TWO PETITIONS Of Divers Freemen of England, Inhabitants in the City of BRISTOL, And in the adjacent Parts.  
The one presented To the Honourable House of Commons, Upon the 2. of September, 1647.  
Together with their Answer thereunto.  
THE OTHER To his Excellency Sir Thomas Fairfax, At his Headquarters at KINGSTON.  
Both signed with many thousand Hands.  
LONDON, Printed for Giles Calvert, at the black Spread-Eagle, at the West End of PAUL'S. 1647.   

TO His Excellency Sir Thomas Fairfax Knight, Commander in chief of all the Forces raised, and to be raised in the Kingdom of England, Dominion of Wales, the Isles of Gernsey and Jersey, and for the relief of Ireland.  
The humble Petition of divers Freemen of England, Inhabitants in the City of Bristol, and the adjacent parts.  
May it please your Excellency;  
WE have had such living expressions of your Excellency's faithfulness, valour, and love unto your Country, that where ever we cast our eyes, we view the engraven monuments thereof to all posterity. Should all other places be silent, yet the City of Bristol, and these Western parts, must needs speak loud, and tell the world, that your prowess, & unwearied diligence hath again restored the spoiled, and banished, unto their houses, and habitations. Your Excellency did not, could not (such was the nobleness of your spirit) put too high a value upon your precious blood: you have hazarded life, estate, all that was dear unto you, and have stepped in to relieve this Kingdom under its greatest languishments; and in the glorious hand of our God, wherein your Army hath been a polished shaft, we have seen ye triumphantly marching at once, to the terror of your enemies, and the wonder of your friends. That sweetness, and gallantry of spirit, which you then managed against the enemies of this nation, that risen up to trouble us; you are still putting forth against those, that appear with a new face, and under more specious pretexts to rob us of our freedom. It was our liberty, which you then with all resolution vindicated; you seem to us to move still in the same sphere, and to be with all justice and moderation pleading our rights against such as have attempted to usurp them.  
We are very much satisfied in our spirits, (and therefore Declare thus much, to you, and the Kingdom) that all your Excellencies undertake glide along in the channel of the public safety, and advantage. We are very certain, that the honour and Privileges of Parliament lie dear unto your heart, and that you only seek the conservation of the English Liberties in the bulk of the Parliaments just Privileges. We dare not condemn ourselves of so much wilful blindness, as to say, we see no injustice, oppression, violence in our borders; the Land is too full of those that would eat out the very bowels of it: And noble Sir, you are now in your actings and counsels engaging against these, we join with you in our hearts, and rejoice in your endeavours.  
We must needs speak the truth, and dare not belie our consciences, but with all modesty reveal our thoughts, that had your Excellency's Army been disbanded, we might justly have looked for the invasion of violence, slavery, ruin. The insolences of our enemies had in all probability swollen to that height, that they would soon have trodden us under their feet: What was the expectation? what would have been the rejoicing of England's enemies, but the disbanding of that Army which hath been such a dread unto them? We are hereupon necessitated, and cannot but with some grief of heart, mention and take notice of those Officers and Soldiers, that have deserted you in this your noble and memorable undertaking. We sadly wonder, that any that have known your courage, undauntedness, and resolute fidelity to the Kingdom's interest, should now draw back and forsake you, when you are summing up all things (as we trust) into harmony and composure.  
We are now opening our thoughts, and we do in the last place, according to our understanding, freely profess, that we look upon it as a special concernment to the Kingdom, that men of approved faithfulness and trust, be employed to attend and guard his Majesty's Person. We may justly fear that discontented spirits have secret commotions, and are in travel to bring forth new mischiefs to this Land: and doubtless, they would have deeply wrought, and not have been wanting in counsels, activeness, and complices, (had they a fair opportunity thereunto) to engage his Majesty on their party for the effecting of their designs. We must therefore reckon it a glorious providence and mercy, and that which is very much conducing to peace and safety; that your Excellency and Army are so near unto his Majesty, and have thereby an advantage by your care and vigilance to obstruct and prevent all contrivances of that nature, and to give his Majesty and the Kingdom a right and clear understanding of the candidness and uprightness of your present actings and intentions.  
And now having our hearts full of the honour of your worth, of joy in your proceedings, and achievements, and of love to your Excellency's Person, and Army, we have made this our most humble address unto you, and in this plain, and modest phrase bespeak your Excellency,  
1. That you would prosecute, and still proceed to have such brought to condign punishment, that are the Kingdoms and Armies enemies; and earnestly contend against those, that would bereave us of our Rights and Liberties.  
2. That you would, as you have done, and do with all respect, tender the honour, and just Privileges of the Parliament, which renders your name and actions so precious in the eyes of the Kingdom.  
3. That you would negotiate with the Parliament, that your Army be not disbanded, till a firm peace be settled, and our Liberties fully secured.  
