Most renowned and dread sovereign, the respective care of your highness's honour, with the obligation that our bounden duty requireth from us, doth not permit, that we, your nobility of this part of your majesty's realm of Ireland commonly termed the English pale, should suppress and be silent in aught, which in the least measure might import the honour of your majesty's most royal
Your majesty's pleasure for calling a parliament in this kingdom hath been lately divulged, but the matters therein to be propounded not made known unto us and others of the nobility, we being, notwithstanding, of the grand council of the realm, and may well be conceived to be the council meant in the statute made in King Henry the seventh's time, who should join with the governor of this kingdom, in certifying thither, what acts should pass here in parliament, especially, it being hard to exclude those that in respect of their estates and residence, next your majesty, should most likely understand what were fittest to be enacted and ordained for the good of their prince and country.
Yet are we for our own parts well persuaded they be such as will comport with the good and relief of your majesty's subjects, and give hopeful expectation of restoration of this lately torn and rended estate, if your majesty have been rightly informed, they having (as it is said) passed the censure of your highness's most rare and matchless judgment. But the extern and public course held (whereof men of all sorts and qualities do take notice for the management thereof) hath generally bred so grievous an apprehension, as is not in our power to express, arising from a fearful suspicion that the project of erecting so many corporations in places that can scantly pass the rank of the poorest villages, in the poorest country of Christendom, do tend to nought else at this time, but that by the voices of a few selected for the purpose, under the name of burgesses, extreme penal laws should be imposed upon your subjects here, contrary to the natures, customs, and dispositions of them all in effect, and so the general scope and institution of parliaments frustrated, they being ordained for the assurance of the subjects not to be processed with any new edicts or laws, but such as should pass with their general consent and approbation.
Your majesty's subjects here in general do likewise very much distaste and exclaim against the deposing of so many magistrates, in the cities and boroughs of this kingdom, for not swearing the oath of supremacy in spiritual and ecclesiastical causes, they protesting a firm profession of loyalty, and an acknowledgment of all kingly jurisdiction and authority in your highness ; which course, for that it was so sparingly and mildly carried on in the time of your late sister of famous memory, Queen Elizabeth, and but now in your highness's happy reign first extended unto the remote parts of this country, doth so much the more affright, and disquiet the minds of your well-affected subjects here, especially, they conceiving that by this means, those that are most sufficient and fit to
The honour which your majesty, in all your actions and proceedings, hath hitherto so well maintained, the renown of your highness' transcendent understanding in matters of estate and government, and in particular the exemplary precedent of your majesty's never-to-be-forgotten moderation in not descending to such extraordinary courses for effecting the union of both kingdoms so much desired, doth give us full hope and assurance, that your highness will duly weigh and take in good worth these considerations by us laid down, and most graciously grant this our humble submissive suit, in which hope we do, and will always remain,
Your majesty's most humble and dutiful subjects,
Gormanston, Chr. Slane, Kileen, Rob. Trimblestown, Pat. Dunsany, Ma. Louth.