THE Two Petitions Of the Knights, Gentlemen, and Freeholders' of the County of OXON:  
Together with the two Petitions of the Knights, Gentlemen, Ministers, Freeholders', and other Inhabitants of the County of Kent, as they were presented to both Houses of Parliament on the eighth, and ninth of February.  
Printed at London for F. Couls, and T. Banks: 1642.   

TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE The House of PEERS, now assembled in PARLIAMENT  
The humble Petition of the Knight's Gentlemen, Freeholders, and Subsidy-men, of the best rank and quality in the County of Oxon.  
Sheweth.  
THAT your Petitioners have for divers years, groaned under most heavy pressures and grievances, both in our Religion, civil rites and liberties, which were grown to such height, that they became unsupportable, and yet no hopes of redress appeared to the eye of man, till it pleased the Almighty God of his infinite goodness, to stir up the King's Majesty to call this present Parliament, whereby our dying hopes were raised to very great and confident expectations to of a full and perfect Reformation, but they were soon abated to our exceeding great discouragement, by the lets and hindrances which are largely expressed in the late Remonstrance of the state of the Kingdom, set forth by the Honourable house of Commons, arising from the endeavours of a malignant party within this Kingdom: and (as we humbly conceive) from the popish Lords and Bishops, Voting in the House of Peers: Nevertheless we now cannot but entertain new hopes of comfort, and of the happy proceed and success of this Parliaement, beholding with unspeakable joy, your late concurrence with the Honourable House of Commons, especially in taking away the Votes of prelates, and settling this Kingdom in a posture of defence: which we do with all possible thankfulness acknowledge.  
Humbly beseeching your Lordships, that you would keep up our hopes by proceeding in your happy concurrence with the house of Commons, to a perfect Reformation, and particularly, in vindicating the privileges of Parliament, discovering, punishing and removing evil Counsellors and Magistrates, taking away from the popish Lords, their Votes in parliament, utterly abolishing that Kingdom destroying sin of idolatry, together with superstition and Arminianism, so much professed and countenanced in our University: pasing the Bill against plurallities, and joining in that order of the house of Commons, for the demolishing of Altars, and scandalous pictures: And your petitioners shall still have cause to look upon your Lordships with as high esteem as ever our forefather's did upon your most Noble progenitors, and also with our best endeavours, will maintain you in your happy concurrence with the said House of Commons, in your persons, Honours, and Dignities.  
And your petitioners shall ever pray, etc.   

To the Honourable the Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses, of the House of Commons assembled in Parliament.  
The humble petitian of the Gentlemen, Freeholders, Subsidy-men and others of good rank and quality, Inhabitants of the County of Oxon.  
Sheweth.  
Our most humble and thankful acknowledgement of your exceeding great care and pairs already taken, during this Parliament, to the hazarding of your healths and lives, in the endeavouring a removal of the many grievances in Church & Commonwealth: As also the continued care, and unwearied endeavours, for a perfect Reformation: The Remonstrance whereof, as we cannot consider without unspeakable joy (it putting life into our languishing souls) so we desire it may be remembered with high esteem by us and our posterity for ever. And for that you under Almighty God, and his most excellent Majesty, are now called to the place of our chiefest hopes against all our els: Your Petitioners humbly presnt our daily fears and distractions arising from the desperate plots of the malignant Party of this Kingdom, and from the certain reports of the most barbarous and bloody practices of the Rebels in Iceland, by whose prevailing and the small provision that is made for their suppressing and securing of this Kingdom against the like attempts, the said party is much emboldened, the Petitioners fears augmented, their common Commerce and Trading abated, and the public safety of the Kingdom end angered,  
It is therefore the humble desire of your Petitioners, That some course may be taken as to suppress those Rebels in Ireland: so to put this Kingdom in such a posture of defence, as the present condition thereof requireth: And that it may please you in our behalves, to be a means to the Kings most gracious Majesty, and to the House of Peers, to perfect their endeavours by their concurrence with you, in punishing Delinquents, and removing ull those pressures and grievances, in Church and Commonwealth, with the causes, and Causers of the same. And your Petitioners shall uncessantly pray unto Almighty God for the prosperous and happy success, and withal. put forth our best endeavours to maintain and defend the Kings most excellent Majesty and high Court of Parliament in their good endeavours and undertake for the comfortable and secure settling of Religion, and Liberties against all malignant opposers whatsoever.   

