The petition of the Lords and Commons of Parliament assembled at Oxford presented to His Maiesty the day before the recesse : and His Maiesties gracious answer to the same : with His Majesties protestation formerly made in the head of his army, and now againe reprinted at the desire and by the advice of both Houses. England and Wales. Parliament. This text is an enriched version of the TCP digital transcription B22208 of text R208470 in the English Short Title Catalog. Textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. The text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with MorphAdorner. The annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). Textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. This text has not been fully proofread Approx. 13KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 5 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. EarlyPrint Project Evanston,IL, Notre Dame, IN, St. Louis, MO 2018 B22208 Wing E2177 ocm 12066359

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 Early English books online text creation partnership. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 2, no. B22208) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 196694) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 236:E44, no 12) The petition of the Lords and Commons of Parliament assembled at Oxford presented to His Maiesty the day before the recesse : and His Maiesties gracious answer to the same : with His Majesties protestation formerly made in the head of his army, and now againe reprinted at the desire and by the advice of both Houses. England and Wales. Parliament. Charles I, King of England, 1600-1649. England and Wales. Sovereign (1625-1649 : Charles I) [2], 6 p. by Leonard Lichfield ..., Printed at Oxford : 1644. Reproduction of original in Thomason Collection, British Library.

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 eng Great Britain -- History -- Civil War, 1642-1649. eebo The petition of the Lords and Commons of Parliament assembled at Oxford : presented to His Maiesty the day before the recesse : and His Maiesties grac England and Wales. Parliament. 1644 8 2166 3 0 0 0 0 0 13.85 C The rate of 13.85 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the C category of texts with between 10 and 35 defects per 10,000 words. 2014-02 Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2014-05 Sampled and proofread 2014-05 Text and markup reviewed and edited 2015-03 Batch review (QC) and XML conversion

THE PETITION OF THE LORDS and COMMONS OF PARLIAMENT Assembled at OXFORD , Presented to His MAIESTY the day before the Recesse .

AND HIS MAIESTIES Gracious Answer to the same .

With His MAJESTIES Protestation , formerly made in the Head of His Army , and now againe reprinted at the desire , and by the advice of both HOUSES .

CHARLES R.

OUr expresse Pleasure is , That this Petition , with Our Answer and Protestation , be read by the Parson , Vicar or Curate , in every Church and Chappell , within our Kingdome of England , and Dominion of Wales .

Aprill : 30th

Printed by His MAJESTIES Command , at the desire of the Lords and Commons of Parliament Assembled at Oxford , By Leonard Lichfield , Printer to the Vniversity . 1644.

C R DIEV ET MON DROIT HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE royal blazon surmounted by a crown and flanked by the English lion and Tudor rose on one side and the Scottish unicorn and thistle on the other

To the KINGS most Excellent MAJESTIE . The humble Petition of the Lords and Commons of PARLIAMENT Assembled at Oxford , according to Your MAJESTIES Proclamation .

WEE most humbly acknowledge Your Princely goodnesse in calling us , to receive our Advices for preservation of the Religion , Lawes , and safety of the Kingdom , and to restore it to its former Peace and security ; How earnestly we have sought a Peace with Your Majesties most gracious concurrence , doth appeare by the Printed Declaration of our proceedings , touching a Treaty for Peace , wherein we aymed at a free and full convention of Parliament , as the most hopefull way to unite these unhappy divisions ; And since that hath beene refused , we have applyed our Advices for supporting your Armies , the visible meanes now left for maintaining our Religion , restoring the Lawes , and procuring the safety of the Kingdome : being assured from Your Majesty You doe and will imploy Your Armies to no other end .

And although our selves are most fully satisfied of Your Majesties pious and just resolutions herein , yet because Feares and Jealousies have beene , and are malitiously scattered amongst Your Subjects , to poyson their affections and corrupt their Loyalty to Your Majesty : Therefore , to the end we may may be enabled by Your gracious Answer to satisfie all the World , or to leave them unexcusable who wil not be satisfied , We doe in all humility present to Your Majesty these Petitions .

