A REMONSTRANCE PRESENTED TO HIS majesty by the PARLIAMENT in June, Ann. Dom. 1628. 3o. Caroli Regis. Wherein is discovered, the great danger that England and Ireland lay under; and the Parliaments care to have secured them. As also the names of some of the Enemies of the State, as Dr. Laud, &c.  
Most dread sovereign,  
AS with all humble thankfulness we your dutiful Commons in Parliament assembled, do aclowledge the great comfort we have in the assurance of your Majesties pious and gracious dispositions; So we think it a most necessary duty( being called by your majesty to consult and advice of the great and urgent affairs of this Church and Common-wealth, finding them at this time in apparent danger of destruction) faithfully and dutifully to inform your majesty thereof: and with bleeding hearts and bended knees to crave such speedy redress therein, as to your wisdom( unto which we humbly submit ourselves and our desires, shall seem meet and convenient.  
What by the multitude and potency of your Majesties enemies abroad, what by their malicious and ambitious ends and how vigilant and constantly industrious they are in pursuing the same, is well known unto your majesty, together with the dangers threatened thereby to your sacred person and your Kingdoms, and the calamity which hath already fallen, and daily hath increased upon your friends and Alleys, of all which we are well assured your majesty is most sensible, and will accordingly in your own great wisdom, and with the gravest and most mature counsel and exegency of the times and occasions, provide by all good means to prevent and help the same. To which end we most humbly entreat your majesty:  
First, and especially to cast your eyes upon the miserable condition of this your own Kingdom of late so strangely weakened, impoverished and rejected; that unless through your Majesties most gracious wisdom, goodness, and justice, it be speedily raised to a better condition, it is in no little danger to become a sudden prey to the enemies thereof; and of the most happy and flourishing, to be the most miserable and contemptible Nation in the world. In the discovery of which dangers, mischiefs and inconveniences being upon us, we do freely protest that it is far from our thoughts to lay the least imputation upon your Majesties sacred person, or the least scandal upon your government: for we do in all sincerity, and with joyfulness of our hearts, not onely for ourselves, but in the name of all the Commons of the Realm whom we represent, ascribe as much honour to your majesty, and acknowledgement of duty, as a most loyal and affectionate people can give to the best King; for so you are, and so you have been pleased abundantly to express yourself this present Parliament by your Majesties clear and satisfactory Answer to our Petition of Right; for which ourselves and our posterities shal bless God, and ever preserve a thankful memory of your great goodness and justice therein. And we do hereby believe, that all or most of these things which we shall now present unto your majesty, are either altogether unknown to you, or else by some of your Majesties Ministers offered under such specious pretences as may hid their own bad intentions and ill consequence of them from your majesty. But we assure ourselves, that according to the good example of your noble predecessors, nothing can make your majesty, being a wise and judicious Prince, and above all things desirous of the welfare of your people, more in love with Parliaments than this which is one of the principal ends of calling them, that therein you may be truly informed of the state of several parts of your Kingdom, and how your Officers and Ministers do behave themselves in the discharge of the trust reposed in them by your majesty; which is scarce possible to be made known unto you but in Parliament, as was declared by your blessed Father when he was pleased to put the Commons in Parliament assembled in mind, that it would be greatest unfaithfulness and breach of duty to his majesty, and of the trust committed to them by their country that could be, if in setting forth the grievances of the people, and conditions of all the parts of this Kingdom, and whence they came, they did not deal clearly with him, without sparing any, how dear and near soever they were unto him, if they were dangerous or hurtful to the Common-wealth. In confidence therefore of your Majesties most ready and gracious acceptation in a matter of so high importance, in faithful discharge of our duties we do; First of all, most humbly beseech your majesty to take notice, that howsoever we know that your majesty doth with your soul abhor that any such thing should be imagined or attempted, yet there is a general fear conceived in your people of some secret working and combination to introduce into this your Kingdom Innovation, and change of our Religion is more precious to us than that our lives and whatsoever this world can afford. Our fears and jealousies herein are not merely conjectural, but arising out of such certain and visible effects, as may demonstrate a true and real cause. For notwithstanding the many good and wholesome Laws made to prevent the increase of popery within this Kingdom, and notwithstanding your Majesties most gracious and satisfactory Answer to the Petition of both Houses in that behalf presented to your majesty at Oxon. we find there hath followed no good execution or effect. But on the contrary( at which your majesty out of quick sense of your own religious and pious heart cannot but be in the highest measure displeased) those of that religion do find extraordinary favours and respects in Court from persons of great quality and power there, unto whom 
countess of Buck.  they continually resort; And in particular is the countess of Buckingham, who, her self openly professing that religion, is a known favourer and supporter of them that do the same; which we well hoped upon your Majesties Answer to the aforesaid Petition at Oxon. should not have been permitted. 
