<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>7-31-09</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>John Latta</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Added TEMPHEAD, checked ID, and added TYPEs to DIVs in order to validate. Proofed title. Checked ^s. Reviewed structure; restructured throughout, adding Q TEXT BODY DIV1s and LETTERs. Checked placement and completeness of PBs. Checked for damage GAPs, #s, @s, --s, oe's, and UNCLEARs. Corrected [dollar]s. Checked for EPIGRAPHs and ARGUMENTs. Checked spacing of foreign GAPs. Checked CLOSERs, BYLINEs, SIGNEDs, OPENERs, SALUTEs, and TRAILERs. Checked for startqs and endqs, abq's, Ae's, qs, and Qs. Checked I / Js and U / Vs. Checked proofsheets and made corrections. Sample: 2 minutes. Proofing: 15 minutes. Tag review and corrections: 30 minutes. DONE.</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="A91266">
<STC T="W">P407</STC>
<STC T="T">669.f.11[110]</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99869498</BIBNO>
<VID>162761</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="documents">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<HEAD>Memoriall.</HEAD>
<LETTER>
<P>THat in regard Mr. <HI>John Albot</HI> Regi&s;ter of the Prerogative Office had de&s;erted his tru&s;t, and left <HI>London,</HI> ob&s;curing him&s;elf while&s;t his Clarks officiated for him, and in his name at <HI>Oxford;</HI> and that
endeavours were twice u&s;ed to conveigh the Books and other Writings of the proceedings in this Office to <HI>Oxford,</HI> (were prevented by the Parliaments care) Mr. <HI>Abbot</HI> &s;eque&s;tred for ab&s;enting
him&s;elf from taxes, &amp;c. In which time great mi&s;chiefs did ari&s;e to the Publick, by recour&s;e daily to Oxford, thereupon; which I perceiving, did obtain this Letter from his Excellencie to Mr. Speaker.</P>
<P>Sir, At the reque&s;t of this Gentleman Mr. <HI>Henry Parker</HI> (who&s;e good and preferment I very much de&s;ire) I commend to you this inclo&s;ed Petition, that it may be pre&s;ented to the Hou&s;e by your
hand: I can afford him a good te&s;timony of his faithfull and acceptable &s;ervice to the State, and to my &s;elf, ever &s;ince the fir&s;t forming of the Army: and his parts and abilities, I pre&s;ume, are not
unknown to the Hou&s;e. It is now therefore my reque&s;t to you, that you will communicate my mediation on his behalf, and u&s;e your power, and my Name that he may obtain this Suit, or &s;ome
other of the like nature, if this fail. And this is my reque&s;t to the Hou&s;e the rather, for that (as I am truly informed) he hath not received, nor ever yet moved for any pay, or recompence from the
State &s;ince his fir&s;t attendance; notwith&s;tanding his lo&s;&s;es in Oxford&s;hire by the Kings Army. I am informed al&s;o, that his imployment for &s;ome moneths pa&s;t hath been of little or no benefit to him,
and yet he is unwilling to draw any thing from the publick &s;tock, in the&s;e di&s;tre&s;&s;ed times. But for further &s;atisfaction in the&s;e or other particulars, I refer you to his own Account, and not doubting
but that he will be very &s;tudious to merit &s;uch a publick acknowledgement, and incouragement, as this, if he may obtain it. I again recommend both him, and his Reque&s;t to your favour, and re&s;t,</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>St. Albons, <DATE>Nov. 16. 1643.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>Your affectionate Friend,
<HI>ESSEX.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P><HI>The Petition inclo&s;ed, and pre&s;ented, was this.</HI></P>
<Q><TEXT LANG="eng">
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="petition">
<P>That the now Judge and Regi&s;ter of the Prerogative Court of Cant: (being Officers of great tru&s;t and con&s;equence, who ought to attend and execute the duty of their places accordingly) have
long neglected and abu&s;ed the &s;aid Tru&s;t by de&s;erting their Charge here, whereby the cour&s;e of Ju&s;tice is ob&s;tructed, the Rolls and Records of that Court much indangered, much recour&s;e daily un|to
Oxford; be&s;ides many other inconveniences of great importance to the Parliament and State.</P>
<P>Your Petitioner, as well out of his humble de&s;ire to do faithfull &s;ervice to the Common-wealth, as in hope of &s;ome incouragement and recompence of his former endeavours and &s;ervice to this
High Court; and the rather being now &s;tript and plundred of his whole e&s;tate in Oxford&s;hire by the Army there.</P>
<P>Humbly de&s;ires that he may be inve&s;ted in &s;ome imployment in one or both of the &s;aid Places, as this Honorable Hou&s;e &s;hall think fit, whereby he may have &s;ome convenient &s;upport for him&s;elf
and his Family, &amp;c.</P>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT></Q>
<Q><TEXT LANG="eng">
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="order">
<HEAD>Order.</HEAD>
<OPENER><DATELINE><DATE>Die Sabbati. 18. Nov. 1643.</DATE></DATELINE></OPENER>
<P>The humble Petition of <HI>Henry Parker</HI> Gent: (e&s;pecially recommended by my Lord Generall) was read, and Ordered to be referred to Mr. <HI>White,</HI> Mr. <HI>Selden,</HI> Mr. <HI>Solicitor,</HI> Mr. <HI>Prideaux,</HI> and Mr.
