A very considerable and lamentable Petition, Delivered to the honourable House of Commons, February the 12th. 1641.  
TO THE HONOURABLE THE KNIGHTS CITIZENS AND BURGESSES, OF THE house OF COMMONS ASSEMBLED IN PARLIAMENT.  
The humble PETITION of the Master, Wardens, and Commonalty of the mystery or Trade of the Silk Throsters of LONDON.  
Showeth,  
THAT great quantities of cloth and other manufactures made of the wools of this kingdom, and other Merchandizes have been hence exported to Persia, Turkey, Italy, Naples and Sicilia: From which for returns, hath been yearly Imported about 2000 Bales of Raw silk, the Throing, Dying, Weaving, and working whereof, hath given employment hitherto, to about two hundred thousand poor people, workers of silk manufactures, in and about this city: which Raw Silk, cometh to the hands of the Petitioners (being about 70 Persons) to be Throen; in which employment, dependeth the livelihood of about thirty thousand doublers, turners, thread makers, winders, spinners and others, all which are very poor people, and not able to live one week without working.  
But so it is, that by reason of the great distractions in this kingdom, first fomented by the prelates, Popish Lords, evil councillors, and others disaffected to the true Religion, in stirring up difference between this and the neighbour Nation of Scotland, and by those other desperate and wicked plots attempted since the beginning of this Parliament, against the peace and welfare of the Parliament, City and kingdom, and all Reformation in Church and commonwealth, and by that unheard of, and unparalleled high breach of the privileges of Parliament, and by the horrible, cruel, and bloody Rebellion so much advanced in Ireland, against our Nation and Religion: all which occasions of our distractions have been (as the Petitioners humbly conceive) principally intended for the Introducing of Popery, support of the Prelacy, and other human inventions in the Church, and (as a furtherance thereunto) for the inlet of Arbitrary and tyrannical government in the commonwealth: And by all which your good resolutions and determinations for Reformation of this Church and commonwealth, for defence of this kingdom, for sending of sufficient aids to Ireland, for the relief and reformation of that gasping people, and for the contrailment of those bloody rebels, are obstructed; and thereby Trade is so exceedingly decayed, that not only the Petitioners are disenabled to buy raw silk, or to have it any longer delivered to them to be Throen, as formerly, but also for want of such supply, the aforesaid numerous multitudes are already, and in a very few days in a greater measure like to be, the subjects of great penury, and extreme want, whose lamentable complaints and desperate resolutions, the Petitioners hear with much grief, and whose dangerous thoughts and opinions of those who shall be found causers of these their extremities, will, the Petitioners fear, ere long be, too aparently expressed.  
Wherefore your Petitioners; as best known unto, so likely first to suffer by, this numerous necessitated people, and being sensible how destructive to the kingdom, such an intestine and expedemicall disease may prove, could not be less provident for their own safety and discharge of their duty, then humbly to represent their sad condition, thus truly set forth as a fit subject for the wise consideration of this honourable Assembly.  
And do humbly pray, that the Prelacy may be totally Abolished, and as theirs, so the voting of the Popish Lords removed out of the House of Peers, the wicked Counsellors, and other diaffected to the reformation of our Religion, manifested and brought to condign punishment, and so that malignant party may be disabled any longer to abstruct your most worthy and pious endeavours in reforming the Church, and composing so great and weighty affairs of these kingdoms: which the Petitioners humbly conceive, will be the only means to give life and subsistence to Trade, and to prevent England's ruin to arise from its own Inhabitants.  
And your Petitioners shall daily pray, &c.   

London, Printed by R. Oulton and G. Dexter. 1641.