4. That all those, who have deserted your Army, may be declared to be such as have flinched from the employments of the Kingdom in its great exigencies; and that those, who have stood and acted with you, may be encouraged, rewarded, and embraced as faithful and loyal to their Country's Interest.  
5. That you might continue to be a guard to his Majesty; and might be entrusted to employ such, as you know are faithful, to attend him, that disaffected persons might not gain an opportunity or have a design on his Majesty's Person, to the involving this Kingdom in new distractions.  
We have thus far troubled your Excellency, and crowded in amongst the rest, to show ourselves in the behalf of our Country's Freedom: we assure you, that what we have spoken in this Paper, we have referred to yourself, as the head; to your Army and faithful Commanders as one with you in Counsel, and enterprise. And we do declare, that in all those erterprises of service, and gallantry, which we have acknowledged unto ye, we look upon ye under no other notion then as instruments, in the power of God, who hath exalted himself, and through ye made himself glorious in this our Land. Herein we have laid open the very sense of our hearts and resolutions; and do purpose to engage with ye to the utmost in the vindication of the Privileges of Parliament, and of our undoubted English Liberties, whereunto we are borne. Go on most Excellent Sir, in these your designs, and prosper; so shall England honour your name, and  
Your Petitioners shall pray for your Excellency's happiness, and the success of your Army in all your engagements.   

To the Honourable the House of Commons assembled in Parliament.  
The humble Petition of divers Freemen of England, Inhabitants in the City of Bristol, and in the adjacent parts.  
Honourable;  
THe bringing forth and presenting this Paper unto you, in such a time as this, may now seem altogether posthumous, and unsuitable to the present Occurrences, God having so wheeled about things in his most wise providence. We indeed could not but esteem it our duty to appear and express our sad thoughts concerning the state of things, at they then were; but meeting with private oppositions at home, and by the intervening of the la●e public tumults abroad, we were exceedingly retarded in our proceed. And now though the appearance of the Sun breaking through the clouds hath very much re●●v●●● as from under our drooping fears, and languis●●… 〈…〉 make bold to offer this, such as it is, unto you, and do beseech you according to your wisdom, to refer every thing herein to its proper head, and to take the remain of our desires and your most seri●s consideration 〈…〉 further preface, but relying upon, 〈…〉 favourable acceptance, humbly beseech you after this manner.  
AMongst those many Suppliants that now address themselves unto you in this time of England's breach, we also appear to act our part, and discharge our duty to our native Country: and we the more willingly repair unto you, because we avouch the Parliament, the high and supremest Court of Justice in this Kingdom, to be the assertor of our Liberties, and upholder of all our Rights. We have always with much delight and satisfaction looked upon our Nation as happy under this Constitution, and the rather, in that we behold such an oneness betwixt the Parliament and Kingdom, betwixt the Privileges of the one, and the Liberties of the other. We well know, that the regular transactions of the Parliament can be no other than an unanimous concurrence to the weal and benefit of the Kingdom: And we also, as freeborn Natives, can do nothing against the Parliament, but all for the honour, safety, and maintenance thereof: We cannot but have an honourable respect unto you, as those who being chosen by us, do in our names vindicate our Liberties from oppression and violence; and we trust, that you have a reciprocal tenderness over us, whom you do represent under all our burdens, pressures, grievances.  
We do in the first place with all cheerfulness acknowledge the vast expense of your unwearied labour and pains, in repelling the imminent dangers, and providing for the tranquillity of this rent, torn Kingdom: your activeness and industry to rescue our known Rights from under the usurpation of Tyranny, cannot die in our thoughts, nor be concealed from the memory, and admiration of succeeding generations.  
Yet Honourable, we have a few things to whisper unto you in a mournful accent, and to acquaint you with our fears, troubles, anguish, heaviness.  
We had hoped, that the day of England's peace had begun to dawn, but truly we are very jealous that we yet hear a sound of war in our streets. We seem to be reduced to this strait, that either we must hearken to an unsound peace, which threatens us with the irruption of more pressing miseries, or else through the instigation of malicious instruments, be engaged in the mischiefs of a second war. According to our best understanding and reason, we could not but judge so sudden a disbanding of this Army, and in such a way, to be the design of those that mean the advancement of themselves, and the sinking of the Kingdoms Liberties: and here peace should have served but to betray us into greater bondage: But this prospering not, we trace the same men carrying on the same plot of our slavery by endeavouring to raise up another Army against this, and here is the sad visage of a new war, which we so much fear, and are not able to stand under. Further, what mean those misreports, rail, aspersions, cast upon that most faithful (and ever to be respected) Army? Are not these also the issues of some heady and male-contented spirits, labouring to embroil the Kingdom in new commotions and discords? This speaks sadly in our ears, and it wounds our hearts, that an Army of such high deserts, that hath been the very walls and Bulwarks of this Land, should be so injured, so affronted.  
