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<DATE>9-11-09</DATE>
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<NAME>John Latta</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<STC T="W">T1351</STC>
<STC T="T">669.f.13[47]</STC>
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<VID>162943</VID>
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<DIV1 TYPE="petition">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<HEAD>TO HIS EXCELLENCY THE LORD FAIRFAX GENERAL OF THE FORCES RAISED FOR THE DEFENCE OF THE KINGDOM. The Humble Petition or Remon&s;trance of the Well affected Inhabitants of the County of Rutland.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>May it plea&s;e your Excellency,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>THe Con&s;ideration of the Honour which God ha h put upon You &s;ince the&s;e troublous Times began, hath ca&s;t our eyes on You, as (under God) the means of our further good; And therefore we thought fit to make our Addre&s;&s;es to your Excel|lency for coun&s;el and relief in our pre&s;ent condition, which is very grievous, and is like to be wor&s;e, he pre&s;ent evils being but pre&s;agements of future woes. Indeed our mi&s;eries are at that height already, that if &s;ome &s;peedy cour&s;e be not taken; we are like inevitably to be ruinated. But God having &s;o appeared for his faithful ones already, giveth us much ground of confi|dence that he will not for&s;ake us nor his owne cau&s;e; which is, the deliverance of his people, the advancement of Ju&s;tice, and the puni&s;hment of malicious offenders. And we are per&s;waded of You al&s;o, tha<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter"> you will not be wanting to do us good, or omit to &s;eek the welfare of this poor Nation, nor let go the ble&s;&s;ed opportunity which the God of heaven hath put into your hands to do us good. And in order to your furtherance herein, we de&s;ire that your Honour would be plea&s;ed to open your gracious ear to our (as we judge) weighty motions or Propo&s;als, which are the Declaration of our griefs, lawful de&s;ires, and firm re&s;olutions; that which in the fir&s;t place we do offer as a grievance of our di&s;tre&s;&s;ed &s;ouls, is not &s;o much what we have lo&s;t in our E&s;tates already, as our undone e&s;tate if our greate&s;t enemies &s;hall be made our Judges and chiefe&s;t Governour (or King) in order to which, and to the en&s;laving of us for ever, we conceive this Treaty with our conquered enemy was intended by &s;ome, which Treaty giveth a check to all the Parliaments former Declarations, and heroick Votes concerning the King, which Votes and Declarations we thought had not bin ea&s;ily altered; the cro&s;&s;ing of which adds &s;o much to our &s;orrows, as we are not able to expre&s;s, and al&s;o by this means a hor|rid contradiction is made to the Parliaments Declaration and re&s;olution concerning no more Adde&s;&s;es: Indeed it is a giving them the ly, as though all that they had &s;aid of him, as touching the betraying of Rochell, the death of his Father, the Iri&s;h rebellion, bringing in the German hor&s;e, the violence done to the Parliament at the beginning of their &s;itting, with divers other evils of a high nature which they laid to his charge, had no truth in them, but a meer Flori&s;h to defame him and deceive the people.</P>
<P>If all the&s;e things were ju&s;tly charged upon him, (as in honour to the Parliament we beleeve they were,) oh how dur&s;t our Parliament think of Treating with &s;uch a man! And that which al&s;o melteth our very &s;ouls, is the much bloud already &s;pilt, and yet we like to return into our former &s;lavery. This is intollerable, and that which leaveth us without all hope is this, we &s;ee the Parliament intend not any more to hear our cries, but do lay a&s;ide all our Petitions; and though they burned them not by the hand of the common Hangman, yet they make us hang in torment between hope and fear, and &s;o we are like to do if this Honourable Army help us not. Do you not lay it to heart how many Noble and yet Humble Petitions they have laid a&s;ide, as that from the faith full Citizens of London, that from the Town and County of York, that from King&s;ton upon Hull, and that well-grounded and rea&s;onable Petition from the Town and County of Leice&s;ter, and many others to the &s;ame effect. Thus many mens de&s;ires, all mens good, is laid a&s;ide to feed &s;ome wicked mens humors: oh for Gods &s;ake lay the&s;e things to heart. And further that which vexeth our hearts and thou&s;and righteous &s;ouls of the Commons of England is, that &s;till our Worthies are privately murthered, and all our ruines plotted, as appeareth by a Libel &s;cattered abroad our County, and as you may &s;ee threatneth the de&s;truction of tho&s;e hone&s;t Gentlemen that were forced to leave the Parliament Hou&s;e and fly to the Army; and al&s;o them of the Army which enga|ged at Newmarket.</P>
