<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2014-07-02</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>TCP Staff (Michigan)</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B140422.pdcc.</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="A86858">
<STC T="W">H3615</STC>
<STC T="T">e397_23</STC>
<STC T="C">R201679</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99862179</BIBNO>
<VID>114330</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>THE Humble Remon&s;trance of the APPRENTICES Of the City of LONDON.</P>
<P>To the Right Honourable the LORD MAYOR Court of Aldermen, and COMMON Councell of the &s;ame CITY, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>As al&s;o to the whole KINGDOME.</P>
<P><HI>London</HI> printed 1647.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="petition">
<PB REF="2">
<PB N="1" REF="2">
<HEAD>The humble Remon&s;trance of the Apprentices of the City of LONDON.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">To the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor, Court of Aldermen, and Common Councell of the &s;ame City, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Right Honourable;</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_AS formerly in matters of greater im|portance, &s;o now in tho&s;e of le&s;|&s;er moment; we cannot but pub|li&s;h to this City and Kingdome the Candidne&s;s of our intentions, and how farre we are re&s;olved, where|by we may continue a right under|&s;tanding of all our actions, and pre|&s;erve peace and amity. 'Tis not long &s;ince (upon good grounds, and happily out of a more pious end then may or is conceived) that we were emboldned in the pre&s;entment of a Petition unto the Honourable Hou&s;es of Parliament, fo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> the re-e&s;tabli&s;hment or in&s;titution of &s;ome certaine and &s;ea|&s;onable
<PB N="2" REF="3">times for our recreation (tho&s;e times which were formerly authorized) being duely and ju&s;tly d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="5 letters">ulled; or not at all regarded: In&s;omuch that we were deprived of all priviledges and liberty what&s;oever, enjoyed in former ages by our predece&s;&s;ors. The Honourable Hou&s;es (who have indeed &s;tudied publike peace, more then private &s;afety) hav|ing as we conceive a greater in-&s;ight into our demands, and the grounds thereof, then po&s;&s;ibly every capacity can ap|prehend; they were plea&s;ed to take our Petition into con&s;i|deration: and upon &s;everall adre&s;&s;es by us unto their Ho|nours, much importuning them, and urging the lawful|ne&s;s and concernment of our reque&s;ts, fetch'd from an in|forced di&s;re&s;pect and neglect of the Sabbath; and other dayes appointed for Gods publike &s;ervice (whereby God is greatly d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters">onoured, and our Religion &s;candalized) they were plea&s;ed to expedite an Ordinance &s;ome wayes &s;atisfa|ctory to our demands and de&s;ires. Yet being not &s;o com|pleate as was expected, nor &s;o firme in the authorizing an ob&s;ervance of the day, as was conceived might be; and fearing &s;mall fruits and effects thereof, whereby many in|conveniences, and great di&s;tractions might have aro&s;e: We were againe emboldned earne&s;tly to pre&s;&s;e the Honourable Hou&s;es of Parliament for an enlargment, and addition unto their former Ordinance: and withall (willing to evidence to the world the &s;ence we have and &s;orrow for the extravagant and evill cour&s;es of too too many in this City and Kingdom; and of their evill inclinations and untoward di&s;po&s;itions) to give limits and bounds to their own affections, and to pre|&s;crib Laws to their wills: whereupon, &s;ome conditional clau|&s;es (were then pre&s;ented unto the honourable hou&s;es) for the more &s;trict enjoyning a generall ob&s;ervance and regard of &s;uch dayes by ce&s;&s;ation of our weekely labours and &s;hop-&s;hutting, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> whereby, wee conceive no one man might be more endamnified or prejudiced then another, whereas had
<PB N="3" REF="3">there bin only the fir&s;t Ordinance in force, many great di&s;&s;en+tions and di&s;turbances would have unavoydably aro&s;e: All which are now prevented, by a &s;econd and more ample Order and our de&s;ires (which we hope hath given di&s;ta&s;te to none) fully &s;atisfied.</P>
<P>Now for further &s;atisfaction unto this Honourable City of the grounds and rea&s;ons of this our accompli&s;hed de|&s;igne, as al&s;o for the obteining your approbation, giving a&s;|&s;urance of our good behaviours and civill carriage on &s;uch times we are bold to offer unto your and the Kingdomes publike veiw, and peru&s;all the&s;e en&s;uing lines, from whence you may clearly gather, that it was &s;omething more then our de&s;ire of liberty, that moved us to become &s;utors to you in this matter.</P>
<P>And fir&s;t; It cannot be unknowne to you how intract|able Youth generally have been and are in their wayes; al&s;o what ab&s;urdities and foule enormities are daily committed by them of the Inferiour &s;ort; and how greatly they tre&s;|pa&s;&s;e and tran&s;gre&s;&s;e in their great neglect of tho&s;e &s;olemne duties of the Sabbath: to the great &s;candall of this City, and bad examples to adjacent Countries.</P>
<P>And &s;econdly, how even tho&s;e of the be&s;t temper, and mo&s;t pious education, (through the frequent &s;educements of the unbrideled) are too too often withdrawne from their u&s;uall imployments and Ma&s;ters &s;ervice, both at unfit op|portunities and un&s;ea&s;onable houres, to their Ma&s;ters great detriment, and oftentimes to their own undoing.</P>
