Selected quad for the lemma: england_n
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A25699
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An Account of the proceedings at Guild-Hall, London, at the Tolke-moot, or Common-Hall, held 24th of June 1676 relating to the cities petitioning His Majesty for a new Parliament.
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1676
(1676)
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Wing A355; ESTC R7747
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6,470
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15
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Common-Hall proceeded â—o Election of Sheriffs and made their Election And sent up an accoâ—nt theroâ— to the Lord Mayâ—r â—â—d Aldermen by the Sheriffs and Common Sergeantâ— as is usual in such cases The Lord Mayor and Aldermen presâ—ntly came down and took their Seats in the Court of Hustings according to custom upon which the Common Sargeant came forth to the front of the Court and declared the names of the Persons elected and immediately gave back Thereupon the Common-Hall called out for an Answer to their Message upon which the Common Sargeant steping forward again and in the presence of the Lord Mayor Aldermen and Sheriffs said that he had acquainted his Lordship and the Aldermen with their Request And that his Lordship has commanded him to declare unto them that he would be ready to join with them in that or any other thing for the good of the City And with that the Lord Mayor and Aldermen c. left the Court of Hustings And dismissed the Assembly To the Common-Hall of the City of London Fellow Citizens OUr deplorable case forceth these lines from me as the danger of the Fathers life made the dumb Son speak Our City is in danger to be laid again into ashes and to become like Sodom wicked Hellish Instruments being hired as some now in Goal have confessed to fire our Houses no Man in City or Suburbs can promise himself safety for a night But if vigilance should preserve our Houses our City is in no less danger to be depopulated and become desolate its Inhabitants through decay of Trade and increase of poverty daily forsaking it between three and four thousand Houses lying now desolate And it s most wealthy Traders already refuse to unite with the City or to bear a part of or be concerned in its Government to support the charge or burden necessary to preserve so great a Body of Traders The Credit of our Merchants which is like the daily food or life-blood of Traders is so miserably broken and lost that Forreigners have with-drawn their Stocks trusted thereupon several Credits And no Man knows where to lodge his Money in security which must make a consumption of all Trade proportionable to the diminution of Credit Our Merchants Ship pass in no safety through the potency of the French who are now Aspirers to the Dominion of the Seaâ— they take our Ships in sight of our Harbours under vain pretences and detain them to clear them in their Admiralties until the Merchants principles are half spent the crews of English Sea-men either by want or miseries forced or basely seduced to serve them to purchase with our English bloods the French Domination by Sea as well as by Land Our Sea-men on whom depends the â—reatness safety and being of our City are by the former means and some other not only lost in great numbers to this City and to England and our People decreased but are ignorantly as we will hope the greatest Enemies to our City and Kingdom helping to put the King of France into possession of Naval power that our King can never hope to enjoy his ancient Rights of the Seas Dominion unless by a vast expence of English blood and treasure Our Artizans such as Weavers broad and narrow Taylors Hat-makers Braziers Shoo-makers Stockinmakers with the Trades attendant respectively upon these are so miserably impoverished by the encroachments of several kinds made by the French and others upon us that their pinching wants have already endangered tumults and seditions among some of them and others have waited in vain with great expence at the door of His Majesties Councel and of His Parliament when sitting and how great our danger is that the poor Artizans hunger may break through our Brick-walls God alone knows Our Native Manufactures and Commodities the transport whereof should support the City as well as the Kingdom are some forbidden by the French King others loaden with insupportable Impositions so debased in price that our City and Kingdom like consuming Prodigals spend in France ten times our English revenue or growth and if it so continue we must become the King of France his Slaves for his Gaieties as the Egyptians more excusably yielded themselves to Pharaoh for bread But 't is not only our Houses Trades Liberties and Lives but our Protestant Religion and therein the Souls of us and our Posterity are in eminent danger The Papists amongst us lift up their heads and say their day is near and the Monasteries and Convents of English abroad openly declare that they shall have their Ancient Church-lands and Convents here again by the French King's aid And the People are so frighted that scarce any Man dares buy Church-lands And those that say they will run the Resque openly declare two years purchase abatement of the price of other Lands because of the danger of Popery returning And is there any more then the breath of Our King which may pass before morning between that and us If the presumptive Heir of the Crown be a Roman Catholique what security can be given that the King shall live eight or nine Moneths And what safety is there provided for the Protestant Religion if a Catholick shall possess the Crown This being our sad condition judge I pray you what can save this City but Laws fitted by a Parliament to our case in respect of every case and grievance And may not our case and the Kingdoms too be desperate if we shall wait eight or nine Moneths for the Parliaments meeting In the sence of this you were lately moved to desire the Lord Mayor to call a Common Councel to consider of an humble Address to His Majesty to call a New Parliament speedily according to the Statutes of the 4th of Edward the 3d. and the 36th of Edward the 3d. whereby a Parliament is to be holden at least every year And the Parliament last held being so Prorogued that it cannot be convened within a year as the Statutes require I appeal to your consciences whether a more seasonable and necessary motion was ever made How could a Citizen consult his Fellows about preservation and the redress of such grievances in a more proper place or time then in their greatest Assembly and Court of greatest Power How could he move more modestly then to desire the debate of the matter might be had in their lesser Assemblies their representatives in Common Councel how could he be more studious of Peace then to avoid the doing of any by that numerous Assembly least it might be tumultuous what can be more innocent then to pray that the Citizens authority should shew their case to the King and their thoughts of the means for their relief Yet such is our miseries that such a harmless needfull motion is now taken by some of the King's Councel to be seditious and tumultuous and your Fellow Citizen and one of your Common Councel is made a Prisoner for it Oh how sad is our Cities case if