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<DATE>2014-07-28</DATE>
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<NAME>TCP Staff (Michigan)</NAME>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>THE HUMBLE PETITION OF DIVERS INHABITANTS Of the City of LONDON, AND Places adjacent, in the behalf of the poore of this Nation.</P>
<P>TOGETHER, VVith the humble Repre&s;entation of the Pre&s;entors thereof.</P>
<P>WITH The An&s;wer thereunto, and the Names of tho&s;e that are added to the Committee of Complaints, to whom tho&s;e that find them&s;elves agrieved, or can offer any thing for the good of the poor, may make their addre&s;s.</P>
<P><HI>March</HI> 10. 1648-49. <HI>Imprimatur</HI> THEODORE JENNINGS.</P>
<P><HI>LONDON, Printed by</HI> John Clowes, 1648.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="petition">
<PB REF="2" MS="y">
<HEAD>To the Honourable, the &s;upream Authority of this Nation, the Commons of ENGLAND, cho&s;en for, and A&s;&s;embled in Parliament; intru&s;ted to mannage the great Affaires of this Nation, for the good of the &s;ame. <HI>The humble Repre&s;entation of the Pre&s;entors of this annexed Petition entituled The Humble Petition of divers Inhabitants of the City of</HI> London, <HI>and places adjacent, in the behalf of the poor of this Nation.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER>SHEWETH,</OPENER>
<P>_THat as God delights in mercy, and hath expre&s;&s;ed his tender care for the poor, the Fatherle&s;&s;e, and the Widdow; &s;o wicked men practice cruelty, oppre&s;|&s;ing the poor, wronging the Fatherle&s;&s;e, and not regarding the Widdowes Cau&s;e: It being the practice of mo&s;t men to &s;eeke the good of them|&s;elves, and their friends: And few the good of the Nation, e&s;pecially of the poorer &s;ort therein, who have mo&s;t need, and from whom they expect no be|nefit. Were it to obtain riches, Honour, health, ea&s;e, or delight: many would then be ready and forward, in undertaking, or acting, of almo&s;t any thing: But when any thing concernes the good of the Nation, nothing <HI>(or very little)</HI> is done as it &s;hould be, &s;carcely by any man, unle&s;&s;e by doing the &s;ame, there ari&s;eth a particular benefit to him&s;elf, or his friends. Many are forward to help rich men, and others, their kindred, and friends; into places of Honour, Tru&s;t, or Benefit: yea to conferre divers &s;uch places upon one man; But if the poor want their a&s;&s;i&s;tance in any kind, either they are not at lea&s;ure, they can not an&s;wer his de&s;ires <HI>(though never &s;o ju&s;t and rea&s;o|nable,)</HI> or it is not yet a &s;ea&s;onable time, and they will be &s;ure to advi&s;e that which is for their own benefit, or &s;end them to others for Councel, and en|deavour
<PB N="3" REF="2"> to get none into a Free-Scoole, but &s;uch as learn <HI>Latine, (which the poor have no need of,)</HI> nor do a courte&s;ie for any, unle&s;&s;e they expect the like from them again.</P>
<P>Surely if by relieving the poor and oppre&s;&s;ed, tho&s;e that have already wronged them might have had a further benefit, they would long ere now have endeavoured the &s;ame: Or were rich men throughly &s;en&s;ible of the mi&s;eries of the poor, &s;ome relief would certainly have been procured before now: But although mo&s;t men are like to be poor them&s;elves, yet few do rightly con&s;ider them that are already &s;o.</P>
<P>Never was there in <HI>England,</HI> &s;o many in want of relief as now there is, yet there is no more allowance for the poor, then formerly: Nay, it is feared, that although formerly there was not the fourth part of the poor that now there is, yet there is not now the fourth part of the relief; <HI>(rightly enjoyed by the poor,)</HI> which formerly there was wont to be: And yet the Lawes are as &s;trict as ever, that none &s;hall &s;teale, cheat, nor beg, which Lawes are good, provided there were al&s;o a Law <HI>(carfully put in execution)</HI> that none &s;hould &s;tarve: the truth is, the want of the one is the cau&s;e of &s;o many tran&s;gre&s;&s;i|ons of the other: for what can any man do which hath a Family to main|tain, his Rent, Debts, Exci&s;e, and many other Taxes to pay, <HI>(of which nothing will be abated&punc;)</HI> having no money to di&s;charge the &s;ame&punc; his goods pawned, his food eaten, his Cloathes worn out, and his fewell burnt, not knowing where, or how, to be &s;upplyed, would do any thing for an hone&s;t living but through the di&s;traction of mind <HI>(ari&s;ing from his extremity)</HI> or by age, &s;ick|ne&s;s, blindne&s;s, lamene&s;s, or other defect, can not work, or el&s;e can get no im|ployment: (<HI>needes mu&s;t they &s;tand all the day idle, who can get no man to hire them. Math.