That Your Majesty will give direction for the re-Printing Your Protestation made in the head of Your Army , and Your other Declarations , wherein Your constant Resolution is declared to maintain and defend the true Reformed Protestant Religion , and that the same may be with more diligence published amongst the People ; that so Your Princely Christian zeale and affection to that Religion , and to maintain the same against all Popery , Schisme , and Prophanenesse , may be manifeestd , and which we beseech Your Majesty upon this our Petition to declare againe to all the World , to the discountenance and suppression of those scandalls layd upon Your Majesty by those who disturbe our Peace .

That when there may be a full and free convention of Parliament , a Nationall Synod may be lawfully called , to advise of some fit meanes for the establishing the Government and Peace of our Church ; to whom may be recommended a care for the ease of the tender Consciences of your Protestant Subjects .

Touching our Lawes , we cannot aske more of Your Majesty , then to declare and continue Your former Resolutions , to hold and keepe them inviolable and unalterable , but by Act of Parliament .

And for avoyding the scandall malitiously Infused into many of Your Subjects , that if Your Majesty prevaile against this Rebellion , You intend not to use the frequent Councell of Parliaments : We humbly Pray and Advise Your Majesty to declare the sincerity of Your Royall heart therein , to satisfie Your seduced Subjects against such false and malitious aspersions .

And in respect the present Contributions , Loanes , Taxes , and other Impositions for maintenance of Your Armies , have beene submitted unto as exigences of Warre and necessity , because of this unexampled Rebellion and Invasion : We humbly beseech Your Majesty to Declare , That they shall not be drawne into example , nor continue longer then the present exigence and necessity , nor be at any time mentioned as Presidents . And that for the farther security of Your People , Your Majesty will vouchsafe to promise Your Royall assent to a Law to be made and declared to that purpose in a full and free Convention of Parliament .

And that for the present ease and encouragement of those under contributions by contract with Your Majesty , You will be pleased that those contracts may be so observed , t●at Your Subjects may not have just cause of complaint against the Commanders , Governors , Officers , or Souldiers of Your Army , or of or in any Your Garrisons , Castles , or Forts , for taking any Money , Horses , or other Cattell , Provisions or other goods , or any Timber or Woods of any Your Subjects , or Free-Billet , or Free-Quarter in any place where the Contributions and Taxes agreed on are paid ; humbly beseeching Your Majesties gracious Care herein , and that the offenders may receive exemplary punishment .

Lastly , that Your Majesty will retaine Your pious endeavours to procure the Peace of this languishing Kingdome , not to be removed or altered by any advantages or prosperous successe .

His MAjESTIES Gracious ANSWER to the aforesaid PETITION .

AS We shall alwayes acknowledge the great comfort and assistance We have received by your Counsels , since your meeting here according to Our Proclamation ; so We must give you very particular Thanks for the Expressions you have made in this Petition , of your Confidence in Us ; and for the Care you have therein taken , that all Our good Subjects may receive ample satisfaction in those things , upon which the good and Wel-fare of their Condition so much depends .

We have long observed ( though not without wonder ) the slye , subtile and groundlesse Insinuation infused and dispersed amongst Our People , by the disturbers of the publique Peace , of Our favouring and countenancing of Poperie : And therefore , as in Our constant visible practice We have , to the utmost of Our Power ( and We hope sufficiently ) manifested the grosse falsehood of those Imputations and scandalls , so We have omitted no opportunitie of publishing to all the world the cleare Intentions and Resolutions of Our Soule in that point . We wish from Our heart , That the true Reformed Protestant Religion may not receive greater Blemish by the Actions and Practice of these men , then it doth or shall by any Connivence of Ours : We will take the best care We can ( and We desire your assistance n it ) to publish to all Our good Subjects that Our Protestation , and those Declarations you mention ; And We doe assure you , there is not an expression in either of them , for the maintenance and advancement of Our Religion , with which Our heart doth not fully concurre , and in which We shall be so constant , that if it shall not please God to enable Us by Force to defend it , We shall shew Our Affection and Love to it , by dying for it . We may without vanitie say , It hath pleased God to enlighten Our understanding , to discern the cleer Truth of the Protestant Religion , in which We have beene borne and bred , from the Mists and Clouds of Poperie , the which ( if it hath made any growth or progresse of late within the Kingdome , as We hope it hath not ) is more beholding to the unchristian rage and furie of these men , then to any connivence or favour of Ours .