<HI>Browne,</HI> to con&s;ider what is fit for this Hou&s;e to do further upon it, and to report their Opinions.</P>
<P>Ordered, That this Hou&s;e do Declare, that They are &s;en&s;ible of the good &s;ervice Mr. <HI>Parker</HI> hath done to the Common-wealth, and they will in this particular mentioned in his Petition, or in &s;ome
other thing as advantagious, con&s;ider him for his good &s;ervices.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>H. El&s;yng.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT></Q>
<P>By this I was incouraged to &s;olicite the e&s;tabli&s;hment of the Prerogative Court; and to that purpo&s;e I did attend the Referres, pre&s;enting &s;ome Papers to them, as motives why the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e ought
to be ha&s;tned, and a form how by Ordinance it might be pa&s;&s;ed.</P>
<P>About Mid&s;ummer 1644. I under&s;tood Mr. <HI>Old&s;worth</HI> would appear my Competitor, and that he had prepared an Ordinance for the placing him&s;elf in Mr. <HI>Abbots</HI> roome: but the Ordinance being
read, the Hou&s;e refu&s;ed to in&s;ert his name therein, by rea&s;on that Sir <HI>Henry Vane</HI> &s;en. acquainted them of a former Order made in my behalf, and &s;o onely a Memorandum was entred, that Ma&s;ter
<HI>Old&s;worth</HI> had been mentioned, as afore&s;aid.</P>
<P>Neverthele&s;&s;e, this competition made me &s;o &s;olicitous, as to procure another recommendation to Mr. Speaker.</P>
<P><HI>The &s;ub&s;tance of the Petition was for an accompli&s;hment of the Order of</HI> Novemb: 18. 1643.</P>
<P>Immediately after the Hou&s;e committed the manner of &s;ettling the Prerogative Court to Doctor <HI>Eden</HI> and Mr. <HI>Maynard,</HI> to both whom I pre&s;ented a form of my draught; but the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e long
hung in their hands, and now that Ordinance is pa&s;t, and Sir <HI>Nat. Brent</HI> is &s;etled Judge, and now I again renew my old &s;uit, and procured from his Excellency a new revivall of his former recom|mendation
in this manner.</P>
<LETTER>
<P>SIR, About a yeer &s;ince by my Letter to you directed, I did recommend Mr. <HI>Parkers</HI> Petition to the Hou&s;e of Commons, and u&s;e my mediation in his behalf, That acceptance which he then found
for my &s;ake I do now with thankfulne&s;&s;e acknowledge: but becau&s;e his expectation remains &s;till ingaged in the &s;ame bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, I make it my &s;uit with earne&s;&s;e once more, That they would continue
their good intentions towards him, and accompli&s;h now that which in expre&s;&s;ions of &s;o much grace was formerly condi&s;cended to. The Gentleman has been active and pa&s;&s;ive in this Cau&s;e, and
though he be made obnoxious to the other &s;ide by his &s;ervice to the Committee of Safety and my &s;elf, and by his ingenious endeavours otherwi&s;e, yet he hath hitherto received no &s;atisfaction at all
either as gratuitous, or as due. This makes him the more hopefull of incouragement in this particular, and this makes me the more earne&s;t interce&s;&s;our for him: and this I pray repre&s;ent to the
Hou&s;e from him who is</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>E&s;&s;ex hou&s;e, <DATE>Nov. 4. 1644.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>Your very affectionate friend,
<HI>ESSEX.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>This Letter has not been read in the Hou&s;e, becau&s;e Mr. <HI>Old&s;worth</HI> moved in the morning before it came to the Hou&s;e, and the Petition accompanying it was thus:</P>
<Q><TEXT LANG="eng">
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="petition">
<P>That your Petitioner in <HI>Novemb.</HI> 1643. did exhibite a Petition to this honourable Hou&s;e for the Regi&s;ters place in the Prerogative Court (at that time &s;eque&s;tred) and did obtain a very gracious
An&s;wer therein.</P>
<P>That the onely cau&s;e of delay then was the new &s;etling and altring of that Court, becau&s;e it was to be di&s;-annexed from Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall juri&s;diction, and that would require &s;ome time, and de|bate;