</HI> 20.7.) And this will certainly bring them and their Children to fall into &s;uch a Con&s;umption as many dye of, who are little better then &s;tarved: For they mu&s;t needes con&s;ume and dye, who have all things con&s;u|med, and nothing left to maintain life.</P>
<P>It is a hard &s;treight when a man hath no money, yet mu&s;t pay money; but can not earn it: For if he make it, or &s;teale it, he &s;hall dye by the Law: if he borrow it, and can not pay, he &s;hall rot in pri&s;on, <HI>(which is a wor&s;e death;)</HI> if he have it not at all, he will certainly &s;tarve: <HI>(which is wor&s;t of all.) Lamentations</HI> 4.9. <HI>Tho&s;e that are &s;lain with the &s;word, are better then tho&s;e that are &s;lain with hunger, for the&s;e pine away.</HI></P>
<P>Life is &s;weete to all, therefore every rationall Creature will as long as it can: &amp; nature teacheth to chu&s;e that death, which is farthe&s;t off &amp; mo&s;t ea&s;ie.</P>
<P>The nece&s;&s;ities of many Thou&s;ands cry earne&s;tly for help, and it is cer|tainly better to harken to them, when they in asking relief, do beg for
<PB N="4" REF="3"> their lives, then to have their bloud cry alowd for vengeance unto him <HI>to whom vengeance belongs, and will certainly repay the &s;ame,</HI> Rom. 12.19&punc; <HI>Surly oppere&s;&s;ion maketh a wi&s;e man mad, Eccle.</HI> 7.7. And it is known that when people are &s;o, they will do mad actions; therefore it is better <HI>(by taking off their oppre&s;&s;ions)</HI> to keepe them tame, then to runne the hazzard what they will do in time of their madnes. <HI>A prudent man fore|&s;eeth an evill,</HI> &amp;c. Pro. 22.3. the truth is, that none <HI>(except tho&s;e that are wil|fully blind)</HI> but do &s;e to their greif, the &s;ad &amp; lamentable condition of a mul|titude of people, in al places of this land; in &s;o much that it is unpo&s;&s;ible, how they can in an ordinary way &s;ub&s;i&s;t many daies, without &s;ome provi&s;ion be made in their behalf: either by providing &s;ome other way for their mainte|nance, then formerly, or at le&s;t by helping them to the enjoyment, of al things what&s;oever, of right, belongeth unto them; which if they did rightly enjoy, and withall were &s;o &s;et on work <HI>(as they are in other Countries)</HI> that none might want imployment, then al who can do any thing, would be able to &s;ub|&s;i&s;t without beging or u&s;ing any indirect cour&s;es; which other-wi&s;e they will be enforced to u&s;e, or el&s;e mu&s;t certainly peri&s;h.</P>
<P>The &s;ad con&s;ideration whereof hath &s;o &s;eized upon our hearts, that we adjudged our &s;elves oblieged, in relation of our duty to God, &s;ervice to our Country, and &s;afety to our &s;elves, to u&s;e our utmo&s;t endeavours, by all law|full waies; for the diverting of Gods Judgments, the releiving the oppre&s;&s;ed, and the peace, &s;afety, and pro&s;perity of this Nation: And do here there|fore humbly pre&s;ent to your honours, &s;ome cau&s;es <HI>(as we humbly conceive)</HI> of the mi&s;ery, and penury of the poore, de&s;iring that they may be removed, &s;o far forth as not to encroach upon the juct liberties of others; And yet, the cau&s;es may be &s;o removed, as that the effect may &s;ea&s;e.</P>
<P>And 1. Becau&s;e many materials are <HI>without re&s;traint,</HI> carryed out of this Na|tion unwrought, and many times wrought in other Countries, and then brought hither againe; which might as well imploy our native people in working the &s;ame.</P>