Petition at Oxon.  Nor that any of your Majesties Subjects of that religion, or justly to be susspected, should be entertained into your Majesties service, or of your royal Consort the Queen: Some likewise of that religion have had Honors, Offices 
Papists placed in authority. Letters for stay of proceeding against Papists. Composition with Recusants Inhibitions. Toleration dangerous.  and places of Command and Authority lately conferred: But that which striketh the greatest terrors into the hears of your loyal Subjects concerning this point, is, the letters for stay of legal proceeding against them have been procured from your majesty( by what indirect means we know not& Commissions under the great Seal granted and executed for composition to be made with Popish Recusants. Inhibitions also and restraints both to the ecclesiastical and temporal Courts and Officers to intermeddle with them: which is conceived to amount to no less than a toleration, odious to God, full of dishonour, and great scandal and grief to your people, and of the apparent danger of the present estate of your majesty, and of this Kingdom. And in especial, about London and the Suburbs thereof, where exceeding many families of them do make their abode: A frequent mass at Denmark House and other places; and by their often meetings and conferences, have unhappy opportunities of combining their counsels and strength together, to the hazard of your Majesties safety and the State: and most especially in these doubtful and calamitous times. But as our fear concerning change and subversion of Religion, is grounded upon the daily increase of Papists, the open and professed enemies thereof, for the reasons formerly mentioned: So are the hearts of your Subjects no less perplexed, then with sorrow they behold the daily growth and spreading of the faction of Arminians,( that being as your majesty 
Arminians.  well knows) a cunning way to bring in popery, the professors of these opinions the common disturbers of the Protestant Churches, and incendiaries of those states wherein they have gotten any head, being Protestants in show, and jesuits in opinion and practise, which caused your royal Father with so much pious wisdom and ardent zeal, to endeavour the suppressing of them, as well at home, as in the neighbour Countreys. And your gracious majesty( imitating his most worthy example) hath openly by your Proclamation declared your mislike of these persons, and of their opinions, who notwithstanding are much favoured and advanced, not wanting even of the clergy near to your majesty, by name Dr Neile Bishop of Winchester, and Dr Laud Bishop 
Dr Neile. Dr Laud.  of Bath and Wells, who are justly suspected to be unsound in their opinion that way. And it being now generally the way to preferment and promotion in the Church, many Scholars do bend their studies to maintain those errors: their books and opinions are suffered to be printed and published; And on the other side, the suppression of such as are written against them, and in the defence of the Orthodox Religion are hindered and prohibited: And which is boldness almost incredible, this restraint of orthodox books is made under colour of your Majesties formerly mentioned Proclamation, the intent and meaning whereof, we know was quiter contrary. And further to increase our fears concerning Innovation in Religion, we find that there hath been no small labouring to remove that which is the most powerful means to strengthen and increase our own Religion, and to oppose the contrary, which is diligent teaching and instructing the people in the true knowledge and worship of almighty God, and therefore means have been sought out to depose and discountenance pious, painful, and orthodox Preachers: and how conformable soever. and peaceable in their disposition and carriage they be, yet the preferment of such is opposed; and instead of being encouraged, they are molested by vexatious courses, and pursuits, and hardly admitted to lecture even in those places where are no constant preaching Ministers, whereby many of your good people( whose souls in this case we beseech your Majesty to commiserate) are kept in ignorance, and are apt to be easily seduced to error and superstition. It doth not a little also increase our dangers and fears 
Ireland.  this way, to understand the miserable condition of your Kingdom of Ireland, where without control the Popish religion is openly professed and practised 
Nunneries and superstitious houses  in every part thereof, Popish jurisdiction being generally exercised and avowed, Monasteries, Nunneries and other superstitious houses newly erected, re-edified and replenished with men and women of several Orders, and in a plentiful manner maintained in Dublin, and most of the great Towns, and divers other places of the Kingdom, which of what ill consequence it may prove( if not seasonably repressed) we leave to your Majesties wisdom to judge: but most humbly beseech you( as we assure ourselves) to lay your serious consideration thereof, to your royal and pious heart, and that some timely course may be taken for redress therein. And now if to all these your majesty will be pleased to add the consideration of the circumstance of time, wherein these courses tending to the destruction of true Religion within these Kingdoms, have been taken even at such time, when the same is with open force and violence persecuted in other Countreys, and all the reformed Churches of christendom either depressed or miserable distressed, we do humbly appeal to your Majesties princely judgement, whether there be not a just ground of fear, that there is some secret and strange cooperating there with the enemies of our Religion abroad for the utter extirpation thereof; and whether if it be not speedily redressed, and the profession of true Religion more encouraged, we can expect any other but misery and ruin speedily to fall upon us, especially if besides the visible and apparent dangers wherewith we are compassed round about, you would be pleased piously to remember the displeasure of almighty God always bent against the neglect of this holy Religion; the stroke of whose divine justice we have already felt, and do still feel with smart and sorrow ingreat measure: And beside this fear of innovation in Religion, we do in like faithful discharge of our duties most humbly declare to your majesty, that the hearts of your people are full of fear of innovation and change in government, and accordingly possessed with great grief and sorrow; Yet in this point by your Majesties late Answer to our Petition of Right touching our Liberties, much comforted, and raised again, out of that fullennesse 
Petition of Right. Loan.  and discontent which they generally had conceived throughout the whole Kingdom, all the undue courles which were the last year taken for raising of money by Loans, then which( what ever your majesty hath been informed to the contrary) there was never any money demanded or paid with greater grief and general dislike of all your faithful Subjects; though many partly out of fear, and partly out of other respects, yet most unwillingly, were drawn to yield to what was then required.  
