointed from time to time by the preceding Represen●atives; & to continue till the last day of September, then n●xt ensuing, and no longer.  
4. That the power of this, and all future Representatives of this Nation, is inferior only to theirs who choose them, and doth extend, without the consent or concurrence of any other person or persons; 〈…〉 and repealing of Laws, to the erecting and abolishing of Offices and Courts, to the appointing, removing and calling to account Magistrates, and Officers, of all degrees; to the making War and peace, to the treating with foreign States: And generally, to whatsoever is not expressly, or implyedly reserved by the represented to themselves.  
Which are as followeth; 

1. THat matters of Religion, and the ways of God's Worship, are not at all entrusted by us to any humane power because therein we cannot remit or exceed a tittle of what our Consciences dictate to be the mind of God, without wilful sin: nevertheless the public way of instructing the Nation (so it be not compulsive) is referred to their diseretion.  
2. That the matter of impresting and constraining any of us to serve in the wars, is against our freedom; and therefore we do not allow it in our Representatives; the rather, because money (the sinews of war) being always at their disposal, they can never want numbers of men apt enough to engage in any just cause.  
3. That after the dissolution of this present Parliament, no person be at any time questioned for any thing said or done, in reference to the late public differences, otherwise then in execution of the Judgements of the present Representatives, or House of Commons.  
4. That in all Laws made, or to be made, every person may be bound alike, and that no Tenure, Estate, Charter Degree, Birth, or place, do confer any exemption from the ordinary Course of Legal proceedings, whereunto others are subjected.  
5. That as the Laws ought to be equal so they must be good & not evidently destructive to the safety and well-being of the People.    
THese things we declare to be our native Rights, and therefore are agreed and resolved to maintain them with our utmost possibilities, against all opposition whatsoever being compelled thereunto not only by the examples of our Ancestors whose blood was often spent in vain for the recovery of their Freedoms, suffering themselves through fraudulent Accommodations, to be still deluded of the fruit of their Victories, but also by our own woeful experience, who having long expected, and dearly earned the establishment of these certain rules of Government, are yet made to depend for the settlement of our Peace and freedom, upon him that intended our bondage, and brought a cruel War upon us.    

To the supreme Authority of this Nation, the Commons of England in Parliament assembled.  
The Petition of those whose Names are subscribed, in behalf of themselves, and all the freeborn people of England.  
SHOWETHS,  
THat we are exceedingly amazed at your Vote upon our Petition, and Agreement, and cannot but compare the same to the proceed of the House upon our Petition prepared for his Excellency, or upon the large and most just Petition. Which was voted to be burnt by the common Hangman.  
That your disclaiming of us herein, and your so speedy prosecution of an accommodation with the King (who sought our bondage and ruin so long as he was able) before the liberties of the people are cl●ered, and settled, or the Rights of the Army provided or secured, give us too much cause to fear, the same influences in the House, as lately voted the disbanding of the Army, usurped a Parliament Authority, voted a new War; and the Kings coming to London upon dangerous terms.  
That we are so confident, of the equity of our Agreement, and justness of our Petition, and so tender of the just Authority of this Honourable House, that we are constrained again to entreat your second Review of both; and that you will be so mindful of your own and the Armies Declarations, as to suspend all thoughts of accommodation with the King, until those Foundations of common Freedom, wherein the good of all men is included, be firmly settled, it bring impossible for us, or any freeborn Englishmen, who rightly understand their Liberties, ever to forsake, or decline the same.  
And we does further most earnestly desire all such worthy Members of this Honourable House, as do yet remember their duty to their Native Country, not to let slip this opportunity of joining with us in this Agreement for their redemption and ours, out of the hands of our proud, cruel, and treacherous Enemies, that we may live or die together, in the vindication of our Native-Freedome.  
Subscribed unto by the aforesaid Agents of the respective Regiments.