We have undertaken to lay before you our grievances, and we reckon this not amongst the least, that the due course of the Subjects petitioning unto you, should any way be hedged up, that any power should endeavour to suppress and stifle them in their birth; and that when they are presented, they should be condemned to the fire. W● cannot construe such actings any otherwise then the arbitrary proceed of a prevailing Party, and such as breathe forth, the certain and total ruin of this Kingdom, and our Liberties. And truly this enforceth us with all freeness and humility to acquaint you, that we must needs suspect, there are many sitting in that eminent Court, and other conspicuous places of Judicature in this Kingdom, that are friends to oppression and violence. We cannot but cry out of wrong in whomsoever we see it, and surely we must needs speak, when it is crept in there where there should be the habitation of Justice. And we espy likewise in the several parts of the Land, this unequal managing of things by those in power, that divers of the Kingdoms most faithful friends, who are rather to be cherished and advanced, are yet every where slighted, discountenanced, and kept out of places of trust and emolument: wherein also we sadly observe the frame of all things returning to their former confusions.  
We entreat you not to be offended, when we freely tell you, that the Covenant (as it is now pressed upon the Kingdom) is a burden and snare to many tender spirits; it is not unknown to us that many faithful and valiant Heroes, who have stood resolutely in defence of the Parliament and Kingdom, dare not yet subscribe, and come within the compass of that engagement. And do not many of those persons who adhered unto you when the power of your enemies was great and insolent, and are again ready to venture all with you against the usurpers of our Liberties, even sigh under those Edicts that enforce and urge it upon them? We beseech you to remember those your Declarations, wherein you promised to secure such, who through the tenderness of their consciences, could not submit to every thing that might haply be imposed upon them: For we humbly conceive, it will much add to the flourishing of this Kingdom, that you take such Subjects under your protections, they conforming to the Laws, and paying all lawful Customs of Tribute and deuce whatsoever unto the Civil State. And herein we are lemma ourself, and glance at a particular party, but our thoughts and desires run public: We are very clear for, and shall much rejoice in the establishment of a general right and just freedom to all men: and we could cordially wish, that those who have partaked with the King in the late differences, may know the utmost of their sufferings; and when they have fully satisfied for their former Delinquencies, and do give manifest testimonies of their future subjection, they may be received into the security of common immunities, and be conquered by an unparallelled clemency: This we humby offer unto your more mature consideration, as that which may facillitate the settlement of a sweet and lasting peace in this (now divided) Kingdom.  
And Worthies, can you check us, when we assure you that our very souls bleed under the sense of those burdens, that lie upon the oppressed, when we hear the groans of the Widows, and Fatherless, when we see the anguish of their spirits, that have lost near relations, friends, and estates in the service of the Parliament; nay, when we know, that the Powers that should help them, do add oppression unto them, we are even then full of heaviness, and become silent by reason of the greatness of our sorrows. We may hereupon very opportunely number over again unto you those vast sums of monies, that have been disbursed out of the Kingdom's Treasury; and shall we say, to those that have had little or no need of it, when as many thousand Families that have been totally impoverished, and undone, have not yet received the least succour, and relief from you.  
We do likewise tenderly sympathize with those our fellow-subjects, that are, and have been a long time imprisoned, and lie under pressures, and wants, them, their wives & children, we will not take the boldness to mention any, but silently refer to such, as have endured the tartness of a long imprisonment with its excessive charges, and have not as yet been brought to a legal trial; they professing, that they only stand up for the rights of freeborn English Subjects And here it seems not altogether superfluous to mind you of those great abuses, that are generally in the Prisons themselves: If we consider the long time of Imprisonments, the ●astinesse of the places, and the intolerable excess of fees, we may well say, that Prisons are the executions of Prisoners before their trial.  
We are now putting a period to this large rehearsal, wherein we have unboweled ourselves unto you, and shall only crave leave to cast this one thing into the common heap of our other grievances. We have in our experience observed, that many have wasted great estates, and been suddenly reduced to poverty, by their waiting upon the tedious determinations of Lawsuits, we cannot impute this to any thing else, but either the intricacy, and perplextnesse of the Laws, or the deceit and corruption of those that plead. It will undoubtedly in the issue prove a great ease unto the Subject, if the Common-Lawes be written in our own dialect, and in their number, and plainness brought down to the obviousnesse of an ordinary understanding: This in all likelihood will prevent malice, and contentions, and give us the advantage of knowing our own Rights, without the trouble of a Suit.  