The billiting of Souldiers did much augment both our fears and our griefs, 
Billiting of Souldiers.  wherein likewise they find much comfort, upon your late gracious Answer to the Petition of Right, and lo that which we presented to your majesty concerning that particular, yet we humbly beseech your majesty that we may inform you, that the still continuance and late re-inforcing of the number of those Souldiers, the condition of their persons, many of them not being natives of this Kingdom, nor of the same, but somewhat of an opposite religion, the placing of them beneath the Sea-coasts; where making head amongst themselves, they may unite with a Papist party at home( if occasion serve) or join with an invading enemy to do extreme mischief: and that they are not yet employed nor dismissed, doth still minister cause of jealousy to your loving Subjects, and cannot be continued without exceeding great danger, of the peace and safety of your Kingdom. The report of the strange and dangerous purpose of bringing in the Germaine horse and Riders would have tumed our doubts into dispairs, and our fears into certainty of confusion, had not your Majesties gracious Message( for which we give you humble thanks) comforted us with the assurance of your royal word, that they neither are, nor ever were intended by your majesty for any service in England, but they were designed for some foreign employment; yet the sight of the privy Seal by which( it seemeth) they were to be levied for this place; the great sum of money which upon examination had been made over for that purpose; that much about the same time there was a Commission under the great Seal granted to the Lords and others of your privy council to consider, as of other ways of raising of moneys, so particularly by imposition, gives us just cause of suspect, that whatsoever was your Majesties own gracious intention, yet there wanted not those that under some colourable pretence might secretly by this, as by other ways, contrive to change both the form of Religion and government, and thereby to undermine the safety both of your majesty and of your Kingdom: Such men could not be ignorant, that the bringing in of strangers for aid hath been always pernicious to any State where they have been admitted, but to England fatal. We do bless God that hath given to your majesty a wise and understanding heart, to discern the mischief of such courses, and that such power produces nothing but weakness and calamity. And we beseech your majesty to pardon the vehemency of our expressions, which in loyal and zealous affections we bear to your majesty and your service; We are bold to declare to your majesty and the whole world, that we hold it far beneath the heart of any English man to think that this victorious Nation should now stand in need of Germaine Souldiers to defend their own King and Kingdom. But when we consider the courses formerly mentioned concerning the undermining of Religion, and those things tending to an apparent change of government; the often breaches 
Often breaches of Parliament. tonnage& Poundage.  of Parliaments, whereby you have been deprived of the faithful Counsels and free aids of your people. The taking of Tonnage and Poundage without any grant thereof by Act of Parliament ever since the beginning of your Majesties reign. The standing Commission granted to the Duke of Buckingham; And in time of peace the displacing of faithful Officers and Ministers, some from judicial place, and others from the Offices and Authorities which formerly they held in the Common-wealth; we cannot but at the sight of such approaching desolations as must necessary follow these courses, even out of the depth of sorrow lift up our cries to heaven for help, and next under God, humble ourselves to your sacred majesty, and falling down at your feet to beseech you to harken to the voice of all your people, which if you could hear so many thousands speaking together, they would all jointly implore help and reformation. And if yet your majesty will be pleased to take a present view of the present estate of your Realm, we do humbly pray you to consider whether the miserable disasters and ill success that hath accompanied 
Cales. Isle of Ree. Rochel.  all your late designs and actions; particularly those of Cales, the Isle of Ree, and the last expedition to Rochell, hath not wasted all that stock of Honour that was left unto this Kingdom, sometime terrible to all other Nations, and now declining to a contempt beneath the meanest with our Honour there lost, and that not a few who had they lived, we might have had some better hope of recovering it again; our valiant and expert colonels, Captains and Commanders, and many thousand common Souldiers and mariners, though we have some cause to think that your majesty is not rightly informed thereof, and that of some thousands of your Subjects lost in the Isle of Ree, your majesty received Information but of some few hundreds; and all that dishonour and loss hath been purchased with the consumption of a Million of treasure.  