<P N="2">2. Becau&s;e many Commodities are wrought in other Countries, and without any re&s;traint brought into this Nation; as by the booke of rates for the cu&s;tomes, publi&s;hed by this pre&s;ent Parlirment in the yeare 1642. it may plainly appear; When as we either have, or may have materi|alls &s;ufficient in this land, to make the &s;ame; which <HI>(as we humbly conceive)</HI> might &s;et more then one Million of poor native people on work.</P>
<P N="3">3. Becau&s;e the Trade of Fi&s;hing is almo&s;t left off; which might imploy more then one hundred thou&s;and poor people, from eight yeares old unto eighty, in planting hemp, in dre&s;&s;ing and &s;pining it, in making nets, and in
<PB N="5" REF="3"> carrying and &s;elling the fi&s;h&punc; Be&s;ides Ship-Carpenters, Fi&s;hers, and Water|men; the <HI>French,</HI> the <HI>Flemings,</HI> and the <HI>Hollander,</HI> having about two thou|&s;and &s;aile of Fi&s;hing ve&s;&s;els, yearly upon our coa&s;t, mo&s;t of which ve&s;&s;els ha|ving an hundred nets a peece.</P>
<P N="4">4. Becau&s;e of the deerne&s;s of Corne, which <HI>(as we humbly conceive)</HI> may be remedied, without compelling any man to &s;ell it at a &s;et price. If fir&s;t, there were prohibition of feeding hor&s;e or &s;wine with bread Corne; it being affir|med, that there is more then one thou&s;and quarters of bran &s;o &s;pent, weekly, in, and about the City of <HI>London;</HI> be&s;ides, much is &s;pent in making of Starch, which the poore would be glad to mix with meale, and make bread of the &s;ame. Secondly, if none were &s;uffered to &s;ell flower, or meale any waies &s;ifted, but only &s;o as it comes from the Mill. Thirdly, If none were &s;uffered to buy or &s;ell, Flower or Meale, in any &s;tops or hou&s;es, but only in the open Markets for the &s;ame, at dew houres. Fourthly, If none were &s;uffered to &s;ell bread any other-waies, then by the pound <HI>(as it is &s;old in other Countries)</HI> that the buyer may know how much he hath for mony and the Baker may have liberty to &s;et price of his bread, according to the goodnes of the &s;ame. Fifthly If the Lawes in force were put in execution, that no Beere, or Ale, &s;hall be &s;old for above eight &s;hillings <HI>per</HI> Barrell, containing, 36. Ale Gallons, and then it might be &s;old for a penny an Ale quart in &s;ealed mea&s;ures, and tho&s;e that &s;ell it, would at that rate, make twelve &s;hillings <HI>per</HI> Barrell of the &s;ame.</P>
<P N="5">5. Becau&s;e of the deerene&s;s of meat, and other food, ari&s;ing partly, becau&s;e the Laws in force are not put in execution, for prohibiting any <HI>(but &s;uch as are really &s;icke)</HI> from eating fle&s;h at certain times; partly becau&s;e the Butchers &s;ell their meat by hand, and people not knowing the weight, know not how much they have for their mony: and partly, becau&s;e they are &s;o many doggs and deares, tollerated in this Nation; which although they yeeld little profit, yet they eate up that food, which might maintain a multitude both of men and bea&s;t.</P>
<P N="6">6. Becau&s;e of the dearnes of all &s;orts of firing, by rea&s;on the Laws are not carefully executed, for pre&s;erving of timber and other wood, In &s;o much that there hath been many millions of acres of wood-lands, put to other u&s;es within this forty yeares.</P>
<P N="7">7. Becau&s;e of the dearene&s;&s;e of Cloathing, ari&s;ing from the price of Wooll, by rea&s;on of many <HI>Staplers,</HI> and other <HI>Interlopers,</HI> and <HI>Fore&s;talers</HI> of the Markets; whereby Wooll is now farre dearer, then it was when the Lawes were not &s;o &s;trickt in hindring the exportation of the &s;ame.</P>
<P N="8">8. Becau&s;e of the dearene&s;&s;e of Leather, by rea&s;on of the multitude
<PB N="6" REF="4"> of Coaches that are covered with the &s;ame, which might as well be covered with other materialls.</P>
<P N="9">9. Becau&s;e the Poore cannot <HI>(oftentimes)</HI> &s;ue for their Rights, by rea&s;on <HI>(many times)</HI> the farrene&s;&s;e of the Journey, together with the Chargeablene&s;&s;e and tediou&s;ne&s;&s;e of many Sutes of Law, is &s;uch, that it were better <HI>(many times)</HI> lo&s;e their due, or pay money wrongfully, then &s;tand the &s;ute in Law.</P>
<P N="10">10. Becau&s;e many have freely lent mo&s;t of that which they were worth, upon the Propo&s;itions of this pre&s;ent <HI>Parliament,</HI> Wherein <HI>(as we hum|bly conceive)</HI> the Publique Faith of this Nation was Engaged unto them; that they &s;hould be payd the &s;ame out of the fir&s;t Delinquents E&s;tates, &s;hould come into the Cu&s;tody of this <HI>Honourable Hou&s;e:</HI> Yet &s;eeing they lent &s;o freely at the fir&s;t, that they kept not enough in their hands to dou|ble the &s;ame, many of them are now in a fami&s;hing condition <HI>(if not &s;ome already peri&s;hed)</HI> which <HI>(although to &s;ave their lives)</HI> cannot receive &s;o much as the Intere&s;t of the &s;ame: which rich men, who lent &s;o &s;paringly, as that they did double the &s;ame, doe now receive.</P>
<P N="11">11. Becau&s;e <HI>(as it is very apparent)</HI> the burdens of Free Quarter, Ex|ci&s;e, and other Taxes have ordinarily laine far more heavy upon the middle &amp; poorer &s;ort of People, then upon the Rich <HI>(proporitonably to their E&s;tates)</HI> Although, when&s;oever there are places of any con&s;iderable benefit, it is a vaine thing for any, but Rich men, to &s;eeke for the &s;ame.</P>
<P N="12">12. Becau&s;e people are con&s;trained to pay Tithes, and other enforced maintenance, both to <HI>Mini&s;ters</HI> and <HI>Impropriators,</HI> when as tho&s;e that pay the &s;ame <HI>(oftentimes)</HI> want food for them&s;elves and their families.</P>
<P N="13">13. Becau&s;e the poore are con&s;trained <HI>(by want)</HI> not onely to &s;ell things at the cheape&s;t rate, but al&s;o to buy at the deare&s;t; becau&s;e there is not a &s;tock of <HI>Nece&s;&s;aries</HI> provided for the Poore, as formerly, where they might have provi&s;ions at a cheaper rate then others.</P>
<P N="14">14. Becau&s;e they are deprived of many benefits which of right belong unto them, as are more particularly &s;ignified in this anexed Petition.</P>
<P REND="italic">All which, we tru&s;t, this Honourable Hou&s;e will be &s;o deepely &s;en&s;ible of, that there will be &s;ome &s;peedy cour&s;e taken for the redre&s;&s;e of the &s;ame, which is our earne&s;t de&s;ire and expectation; and which will deepely engage us, and many other your friends, to continue our hearty affections, and goe on, as formerly, not onely to pray, but al&s;o with the hazard of our lives,</P>
<P>To act for the pre&s;ervation of this Honourable Hou&s;e.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="petition">
<PB N="7" REF="4" MS="y">
<HEAD>To the Honourable, the Supreame Authority of this Nation, the <HI>Commons</HI> of <HI>England,</HI> in Parliament A&s;&s;embled. <HI>The humble Petition of divers Inhabitants of the City of London, and places adjacent in the behalfe of the poore of this Nation.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER>SHEWETH,</OPENER>
<P>THat as nothing is more acceptable to God then relieving the Op|pre&s;&s;ed, &s;o nothing is more con&s;tantly practi&s;ed by wicked men, then grinding the Faces of the poore: And that the neglect of Ju&s;tice upon &s;uch Offenders hath much imboldned them, As to bring many to po|verty, &s;o to keepe them in a Fami&s;hing condition by withholding from them many <HI>Stipends</HI> and <HI>Legacies,</HI> And keeping them from the due benefit of <HI>Free-Schooles, Ho&s;pitalles, Almes Hou&s;es</HI> and <HI>Lands;</HI> As al&s;o of many <HI>Fenns, Cha&s;es, Forre&s;ts, Heaths, Mountaines, Plaines, Greenes, Leezes, Leacons, Woods, Cop&s;es, High-wayes, and other Commons,</HI> which of right and due belong unto them; As al&s;o by Trading with unlawfull <HI>Beames Weights and Mea&s;ures.</HI></P>
<P>The extreamity they are brought unto by &s;uch unju&s;t dealings: Toge|ther with the want of imployment, engageth your Petitioners <HI>(now &s;ome ob&s;tructions are removed)</HI> to make known their de&s;ires to this Honourable Hou&s;e.</P>
<P N="1">1. That &s;ome puni&s;hment be inflicted upon all tho&s;e, that know of any kind of benefit belonging to the poore, and &s;hall not forthwith di&s;cover the &s;ame, to &s;uch per&s;ons as &s;hall be appointed by this Honou|rable Hou&s;e.</P>
