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<DATE>2008-02-05</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Elspeth Healey</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B080145.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="B06148">
<STC T="W">T1681</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">53299325</BIBNO>
<VID>180051</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="petition">
<PB REF="1" MS="y"><!-- PDF PAGE 5 -->
<HEAD>TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE LORDS AND COMMONS ASSEMBLED IN PARLIAMENT.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">The humble Petition of many of the Gentry, Mini&s;ters, Free-holders, and other Inha|bitants of the County of Kent, and the Cities of Canterbury and Roche&s;ter, and County of Canterbury, with the Cinque Ports, and their members, and other Corporations within the &s;aid County,</HEAD>
<OPENER><HI>Mo&s;t humbly &s;heweth,</HI> </OPENER>
<P>THat your Petitioners, or many of them have heretofore exhibited to both Hou&s;es of Parliament a Petition concurring with tho&s;e of the renowned City of London, and other &s;everall Counties of this Kingdome, expre&s;&s;ing their true zeale to true Religion in the pure wor&s;hip of God, and their loving affections to the Kings mo&s;t excellent Maje&s;ty, both Hou&s;es, and the Kingdomes: That your poore Petitioners doe with all humility returne their utmo&s;t thankes unto this Ho|nourable A&s;&s;embly, for your favourable and gentle acceptance of their Petition, your great care and vigilancy, and unce&s;|&s;ant labours for the advancement of the true reformed Religion, the Honor and welfare of his Maje&s;ty, and his Kingdomes, and for your continued endeavours for a right under&s;tanding betweene his Maje&s;ty, and his Parliament; for your in&s;tant ad|dre&s;&s;e to his Maje&s;ty, to di&s;&s;wade him from his per&s;onall Expedition for Ireland, and e&s;pecially for that to us &s;o welcome Declaration of Lords and Commons, <HI>April</HI> 9. 1642. concerning your pious intentions for a nece&s;&s;ary Reformation, which renewes our hopes, and we hope will further your account in the day or the Lord, who are come up as Saviours on Mount Sion, and that your Petitioners; doe mo&s;t heartily rejoyce to behold the happy union of both Hou&s;es of Parliament, and the mutuall concurrence of them and the whole Kingdome, wherein under his Maje&s;ty, the &s;afety of all the three Kingdomes doe con&s;i&s;t.</P>
<P>Yet your Petitioners cannot but plainly expre&s;&s;e with what &s;ad hearts they thinke on the many evill occurrents which in|terrupt your unparalelled paines, and intercept the fruit of your faithfull Coun&s;els, from us among which this is not the lea&s;t (<HI>viz.</HI>) a Petition (as we conceive) of dangerous con&s;equence, and publi&s;hed at the la&s;t generall A&s;&s;i&s;es holden for this Coun|ty at Maid&s;tone, and then (yea, yet) advanced for &s;ub&s;cribers, intended to be exhibited to this Honourable Hou&s;e, as the Petition of the whole body of this County, to cau&s;e the whole Kingdom to beleeve that Petition to be the act of the whole County of Kent (or the major part thereof) whereby a great blemi&s;h and &s;candall is brought upon this loyall and peaceable County, being &s;tyled the Kenti&s;h Petition, which we know is not the act of the body of the County, as it &s;eemeth to &s;peak, for as much as it was di&s;avowed by many of the then grand Jury, and Ju&s;tices on the Bench, and by all us your Petitioners, who&s;e names are under-written.</P>
<P N="1">1. Wherefore our humble prayer is, that your Honours would be plea&s;ed fir&s;t to accept this our Vindication of our &s;elves and this County, who utterly di&s;claime the &s;aid Petition, humbly leaving it to the Wi&s;dome, Ju|&s;tice and Clemency of this Honourable A&s;&s;embly, to difference betweene the active contrivers and promoters, and unadvi&s;ed &s;ub&s;cribers thereof.</P>
<P N="2">2. To lift up your hearts above all di&s;couragements in the wayes of the Lord, according to that your &s;o religi|ous re&s;olutions for Reformation in the Church, for a Con&s;ultation with godly and learned Divines, and for the e&s;tabli&s;hing of a Preaching Mini&s;try throughout the whole Kingdome: And we your Petitioners being &s;en&s;ible, that to oppo&s;e or flight his Maje&s;ties Parliament, and the orders thereof, were to hazzard the &s;afety of his Maje|&s;ties Royall per&s;on, and all his Kingdomes, and to further the de&s;ignes of our enemies, who hope by cau&s;ing our divi&s;ion, to triumph in our confu&s;ion.</P>
<P>And we your Petitioners are unanimou&s;ly re&s;olved to maintaine and defend, as far as lawfully we may, with our lives, power and e&s;tates, his Maje&s;ties Royall per&s;on and dignities, as al&s;o the power and priviledges of his Parliament, according to our Prote&s;tation.</P>
<P><HI>And &s;hall daily pray that your hands may be &s;ufficient for you to accompli&s;h every good worke.</HI></P>
<P>This Petition was delivered, and read in the Hou&s;e of Commons the fifth of May, 1642. with 8000. hands thereto.</P>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="colophon">
<P>London printed for <HI>William Larnar.</HI> 1642.</P>
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
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