An humble Declaration of the Apprentices, and other young men of the City of LONDON, who were Petitioners for PEACE, showing the Causes of their Petitioning, and the passages concerning it: Together with a true Copy of their Petition, as it was delivered to both Houses of Parliament, disclaiming those in Print, which were without their knowledge.  Nulla salus Bello, pacem te poscimus omnes. 
WEE the Apprentices and other young men, in and about the City of London, having lately engaged ourselves in a Petition for Peace, and thereunto subscribed, do now, for the satisfaction of all, who are desirous for Peace, and to bee informed of the Truth of our proceedings, as also for the clearing ourselves from those malicious calumnies, that either are, or shall bee cast upon us; humbly and truly inform, and declare to all the world, That that which first gave life and quickening to our undertaking of this Petition, was the glory of God, and the peace and happiness of our King, Parliament, and kingdom, and for no by-respect, or ill design whatsoever.  
The Contents of which Petition follow verbatim, viz.  

To the Right Honourable the Lords and Commons, in the High Court of PARLIAMENT now Assembled. The humble Petition of divers Apprentices, and other young men, in and about the City of London.  
In most humble manner sheweth,  
THat your former gracious acceptation of Petitions from persons of as mean quality at out selves, your late kind imbracement of that petition from our Masters, and others of eminent quality; together with your constant endeavours for a pacification,( for which we present our humble thanks;) hath concited us,( though in regard of our present condition, not so much considerable) to address ourselves also, in all humility, to this honourable assembly,( whom, we conceive, the onely means, under God, for our redress,) beseeching you to persist( as you have honourably begun) in working a period of these ruinating distractions.  
And though the present Calamity doth not so in mediately reflect upon your Petitionert: Yet wee( considering the loss of so many of our fellowes lives, the daily hazard the rest are exposed to; and foreseeing the face of our own ruin in our Masters present cendition, as also prising our Parents and Friends lives, and livelihoods, as dearly as our own) hold ourselves engaged by the laws of Conscience, and nature to be no less solicitous, for the bleeding condition of this Church and State; in regard( though Servants) we and Subjects, and humbly conceive ourselves to be concerned berein.  
Wee come therefore( in the ●●ll voice) to embowell our grievances and zealous desires before you; Not presuming to dictate to your 〈◇〉 judgments, but humbly desiring you to pardon our boldness in petitioning( and the erro●● of our petition, if any be:)  
And unanimously, beseech on to consider these present distractions, the continual and increasing violations of our religion by P pists and Sectaries, the breach of our known laws, the invasion of the Subjects Liberties, and general decay of Trade.  
Reflecting also, with serious thoughts, upon these inevitable dangers, that now hover over our heads, ushered in by a Civill, unnatural and bloody war, whose effects are the impartial destructions of Christians, the effusion of much innocent blood, the impoverishing and dis-peopling of the kingdom, and exposing the body of the State to the merciless tyranny of famine, sickness, and invasion; the fore-runners of an universal confusion:  
All which( better known to your apprehensions) wee humbly desire you to ponder, and to prosecute your pious intentions for peace; leaving no just way unattempted which may conduce to the settlement of these differences, that the undiscerning sword be not umpire to decide controversies of so near concernment; Neither give audience to any incendiaries of this present war, whose onely aim( wee fear) is to prey upon the lives and livings of his Majesties loyal Subjects; that the gospel of peace need not be maintained by war; but that the cemented joints of the Church and State may hold firm the bond of unity, to the glory of God, the good of his Majesty, the preservation of Parliaments, the onely happiness of this kingdom, and enablement for a supply, for the necessities of our distressed brethren in Ireland.  
And your Petitioners( as in all duty bound) shall daily pray for a blessing upon your Consultations. To which we have subscribed our hands and hearts; each ready to sacrifice his life for accomplishment thereof.   
Of which Petition we dispersed several Copies, for no other cause, but to procure Subscriptions with the more convenience. But( by what means wee know not) there was a very false Copy printed, and entitled ours, but so different from the true Petition, both in matter and expressions, that( had it not been for the Title) we could not believe it had at all concerned us.  
This we conceive was a great wrong to us, and did indeed discourage some of us, from our intended presenting of our Petition. But yet at last( we poysing both) preferred the glory of God, and Peace of this Church and State▪ before any thing that might discourage or dishearten us.  
Whereupon all agreed upon monday, Ian. 2. for our day of delivery, and accordingly set forth notes, desiring all the Subscribers to meet at the Piazzi in Covent Garden, in complete civill habit, without Swords or Staves: Vpon which day, and at which place, there met a very considerable number of us, and( which in modesty we would not say of ourselves, but that we are scandalously and falsely traduced by others) did demean, and behave ourselves very civill and orderly.  
But it fell out, that without our knowledge or consent, there thrust in amongst us a Papist, which we being informed of, presently expelled him our Company, to avoid all cause of scandal upon our intentions.  
After this comes one and began to sing a Ballad in dishonour to the Parliament, but we presently discarded him also, with manifest expression of our great dislike of his doings.  
This done, a Lieutenant to a Troop of Horse came to us, to know the intent of our Appearance, being before informed( as he  told us) that we had Pistols about us, which was altogether false.  
And then at the appointed time we repaired to Westminster, into the Pallace-yard, and were presently called before Captain Harvey( who attended there with his Troop) and by him( after some small discourse between us) twenty of us were admitted to the House of Lords; the rest( by his direction) immediately, and quietly, retreated to Whitehall-Gate, waiting the return of their Fellows.  
We( coming to the House) were bold to acquaint the ever honoured Earl of pembroke with our desires, who was pleased to impart them to the House: But by reason of a Conference of both Houses,( as we conceive) The Lords sent us a note by M. Maxwell to this effect,  
The Lords have formerly expressed their dislike of coming in multitudes to the Parliament, and they take notice of a great multitude that came this morning towards the Parliament: Which manner of coming with Petitions, they are yet unsatisfied withall. But if you will chufe a few of you, and come some other day, they will receive your Petition.  
Vpon this, in obedience to their Lordships directions, wee for that time departed, having appointed twenty of us to deliver our Petition on the next day; But we retiring homeward it was  told us, That some of our company tarried at Whitehall-Gate, and stopped some of the Lords Coaches, Crying for Peace, Vpon this we wrote a note to Captain Harvy, subscribed by the twenty Deliverers, and by three of them delivered to him, wherein we expressed our thanks for his courtesy shewed to us. And that wee were informed, that divers( who pretended to be of our mind) tarried behind, wee knew not forwhat design, and that if they did any action which was unlawful, we disclaimed it; desiring to steer all our actions by the known laws of God and Man: and therefore if any thing were done to the contrary, we desired it might be suppressed, that it might not be a scandal to our Intentions, nor a hindrance to the Answer of our Petition.  
Which we presented to the Captain, who did accept it, and approve of our carriage, and behaviour therein.  
This was the passage of that day.  
On Tuesday, the Twenty appointed to deliver the Petition, met, and went to the House with it, and while they were waiting at the door for admittance, there was one in a Ministers habit, did with much boldness and confidence( but withall as falsely, and causelessly affirm to some Lords of the House, that we intended to Plunder houses in Covent Garden, and that some of our company motioned it; which seemed very strange to us, knowing it to be altogether false. But yet upon some examination of the matter, it fell out that some such words had fallen from a soldier( not of our company) perhaps incited to it, who( as we are credibly informed) is now in custody for it. And the informer hereof being convinced by his own conscience, and our arguments, did at last recant it, and desire our favourable opinion of him.  
Some other fall suggestions were urged against us, and our Petition, by some either mis-informed, or ill-affected persons. But it pleased God to make them appear to the Honourable House to be false and frivolous.  
But after all these winds and storms came a still voice, and gave us admittance to the Lords, who being entred, delivered our Petition. And the Earl of Manchester declared to us, That the House was content to accept of our Petition, and that they would give us their answer in due time.  
From thence we went to the Honourable House of Commons, where wee found a most ready and favourable( and for ought we could conceive) a general consent to accept of our Petition. And after reading thereof, M. Speaker did declare, That the pleasure of the House was to accept our Petition, and that they would take it into their serious consideration.  
We returned our humble thanks, and departed.  
