Selected quad for the lemma: city_n
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B03718
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The humble petition of the Lord Mayor, aldermen and commons of the city of London in Common Council assembled, as it was presented to his Majesty in council at Windsor, upon Monday the 18th of June 1683. Together with the Lord Keepers speech.
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City of London (England). Court of Common Council.; England and Wales. Lord Chancellor's Dept.
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1683
(1683)
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Wing H3552; ESTC R178365
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2,902
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5
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THE HUMBLE PETITION Of the LORD MAYOR Aldermen and Commons of the City of London in Common Council Assembled as it was Presented to His Majesty In Council at Windsor upon Monday the 18th of June 1683. Together with the Lord Keepers Speech Published by His Majesties Special Command SHEWETH THat Your Petitioners are most heartily and lly sâ—â—â—…y for the Mis-Government of this Your City of late Years whereby the Citizens have fallen under Your Majesties Displeasure Which occasioned a Quo Warranto to be brought against them Vpon which Judgement hath bee Pronounced for Seizure of their Liberties and Franchises into Your Majesties Hands That Your Petitioners are deeply sensible of and thankfully acknowledge the great Favour of this Opportunity of Application to Your Royal Grace vouchsafed them by means of Your Majesties not Requiring Judgement to be immediately Entred thereupon And now considering this our distressed condition we humbly cast our selves at Your Royal Feet Imploring Your Princely Compassion and Grace to be extended to this Your Ancient City most humbly begging Your Majesties Pardon for all our Offences And we do in the Name of our selves and all the Citizens humbly tender and Pray Your Majesty to accept the most Solemn Promises and Assurances of Constant Loyalty and Obedience to-Your Majesty Your Heirs and Successors and of our Regular and Dutiful Administration of Your Government of this City for the future Wherein we submit our selves to Your Majesties good Pleasure and humbly beg Your Majesties Commands and Directions Which we will with all Humility and Thankfulness Obey And Your Petitioners shall ever Pray c. After the Reading of which Petition The Lord Mayer Aldermen and Citizens were Commanded to withdraw and being again called in the Lord Keeper spake to them as followeth My Lord Mayor I Am by the Kings Command to tell you That He hath considered the humble Petition of the City of London where so many of the present Magistrates and other Eminent Citizens are of undoubted Loyalty and Affection to His Service That for their sakes His Majesty will shew the City all the Favour they can reasonably desire It was very long before His Majesty took Resolutions to question their Charter It was not the Seditious Discourses of the Coffee-Houses the Treasonable Pamphlets and Libels dayly Published and Dispersed thence into all Parts of the Kingdom the Outragious Tumults in the Streets nor the Affronts to His Courts of Justice could provoke Him to it His Majesty had Patience until Disorders were grown to that height That nothing less seemed to be Designed than a Ruine to the Government both of Church and State For the Factious Party were not content with the Practice of these Insolencies but endeavoured to have them publickly countenanced by the Magistrates and for that end in all Elections they stickled to Chuse the most disaffected into Offices of the greatest Trust in the Government and carried themselves with that Heat and Violence that it was a Terror to all sober and discreet Citizens and the City was so unhappily divided into Parties That there was no likelihood it could return to good Order so long as the Factious retained any hopes of procuring the Election of Magistrates of their own Party for their Impunity It was high time to put a stop to this growing Evil. This made it Necessary for His Majesty to enquire into their Abuse of Franchises that it might be in His Power to make a Regulation sufficient to Restore the City to its former good Government It was not for Punishment but meerly for the Good of the City that He took this Course And now the King hath obtained Judgement in a Quo Warranto it is not His Intention to Prejudice them either in their Properties or Customes Nay lest the Entring a Judgment upon Record might have Consequences Fatal to them His Majesty was so tender of them That He caused Mr. Attorney to forbear the same at present that the City might have some time to consider their own Condition My Lord I must needs say The City hath not been well advised to defer their Application to His Majesty thus long even till the Court hath Pronounced Judgement It had been done with a much better grace if it had been more early His Majesties Affection to the City is too great to reject their Suit for that Cause But for that Reason you will have the less time to Deliberat upon the Particulars the King doth require of you And indeed There will be little need of Deliberation For His Majesty hath resolved to make the Alterations as few and as easie as may be consistent with the good Government of the City and Peace of the Kingdom They are These His Majesty Requires your submission to these Regulations THat no Lord Mayor Sheriff Recarder Common Serjeant Town Clerk or Coroner of the City of London or Steward of the Burrough of Southwark shall be capable of or admitted to the Exercise of their respective Offices before His Majesty shall have Approved them under His Sign Manual That if His Majesty shall Disapprove the Choice of any Person to be Lord Mayor and signifie the same under His Sign Manual to the Lord Mayor or in default of a Lord Mayor to the Recorder or Senior Alderman The Citizens shall within one Week proceed to a new Choice and if His Majesty shall in like manner Disapprove the second Choice His Majesty may if He so please Nominate a Person to be Lord Mayor for the ensuing Year If His Majestie shall in like manner Disapprove the Persons chosen to be Sheriffs or either of them His Majestie may appoint Persons to be Sheriffs for the ensuing Year by His Commission if He so Please Nevertheless the Elections of these Officers may be according to the ancient Vsage of the City with these Restrictions The Lord Mayor and Court of Aldermen may with leave of His Majestie displace any Alderman Recorder Common Serjeant Town Clerk Coroner of the said City and Stewart of the said Burrough Upon Election of any Alderman if any of the Persons that shall be presented to the Court of Aldermen by the Ward shall be adjudged unfit upon such Declaration by the said Court the Ward shall proceed to the Choice of other Persons in the room of such 〈…〉 â—â—â—…ed and if the said Court 〈◊〉 disapprove such Second Choice 〈…〉 appoint any others in their room The Justices of the Peace to be by the Kings Commission which His Majesty will grant according to the usual method unless upon Extraordinary Occasions when His Hajestie shall think it necessary for His Service These Matters are to be Settled in such manner as shall be Approved by His Majesties Attorney and Solicitor General and Councel Learned in the Law My Lord Mayor These Regulations being made His Majestie will not only Pardon this Prosecution but Confirm your Charter in such manner as may be Consistent with them The City should Look upon this as a great Condescention on His Majestâ—es part it being but in the Nature of a Reservation of a small part of what is already in His Power by the Judgment and of those things which will Conduce as much to their own Good and Quiet as to His Service If the City should Look upon it with another Eye and neglect a speedy Complyance yet His Majestie hath done His part and Demonstrated His Affection to the City by giving them this Opportunity And if there shall be any heavy Consequence of this Judgment which it will behove you well to Consider The fault will lie at their Doors in whose power it now is to bring this Affair to a happie Conclusion My Lord Mayor The Term draws toward an end and Midsomer-day is at hand when some of the Officers use to be Chosen whereof His Majestie will Reserve the Approbation Therefore it is His Majesties Pleasure that you return to the City and Consult the Common Council that He may speedilie know your Resolutions hereupon and accordingly give His Directions That you may see the King is in Earnest and the Matter is not capable of Delay I am Commanded to let you know He hath given Order to His Attorney General to Enter Up Judgment on Saturday next unless you prevent it by your Compliance in all these particulars FINIS Edinburgh Re-printed by the Heir of Andrew Anderson Printed to Hâ—â— most Sacred Majestie Anno DOM. 1683.