e&s;pecially as the troubles and diver&s;ions, and throngs of other important bu&s;ine&s;&s;e did then intervene.</P>
<P>That your Petitioner did take pains to &s;olicite and facilitate that alteration, and for divers moneths together met with no competition, or oppo&s;ition.</P>
<P>That when the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e was grown neer to perfection, and the Hou&s;e began to ha&s;ten the &s;peeding thereof, Mr. <HI>Abbot</HI> appeared out of his retirement, and Mr. <HI>Old&s;worth</HI> by his power interpo&s;ed.</P>
<P>His mo&s;t humble prayer therefore is, that fora&s;much as Mr. <HI>Abbot</HI> hath neglected his charge, to the damage of the State, and hath lien under &s;eque&s;tration, and onely ca&s;t in his private ca&s;e
among&s;t the various, high, important affairs of this Honourable Hou&s;e to avoid expedition, as may be conceived: and fora&s;much as Mr. <HI>Old&s;worth</HI> &s;uit was &s;ub&s;equent in time to the Petitioners, and
was not commenced till the favourable Order of the Hou&s;e had fixed the hopes of the Petitioner upon this &s;olicitation, and di&s;-ingaged him from other applications: His mo&s;t humble prayer is
that he may be admitted into the execution and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the &s;aid Regi&s;ters place.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>And your Petitioner &s;hall ever, &amp;c.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT></Q>
<P><HI>This Petition for the cau&s;e afore&s;aid was not pre&s;ented.</HI></P>
<P>If it be objected, that the Petitioner did not make &s;uit for the Regi&s;ters place in Terminis. <HI>I an&s;wer.</HI> It had been pre&s;umption to limit the Hou&s;e, or to particularize too far, but in the opening of
the Petition it was &s;o repre&s;ented to the Hou&s;e, and the Hou&s;e &s;o under&s;tood it; and the Judges place being granted away &s;ince, the Order can now take place no otherwi&s;e; unle&s;&s;e it be &s;uppo&s;ed,
that I u&s;ed his Excellencies recommendation; and made all this &s;uit for &s;ome inferiour &s;ervice under the Regi&s;ter.</P>
<P>If it be objected, that the Order refers to &s;omething el&s;e <HI>as advantagious. I an&s;wer.</HI> That was added in favour of me, in ca&s;e this might fail by Mr. <HI>Abbots</HI> ju&s;tification or otherwi&s;e; and &s;o the words
are in his Excellencies Letter. That addition was not intended to fru&s;trate my &s;uit, or to prolong my attendance, or to put me upon endle&s;&s;e enquiries: Any thing el&s;e for the pre&s;ent, though le&s;&s;e
<HI>advantagious</HI> &s;hall &s;atisfie me; but there is no certainty how the Order of the Hou&s;e can be ever &s;atisfied, if I am left to another di&s;covery; for either I may not live, or not di&s;cover; or el&s;e I am &s;till in
the &s;ame predicament, and onely capable of the &s;ame an&s;wer, in infinitum.</P>
<P>If it be objected that Mr. <HI>Old&s;worths</HI> merit is greater then mine. <HI>I an&s;wer.</HI> In &s;uits meerly honorary, I will be no competitor with Mr. <HI>Old&s;worth;</HI> but in &s;uits of a pecuniary nature, I conceive I have
this advantage: whereas he &s;erves immediately for &s;uch a Burrough, and the old u&s;e and Law was, that Shires, Burroughs, or Cities, &s;hould maintain their own Repre&s;entants; I have &s;erved the
Lords and Commons immediately in a place of Eminence, and &s;o for my ordinary attendance and Travail may pretend to a due entertainment or pay. And yet more then this, I have done extra|ordinary
Offices al&s;o to the whole State, which have not been altogether unacceptable; and which I hope, were in part pointed in the Hou&s;es Order; I &s;hall without immode&s;ty &s;ay this, if Mr. <HI>Old&s;|worth</HI>
have made him&s;elf more odious to the other &s;ide then I have done. I de&s;ire he may be more gracious to this.</P>
<P>If it be objected, that I have already enjoyed a place of great profit. <HI>I an&s;wer.</HI> Tis known to all that ever had bu&s;ine&s;&s;e with me, that I never demanded (nor &s;uffered to be by my Servants) any thing