<P N="2">2. That all that have any <HI>Monies, Goods, or nece&s;&s;aries</HI> in their po&s;|&s;e&s;&s;ion, belonging to the poore, may be inforced to perfect their ac|counts.</P>
<P N="3">3. That the poore may injoy all <HI>Monies, Goods, Victuall, Firing, Cloths and other nece&s;&s;aries</HI> belonging to them.</P>
<P N="4">4. That all <HI>Free-Schooles, Ho&s;pitalls, Almes-hou&s;es and Lands,</HI> may be put to the u&s;es for which they were given and bequeathed.</P>
<P N="5">5. That all <HI>Fenns, Cha&s;es, Forre&s;ts, Heaths, Mountaines, Plaines Greenes, Leezes, Leacons, Woods, Cop&s;es, High-wayes, and other Commons,</HI> which have been wrongfully enclo&s;ed, may forthwith be laid open, or imployed only to the u&s;e of &s;uch as do <HI>(Indeed)</HI> &s;tand in want of the &s;ame.</P>
<P N="6">6. That tho&s;e that have any way wronged the poore may &s;uffer according to their demerrits.</P>
<P N="7"><PB N="8" REF="5">7. That the <HI>weights and mea&s;ures</HI> allowable in this Nation, may be alike in all places of the &s;ame: And that no man pre&s;ume to buy or &s;ell by any other <HI>weight or mea&s;ure</HI> then what &s;hall be &s;ealed, and agreeable unto the <HI>&s;tandard;</HI> but &s;hall rather alter the price of the commodity, then the <HI>weight or mea&s;ure</HI> by which it is bought and &s;old.</P>
<P N="8">8. That &s;ome effectuall cour&s;e may be taken to &s;et the poore on <HI>work;</HI> that tho&s;e that are able to <HI>work</HI> and will not, may neither be &s;uf|fered to begg, nor receive any benefit belonging to the poore: And that tho&s;e who are not able to <HI>work</HI> or cannot in any wi&s;e by their <HI>labour</HI> maintain their charge, may be kept from peri&s;hing by &s;ome more equall way, then the almes of that particular pari&s;h wherein they dwell.</P>
<Q>And we doubt not but the equity and great nece&s;&s;ity of the&s;e our ju&s;t de&s;ires, will prevaile with you for a &s;peedy remedy hereof. In &s;o doing, you may with confidence expect a ble&s;&s;ing from God, and will al&s;o engage the hearts of your Petitioners, and other good men, the more firmly unto you, who in the beholding of Ju&s;tice.</Q>
<CLOSER>Will pray for a ble&s;&s;ing on this Honourable Hou&s;e.</CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="reply to petition">
<HEAD>Ordered by the Commons a&s;&s;embled in Parliament, That this be the An&s;wer to be given to the &s;aid Petition, <HI>viz.</HI></HEAD>
<P>THat the Petition hath been read, That the Hou&s;e findes therein no particular matter of pre&s;ent or effectuall Relief for the poor; But they have divers things under Con&s;ideration and Commitment, That they hope will be both of pre&s;ent and future Relief for the poor, which together with other matter of generall and nece&s;|&s;ary importance to the whole Nation, They will ha&s;ten the Con&s;ideration and Re|&s;olution off, and had been forwarder therein already, but for the interruptions they dayly receive.</P>
<TRAILER>Collonel <HI>Venn</HI> is de&s;ired to return the Petitioners this An&s;wer.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="appeal procedure">
<P>Tho&s;e that find them&s;elves, or others wronged, or can propound any thing for the good of the poore, may make their addre&s;&s;e to the Committee for Complaints where Mr. <HI>Whitaker</HI> hath the chaire) unto which Committee is added Mr. <HI>Challoner, L. Moun&s;on,</HI> Mr. <HI>Blacke&s;ton,</HI> Sir <HI>George Norton,</HI> Sir <HI>Ing. Boutchier,</HI> Mr. <HI>Trenchard,</HI> Mr. <HI>Allen,</HI> Mr. <HI>Garland,</HI> Col <HI>Rich,</HI> Mr. <HI>Hugh Edwards,</HI> Mr. <HI>Li&s;ter,</HI> Sir <HI>Henry Mildmay,</HI> Mr. <HI>Scot,</HI> Sir <HI>Willim Ally&s;on,</HI> Sir <HI>Willam Mar&s;ham,</HI> Col. <HI>Moore,</HI> Mr. <HI>Garden,</HI> Mr. <HI>Wenver,</HI> Mr. <HI>Boone,</HI> Mr. <HI>Dove,</HI> Mr. <HI>Clement,</HI> Col <HI>Iones,</HI> and Mr. <HI>Hollowes,</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="5">
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
