Sheweth, That your Lordships having been graciously pleased, after several hearings before his sacred Majesty in Council and your lordships in Parliament to recommend the difference between your poor petitioners and the rich inhabitants of Yarmouth unto the reverend judges, to report to your Lordships their sense therein; we doubt not but your Lordships will further understand the threatening ruin which attends both them and the western and northern fishery the damage to the city of London and to the kingdom in general, as appears by the certificate of many hundreds of fishermen, the remonstrance of the fishmongers in London, and the burgesses of this present Parliament for the sea-coasts towns of the county of Suffolk, if the Yarmouth men persevere in their cruel practices, as of late these have done, by spoiling your poor petitioners, as in the late unhappy wars, assisting Oliver Cromwell in taking and plundering the town, imprisoning many of the chief inhabitants, and others, who left their relations, fled beyond the sea into his Majesty’s maritime service; and as if that were not sufficient, when upon his majesty’s most happy restoration, your petitioners hope for a happy and comfortable issue of all their calamaties, even then the men of Yarmouth, taking advantage of your petitioners’ poverty, most cruelly practiced their utter ruin, by sending a man of war as they called her, to ride in the roads before the town the whole season of the herring-fishing, not suffering the fishers to deliver any herrings in the said roads, but forced them to carry them all to Yarmouth; whereby your petitioners and the poor fishermen were despoiled of their trade, and fewer herrings were taken that year by at least one thousand lasts, than otherwise would have been. And whereas his most excellent majesty, with the advice of his privy council, hath been graciously pleased, by his royal proclamation, to promote and encourage the trade of herring-fishery, as his royal progenitors have done; and also sent forth a fleet of burses, which must necessarily suffer proportionably with the other fishery, if the Yarmouth men be suffered to continue such oppressive courses.