To his Most Excellent Ma[jes]tie Charles the Second By Grace of God of Greate Brittaine, Fraunce & Ireland King Defender of the faith &c:

The most Humble Petition of Richard Ellsworth of the City of Br[ist]oll Merchantt.

<Sheweth>

Whereas yo[u]r Ma[jes]ties Petitioner soe farre aduentured his p[er]son, out of Loyalty to his late Ma[jes]tie (of famous memory) in the defence of the aforesaid City of Bristoll, ag[ains]t the then p[re]tended P[ar]liam[en]ts forces, as that, in the stormeing thereof, in the yeare 1645, Hee was sorely wounded, euen to the Hazard of his life: And Whereas Hee eu[er] since hath continued loyall to His Prince, & Soueraigne=ward; notw[i]thstandinge all those vicissitudes, & turneinges, upside downe, both of Prince & People (for Our (& not our Soveraignes) liues) w[hi]ch of late yeares hath happened, w[i]thin these yo[u]r Ma[jes]ties Dominions; soe that, wheras the late p[re]tended Committee of safety Treasonously tooke vppon them, & vsurped, the supreame Gou[ern]m[en]t of this Kingdome, Your Petitioner in December last stirred upp the Apprentices of the said City; to petition the Major thereof to Associate w[i]th the Adiacent Counties, & the Lord Major, Aldermen & Com[m]on Councell of the City of London, for, & towards, the Peoples repriueall from the Slauery, & Vassalage, they then did mightily sigh & groane vnder; w[hi]ch designe proueing Abortiue, by reason of its discovery once it came vnto the birth, Your Petitioner on or about the 29th January last, incited the said Apprentices, once more to Rise, in opposition vnto the then p[re]tended Rump P[ar]liam[en]t, & for the more sure carrieing on of that designe (wheras the said Apprentices were upp, & had seized into their Power the said City) Hee wrote for them a l[e]ttre vnto the Apprentices of the City of London, to encourage them also, to rise att the same time, & in hopes of his success drew them upp a declaration, to sett forth the cause of their riseing, as aforesaid, Comitting the same unto the Press for Publique Veiw, whereby to encourage all others to contribute their assistance towards the Consum[m]ation of that greate Worke; To Witt the desired, & much longed for, restauration of yo[u]r Sacred Ma[jes]tie to your Iust Rights & Prereogatiue; And afterwards whence the secluded Members were re=admitted to sitt in P[ar]liam[en]t Your Petitioner did then also encourage the said Apprentices of Bristoll, to petic[i]on the then House of Com[m]ons for your Ma[jes]ties Restauration as aforesaid, beinge drawen vpp by Him, for the sole end, & to quicken the worke afores[ai]d; Whereby had not His Excellency, in that Iuncture of tyme enforced the Re=admission of the aforesaid secluded Members, the Consequent would haue been yo[u]r Peticoners vtter ruine, should hee haue escaped w[i]th his life; yett such were his loyall affections towards yo[u]r Excellent Ma[jes]tie, as that Hee prized His Princes Returne, and Restauration, att a farre higher estimate, then his owne life, or estate, aduiseing his s[ai]d Excellency att seu[er]all tymes, of, & concerneing, all such transactions in the said City, as might in the least impeede the same:

May itt therefore please yo[u]r Most Sacred Ma[jes]tie (seeing the Greate Iehoua hath answered yo[u]r Peticoners dayly prayers, both in private, & in his family, for yo[u]r Ma[jes]ties restauration as afores[ai]d by His vouchsafeall of Your now returne to yo[u]r Crowne & Kingdomes) for to fauoure yo[u]r humble Peticoner, in Your bountifull donation, of A Cheife Customers place, now in yo[u]r Ma[jes]ties hands, on the death of One Throope, neare 14 yeares past, Or else of the Controllers or Suruayors Office, both of them elapsed into yo[u]r Ma[jes]ties Donation, by the death of the said Officers (not that yo[u]r Petic[i]oner hath meritted the same for what hee hath done as abouesaid; It beinge not more than what in duty hee stood obliged) yett out of Your Princely Bounty to Him=ward, And yo[u]r Peticoner doubts not but to improue this Talent, euen to the aduancem[en]t of the Customes of the said City, neare to One third more then what formerly has been returned in Your Ma[jes]ties Treasury; by his fidelity, in the due discharge of that His Trust

And yo[u]r Peticoner will euer pray &c: