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<DATE>9-2-09</DATE>
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<NAME>John Latta</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="A94675">
<STC T="W">T1707</STC>
<STC T="T">669.f.4[82]</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99869119</BIBNO>
<VID>160704</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
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<DIV1 TYPE="petition">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<HEAD>TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE,
THE PEERES ASSEMBLED IN PARLIAMENT.
The humble Petition of the high Sheriffe, Knights, E&s;quires, Gentlemen, Mini&s;ters, Freeholders and others Inhabi|tants
of the County of BEDFORD,</HEAD>
<OPENER>Sheweth,</OPENER>
<P>_THat we are unable to expre&s;&s;e our joyes, or declare the thankfulne&s;&s;e of all our hearts, for the
happy concurrence of your Lord&s;hips with the Honourable Hou&s;e of Commons, upon
which the pro&s;perity and welfare of our Church and State depends; onely in this ye are able
(by the ble&s;sing of God) to effect great and high atchievements, and to lay pro&s;trate the de&s;perate plots
&amp; devices of our wicked adver&s;aries, who&s;e chiefe&s;t de&s;igne (as we have ju&s;t cau&s;e to beleeve) hath bin
to cut in &s;under this Gordian knot, and by dividing to triumph in our ruine and confu&s;ion. Wee
mo&s;t humbly therefore &s;upplicate your Lord&s;hips that this ble&s;&s;ed con&s;ent and unity may long con|tinue,
and at this pre&s;ent (being a time of great di&s;traction) for the perfecting of what you have &s;o hap|pily
begun for a full and complete reformation of the government, and grievances of this Church and
Common-wealth: And we, to the la&s;t of our lives, and utmo&s;t of our e&s;tates and fortunes, are re&s;olved
of defend His Maje&s;ties Royall Per&s;on and State, and your Lord&s;hips in the&s;e your joynt and honou|rable
proceedings. And though you &s;hould have no cau&s;e to need our &s;words, yet for this happy
con&s;ent and union, and for your Lord&s;hips pro&s;perity, &s;hall ever be the daily and hearty prayers of your
Petitioners, &amp;c.</P>
<P>Sir <HI>John Burgoyne</HI> Baronet, who was intru&s;ted with the delivery of this Petition, had further direction per&s;onally
to declare their particular thanks to the Lords for their Concurrence with the Hou&s;e of Commons, in the late Ordinance
concerning the <HI>Militia,</HI> together with a de&s;ire, that the &s;ame may be (&s;peedily) put in execution; for which e&s;pecially,
as for the re&s;t in generall, their Lord&s;hips returned them hearty thankes.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="petition">
<HEAD>TO THE HONOURABLE, THE KNIGHTS, CITIZENS, AND
BURGESSES In the Commons Hou&s;e of PARLIAMENT a&s;&s;embled.
The humble Petition of the high Sheriffe, Knights, E&s;quires, Gentlemen, Mini&s;ters, Freeholders and others Inhabitants of the County of
BEDFORD.</HEAD>
<OPENER>Sheweth,</OPENER>
<P>_THat your Petitioners are truely &s;en&s;ible of your pious care, in the reformation of Religion from tho&s;e &s;candalous
and &s;uper&s;titious innovations, which were introduced into the Church, with intent to &s;ubvert the Prote&s;tant. Re|ligion;
as al&s;o of your ince&s;&s;ant labours, prudent Deliberations, and undefatigable paines for the Common-wealth;
and that with all humble thankfulne&s;&s;e they daily ble&s;&s;e Almighty God, the Kings Maje&s;tie, the Peers, and this Ho|nourable
A&s;&s;embly, for many excellent Lawes and Ordinances, made and enacted in this pre&s;ent Parliament, and e&s;pecially
for providing again&s;t the long intermi&s;sion of Parliaments, &s;uppre&s;sing the eruptions, and preventing the revivall of illegall
taxes, aboli&s;hing the Courts of Star-Chamber and high Commi&s;sion, regulating of other exorbitant Juri&s;dictions: For ta|king
away the Bi&s;hops Votes in Parliament, and di&s;abling of all per&s;ons in holy Orders for exerci&s;ing any Temporall
Juri&s;diction or Authoritie; and for the late Ordinance for the di&s;po&s;ing the <HI>Militia</HI> of this Kingdome into the hands of &s;uch
