To his highness the Lord Protector of the commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland.

The humble Remonstrance of the knights, citizens and burgesses now assembled in the Parliament of this commonwealth.

We, the knights, citizens and burgesses in this present Parliament assembled, taking into our most serious consideration the present estate of these three nations, joined and united under your highness's protection, cannot but in the first place with all thankfulness acknowledge the wonderful mercy of Almighty God in delivering us from that tyranny and bondage, both in our spiritual and civil concernments, which the late king and his party designed to bring us under, and pursued the effecting thereof by a long and bloody war, and also it hath pleased the same gracious God to preserve your person in many battles, to make you an instrument for preserving our peace, although environed with enemies abroad and filled with turbulent, restless and unquiet spirits in our own bowels. And we have great cause to hope that as the Lord hath used you so eminently in treading down our enemies and restoring us to peace and tranquillity, so also that he will further use you in the settling and securing our liberties, both as we are men and Christians, which are those innate and glorious ends which the good people of these nations have so freely, with the hazard of their lives and estates in a two years' war, so earnestly contended for.