We desire now to clear ourselves from many false aspersions that are cast upon us. Concerning the matter of our Petition, it being in substance for nothing but peace, and aiming at the advancement of Gods glory, and the quiet of the Church and State, is( wee conceive good and lawful, yet there want not those who speak against the very subject of it, Peace. But we wonder not much at them, they being such as are made complete Souldiers on the sudden, and suck their whole subsistence, and fix their hopes to repair their breaches and decays upon the ruin of others; fearing that the settling of our Trades, will be the decay of theirs. And to leave nothing unattempted which may discourage us and others, from prosecuting hereof, they have studied new Sophistry, to prove Peace to be no Peace; and under pretence, that we peace-Petitioners( as they mockingly call us do oppose truth, they do indeed beat downboth. Whereas any man that is not purblind with prejudice and faction, may discern that the Parliament,( the supreme Court of Judicature, and centre of wisdom and Piety) will never consent to a Peace that shall war with Truth( they being twins of the Common-wealth, and unseparable.) And we should argue ourselves very unadvised( which therein we hope we were not) to Petition for a thing which no colour of Reason tells us we shall obtain.  
And for those complete Souldiers, whose very prayers( if they use any) are but alarms to Battle, they must give us leave( though, wee hope, not without ground, as they do) to pass our censure upon them, and therefore we are bold to tell them, we think they lay their foundation for War on these two grounds which they make use of for Reasons, Dulce bellum inexpertis,& dulce lucrum expertis. But the time may come that they may find it better to harken to the blessed accents of Peace, then to have Bullets whisper destruction in their ears.  
And though we for several considerations were not( or not suffered) to bee of that number, who have exposed their persons to the fury of war, yet as they bleed outwardly, we bleed within for the distempers of this Church and State, and to show our ardent zeal for the good of both, wee dare banish his soul, whose blood shares of so much cowardice, to retreat at thought of death, if it might conduce to a happy union of the King and Parliament, and the welfare of this late flourishing Nation.  
Concerning our manner of delivery of our Petition, it was generally conceived to be( as we hope) civill, humble, and warrantable, shunning what in us lay, the appearance of tumults, mutinies, force, or violence, habiting ourselves with no weapons offensive, nor defensive, but our innocence, and the uprightness of our design, that all occasion of offence might be taken off.  
Our number is not certainly known to us, but( though great) it is warranted( as we under correction conceive) both by precept and president; The Honourable M. Nathaniel fines( upon the like occasion) having delivered in answer to the Lord Digbies Speech, That a multitude being grieved may Petition, and that it is fit for all Subscribers to be present, lest their hands be supposed counterfeit. And the Lords and Commons were pleased to declare in their Remonstrance, of the 19 of May, That the number makes not an Assembly unlawful, but when the end or manner of their carriage makes it so; And that they knew no reason, why it should be more faulty in the Citizens to come to the Parliament, then the resort of great numbers every day in the term, to the ordinary Courts of Iustice.  
We confess( as some have objected) there are some Clerks and Journimen amongst us, but( being young men) they come under the notion of Petitioners. Besides, the one being generally Schollers, and seen in the Laws, giving great sums of money to their Masters, and mens sons of good rank, and living by Peace, and the other waiting for Peace, being newly come to provide for themselves, we conceive are as much concerned herein as the rest.  
Nor are we of the Ribaldry of the City( as some blackmouthes have uncharitably belched out against us: Yet in such a multitude( the City being exhausted of many of our fellows) it is not to be expected that all should be wise, learned, nor rich: Nor can we see any reason why a poor or illiterate man( being( injured) should not seek for redress of his grievances, as well as a rich or learned.  
And( though a multitude) we humbly conceive ourselves no tumults; As for that miscarriage at White-hall-gate( if any were) though greater have been then that is reported to be: We gave no direction for doing it, nor do wee commend, much less justify it: But however we hope that particular Crimes, shall not be imputed to a general Cause, nor hinder a general good: Nor if the mayor part of them that accompanied us, had committed any out-rages in regard they had divested themselves of their power, and laid it on the twenty, who are the representative body of the Petitioners, it would be but hard Justice to make them liable to the offences of others, nor ought it to bee( wee hope at least) in a candid, or but indifferent construction, a scandal upon the Petitioners, or crime upon the Petition.  
Concerning our preposterous delivery of the Petitions, we desire the Houses favourable construction, for in that we presented it first to the House of Lords, it was not for want of due honour or respect to the House of Commons, but our want of experience in Parliament courses; which we hope may satisfy that Honourable House.  
All which we thought good to declare, that the world may know, That endeavouring for Peace is a work acceptable( we hope to God, His Majesty, the Parliament, and kingdom, though( we believe) some, not altogether for a good Conscience sake do oppose us. But we esteem their words as no slander, because they are nothing else▪ And that Posterity may know, That we,( by seeking Peace) are servants, as to private and particular men, so to the general and public good.  
FINIS.