<P>And further when we &s;ee the freedoms of the People, and the &s;ecurity of all the Parliaments Souldiery depend upon the con&s;ent of a King, whom they have conquered, and this &s;ecurity to be for years, and if the Militia be intayled to the Crown, then if the King dy before the&s;e years be expired it mu&s;t be returned to the Crown again, for the Father cannot give away the &s;ons inheritance: whereas if the Hou&s;e of Commons had declared them&s;elves the &s;upream Authority of the Nation (as they ought to have done) our &s;ecuritie had been firm.</P>
<P>And further it may be ju&s;tly conceived, that what things are done by con&s;traint are void in Law: and concluded by the Kings party that what&s;oever he &s;ignes are done by con&s;traint: What &s;hall hinder him (being once impowered) to urge the Letter of the Law again&s;t the Parliament and all that adhered unto them, to their utter ruine. And if the King could rai&s;e &s;o great an Army when he was in Carisbrook Ca&s;tle, what will he be able to do when he comes to London among his now De&s;paradoes, may he not ea&s;ily gain the Militia in one moneth, and overturn all that hath been accompli&s;hed with &s;o much difficulty? And now if you and the Well-affected in the Army do for&s;ake us, in re&s;pect of the help of man, we are utterly undone: and pardon us if we &s;ay, We fear God will for&s;ake you, and let you fall by tho&s;e hands in which you leave us.</P>
<P>The&s;e are &s;ome of tho&s;e &s;orrows in which we mu&s;t &s;ink, or re&s;olve to take &s;ome more noble cour&s;e, even to defend our &s;elves by our &s;word, judging it far better to dy honourably in the field in one hour, than to live &s;laves in our hou&s;es for ever. Now the Lord teach you and us what to do; if we &s;it &s;till, we are like to be ma&s;&s;acred in our beds, or as our beloved <HI>Rain&s;borough</HI> was, who&s;e death addeth to the life of our &s;orrows: Oh tru&s;ty <HI>Rain&s;borough!</HI> thou art but what we are like to be; but what &s;hall we do? We be&s;eech your Excellency tell us, or hear us with patience, and we will relate what we intend.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, We will pray to your God and to our God, and when we have powred out our tears to him, and our complaints to one another, as we have in &s;ome mea&s;ure done already; then we will re&s;olve to &s;tand up with you and the re&s;t of the faithful in the Nation, and declare further what we re&s;olve to have: Only (Right Honourable) we thought good to make our humble Addre&s;&s;es unto you, and beg your aid, your countenance, and your prayers, your grave Coun&s;el, and Chri&s;tian advice in this matter. We thought it good as <HI>Mordecai</HI> did <HI>He&s;ter,</HI> to put you upon endeavouring our deliverance, and let us in all humility and faithfulne&s;s tell you, that if you fail, God will find &s;ome way to &s;et us free; but how you will an&s;wer your neglect, we cannot tell. In times pa&s;t we have found you ready to venture life and limb for our good, which gives us much a&s;&s;urance you will &s;tand for us and with us &s;till, for our Ju&s;t Rights.</P>
<P>We are no complementers nor flatterers, but well-willers to the good of our Countrey, for which we a&s;&s;ure you we will venture life and limb with you, for the &s;uppre&s;&s;ing of Tyrants, taking away oppre&s;&s;ive Laws, and all grievous burthens under which the Common-wealth groaneth. Thus having imparted our De&s;ires and pre&s;ent Condition to your Excellency, we commit you to the Teaching, Guidance, and Protection of God, and re&s;t,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Yours, The Inhabitants of the County of Rutland.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="disposition">
<P>This Petition was pre&s;ented to the General on Fryday the 24 of November 1648. <HI>by Lieut.</HI> Freeman,
<HI>accompanied with three Gentlemen of the &s;ame County.</HI></P>
<P><HI>To which the General returned this an&s;wer,</HI> Gentlemen I have &s;ent to the Hou&s;e, I hope they will do that which will be good for the Kingdom; if not, I will venture my life with you for Ju&s;tice: and return you Thanks.</P>
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<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed by <HI>James</HI> and <HI>Jo&s;eph Moxon,</HI> for <HI>William Larnar,</HI> at the Black-more within Bi&s;hop&s;gate. 1648.</P>
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