Many of your Forts exceeding weak and decayed, and want both men and munition; and here we cannot but with grief consider and complain of a 
4. and 5. Head.  strange improvidence, your majesty will rather call it treachery, that your store of powder which by order of your privy council dated the tenth of 
Powder. 10. of December, 1626.  December, 1626. should be constantly 300. lasts, besides a continual supply of 20. lasts a month of ordinary, and were now fit as we conceive to be doubled: that proportion which is at this time in the Tower, the present wants being served, is but nine Lasts and 40. l. in all, which we tremble to think of, and that notwithstanding this great scarcity of powder, great quantities should be permitted to be sold out of your Majesties store to particular persons for private gains, whereof we have seen a Certificate of 36 Lasts sold since the fourth of january last, and your Majesties store being unfurnished of powder, which by a Contract made by Master Eveling ought to be supplied monthly with 20 Lasts, at the rate of 3 l. 10 s. 10 d. the barrel; your majesty hath been forced to pay above 7 l. a barrel, for powder to be brought in from beyond the Seas: For which purpose 12400 l. was impressed to Mr Burlamache the last year, and that powder not so good as that which by contract your majesty should have of your own by one third part; all which are most strange and dangerous abuses.  
But what poverty, weakness and misery your Kingdom is now grown 
6. and 7. Heads.  into by decay of trade, by destruction and loss of ships and mariners within these three yeers last past, we are almost afraid to declare: And could we have been sure that your majesty should any other way have had a true information thereof, we should have been doubtful to have made our weakness and extremity of misfortune to appear: But the importunate and most pitiful complaints from all the parts of the Kingdom near adjoining to the Seas in this Land, would rend( we think) the stoniest heart in the world with sorrow, and the sense we have of the miserable condition of your Kingdom is no by-reason thereof, especially for that we see no present possible means, being now shortly to end this Sessions, how to help the same; add such a weight of grief to our sad thoughts, as we have no words to express it. For your Majesties most exact information herein, we beseech you to be pleased to prove the calendar of particulars with this Remonstrance which we now most humbly present unto your majesty.  
One reason of this decay of Trade, and loss of ships and mariners, is the not guarding of the Seas; the Regality whereof, your majesty hath now in a manner wholly lost, and that wherein a principal part of the honour and safety of this Kingdom heretofore consisted, in having the absolute command 
Dunkirk.  of the Seas, is so now neglected, that the Town of Dunkirk doth so continually beat, rob and spoil your Subjects, that we can assure your majesty if some present and effectual remedy be not forthwith provided, the whole body of this Kingdom, and the shipping and mariners belonging thereunto, will be merely lost and consumed.  
The principal cause of which evils and dangers, we conceive to be the excessive 
9. Head. Duke of Buck.  power of the Duke of Buckingham, and the abuse of that power: and we most humbly submit it to your Majesties most excellent wisdom, whether it can be safe either for you or your Kingdom, that so great power as rests in him both by Sea and Land should be in the hands of any one Subject whatsoever. Sure we are, it cannot be for your service, it being impossible for one man to manage so many and so weighty affairs of the Kingdom as he hath undertaken; besides the ordinary duties of those great Offices which he holds, some of which well performed, would require the time and industry of the ablest man both for counsel and action that could be found in your whole Kingdom( especially in these times of common danger) And our humble desire is, that your most excellent majesty would be pleased to take into consideration, whether in respect the same Duke hath so abused his power, it be safe for your majesty and your Kingdom, to continue him either in his great Offices of trust, or in his place of nearness of counsel about your sacred person.  
And thus in all humility aiming at nothing but the honour of almighty God, the maintenance of his true Religion, the safety and happiness of your most excellent majesty, and the preservation and prosperity of this Church and Common-wealth; We have endeavoured with faithful hearts and intentions, and in discharge of the duty we owe to your majesty and our country, to give you a true presentation of our present danger and pressing calamities, which we humbly beseech your majesty graciously to accept, and take the same to heart, accounting the safety and prosperity of your people, your greatest happiness; and their love your richest treasure. A rueful and lamentable spectacle, we confess, it must needs be, to behold these ruins in so fair a house; so many diseases, and almost every one of them deadly, in so strong and well tempored a body( as this Kingdom lately was) yet we will not doubt but that God hath reserved this honour for your majesty to restore the safety and happiness thereof again, as a work worthy so excellent a Prince; For whose long life and true felicity we daily pray, that your famed and never dying glory may be continued to all succeeding generations.  
FINIS.