<P>And thirdly, how this City is enforced to dayly duties and pocturnall watches, for the pre&s;ervation of your peace, too too often violated and broken through the ex<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">avagancy and riot of diver&s;e young men and Apprentices, (among&s;t others) who are enforced to &s;teale time, when employed about their Ma&s;ters affaires, for the &s;upplying of their ordinary plea&s;ures and refre&s;hment, and oftentimes nece&s;&s;i|tated,
<PB N="4" REF="4">to u&s;e as it were, (upon &s;everall occa&s;ions) the night as the day; to the great di&s;quiet of this City, and their own di&s;temper and ruine. All which, with many other inconveniences which dayly ari&s;e, wee cannot but impute to the hard u&s;age and &s;lavi&s;h bondage, borne and endured by many Apprentices and Servants in this City and King|dome: whereas, wee are confident (and re&s;t a&s;&s;ured, ex|perience will evidence it as a truth) that &s;uch dayes being ob&s;erved (for which GOD willing wee are re&s;olved) and injoyed by us in &s;uch manner as is provided; that then the Government of this City will be much bettered; and &s;o con&s;equently the whole kingdome better ordered and regulated. And now that none be left enraged again&s;t us or remaine di&s;a&s;ted, pardon us if wee are bold to make a little digre&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>And 1. Many there are that much wonder wee &s;hould become &s;uch earne&s;t &s;uitors for a little Recreation, or as &s;ome plea&s;e to &s;tile it, a Play-day. We an&s;wer, 'tis no won|der why they wonder; we know there is a great difference wrought both in the affections and inclinations, betwixt Ma&s;ter and Servant, through a more ripe maturity of years which the one hath attained unto. Which oftentimes makes the Ma&s;ter to condemne his Servant for &s;eeking after &s;uch and &s;uch things, which happily were more &s;ought after by him&s;elfe in his younger yeares and time of minority.</P>
<P>But 2. 'tis more wondred at by &s;ome, why wee &s;hould prevayle with the Honourable hou&s;es of Parliament, for &s;et|ting apart a day for recreation, when as we enjoy liberty at our Ma&s;ters plea&s;ure, and what&s;oever is requi&s;ite from them. To an&s;wer which, 'tis ture, many enjoy great liber|ty, and 'tis not que&s;tionable but mo&s;t could procure &s;ome leave for a little ab&s;ence upon occa&s;ion: but then wee know that all Ma&s;ters are not alike rea&s;onable, but rather dumb to &s;uch Rethorick, and &s;o &s;ome are mewed and
<PB N="5" REF="4">pend up, and early and late at their labours, whil&s;t other|&s;ome enjoy plea&s;ure and great liberty. And further, here would ari&s;e a greater inconvenience then hath yet ap|peared, &s;hould our Ma&s;ters at their be&s;t times not deny us this liberty; for oftentimes i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> may &s;o fall out, (if not in all tra|des, yet in mo&s;t) that through our ab&s;ence our Ma&s;ters may be greatly prejudiced, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">d lo&s;e more in one houre, then our three dayes diligence can countervayle. And moreover in mo&s;t Trades, many men wil have a great advan|tage over others, as having attendance in thier &s;hops whil&s;t happily the other have none, and &s;o great variance and dif|ference may happen and ari&s;e betwixt Ma&s;ter and Se<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">vant, and often betwixt neighbours. Whereas now all will be alike attended and guarded for receipt of cu&s;tome, nor one man can be more prejudiced or hindred then another, there being certaine provi&s;oes in the Ordinance to this effect; as if extraordinary occa&s;ion require &amp;c. And now we hope you are fully &s;atisfied as well of what it was that moved us hereunto, as in what manner we &s;hall imploy our &s;elves on &s;uch allowed dayes. You <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters">not b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> know in what man|ner wee propo&s;ed unto the Honourable hou&s;es of Parlia|ment, as well for a tye upon our &s;elves, as a &s;trict ob&s;ervance of the day, on which (GOD willing) wee are re&s;olved: withall, a&s;&s;uring you we abhor and dete&s;t the lea&s;t thought of any licentiou&s;ne&s;&s;e or kind of exce&s;&s;e; declaring, that whatever act &s;hall be committed by any Apprentice or &s;er|vant, to the di&s;turbance of the Peace or di&s;quiet of the City; that none &s;hall appeare more willing or ready, in the ayding &s;uch per&s;ons to examination and &s;o to de&s;erved puni&s;h|ment, then our &s;elves. And we de&s;ire no favour towards &s;uch as &s;hall be found any wayes herein tardy or culpable. We could not but &s;atisfie you <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="4 letters">in, and with all de&s;ire you to take notice <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> <HI>T<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters">day</HI> being the 13^t^h of July is our fir&s;t
<PB N="6" REF="5">Monthly-day, which (GOD willing we are re&s;olved to ob&s;erve) and what&s;oever mi&s;cheife &s;hall grow or a|ri&s;e, from any oppo&s;ition intended by you, or any, we by this our admonition and no|tice given, &s;hall hold our &s;elves not guilty, but blamele&s;&s;e.</P>
<Q><HI>Voluptas non nocens, nece&s;saria.</HI></Q>
<TRAILER>FINIS</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