To the Right Honourable the House Peers assembled in Parliament.  
The humble Petition of the Knights, Gentlemen, Ministers, Freeholders and other Inhabitants of the County of Kent.  
Sheweth.  
THat the Petitioners do with joy and humble thankfulness acknowledge the good Correspondency and Concurrence, which (by the blessing of God) this Honourable House hath held with the Worthy House of Commons, in passing the Bill to take away the Votes of the Prelates in this Honourable House, and disabling them from Temporal employments; And for setting the Kingdom into a Posture of War for its defence.  
And the Petitioners do in like manner most humbly and hearty profess, That they will ever honour this Honourable House, and to the utmost of their power defend the same, so far as your Lordships shall continue to hold Correspondence and Concurrence with the said House of Commons in all their just desires and endeavours. Upon which the Petitioners do humbly conceive, greatly dependeth the peace and Welfare of this Kingdom.  
And the Petitioners most humbly pray, That this Honovable House (declaring therein your Noble Resolutions for he public good) would be pleased to go on with the said House of Commons, to a through Reformation, especially of the Church, according to the Word of God; To press dispaech for the relief of Ireland; To expedite proceed against Delinquents; To Vindicate Parliament Privileges; To discover, remove, and punish evil Counsellors; To deprive the Popish Lords of their Votes; to disarm and search out Papists, and put them into fafe custody; To suppress Mass, both in public and private; To cast out scandalous Ministers, plant painful Preachers every where; And discover who are Church Papists, as well as known Recusautsses.  
And the Petitioners shall daily pray.   

To the Honourable, the Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses of the Commons House now assembled in Parliament.  
The humble Petition of many Knights, Gentlemen, Freeholders and other Inhabitants in the County of Kent.  
Sheweth.  
THat we these many years past have been pressed with many unusual and heavy burdens on our consciences and states, to our great grief and discouragement, yet good hath been showed us from the Lord our God, who hath extended mercy to us to give us a little reviving by the provideece and uncessant care of this Honourable House, whose matchless diligence hath already removed many almost insuperable difficulties, whose pious intentions (under our God) upholds our hopes for removal of all our pressures which continue upon us by the Popish Lords and Prelates with their party in the House of Peers, which have been the great opposers of your just proceed and zealous endeavours, whereby our grievances increase upon us.  
First, the trade of clothing being decayed to the impoverishing of the County, and to the bringing of many thousands of the poor depending thereon to unavoidable necessities.  
2. That this his Majesty's County bordering upon the Sea Coast is exposed to danger by foreign enemies, whose fears threaten us being greatly weakened by so many arms forced from us for the Northern Service.  
3. That our brethren the Protestants in Ireland lie bleeding under the inhuman hand of Popish Rebels, who have conspired and lift up the head to root out true religion there, and without timely prevention to cause confusion here.  
4. That the privileges of Parliament (in the peace whereof is our peace) broken in so a unparelled a manner, to the great amazement of us, who according to our duty are come to make expression of our loyalty to our Sovereign and fidelity to his Parliament, in maintaining and defending, as far as lawfully we may, with our lives, power and estates his Majesty's Royal Person and privileges of Parliament against all adversary attempts.  
Wherefore our ardent prayer is that by the wisdom of this Honourable House the popish Lords may be outed the House of Peers, the causes of our grievances taken away, the County put in a posture of defence, the ports fortified and committed to trusty hands, our arms restored; the fire in Ireland spsedily quenched, delinquents punished, and the privileges of Parliament confirmed, which will turn our mourning into a good day.  
And we shall pray that God would crown this happy Parliament with such success, that the Lord may be an habitation of justice, and the Church the mountain of holiness.   
FINIS.