A True RELATION Of Some Remarkable Passages Concerning Nottinghamshire PETITION, and His Majesty's ANSWER.  
Also the ill usage of the Linconshire Gentlemen at York, who delivered their Petition.  
Written from an Esquire of Nottinghamshire (being one of the Gentlemen who presented their Petition at York) and sent to his brother, dwelling in London.  

Report this from me to be a true Copey of our Answer there,  
I. W.   
Whereunto is added His Majesty's Message, sent to the Parliament, April 8 1642. Concerning His resolution to go into Ireland.   Tudor rose  Scottish thistle  French fleur-de-lis  depiction of Irish harp 
LONDON, Printed for R. H. in Queens-head Alley.   

To the Kings most excellent Majesty.  
A Petition presented to the King's Majesty at York, the 1 of April, by the Inhabitants of the County of Nottingham, and the County of the Town of Nottingham, subscribed by 4540 hands of Knights, Esquiers, Gentlemen, Freeholders, and the Major, Aldermen, and other Inhabitants of the Town of Nottingham.  
We your loyal and peaceful Subjects, Inhabitants of the County of Nottingham, and the Town of Nottingham, do humbly crave leave to show, and pray, as followeth;  
THat whereas after many strait Yokes, and heavy burdens in the late long intermission, or interruptions of Parliamentary justice, by the predominance of evil counsels imposed on us, and with much patience borne by us (though to the extreme pressure of our persons, consciences and estates) we were in the midst of many troubles, dangers and extremities, to which this Kingdom was thereby reduced: at last by Your Majesty's grace, in calling this Parliament, relieved and eased, and by so happy a constitution of a Parliament, as this in many blessed effects hath appeared, together with the late mutual correspondence of both Houses, we were revived with fresh and pregnant hopes, that all our former evils, with the cause of them, should by this Parliament (with Your Majesty's gracious Assent) be henceforth removed, and greater good wrought and established to us, than we or our forefathers have seen: Yet now by Your Majesty's late withdrawing both Your person & former grace to such a distance from Your Parliament, we feel our hopes fainting, and almost extinct; new fears raised of the old, and greater evils toward us; and foresee all ordinary remedy like to be removed, or the timely application thereof to extreme danger, retarded: Especially, by the advantage which the malignant persons within us, and our enemies abroad (both in Ireland, and elsewhere) may make of such Your distance from Your Parliament, and distrust of it, to the promovall and accomplishment of their mischievous designs (by Your Parliament faithfully represented) and the overwhelming of this Kingdom in the sad effects of intestine discord.  
We Your poor Subjects therefore, from deep and bleeding sense of miseries of all sorts, thus growing on Yourself, on Yours, on us, on all, do humbly presume to beg, That Your Majesty (weighing the the premises in your Princely Thoughts) would be pleased to vindicate Your Kingdoms from approaching ruin, Yourself to security, and restore us to our now languishing hopes.  
1 By rejection of evil counsels and Counsellors, as have fomented jealousies or differences between Your Majesty and Parliament, and therein, or other ways, obscure Your Native lustre from Your people, making You appearelesse amiable than (we believe) You are: and next, without which, we can expect no good.  
2 By a timely return to some place near Your Parliament, where they may have such a ready recourse as the exigencies of the times require, and Your Royal Ancestors have ever vouchsafed their Parliaments; and also to Your good opinion of them, and trust in them, as the best supporters of Your Wealth, Honour, and Sovereignty.  
And if Your Majesty shall be pleased to renew and continue this Your wont gracious regard to, and concurrence, with the best advice of Your Parliament, for manage and settlement of Your Kingdoms affairs (which their fidelity may deserve, and Your frequent promises have made Your people expect) the effects will undoubtedly prove the glory of God, Your Majesty's truest honour, the terror of Your enemies, safety of Your Kingdoms, and joy of Your good Subjects, especially of us, who shall so clearly, according to to our Protestation, with our Lives and Fortunes maintain and defend Your Ma-majesties' Royal Person, Honour, and Crown; With the Power and Privileges of Parliament, The Rights & Liberties of Your Subjects, And the Power and Purity of Protestant Religion.  
And we shall ever pray, etc.   

At the Court at York 31 Martii 1642. 
 His Majesty hath given me express command to give you this His Answer to your Petition.  
THat this Petition (as some others of this nature) is grounded upon misinformation; and being grieved and highly offended, to see how his good people, have been and are abused by false rumours and intelligences (which have procured causeless fears and apprehensions) refers the Petitioners to the two answers He hath given to His Parliament; viz. to the Declaration presented to Him at Newmarket; And to the Petition presented to Him the 26 of this month at York, wherein you will clearly perceive, That His Majesty is not gone▪ but driven a way from His Parliament; and therefore His Majesty hath reason to think, that now understanding the love He bears to▪ and confidence he hath of His People's fidelity: As likewise His constant resolution for the maintaining off, and governing by the Laws of the Land; you may find reason to Petition the Parliament to comply with his majesties just desires and gracious offers; This being the only way safely and speedily, to cure the present distractions of this Kingdom and (with God's blessing) to put a happy end to the Irish rebellion; for the effecting whereof (as His Majesty hath often said) He will neither spare pains nor decline any hazard of His person or fortune.  
Oliver Nicholas.   