honourable and faithfull per&s;onages, as are therein expre&s;&s;ed. That your humble Petitioners are immutably re&s;olved with
the hazzard of their lives and fortunes, in all ju&s;t and lawfull wayes, to maintaine and defend you in your Rights and Pri|viledges
again&s;t the enemies of God, the King and State, according to their ingagements in the late Prote&s;tation; and in all
humility do pray the continuation of your Honourable indeavours, that there may be a &s;peedy advancement of all di&s;patches
for the reliefe of IRELAND. That for the removing of our ju&s;t and increa&s;ing feares, and preventing of imminent dan|gers,
the late Ordinance for the <HI>Militia</HI> may be fully and &s;peedily executed. That the Seas may be &s;trongly and &s;afely guarded
under the conduct of per&s;ons of honour, worth and ability. That the Papi&s;ts may be di&s;-armed and the mo&s;t dangerous
of them &s;ecured; That the Ma&s;&s;e both publicke and private be aboli&s;hed; That the undoubted reputation of your late ac|cu&s;ed
members may be repaired, and the Priviledges of Parliament effectually vindicated; The &s;uffrages of the Recu&s;ant No|bility
be excluded from the Hou&s;e of Peers: And that there may be a further di&s;covery and removall of tho&s;e evill Councel|lours,
by who&s;e pernicious practices the happy progre&s;&s;e of the great Affaires of this Kingdome is retarded; That all delin|quents,
e&s;pecially tho&s;e that have been the principall cau&s;es of our mi&s;eries, may be &s;peedily brought unto exemplary and
condigne puni&s;hment. That all po&s;sible meanes may be u&s;ed for the prevailing with his Maje&s;tie that he would be grati|ou&s;ly
plea&s;ed to repaire to, and abide neere his Parliament; And that the Prince, and the re&s;t of his Maje&s;ties children, may be
under the care and government of &s;uch per&s;ons, in whom this Kingdome may confide; That Manufactures and Trading
be upheld; That all burden&s;ome and &s;candalous Ceremonies be taken away, and &s;uch an Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall Di&s;cipline and Go|vernment
as is agreeable to Gods word may bee &s;ettled, by &s;uch wayes and meanes as to your wi&s;edomes &s;hall &s;eeme expe|dient.
That the Univer&s;ities be purged and reformed. That corrupt and &s;candalous Mini&s;ters may be removed, a learned,
pious and con&s;cientious Mini&s;tery generally &s;ettled, and &s;ufficiently maintained, (having an e&s;peciall regard and care to
Market Townes and populous places.) That the pious and painfull Divines, who for unju&s;t, and incon&s;iderable cau&s;es
were deprived by the Bi&s;hops, or their Subordinate Officers, may receive ample reparations. That for the compleating the
happine&s;&s;e both of Church and State, there may be as well a faithfull Magi&s;tracie, as a painfull Mini&s;terie.</P>
<CLOSER>And your humble Petitioners &s;hall ever pray, &amp;c.</CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="Parliamentary order">
<OPENER><DATELINE><DATE>Die Mercurii, Martii 16. 1641.</DATE></DATELINE></OPENER>
<P>It is this day ordered by the Commons Hou&s;e of Parliament, That Mr. <HI>Speaker,</HI> in the name of the Hou&s;e, &s;hall take particular no|tice
of, and give the Gentlemen of <HI>Bedford-&s;hire</HI> particular thankes for their de&s;ire of the Kings returne to Parliament, and of
their de&s;ire to have the Ordinance of the <HI>Militia</HI> &s;peedily to be put in execution.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Hen. El&s;inge Cler. Dom. Com.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="Parliamentary receipt">
<P>Both which Petitions, being pre&s;ented the 16. of March 1641. by the aforenamed Sir <HI>John Burgoyne,</HI> accompanied with about
two thou&s;and per&s;ons, were gratefully received, to the ample &s;atisfaction of the Petitioners.</P>
</DIV1>
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<DIV1 TYPE="colophon">
<P>Printed on Bread-&s;treet-hill by a true copy, with the Petitioners approbation, at the charge of <HI>John Chambers,</HI> 1641.</P>
</DIV1>
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