The Asserter of the Peoples Liberty, Section 2
To the Kings most excellent Maj…sty:
IN all humblenesse complaining, sheweth unto your m…st Excellent Majesty, your loyal and dutiful C… mons now in Parliament Assembled. That … as, by the Fundamental Laws of this your Realm, ver… Freeman hath, and of Right ought to have, a full and absolute propriety in his goods and estate, and that therefore the billetting or placing of Souldiers in the House of any such Freeman against his VVill, is directly contrary to the Laws under which we and our Ancestors have been so long and happily. Governed. Yet, in apparent violation of the said antient and undoubtted Rights of your Majesties Loyal Subjects of this your Kingdome in Generall, and to the grievous and insupportable vexation and detriment of many Counties and persons in par…icular, A new and almost unheard …f way hath been invented and put in practice to l…y Souldiers upon them, scattered in companies here and there, even in the heart and bowels of this Kingdome, and to compell many of your Majesties Subjects to receive, and lodge them in their own Houses, and both themselves and others to contribute towards the maintenance …f them; to the exceeding great disservice of you Majesty, the general terror of all, and utter undoing of many of your good people. In so much … we cannot su…iciently recount; nor in any sort proportionably to the sense we have of ou… present misery, herein are we able to represent to your Majesty, the innumerable mischi…fs and most grievous exactions, that by this means alone we do now suffer; whereof we will not p…sume to trouble your sacred Ears, with particular inform…tion. Only most gracious Soveraign, we beg leave to offer unto your gracious view,… and … consideration, a few of them in general.
1. The service of Almighty God is hereby greatly ly hindered, the*And now in more places the Souldiers have wholly withdrawu them both from our Churches and Ministers. See Mr. Edwards Gangr…na. people in many places not daring to repair to their Churches, lest in the mean time the Souldiers should rifle their Houses.
2. The antient good Government of the Country is thereby neglected, and almost contemned.
3. Your Officers of Justice in performance of their Duties have been resisted and endangered.
4. The Rents and Revenues of your Gentry are greatly and*And are they not much more so now? generally diminished; Farmers to secure themselves from the Souldiers insolence, being by the clamour and sollicitation of their fearfull and endangered VVives, and Children, enforced to give up their antient dwellings, and to retire themselves into place… of more secure habitation.
5. Husbandmen, that are as it were the hands of the Country, corrupted by ill example of Souldiers, are*Are they not now so more than ever? encouraged to idle life, give over their work, and seek rather to live idlely on other mens charges, than by their own labours.
6. Tradesmen and Artificers almost discouraged, being enforced to leave their Trades, and to imploy their times in preserving their families from violence and cruelty.
7. Markets unfrequented, and our waies grown so dangerous, that your peopl… dare not passe to and fro upon their usual occasions.
8. Frequent Robberies, Assaults, Burglaries, Rapes, Rapines, murders, barbarou… cruelties, and other late most abominable vices, and outrages, are generally complained of from all parts where these companies have been and made their abode; few of which insolencies have not been so much as questioned, and fewer, according to their demerit, punished.
These, and many other lamentable effects (most dear and dread Soveraign) have, by this billetting of Souldiers, already fallen upon your loyal Subjects, tending no lesse to the dis-service of your Majesty, than t… their own impoverishing, and distraction. So that thereby they are exceedingly disabled to yield your Majesty those supplies for your urgent occasions which they heartily desire. And yet they are more p…rplexed with the apprehensi…ns of more approaching dangers. One in regard of the Subjects at home; the other, of Enemies abroad. In both which respects, it seems to threaten no small calamity.
For the first, the meaner sort of your People being exceeding poor, whereof in many places are great multitudes, and therefore in times most se…led, and most constant administration of Justice, not easily ruled, are most a…t upon this occasion to cast off the reigns of Government, and by themselves, with those disordered Souldiers, are very like to …all into mutiny and rebellion. Which in faithful discharge of our Duties we cannot forbear most humbly to present …nto your high and excellent Wisdom, being possessed with probable fears, that some such mischie…s will shortly ensue, if an effectual and speedy course be not taken to remove them out of the Land, or otherwise to disband those unruly Companies.
For the second, we do humbly bese…ch your Majesty to take into your Princely consideration, that m…ny of those Companies, besides their dissolute dispositions and carriages, are such as professe themselves*Are not many Souldiers now secretly such, & openly Anabaptists, …, S…ctaries, revilers of our Church, Ministers? And are not some of th…ir Commanders likewise such? Papists; And therefore to be suspected, that if occasion serve, they will rather adhere to a forein Enemy, (if of that Religion) than to your Majesty their Liege Lord, and Soveraign: espe…ially some of their Commanders and Captains, being as Papistically affected as themselves, and having served in the wars on the part of the King of Spain or Arch. Dutchess against your Majesties Allies;… Which, of what pernicious consequence it may prove, and how prejudicial to the safety of all your Kingdom, We humbly leave to your Maj…sties high and Princely Wisdom.
A…d now upon these and many more which might …e alleged, most weighty and important reasons, grounded upon the maintenance of the worship and service of Almighty God, the continua… of your Majesties high H… nor and profit, the preservation of the antient and undoubted Liberties of your people, and therein of justice, industry, and valour, which concerns the glory and happinesse of your Majesty, all your Subjects, and the preven…ng of imminent Calamity, and ruine both of Church and Common-wealth; We your most humble and loyal Subjects, the Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses of the House of Commons, in the name of all the Commonalty of your kingdom, who are on this occasion most miserable, disconsolate, and afflicted, prostrate at the Throne of your Grace and Iustice, do most humbly and ardently beg for the present removal of this unsupportable Burthen, and that your Majesty would be graciously pleased to secure us from the like pressure in time to come. Which King Charls then did by the Petition of Right, which I shall here insert; because almost quite forgotten by most men like an old Almanack out of date, especially by our Grandees.