of any as a due, or as a gratuity; and 'tis known to my &s;elf what I have given away, and what I have lent, and what I have lo&s;t by Plunder and otherwi&s;e; and I wi&s;h I may fail in this &s;uit, if I am
not &s;olicitous in it that I may be inabled thereby for that publick &s;ervice, which hitherto meer indigence has hindred me from: If the gaining of a new Office could as much conduce to Mr. <HI>Old&s;worths</HI>
attendance in Parliament, as it may to my other &s;tudies and endeavours I would not be his concurrent.</P>
<P>If it be objected, that the Place is of va&s;t advantage. I an&s;wer. For that I &s;hall not in&s;i&s;t upon, tho&s;e words in the Order: I leave that to the Hou&s;es own interpretation, and to con&s;ider as well
what is fit for them to give, as for me to receive; if this al&s;o may be a pre&s;ident for other Officers either to moderate fees, or to a&s;&s;i&s;t the publick by them, I &s;hall rejoyce to &s;ee it: neverthele&s;&s;e Ma&s;ter
<HI>Kilvert</HI> (who is Mr. <HI>Old&s;worths</HI> friend, and my enemy) will not cantonize the place (tis his own words) if Ma&s;ter <HI>Old&s;worth</HI> may injoy it, but rather then I &s;hall injoy it, he will be &s;o good a Patriot,
as to cut it into parts.</P>
<P>My &s;uit therefore now is, that &s;ince the Hou&s;e did fir&s;t intend me this place, or &s;omething el&s;e as advantagious, in ca&s;e this proved not fea&s;ible, and did adde a clau&s;e for my benefit in their Or|der,
not becau&s;e I &s;hould be put off upon further attendance or expectation. And fora&s;much as Mr. <HI>Old&s;worth</HI> is not onely barred by the &s;elf denying Ordinance, of the third of <HI>April,</HI> 1645. and
re&s;olutions of the Hou&s;e the tenth of <HI>June,</HI> 1647. but was al&s;o a Competitor &s;ub&s;equent in time as is before expre&s;&s;ed, that he made no reque&s;t to the Hou&s;e for this place (nor acquainted them with|all
how far the Hou&s;e had conde&s;cended before, about the &s;ame in giving it to me) but proceeded directly by way of Ordinance, for po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ing him&s;elf of that place: All the premi&s;es con&s;idered; That
I may be made capable of that favour which the Honourable Hou&s;es Order fir&s;t intended me.</P>
<P>My friends may al&s;o urge in my behalf:
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. That I never &s;ought for any &s;tipend from the State, nor ever received peny under that name; but did disbur&s;e &s;ome Moneys for the State, upon &s;peciall command and order; all which is not
yet paid.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. That though I was once for a &s;hort time placed &s;o, as that I might have reaped much benefit by it, if I would have exacted upon poore Souldiers; yet I was &s;o far from that, that I would never
&s;trictly demand any thing as due, nor &s;uffer my Clerks; but did in&s;tead of gaining, &s;ometimes lo&s;e by &s;ome Officers that were in want.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. That when I left this Kingdom, and betook my &s;elf to &s;erve the Merchants at <HI>Hamburgh,</HI> I was driven thereunto by nece&s;&s;ity; and becau&s;e I was loft to pre&s;&s;e upon the State for a &s;ub&s;i&s;tance,
and not out of any want of zeal: and this I pre&s;ented in, in humble Petition at my departure, though I could not procure the &s;ame to be read.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. That my attendance upon this bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of the Regi&s;ters Office &s;o many yeers, hath not onely put me to trouble and pains, but after to &s;ome charge and difficulty; I keeping a man in weekly
pay in London in my ab&s;ence to attend this bu&s;ines, who did little by rea&s;on of the many troubles of this Kingdom. And when he was dead, &s;ent my own &s;ervant from <HI>Hamburgh</HI> to attend the &s;ame.
I humbly offer the&s;e things to tho&s;e who are my Judges, and I hope without re&s;pect to per&s;ons, or pre-ingagements, will with an equall eye look upon our &s;everall pretences.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>HENRY PARKER.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
