the mayor to see
well to the city's guards and scrutinise the passes of those coming and
going,(702) and at last, on the 13th January, the Speakers wrote to
Charles declining the proposal.(703)

(M336)

The day following the despatch of this reply was kept in the city as a day
of solemn humiliation. Sermons were preached before the mayor, aldermen
and members of the common council, who afterwards individually took the
oath and covenant. An enquiry was subsequently ordered (9 Feb.) for the
purpose of discovering what members of the common council had failed to
take the covenant on this occasion, and the reasons why they had not done
so. A few members stood out and refused to renew the covenant, whereupon
the court resolved to ask parliament for instructions as to what should be
done with them.(704)

(M337)

On the 15th January Charles made overtures to parliament for the first
time on the question of religion. He was prepared to allow religion to be
settled as it was in the reign of Elizabeth and James, "with full liberty
for the ease of their consciences who will not communicate in that service
established by law, and likewise for the free and public use of the
directory prescribed and, by command of the two Houses, now practised in
some parts of the city of London."(705)

(M338)

This important concession on the part of Charles--a concession which only
the necessities of the time induced him, after much exercise of mind, to
make--was announced to parliament on the same day that the City presented a
petition(706) against toleration of any other form of religion than the
Presbyterianism already adopted by parliament and the citizens. The
petitioners declared that since they last addressed the Houses on the
subject of religion a fresh election of the Common Council had taken
place, and the inhabitants of many of the wards had taken the opportunity
of asking their alderman that parliament might be again desired to settle
Church government and forbid toleration. Private meetings for religious
worship, they went on to say, were constantly held. In one parish there
were at least eleven. Orthodox ministers were evil spoken of, as if the
city were still under the "tyranny of prelatical government." Women had
taken to preaching, and such blasphemies were uttered as made the
petitioners tremble to think of. Having heard that it was the intention of
divers persons to petition the House for a toleration of such doctrines as