arliament on the
13th June embraced the city of London as well as the whole kingdom, the
House could not approve of the city's petition being forwarded to his
majesty. Being desired by the council to leave the paper with them,
Vassall declared that he had no authority to do so.(737) In the meantime,
the House had appointed a committee to enquire "concerning the first
principal contrivers and framers of the city remonstrance, and concerning
such as have or do labour to disaffect the people and the city from the
parliament";(738) but before the committee could take steps to carry out
its instructions, circumstances had arisen which made it advisable to let
the matter drop and not to widen the breach between the city and
parliament.

(M356)

On the 30th July the parliamentary commissioners arrived in Newcastle for
the purpose of laying before Charles propositions for peace. Charles had
already become possessed of a copy, and had long since made up his mind to
reject them. The commissioners had received positive orders to allow the
king ten days to give his assent, and if he failed to give his assent
within that time after their arrival they were at once to return.(739) The
only reply which Charles condescended to give was contained in a letter
which he handed to the commissioners on the 1st August. The letter was
read before the House on the 12th. It contained little more than vague
promises and a request that he might be allowed to come to London to
discuss the propositions at length.(740)

(M357)

The same day that the king's answer was read before the Lords a letter
from the Scottish commissioners was produced, in which they offered to
withdraw their forces from England upon payment of expenses already
incurred.(741) After a considerable amount of haggling the Scots consented
to take the sum of L400,000 in full discharge of all claims, a moiety to
be paid to them before leaving England and the remainder by instalments at
specified dates.(742) It only remained for parliament to raise the sum of
L200,000 needed for the first payment, and to whom was it more natural
that application should first be made than to the City? A large deputation
from the Commons, including Cromwell himself, accordingly waited on the
Common Council (7 Sept.) to ask it to consider ways and means for raising
the money. The committee to whom the matter was referred lost no time. On
the 9th it reported to the court a scheme for raising the money