The Letter.  
Loving Brother,  
I Was this last week at York, with twenty Gentlemen more, and divers others, to deliver a Petition to his Majesty, which was done on Thursday last being the last of March: and Lincolnshire delivered one on Monday before; Yorkshire delivers one about Tuesday next; and Darbyshire about Wednesday, or Thursday next, all which are much tending to one effect, that is, humbly to entreat his Majesty to abide near, and hearken to His Parliament, and to remove evil Councillors from about him, with some other things. I have Copies of them all, but they are too long for me to copy out at this time, ours I am confident John Drewrey shown you the last week, if not Master Fankingham can show it you, and you may show him this Answer given to us, under the Secretary's hand with His Majesty's direction, and it is the very same Lincolne-shire Gentlemen received from His Majesty, to their Petition. Yorkshire is said, will appear 14 thousand in person to avow theirs, the Sheriff is a chief man in it: Derby is said to be 300. at least, the Sheriff, Baronet's, Knights, Esquires, Gentlemen and others. Lincolnshire, Sir Richard Earl, delivered it with some twenty Gentlemen of quality, who were scoffed at by the Courties and Citizens, and called Roundheads, they lay in York on Sunday being Coronation day, where was bonfires made, and much disorder; and about midnight that night, about threescore persons with clubs and bills assaulted the house where they lay, and swore they would have the bloods of them, the Gentlemen being up, and the Rogues got into the house they were forced to put out their lights, and betake themselves to their Swords, which done the unknown Rascals departed, giving threatening speeches, that they would cut the throats of them that came next▪ yet I praise God we had reasonable fair quarter with them: the City of York we perceive offars these abuses to Petitioners on purpose to deter them for coming to the King, because they would have reside with them; those that are well affected (which are but few in comparison of the multitude) do join with us willingly and freely, both in judgement and matter; the Court is very thin as yet, but increaseth daily; the latter Declaration mentioned in our Answer, is not yet in print; the King's first Answer was (He refers us to the Kentish Petition) but we prssing for a further and more satisfactory Answer, had as you may here see, with hopes still of a better. The Kentish Petition was ordered to be Printed, but speeding so badly at London, it is stopped as yet; much more I could tell you, but my occasions will not permit me, therefore with our best affections to you all, I commit you to the Lords protection and rest,  
Your ever loving brother while Joseph Widmerpole.   

Report this from me to be a true Copy of our Answer there.   

His Majesty's Message, sent to the Parliament the eighth of April. 1642.  
Concerning His Resolution to go into Ireland for suppressing the Rebels there.  
HIs Majesty being grieved at the very soul, for the Calamities of His good Subjects of Ireland, and being most tenderly sensible of the false and scandalous Reports dispersed amongst the People, concerning the Rebellion there, which not only wounds His Majesty in Honour, but likewise greatly Retards the reducing of that unhappy Kingdom, and multiplies the Distractions at hom●, by weakening the mutual confidence betwixt Him and His People: Out of His pious Zeal to the Honour of Almighty God, in establishing the true Protestant Profession in that Kingdom, and His Princely care for the good of all his Dominions, hath firmly resolved with all convenient speed to go into Ireland, to chastise those wicked and detestable Rebels (odious to God and all good men) thereby so to settle the Peace of that Kingdom, and the security of this, that the very name of Fears and jealousies may be no more heard of amongst Vs.  
As His Majesty doubts not, but that his Parliament will cheerfully give all possible assistance to this good Work; so he requires them and all his loving Subjects to believe, that he shall upon those considerations as earnestly pursue this Design (not declining any hazard of His person, in performing that Duty which he oweth to the defence of God's true Religion, and His distressed Subjects) as for these, and only these ends He undertakes it: to the sincerity of which profession He calls God to witness, with this further assurance, that His Majesty will never consent (upon whatsoever pretence) to a toleration of the Popish profession there, or the abolition of the Laws now in force against popish Recusants in that Kingdom,  
His Majesty hath further thought fit, to advertise his Parliament, that towards this Work He intends to raise forthwith by his Commissions, in the Counties near Westchester, a Guard for His own person (when he shall come into Ireland) consisting of two thousand foot, and two hundred Horse, which shall be Armed at Westchester from His Magazine at Hull: At which time all the Officers and Soldiers shall take the Oaths of Supremacy, and Allegiance: The charge of raising and paying whereof His Majesty desires His Parliament to add to their former Undertake for that War, which His Majesty will not only well accept; But if their pay be found too great a burden to His good Subjects, His Majesty will be willing (by the advice of His Parliament) to sell, or pawn any of His Parks, Lands, or Houses towards the supplies of the Service of Ireland: With the Addition of these Levies to the former of English and Scots agreed upon in Parliament, He hopes so to appear in this Action, that (by the assistance of Almighty God) in a short time that Kingdom may be wholly reduced and restored to peace, and some measure of happiness whereby He may cheerfully return, to be welcomed home with the Affections and blessings of all His good English people.  
Toward this good work, as His Majesty hath lately made dispatches into Scotland, to quicken the Levies there for Ulster; So He hearty wishes that his Parliament here would give all possible expedition to those which they have resolved for Munster and Conaught: and hopes the encouragement which the adventurers (of whose interest his Majesty will be always very careful) will hereby receive (as likewise by the lately signing of a Commission for the Affairs of Ireland, to such persons as were recommended to him by both houses of Parliament) will raise full sums of money for the doing thereof.  
His Majesty hath been likewise pleased (out of His earnest desire to remove all occasions, which do unhappily multiply mis-undeestandings between Him & His Parliament) to prepare a Bill to be offered to them by His Attourny, concerning the Militia, whereby He hopes the Peace and safety of this Kingdom may be fully secured, to the general satisfaction of all men, without violation of His Majesty's just Rights, or prejudice to the Liberty of the Subject. If this shall be thankfully received; He is glad of it. If refused; He calls God▪ and all the world to judge, on whose part the default is. One thing His Majesty requires, (if this Bill be approved of) That if any Corporation shall make their lawful rights appear, they may be reserved to them.  
Before His Majesty shall part from England, He will take all due care to entrust such persons with such Authority in His absence, as He shall find to be requisite for the peace and safety of this Kingdom, and the happy Progress of this Parliament.   
FINIS.