For a Nationall Synod We have often promised it , and when God shall give so much Peace and quiet to this Kingdome , that Regular and Lawfull Conventions may be esteemed , shall gladly performe that Promise , as the best meanes to re-establish Our Religion , and make up those Breaches which are made ; And We shall then willingly recommend unto them a speciall care of the ease of tender Consciences of Our Protestant Subjects , as We have often expressed .

For the Lawes of the Land , We can say no more then We have said in that Protestation you mention , and We thanke you for being satisfied with it ; In which God knowes Our resolution to be so firme and stedfast , that We will give any securitie under Heaven for the observation of it . And as Our greatest desire at this present is , to meet in a full and free Convention of Parliament , which We are confident would quickly put an end to all these troubles ; So , when it shall please God to restore that blessing to Us , We shall value and esteem that Councell , and frequently consult with it , and be advis'd by it ▪ as the best meanes to make both King and People truely happy ; And We shall then by an Act given wype out the footsteps of those extraordinarie Supplyes , which nothing but this reall visible necessity , which oppresses us all , could have compelled Us to make use of , and which shall never be mentioned or remembred by Us , to the least Prejudice of your Rights and Liberties . And in the meane time , We shall leave nothing undone for the observation of particular contracts , and prevention of the disorder and license of the Souldier , which is in Our Power to doe , no particular Person enduring halfe that sadnesse of heart for those Breaches and Pressures , which We Our selfe doe . For the prevention and suppression whereof , We shall proceed with all Rigour and Severitie .

Lastly , As the support and maintenance of the Religion , Lawes , and Priviledges of Parliament , is ( as you well know ) the onely Argument of Our defensive Armes ; so those being secured , We shall with all imaginable Joy lay downe those Armes ; and as you have beene Our Witnesses and Our Assistants in Our earnest desires of Peace , so We promise you , We shall not onely with the same earnestnesse alwaies imbrace it , if it shall be offered , but pursue and presse it upon the least likelyhood or Opportunitie . And this Our Resolution , by Gods Blessing , shall never be altered by any Advantages or prosperous Successe .

HIS MAJESTIES Protestation .

I Doe Promise in the presence of Almighty God , and as I hope for his blessing and protection , that I will , to the utmost of my power , defend and maintaine the true Reformed Protestant Religion , established in the Church of England , and by the Grace of God , in the same will live and dye .

I desire to governe by the knowne Lawes of the Land , and that the Liberty and Property of the Subject may be by them preserved , with the same care as my owne just Rights , and if it please God , by his blessing upon this Army raised for my necessary defence , to preserve me from this Rebellion , I doe solemnely and faithfully promise , in the sight of God , to maintaine the just Priviledges and freedome of Parliament , and to governe by the knowne Lawes of the land ▪ to my utmost power , and particularly to observe inviolably the lawes consented to by me this Parliament . In the meane while , if this time of War , and the great necessity and straits I am now driven to , beget a violation of those , I hope it shall be imputed by God and Man to the Authors of this War , and not to me , who have so earnestly laboured for the preservation of the Peace of this Kingdome .

When I willingly faile in these particulars , I will expect no aid or reliefe from any man , or protection from Heaven : But in this resolution I hope for the cheerefull assistance of all good men , and am confident of Gods blessing .

FINIS .