Having had these things sadly in our thoughts, we have according to our just freedom, vented them to this Honourable House for redress, and we do seriously and most humbly lay these our equal and modest desires, at your Honour's foots. And do entreat you,  
1. That ye would provide for the settlement of a firm and lasting peace in this Kingdom, according to the full opportunity now before you: and divert all occasions of, and preparations unto a second War: And that ye would so secure Ireland, as that Kingdom also may at length revive out of its bleeding, dying condition.  
2. That ye would fully answer the just desires, and grievances of the Army; vindicate them from all aspersions and calumnies; give them all due reparations, and continue them undisbanded, till the Kingdom shall have the happy experience of a well settled peace.  
3. That the just rights, and Liberties of the English Subjects may be secured from all violence, oppression, Injustice, Tyranny; and the free course of justice pass upon all such infringers of our Liberties, as either have been, or shall be impeached, and convicted.  
4. That ye would free us from any unlawful power, that endeavours to suppress the Petitions of the Subjects; and that ye would not discountenance, nor deal disgracefully with any Petition brought from the grieved Subject.  
5. That ye would remove out of the House of Parliament, out of Committees, and places of administration of justice, all such as are justly made incapable by your several Votes, and Ordinances.  
6. That such who have given undoubted testimonies of their abilities, and faithfulness, may be entrusted, and continued in the several places of power, rule and concernment in the Kingdom. And to mention one thing more plainly, that the Militia of the Kingdom may be speedily settled, and put into the hands of such persons, and in particular the Militia of the City of London transmitted back again unto those, who formerly managed it with much trust in time of greatest danger.  
7. That ye would be tender in imposing the Covenant, either upon any of your Members, or upon any other subject in this Kingdom, whose consciences dare not subscribe unto it: and that occasion or advantage might not be hence taken to quit any of known fidelity, out of the trusts and services they have in the Commonwealth, if they cannot submit unto it.  
8. That according to your several Ordinances made, ye would provide for the succouring of tender consciences, and not suffer them to be grieved, and brought into bondage by any rigid impositions, but protect them by the Laws, in their civil rights, so long as they live peaceably, and without offence.  
9 That to prevent feuds, factions, future insurrections and tumults, and to procure a lasting peace to this Nation, ye would propose to such, as have partaked with the King, their utmost penalty, and that they fully satisfying it, may be owned again as Subjects, all former actings be obliterated; and they for the future secured in their Common Interests, so far as may consist with the safety of the Kingdom, and the conservation of our just Rights and Liberties.  
10. That ye would seriously consider our fellow-subjects, that are cast into Prisons, and lie languishing there; and provide for the hearing of their causes, that either they may be acquitted by Law, and have reparations for their losses, and sufferings, or else fall under the censure of it, if they so demerit.  
11. That long, and lingering imprisonments may be remedied by a speedy trial; provision made for the cleansing, and better regulating of Prisons; and the excessive Fees abated, that Prisons may be for security only, not for punishment.  
12. That ye would tenderly compassionate the Widows, and fatherless, and those, who have lost estates and limbs, for their affections to, and in the service of the Parliament.  
13. That accounts may be given for the millions of moneys that have been expended; and that ye would first, and chiefly dispose of the Treasures of the Kingdom for the payment of the Public debts, and for the relief of those, that are either totally impoverished, or else smart under very great losses; and (to speak with all humility) not as it hath been, to divers of your own Houses, and others, that lie not under such pressing necessities.  
14. That, in your counsels, ye would find out a way, for the deciding of controversies, and Suits of Law, without so much expense of time, trouble, and charges; and bring the Laws (if possibly you may) into a lesser volume, and to speak our own Language.  
We have now spoken all, and do beseech you to believe, that our only aim in these our requests is the Honour of the Parliament; and the advantage of the Kingdom.  
If then, you the high and Honourable Court of this Kingdom, shall be pleased to resume this Paper, and lay our desires and grievances therein expressed unto your hearts,  
Your Petitioners, that are in all things careful, to conserve the being, and Privileges of Parliament, that are faithful to their Country's Liberties, shall pray for your Honour's peace and safety, and for the settlement of this Kingdom in all tranquillity, etc.   

Die Jovis, 2. Septemb. 1647.  
THe House being informed, that divers Gentlemen of the City of Bristol, and the parts thereabouts, were at the door, desirous to present a Petition to the House; they were called in.  
The Petition was read, and styled, The humble Petition of divers Freemen of England, Jnhabitants in the City of Bristol, and in the adjacent parts.  
Resolved, etc.  
That this shall be the Answer to the Petitioners, That though there be some things in this Petition, that the House cannot so well approve of, to be presented by Petition, yet there are some things in which they have expressed their good affections to this House, and to the Kingdom; and that for their good affections, they shall have the thanks of this House.  
The Petitioners were again called in, and M. Speaker by command of this House, did accordingly give them this Answer.  
H. Elsing Cler. Parl. Dom. Com.