Petition 2 Page 2

from the Scotch Rebellion to the King's Murther. 19
way to prosecute the same before the ordinary competent Judges, Civil 1639
or Ecclesiastical, without any offense offered by us, or taken by you
Lordships. Secondly, We protest that the said Archbishops and Bishops, our
parties complained upon, cannot be reputed or esteemed lawful Jusges
to fit in any Judicatory in this Kingdom, Civil or Ecclesiastical, upon
any of the supplicants, until after lawful Tryal judicially they purge them-
selves of such Crimes as we have already laid to their charge, offering to
Audience. Thirdly, We Protest that no Act nor Proclamation to follow
thereupon, past or to be past in Council or out of Council, in presence of
the Archbishops and Bishops, whom we have already declined to be our
Judges, shall any ways be prejudicial to us the supplicants, our persons,
estates, lawful meetings, preceedings or pursuits. Fourthly, We protest
that neither we nor any whose heart the Lord moveth to joyn with us
in these our supplications against the forsaid Innovations shall incur any
danger in Life, Lands, or and Political or Ecclesiastical pains, for not ob-
serving such Acts, Books, Canons, Rites, Judiciatories, Proclamations, in-
troduced without or against the Acts of Genreral Assemblies, or Acts of
Parliament, the Statues of this Kingdome; But that it shall be lawful to
us or them to use our selves in matters of Religion of the external Worship
of God and Policy of the Church, according to the Word of God, and
laudable Constitutions of this Church and Kingdom, conform to His
Majesties Declaration the ninth of December last. Fifthly, Seeing by
the legal and submiss way of our former supplications, all who takes these
Innovations to heart have been kept calm and carried themselves in a
quiet manner in hope of redress; We protest that if any inconvenience
shall happen to fall our (which we pray the Lord to prevent) upon the
pressing of any of the foresaid Innovations or Evils, specially or generally
contained in our former supplications and complains, and upon your
Lordships refusal to take order thereanent, the same be not imputed to
us, who most humbly seeks all things to be reformed by an Order.
Sixthly, We protest that these our requests proceeding from conscience
and a due respect to His Majesties Honour, do tend to no other end, but
to the preseration of the true reformed Religion, the Laws and Liber-
ties of this His Majesties msot ancient Kingdom and satisfaction of
our most humble desires contained in our supplication and complaint,
according to his Majesties accustomed goodness and justice, from which
we do certainly expect that His Sacred Majesty will provide and grant
such remedy to our just Petitions and complains, as may be expected
from so gracious a King toward most Loyal and Dutiful Subjects, calling
for redress of so pressing grievances, and praying to God that His Majesty
may long and prosperously Reign over us.

From which the Protestation may be observed, First, The injustice of their
demands to have some of the Bishops removed from the Secret Council,
alledging this Declinator against them made them Parties, and so they
ought not to be Judges, upon which them promise to prove great Crimes
against them, in effect desiring they may be first Condemned and Tryed
afterward, Protesting agaisnt all Acts of Council while they sate there,
when by the fame reason the Bishiops and other Declinator against their
Assembly, who made themselves both Parties and Judges, would by no
means be allowed by themselves
Secondly,