THE PETITION OF THE East-India Company.  
To the Honourable the Knights, Citizens and Burgesses, assembled in Parliament. The humble Petition of the Governor and Company of Merchants of London, Trading to the East-Indies, in a General Court assembled.  
Humbly Sheweth,  
THAT your Petitioners and their Predecessors, upon the Encouragement of Queen Elizabeth and succeeding Princes, by their several Royal Grants and Charters, granted unto them exclusive, to all others have adventured their Estates, for the discovering and carrying on a Traffic to those remote Parts; greatly to the Advantage of the Navigation of this Kingdom, and to the Enriching of the same, as well by what imported by them, as by the Exportation again of such Commodities, for the carrying on a Foreign Trade to the Plantations; Spain, Italy, Turkey, etc. And that your Petitioners have been informed, and did always believe, that according to the Ancient Usage of their Predecessors, they might legally manage their Trade, and Establish and Govern the Colonies, Forts, and Garrisons of their Propriety, within the Limits of their Charters, by Virtue of, and in conformity to, the several Grants and Charters from the Crown to them and their Predecessors, from the first Establishment of the said Trade; and that several Parliaments since that time, have had many occasions to take notice of their said Charters, without any Disallowance thereunto, but on the contrary, rather implicitly approved thereof: But your Petitioners have lately received great damages and discouragements in their said Trade, by several private Traders or Interlopers, who Originally were the Cause of all those Troubles and Losses brought of late on the said Company.  
Your Petitioners do therefore humbly represent to this Honourable House, That the East-India Trade cannot possibly be supported, but in a Joint-Stock, exclusive to all others, nor without such Powers granted unto them, equal to that of their Neighbours; by which they uphold their Trade, and that while Matters stands thus; the said East-India Trade, and such other Foreign-Trades from England as depends thereon, will not only suffer much; but other European Nations will make great Advantage thereof, to the Hazard, if not the utter Ruin and Loss of the English Commerce to those Parts.  
Your Petitioners do therefore most humbly pray this-Honourable House will be pleased to take the Premises into their most prudent considerations, and to apply such seasonable Remedies for the Preservation of this great and important Trade to the English Nation; and on which so many other Foreign Trades in a great Measure depend, as to settle the same by Act of Parliament, under such Methods or Regulations as this Honourable House shall think fit, unto which your Petitioners shall at all times most humbly submit: And that in the mean time your Petitioners may be supported and encouraged in preserving the said Trade to the Nation in such manner, and by such means, as this Honourable House in their great Wisdom shall think requisite.  
And your Petitioners, shall ever pray, etc. JOSEPH HERNE, Governor.   

LONDON, Printed by Thomas Braddyll and Robert Everingham, and are to be Sold at the Seven Stars in Ave-Mary-Lane, MDCXCI.